Six dark secrets of a small town

 
As your party are travelling across some of the less populated areas of the country, you happen across a small village. It doesn’t appear on the map and it is strangely located. No one comes out this way, how and why would people live so far off the beaten track?
 
From the mouths of babes
 
The village seems ordinary enough but there is a strange terror in the look of the villagers when they see you approaching. They don’t like outsiders but you’re not quite sure why. This fear of the unknown doesn’t reach as far as the village’s children though, they’re as happy and carefree as any other children you might have met. If not happier and more carefree.
 
With some investigation it becomes clear that several of the village children have innate magical abilities and are using their powers to control the grown ups and do whatever they want! That explains why the village makes so much candy and yet exports so little.
 
Domesticated bliss
 
The village is old and run down. Huge chunks of wall are missing from various building and the entire place seems to bear the scars of some great battle. The villagers don’t appear to notice though. There are no works to improve the place and everyone is happy as they are. This is until you show up. No one is particularly hostile but they make it very clear you are not welcome to stay in or near the village. They tell tales of bandits in the local area and suggest that you move on as quick as you can and get as far away from here as possible before nightfall.
 
With some investigation it becomes apparent that the villagers are all werewolves. They live here happily, free from judgement and hatred. They are far enough away to not pose a threat to anyone (except roving adventurers such as yourselves). They just want to live in peace.
 
Lost in a crowd
 
The village is lovely. Ideal in fact. But something just doesn’t feel right. Why does everyone seem so vacuous and happy and what is that disgusting old shack doing there when everything else looks freshly built and pristine? The people of the village will help you with anything they can but they all seem a bit… vacant.
 
With some investigation it becomes clear that the entire village is an illusion built by one lonely magic user who lives in the tumbledown shack (the only building that actually exists). He is harmless enough, but if confronted, he may get angry.
 
The elixir of life
 
The village is very self-sufficient. For the most part everyone who lives there seems content. There is a wisdom amongst the inhabitants beyond their years. And it is this that starts you wondering… Where are all the old people? Where are all the children? Everyone that you meet seems to be in their twenties and yet speaks as if they have existed forever.
 
With some investigation you find that the village have discovered a potion that can reverse the aging process. The side effect (which was discovered too late) is that it removes their ability to reproduce. The potion, the recipe and the village’s secret is carefully protected. They have lived too long to let it slip now. People who uncover it will find themselves in mortal danger.
 
Evil in our midst
 
The town seems normal. They send out traders to get everything they need and everyone works hard to keep the village going. A bit too hard. Why are they living this isolated and why is there such high security everywhere in this sleepy little rural village? The people are friendly enough but they’re definitely not comfortable having outsiders around.
 
With some investigation you find that the village is guarding an ancient evil relic and that all of them will defend it at all costs to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. That is the way it is and the way it has been for a very long time.
 
What’s yours is mine
 
This village is very affluent. Strangely affluent. So far away from everything and yet everyone lives in luxury. Despite being sparsely populated, the village elders will not allow people to move into the area and no one has ever wanted to leave. The village is built on an old dwarven settlement. Some of the old architecture is still visible in places but no one knows why the dwarves left.
 
With some investigation you find that the dwarves never left. The dwarven town was overrun by bandits who enslaved the dwarves and forced them to mine the gold beneath the settlement for them. Decades have now past and the descendants of the bandits continue to enslave the descendants of the dwarves and reap the rewards of their hard work.