I am running a fantasy campaign (using the Ptolus setting), and the PC just looted a "conspiracy board" from the hideout of a rather unhinged creature.
I've added a bunch of elements that might or might not be relevant for the campaign. And the element with the most strings to other elements was "beer price increases".
And I'd like to mess with the minds of the players some more. Thus, I could use some ideas for sinister reasons why the beer prices in a city might have increased.
Any suggestions?
Someone is stealing the grain to feed an invading army.
A brewer cabal has employed ruffians who rob taverns and smash up the kegs, driving the prices up.
The crown is trying to keep it a secret, but there's a flesh-eating disease that is spreading throughout the kingdom, and it incubates in the alehouses. Taverns and breweries are being shuttered all over with only an offhand explanation. When ingesting the infected brew, the host will be consumed painfully and noisily from the inside.
A "hero" fresh from the dungeon throws his weight around and threatens that bad things might happen if he doesn't get paid protection money. He found a magic item that makes the danger clear.
I like this one, take my upvote