Long story short, I've painted myself into a pseudo corner, and am now drawing a blank.

My group are pursuing slavers that hit their sleepy little *rse end of nowhere ville planet.

After they left I gave them 2 leads, 1 to Rorak, where the slavers were taking the stock, 1 to some obscure agri-world, where the slavers went last on the way to nowhere ville.

Now, can you guess where my PCs decided to go?

So folks, could any of you give me some weird and interesting reasons for why the slavers visited the obscure agri-world on the way to raiding nowhere ville for fresh stock?

Not necessarily weird, but...

The world is sparsely populated and off-the-beaten path and has remote places to establish a hideout.

The world is a good resupply port where the farmers take credits without asking questions.

The world uses slaves and the slavers have buyers there.

The world is home to the slavers employer who pays them a "per head" fee and then resells the stock to pre-arranged off-world buyers.

The world is the poor home of the slavers who bring their profits rather than their product home with them.

Slaves need to eat, and slavers don't get paid with dead slaves. So they're going to acquire (purchase, steal, whatev) poor-grade foodstuffs to feed the slaves they're about to get.

Because they have a slave processing plant there disguised as an "official" labor camp. Perhaps they had other stops on their way to Rorak, possibly including said agri-world.

With the information I have, here's how I'd work it: They have 2 leads: 1. The slavers sell their stock on Rorak. 2. The slavers were last at X agri-world. When they get to the agri-world, their investigation should turn up the labor camp. The authorities believe it to be legitimate, so then the PCs need to get evidence/witnesses to prove that it is not on the level.

Perhaps the slavers' ship shows up while they are there to drop off/pick up slaves to transport them to Rorak.

Here's the slavers' path: agriworld-nowhere-elsewhere?-agriworld-Rorak.

Then it becomes a race for the PCs to shut down the operation before the slavers leave again with the slaves to sell them on Rorak (with the assumption that the PCs will fail or succeed too late so that the campaign can continue).

Sometimes slaves are captured and sold for their knowledge, not just their backs. Perhaps agri-world has some specialists in some odd or difficult crop.

Agriculture can produce booze. Slavers might want booze.

Also, agriculture might purchase slaves.

To get more slaves?

• The world is pretty remote
• Population is sparse
• The populace is made of skilled laborers

40 minutes ago, HappyDaze said:

Agriculture can produce booze. Slavers might want booze.

Also, agriculture might purchase slaves.

I think we have a winner.

Booze it is!!! A particularly noxious brew, fit for a trandoshan.

Thanks for all the suggestions folks.

Alternative to booze: drugs of some sort.

1 hour ago, Bellona said:

Alternative to booze: drugs of some sort.

Thanks for the suggestion, although I feel with underworld types drugs are gonna be a "get em wherever " type of thing.

I really like the idea, that there's a particular local speciality here that's unique to this one distillery. Like a really good single malt, but you know, the weird sci fi version of that.

4 hours ago, Stethemessiah said:

Thanks for the suggestion, although I feel with underworld types drugs are gonna be a "get em wherever " type of thing.

I really like the idea, that there's a particular local speciality here that's unique to this one distillery. Like a really good single malt, but you know, the weird sci fi version of that.

Yes, but this naturally growing species of pungent crop weed has a unique chemical and tannin admixture that can only occur in the soil of this agri-world and is prized for the mellow body high and mental clarity that brings the Force into focus in those who partake. The farmer's have turned it into a cash crop that they have nicknamed "Skywalker."

I'm sorry. I couldn't resist. Booze works!

7 hours ago, Vondy said:

this naturally growing species of pungent crop weed has a unique chemical and tannin admixture that can only occur in the soil of this agri-world and is prized for the mellow body high and mental clarity that brings the Force into focus in those who partake. The farmer's have turned it into a cash crop that they have nicknamed "Skywalker."

Whilst the timing's not right for the name, I am totally stealing the rest of this description.

You could introduce a version of the Triangular Slave Trade concept from the real world:

• You grab slaves from a world
• You trade the slaves on an agricultural world for a product they produce
• You sell the product on an industrialized word and pocket the 'legitimate' cash.

Lather, rinse, and repeat as long as the agricultural world keeps needing slaves (perhaps the 'crop' is a drug that is toxic to harvest/process?).