Beneath Castle Everglory: CASTLE EVERGLORY

CASTLE EVERGLORY

The ruins of castle Everyglory consist of no more than four low, uneven walls arranged in a square with an open turret at each corner. The walls are all 30 yards in length and range from 7-10 feet high on the North, East and West sides to a mere 2-3 feet on the South side. The turrets are 15 feet high and the tops can easily be reached by stone stairs. While the turrets offer no cover, they are used as lookouts and are a favorite position for Orcish archers in search of a clear field of fire.

There will be two Cutnose Orc Archers on lookout duty on each turret at any given time. Their Vision is 10 and they periodically get distracted by things like birds in the sky, the need to pick their feet, or the latest screaming argument going on among the Orcs.

The Orcish forces in the ruins of Castle Everglory should be too strong to be defeated by a frontal assault (if they aren’t, add more Orcs and Bugbears). If the PCs want to get past them, they will have to make clever use of their skills. Fortunately, the Orcish captain in charge of surface forces, Iron Claw, is arrogant, stubborn and stupid (IQ 8), which makes deception easier. He is not insane, however, and will not simply fall for any plan, however ridiculous. Frightening the Orcs away will be particularly difficult. They are very brave in their own crazy, violent way and are not likely to run until at least half their numbers have fallen with little damage done to the other side. The Bugbears will not flee under any circumstances. While the captain is dim, the individual soldiers are bright enough to try to make effective use of the castle ruins. Warriors will try to surround and overwhelm numerically inferior opponents while archers will seek to fire from the towers if that will give them a clear shot.

At any given time, there is very likely to be a screaming match going on in the castle, which may make things easier for the PCs. Most usually, this is a three way argument between the Orcish captain, Iron Claw, the Orcish Shaman, Toad Face, and a Bugbear named “Rock”, about who should be in charge. Iron Claw thinks Toad Face is too much of a coward and Rock is too much of an idiot to be in charge. Toad Face thinks that both Iron Claw and Rock are too stupid to be in charge. Rock thinks both Orcs are too weak to be in charge.

Monsters

12 Cutnose Orc Archers

ST: 11	HP: 12	Speed: 5.25
DX: 11	Will: 9	Move: 5
IQ: 9	Per: 12	SM: 0
HT: 11	FP: 12	DR: 0
Dodge: 8	Parry: 8	Block: N/A

Attacks: Knife-13 1d-1 Im or 1d-1 Cut; Short Bow-13 1d Imp Acc 1 110/165

Traits: Appearance (Ugly); Bully (12); Infravision; Rapid Healing; Resistant to Metabolic Hazards (+3); Social Stigma (Savage)

Skills: Stealth-12; Tracking-12

Class: Mundane

Notes: Speaks Orcish

12 Cutnose Orc Warriors

ST: 12	HP: 13	Speed: 5
DX: 11	Will: 9	Move: 5
IQ: 9	Per: 12	SM: 0
HT: 11	FP: 13	DR: 0
Dodge: 8	Parry: 9	Block: 9+2DB

Attacks: Orcish Broadsword-13 1d+2 Cu

Traits: Appearance (Ugly); Bully (12); Infravision; Rapid Healing; Resistant to Metabolic Hazards (+3); Social Stigma (Savage)

Skills: None

Class: Mundane

Notes: Speaks Orcish

3 Blood Axe Bugbears (Rock, Hammer and Strangefruit)

ST: 20	HP: 24	Speed: 6
DX: 13	Will: 11	Move: 5
IQ: 8	Per: 12	SM: 1
HT: 13	FP: 20	DR: 4 (skull, torso, vitals, groin, limbs) or 0 (face, neck, hands, feet)
Dodge: 9	Parry: 11U	Block: N/A

Attacks: Great Axe-15 4d+1 (Must ready after parry or attack)

Traits: Combat Reflexes; High Pain Threshold; Infravision; Social Stigma (Savage)

Skills: None

Class: Mundane

Notes: Speak Orcish and Bugbear. They ignore any orders they are given. Given a chance to fight, they will just charge into the fray, regardless of what the Orcish captain wants.

Iron Claw (Orcish Captain)

Iron Claw is a short, stocky, buck-toothed Orc with arms long enough for him to drag his knuckles. He is bare-chested but wears fine-looking human breeches. He is stupid, arrogant and stubborn, though not insane. Iron Claw’s lack of brains may well be the defenders most significant weakness.

