What if you send the players in a dungeon that was already raided? Maybe you could have traps that are already set off, or the corpses of monsters etc.
“ A fey spirit masks itself as a bee which investigates all who travel within a specific section of the forest. Any the bee finds worthy are allowed to see the hidden opening into the fey kingdom, just off of the trail. Any deemed unworthy see only the bee, buzzing around around them momentarily before moving on.”
“ What is a king to do? A prophesy indicates that a certain person is involved with the death of the king, but the prophesy was unclear as to what role - do they cause it or prevent it.”
“ Orcela - Also called an Orc-Cat, these robust and semi-feral felines are twice the size of normal house cats and are often seem in the retinue of orcish settlements. The animals are fast and mean enough to survive among the adolescent orcs while keeping the scavengers and rodents at bay.”