I should expand upon what I’ve given you since there is a lot more than “kill the Orcs”. The Orcs didn’t actually slaughter the livestock; it was the Knight Captain. The reason being that in a skirmish in the past, when the knight captain’s son was squiring, the Orcs cursed the captain’s son with Lycanthropy. This is a ruse to motivate the kingdom into going to war with them for payback.
It goes a little deeper. The Knight Captain killed one the knights of his personal retinue because he discovered the truth and was going to take it public. The players, depending on the relationships/circles they take, could discover this and investigate.
All that is known publicly about his son’s condition is that he’s ill. Priests have tried to cure his condition in the past, but failed. Of course, there is a handsome reward for anyone who successfully cures him.
Due to his son’s condition, the Knight Captain and his son leave the city once a month. The captain actually chains his son up in an old well during the full moon to keep him from killing. Of course, rumors have sprung up around his mysterious disappearance. Some say he drowns his sorrow in small taverns around the kingdom; others think he is bedding whores to that one births a healthy, strong son. Of course, no one knows the truth.
I think I have enough here to get players interested from plenty of different angles. I guess my problem is pitching it, because I don’t want to dumb it down but I don’t want to reveal too much. The fun of this game will be picking through all the wrong information, which the players beliefs are based upon.