Outside the Caves: 102 orcs MM 146 3E are set up in tents outside within a 200 foot radius. 20 orcs have long sword and shield, 30 have great axes, 42 have morning stars and shield, 10 are 2nd level fighters DMG 53 3E with great swords. All the orcs have scalemail.
These orcs are here as guardians to the caves. They hunt for food and protect the camp area from intruders. The orcs send out 2 patrols of 2 orcs each night to watch for the approach of undead. If the PCs approach the camp unthreatening the orcs will watch and get Brezcar. As the PCs wait for Brezcar the orcs will try to surround the party so they don’t get away. Fortunately for the PCs Brezcar is not evil.
If the PCs openly attack, throw the orcs at them for being so foolish. Now it is possible for a cunning group of PCs to attack the orcs at night taking them piecemeal.
If the PCs negotiate with the orcs Brezcar will be the one doing the talking. The PCs must bring proof or a good reason why the humans from Derelorn village are not raiding to convince Brezcar. Even a show of personal favors toward the orcs will be enough to call a truce. Brezcar will accept compensation (gold), the PCs staying there to fight the next undead attack, proof, or the PCs helping the orcs in another way as a show of good faith. If he is convinced he promises not to raid for 3 days. Brezcar will keep his word.
If negotiations succeed Brezcar is very capable of convincing the chief that perhaps the humans are not responsible for the undead raids. The orcs are benefiting from the trade agreement with the humans. They get raw materials to build weapons and armor. They use some of the weapons for themselves and sell the rest. With the money made they get more orcs and more food. All this is to attack the elves to the north. The PCs won’t know that unless they figure it out for themselves or ask one of the common orcs, Brezcar will not reveal that information, its bad for trade.
If the PCs can’t convince Brezcar he will ask them to leave, then demand it. If they still don’t the orcs will beat the crap out of them and throw them out, or kill them if they kill any orcs.
In the caves use the following rule: Anyone that is not an orc or accompanied by Brezcar will be attacked immediately.
1. Cave Entrance: The entrance is partially natural and partially carved out. There are vines crossing everywhere along the cave walls. Some are dead and some still alive. A druid will recognize that these vines do not grow in caves. Along the floor in various spots are blood stains.
Here 6 orcs (hp 3, 4, 4, 5, 6, 6) MM 146 3E are here watching for intruders, Each have heavy crossbows with 10 bolts each. 4 will fire into any invader trying to push their way in. The other 2 will open the covered pit in front by pulling on a vine in the back. They will wait till the invaders get over the pit. The pit is 20′ deep and does 2d6 damage. The orcs will try to keep the intruders in the pit as one of the orcs go for help.
2. Training Room: in here are about 8 orcs (hp 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5, 6, 8) MM 146 3E training on various machines. There are 4 machine to practice hand-eye coordination, blocking sword thrusts, dodging, and targeting. 2 ogres (hp 28, 30) MM 144 3E are here helping train, make fun of and torture, the orcs. Currently they are picking on one of the 3 hp orcs and poking him, he is a weakling.
3. The Mating Cave: Here orcs come to breed with female orcs. It is also a safe place for the children in case of an attack outside. There are 14 female orcs (hp 3 each) and 24 children orcs (hp 1 each). The cave has many straw beds and a fire pit in the middle. Some of the female orcs have real beds, stolen from former raids. There are 5 beds here and plenty of straw. The female orcs and children will not attack but will start to scream. 2 rounds after the screaming starts orcs from area 2 and 6 will come to their rescue, even if they don’t need it.
4. Storage Room: In here are various barrels of wine, 6 in all. In 6 more barrels there is enough food for the orcs to hold out in the caves for 3 weeks. 2 shelves hang on the east and south walls. On the shelves are some carved bone and junk jewelry. Items of interest placed on the shelves are a necklace of elf ears, a jar with stuffed dwarves feet, a crate of random teeth, elven skull candle holders, and dried halfling skins.
