Political Protest
A large crowd is protesting something politically charged, such as unfair taxation, the appointment of a corrupt magistrate, or some other unpopular decision. Hostility is rising between the people and the town guard, and tensions may break at any moment.
Arcane Assistance. Due to the crowds distraction, casting spells such as friends or charm person in the area goes without notice, even by the target. Depending on what the target is directed to do, however, their actions may not.
Mob Mentality. Both sides of the protest are too caught up in their emotions to listen to much reason. Protestors and guards have an expertise die on checks and saving throws made to resist appeals to reason, spells like calm emotions, or other attempts to distract them from their current goals.
A group check is necessary to divert disaster. Each adventurer can choose from Culture to recall local knowledge or customs to better persuade the crowd or diffuse the tension, Deception or Persuasion to deescalate the situation, or Intimidation to force the protestors to listen to reason and go home—at least for now.
POTENTIAL OUTCOMES
Critical Failure. The tensions boil over, and protestors and town guards clash in a burst of violence. The party encounters a soldier squad and a veteran (or an equivalent number of humanoid creatures whose total CR does not exceed CR 8).
Failure. While some of the crowd remains calm, a few armed hotheads are looking for trouble. The party encounters 2 guard squads (or a number of humanoid creatures whose total CR does not exceed CR 6).
Success. The party successfully talks down one side—or both. They may pass through the area without hostility.
Critical Success. It turns out the leader of one side is a very important or influential person, and getting them to listen to reason has gained the party some measure of esteem as a result. The party may treat their Prestige rating as one level higher in the region for the next week.
LEAVE IT BE
The party may choose to circumnavigate this challenge entirely, deciding that it is none of their business. Any attempts to reach or appeal to local authorities are met with silence until the political unrest is addressed by the adventurers or comes to a head on its own in 2 (1d4) days, whichever comes first. The fallout from this violence is at the discretion of the Narrator.