Dangerous Encounter: Get Fluffy!

This encounter initially plays upon the PC's sympathies (a child in need), but it can quickly escalate into something much more! The PCs should be in a semi-public area: shopping at a local merchant's booth, enjoying a drink in the village hooch parlor, or just generally looking for something to do during their downtime. Nearby, they should hear the protests of a child shouting, "Stop that! You'll hurt Fluffy! Give him back!"

If the PCs investigate, they'll see a small human child trying to get something back from a group of ruffians involved in a spirited game of "keep away." The human child looks to be about 12 or 13 years old and is seriously outmatched by the bullies who are toying with the child by holding something out of reach and tossing it back and forth as the kid tries to stop them. The bullies are a small band of 6 Suidoids (MF rules, page 99), four-armed pig-men humanoids who are in town and bored. They spied the kid with something interesting and decided to be jerks to pass time during the blisteringly hot afternoon. (Everyone must have a hobby, I suppose, even if that hobby is "being an ass.")

Suidoids (6) (AL N, MV 120' (40'), AC 6, HD 5, #AT 3 (2 clubs, tail), DM 1d6/1d6/1d6, SV L6, ML 6, mutations: aberrant form, increased sense (taste))

As the Suidoids toss the item around, the party will hear the kid nearly frantic with panic as they can see it's a small rabbit-like creature, an Ayteeum -- obviously the kid's pet. (The Suidoids haven't harmed the animal, but the creature is obviously shaken by the way it's being handled.) 

Ayteeum ("Fluffy") (AL N, MV 120' (40'), AC 9, HD 1, #AT 1 (bite), DM 1d4, SV L0, ML 6, mutations: digestive conversion)

The kid ("Jaffy") is a child of the streets, and Fluffy is his beloved companion. (Also, Fluffy is Jaffy's primary source of income as Ayteeums consume carbon and excrete diamonds!) If the PCs step in to put an end to this foolishness, the Suidoids will stand their ground, although it’s obvious that they’re thinking they may have pushed their game too far with the appearance of the party. Jaffy will hold out his hand defiantly and demand the return of Fluffy. The Suidoid with the animal will hold it out, when the Ayteeum -- worked up due to all of the excitement -- excretes a small pile of clear stones. There is a moment as the Suidoids and the PCs realize what Fluffy is and what it just did.

Their greed having kicked in, the Suidoids will then turn tail and flee, Fluffy tucked securely under the arm of the leader.

Jaffy should be panicked, begging the PCs to get his beloved Fluffy back. If the PCs decide to chase the Suidoids, the Mutant Lord should play up the village-wide game of "keep away." The Suidoids know they have a money-making “poop machine” in their possession and will try to escape the village with the animal. But the ML should also play the Suidoids as petty thieves rather than bloodthirsty criminals, so this chase should be played for excitement rather than high stakes. A rooftop chase gives way to crashing through the marketplace. The pig-men will hand off the animal back and forth as they dash through the streets and between buildings. The Suidoids will swing away with their clubs to hinder and slow down the PCs (rather than to injure or maim). Their morale is quite low though, so they'll give up after a while if it appears they can't shake the PCs.

If the PCs return Fluffy to Jaffy, he'll be forever grateful to the party. He'll give them Fluffy's "droppings" from the last three days - diamonds worth 67 gold pieces. He'll also take them to a hidden cage in an nearby back alley where he has two newly born Ayteeums. (Fluffy had babies two weeks ago.) He'll offer the two kits to the party as he must be moving on and doesn't have the ability to care for the creatures. The PCs are welcome to raise the animals as their own if they wish.