ST: 14	HP: 14	Speed: 6
DX: 13	Will: 12	Move: 5
IQ: 8	Per: 8	SM: 0
HT: 13	FP: 16	DR: 0
Dodge: 9	Parry: 11	Block: 10+2DB

Attacks: Orcish Broadsword-15 2d+1 Cut

Traits: Appearance (Ugly); Bully (12); Combat Reflexes; High Pain Threshold; Infravision; Rapid Healing; Resistant to Metabolic Hazards (+3); Social Stigma (Savage).

Skills: None

Class: Mundane

Notes: Speaks Orcish.

Toad Face (Orcish Shaman)

Just as short as Iron Claw but less heavy, Toad Face the shaman is most easily distinguished by his bald head, his tiger-skin robes, the extraordinary wartyness of his skin, and the engraved wooden staff he holds in his hands. He is by far the cleverest Orc present and he knows it. The frustration of not being in charge is eating him up inside.

In combat, Toad Face’s first priority is keeping himself out of melee range. His next priority is to look for an opportunity to cast Mass Daze on a concentrated enemy group. He will also look for an opportunity to disrupt enemy plans with Dispel Magic and may use Minor Healing and Major Healing to heal himself or one of the Blood Axe Bugbears. If forced into melee combat, he will cast Strike Blind on whoever looks most likely to hurt him.

ST: 10	HP: 12	Speed: 5.5
DX: 12	Will: 13	Move: 5
IQ: 13	Per: 14	SM: 0
HT: 12	FP: 14 + 4 (Power Item Quarterstaff)	DR: 0
Dodge: 8	Parry: 12	Block: N/A

Attacks: Quarterstaff-15 1d+2 Crush

Traits: Appearance (Ugly); Bully (12); Combat Reflexes; High Pain Threshold; Infravision; Rapid Healing; Resistant to Metabolic Hazards (+3); Social Stigma (Savage).

Skills: None

Class: Mundane

Notes: Speaks Bugbear, Common, Goblin and Orcish.

Spells: The shaman knows the following spells, all at level 16: Armor, Cure Disease, Darkness, Daze, Detect Magic, Dispel Magic, Major Healing, Mass Daze, Mass Sleep, Minor Healing, Paralyze Limb, Sleep, Staff, Strike Blind, Touch.

Treasure

The common Archers and Warriors have 219 copper pieces between them. All together, they will yield 12 cheap Orcish shortbows ($10, 2 lbs each), 12 cheap Orcish quivers ($1, 1 lb each), 12 cheap Orcish broadswords ($50, 4 lbs each) and 12 cheap, medium Orcish shields ($20, 20 lbs each)

The 3 bugbears have 9, 12 and 19 silver pieces (42 in total, $168 value). Given the scarcity of bugbear-shaped customers, their armor is effectively scrap metal ($40, 200 lbs each). Their great axes are useless to anyone without gigantism ($30, 16 lbs each). Strangefruit wears a bronze Torc around his neck, too large for a human ($100, 2 lbs).

Iron Claw has 2 gold and 10 copper pieces ($170) as well as the standard Orcish broadsword ($50, 4 lbs) and shield ($100, 20 lbs). Though his breeches look nice from a distance, the cuffs are torn are they are worthless.

Toad Face the shaman has no money at all. His tiger-skin robes are not well made, but the hide is genuine enough and is in good condition ($200, 5 lbs). His oak staff (his power item) is carved with stylized images of Orcs in battle ($300, 4 lbs).

THE BOTTLE DUNGEON

In the middle of the castle ruins is a hole in the ground with a rickety wooden ladder protruding. The ladder leads down into a bottle-shaped stone dungeon, 4 yards across by 3 yards deep. Graffiti scratched into the wall in Common reads “if yoo are so smart how come yoo can reed this???”

The north-west section of wall opens into a rough earthen tunnel 2 yards in diameter, sloping steeply downward. The tunnel spirals down for 20 yards and is difficult going. A PC moving at half speed must roll vs. DX or Climbing minus their level of encumbrance, or tumble to the bottom of the pit for 2d crushing damage. The roll not to fall is at -4 if moving at normal speed. PCs need not roll at all if they are Cat-Folk, Coleopterans, Corpse-Eaters, Dark Ones, Gnomes, Goblin Kind of any sort, or Halflings, even if moving at normal speed. The Cutnose Orcs and Blood Axe Bugbears can likewise move at normal speed here without any chance of falling.

At the bottom of the pit, the tunnel becomes a horizontal corridor constructed from well-cut sandstone blocks. The corridor extends north for 5 yards before turning left, from which direction can be heard the sounds of Cutnose Orcs shouting at each other in room 1 of the first subterranean level.

Table of Contents

LEVEL 1: Lair of the Cutnose Orcs