5. Sleeping Quarters: A good 20 crude bunk beds line the walls in every nook and crevasse. A weapon rack is mounted against the back wall with 6 great axes. A 3′ can is in the middle of the cave giving off an awful urine smell. In here there are 3 orcs (hp 5, 5, 6) MM 146 3E playing cards with one dumb ogre (hp 26) MM 144 3E and winning. 10 other orcs are sleeping in the bunk beds (hp 5, 5, 5, 5, 6, 6, 7, 7, 8, 8, 8).
6. Guard Room: The cave opens up into a large cavern, the ceiling becoming some 40′ high. A 6′ patch of green-blue slime grows on the north wall almost up to the ceiling. In here 4 ogres (hp 24, 26, 27, 30) MM 144 3E watch for trouble. The ogres stay away from the slime on the wall for it is a patch of gray ooze (hp 29) MM 145 3E. They, nor the orcs, like the patch there but Brezcar tells them to push intruders in to the ooze and let it do the work. Brezcar comes by and feeds it once a week. If they get into combat they will yell for help and try to push intruders into the patch of gray ooze. Help from area 7 it will arrive in 2 rounds.
7. Eating Room: In here are wall mounted skulls of various dwarves, elves, halflings, and a couple humans. 3 large tables with several chairs are placed in the center of the room aligned west to east across the cave. At any time there will be 8 orcs (hp 2, 2, 3, 4, 4, 4, 5, 5) MM 146 3E eating in here accompanied by one ogre (hp 29) MM 144 3E. At the first sign of trouble from area 6 they will drop everything and come to help.
8. The Big Chief: Within this cast cave there is a variety of furniture and rugs. On the east and west walls are 2 sofa like pieces, scattered about are 5 rugs, and a big throne stands at the south of the cave. This is the lair of the orc chief Gorblam (Ftr 4, hp 32) MM 146 3E and is the vault of all the wealth he has stolen. A large chest lies behind his wooden throne locked with only Gorblam having the key.
If Brezcar is killed, somehow, the PCs can negotiate with Gorblam but it will take at least 100 gp. to get him to listen to their story. The 100 gp. will buy them 2 days of truce with the orcs, Gorblam not agreeing to more, giving the PCs some time to investigate what’s going on. Gorblam will need proof and only proof that humans are not attacking his tribe. Only then will he agree to stop the raids for an extended period and possibly help, send an orc or 2 with the PCs to see what’s going on.
In battle he will send his followers into combat before he goes joins. He will only join once he sees an orc or ogre fall. He will fight to the death, although some of the orcs might not. In the cave guarding the Chief are 8 orcs (hp 4, 5, 5, 5, 6, 6, 8, 8) MM 146 3E and 3 ogres (hp 30, 31, 33) MM 144 3E.
Treasure: In the chest (pick lock DC 25), which Gorblam holds the key, is 223 gp., a bag of small gems (8 gems worth 50 gp. each), and a 3′ crooked stick (a wand of lightning with 4 charges). Gorblam does not know what the wand is but to him it looks neat, he like the wood’s texture and he can whack it at other orcs without breaking.
9. The Watering Hole: This is the orcs water supply and coincidentally the collapsed tomb of Vothra. 20′ under the water there is a small tunnel that leads up, like a sink drain. In there is a small cave 30′ x 30′. The cave has a natural underground stream that falls into the pool that makes the water hole. On the west part of the cave are a massive set of broken double doors. The doors are collapsed and covered in rubble. The whole entrance and hallways were hit by an earthquake spell of some sort many years ago.
There is no way to get into the vault, they are collapsed. This is what Jahandri will find if he defeats the orcs as will the PCs hopefully.
Chief Gorblam, male orc Ftr4
CR 4; Size M (5 ft., 7 in. tall); HD 4d10+4; hp 32; Init +6 (+2 Dex, +4 Improved initiative); Spd 30 ft.; AC 19 (splint mail, +2 Dex); Attack +7 melee, or +4 ranged; SV Fort +5, Ref +3, Will -2; AL LE; Str 16, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 13, Wis 5, Cha 5.
Languages Spoken: Goblin, Orc.
EQ: Master work halberd and splint mail
Skills and feats: Craft +5, Handle animal +4, Hide +2, Innuendo -1, Jump +11, Listen -3, Move silently +2, Spot -3; Blind-fight, Improved initiative, Power attack, Quick draw, Weapon focus (halberd).
