A talking magpie lands near the party on the road and delivers an unsolicited piece of intelligence: there is an ogre lying injured in a clearing just off the trail, and it’s sitting on a large sack of coins. The bird seems quite pleased with itself. The information is accurate, as far as it goes.
What the magpie neglected to mention is the owlbear. The creature is standing over the ogre when the party arrives, apparently deciding whether to finish the job or move on. The ogre is alive but barely, too badly wounded to fight or flee, and watching the party with the particular expression of something that knows it needs help but has very few reasons to expect any.
The party can try to drive off or kill the owlbear, negotiate some kind of uneasy standoff, or simply wait to see how things resolve on their own. If they save the ogre, it is not immediately hostile, though convincing it to part with its coins will require some creativity. The ogre also knows something useful about what lies deeper in the region, though it won’t volunteer that information without a reason to.
Party Level: 3-5. The owlbear is the primary threat. A wounded ogre is a secondary complication depending on how the party handles the situation.
World: Any
Rule-set: D&D 5e suggested, but will work with OSR as well.
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