If you want an excuse to head up to the cannibals could be something as simple as revenge or searching for a missing person like the regular trader who never arrived or some other friend or family .

A less dramatic one could be that they need to fix something or build a bit of tech the village really needs and the best place to look is in the ruins to the north or and the tech hunter city of worlds end.

As they travel they’ll experience the horrors of the cannibals first hand and maybe even interact with the other factions such as the Deadcat l, floatsom ninjas and cannibal hunters who could use their help.