Encounter-a-Day

The PCs approach a bridge over a shallow river and see a man on the middle of it, standing on the wrong side of the handrail and holding on as he stares down at the roaring waters below. A rope is tied around his neck to the handrail, and it’s obvious that he is thinking of committing suicide.

His name is Abercrombie Henkleman and he is a merchant– or was, at least. His warehouse burned down, ruining him. Not long after that, his wife left him, taking the kids. The tax collectors took his house.

And the final straw that broke the donkey’s back? Yesterday, his dog spooked a couple horses and was trampled to death.

All of this happened in the space of two weeks and, needless to say, Abercrombie is utterly distraught. He won’t notice the PCs until they get near him, but when he does notice them he’ll tell them not to try and stop him. Really, he doesn’t want to jump, but he doesn’t know what else to do. He just needs someone to talk to.

If the players listen to his story and talk him down, he’ll eventually agree to step back and go back to town. If they are rude or even encourage him, then he’ll jump and his neck will snap almost instantly.

The only thing of note Abercrombie has is a small coin purse with a few coins and a small, blood-red ruby. The ruby is cursed so that those who possess it suffer terrible luck. He acquired it two weeks prior and unknown to the man it is the source of all of his grief.

If the players do end up helping him, then he’ll end up trading the cursed ruby for a few sacks of grain, and over the course of the next few months will find himself better off than ever thanks to excellent luck and trading. If he ever crosses paths with the PCs again, he’ll be very grateful and offer to help them in any way that he can.

On the other hand, if he ends up jumping, the players lose out on this potentially valuable ally. Additionally, if they decide to loot his body, they’ll find the gem and be the new targets of the terrible misfortune.