Orc Tribes of the Eastern Cruth Mountains

art by Stanton Feng, source

The orcs of the Cruth Mountains have long been the most persistent and frequent enemies of the halflings of the Five Shires. As with orcs in other regions they band together in clans that consist of multiple tribes, with tribes being from 20 to 100 individuals and usually gathered into a single lair, whereas a clan may have tribes over quite an area and may include up to 1500 individuals. Clans typically have a central stronghold where the clan chief presides with his advisors and where tribal leaders deliver reports and receive orders. 

Here are some of the most significant orc tribes in the mountains north of Eastshire. This is by no means exhaustive. My homebrew rules for orc shaman and orc warrior NPCs can be found in this post. 

The Flaming Axes Clan

Headquarters: Shatterpick Mine (former dwarf tin mine)

Population & Fighting Strength: 450 (300 warriors)

Notable Troop Types: 

• The Brethren of Gruumsh (elite unit of 2nd level orc warriors, numbering 25. They listen to their shaman Wazzugga the Blessed and are led by Malrax)
• Headslammer’s Slammers: 10 ogres and 1 ogre leader sometimes hired as mercenaries. 

Notable NPCs: 

• Wazzugga the Blessed: 9th level orc shaman, convinced he is receiving visions of war and conquest from the Great Orc Gruumsh himself. He is unhappy with his chief’s timid leadership
• Zothog Hinslayer: 9th level orc warriors, leader of the Flaming Axes clan. He is naturally cautious and not attacking until victory is close to certain. He rides his pet cave bear Rendclaw into battle. He is getting fed up with his chief shaman’s rantings about launching immediate invasions of the Shires. 
• Malrax of the Brethren of Gruumsh: 7th level orc warrior, wielder of the two-handed sword Fleshripper. He is a true believer of Gruumsh and is on Wazzugga’s side, and is considering how to take the chief’s throne, either by open challenge or by treachery.  

The Red Spears Clan

Headquarters: Overcliff Tower (crude orc-built tower on top of steep precipice)

Population & Fighting Strength: 600 (400 warriors)

Notable Troop Types: 

• Varrath’s Dead Company (about 40 animated skeletons and zombies under Varrath Ghostspeaker’s command). 
• Red Spears Spear-orcs. About half of the Orc warriors are equipped with spears and trained to set spears and fight in close formation.  

Notable NPCs:

• Gornax the Brute: 10th level Orc Warrior with 18 Strength & 16 Constitution. Nominal leader of the Red Spears clan. He can defeat most living foes, even hill giants and trolls, but fears the supernatural and respects his shaman, nearly always listening to his shaman’s advice. 
• Varrath Ghostspeaker: 11th level Orc Shaman. Varrath has visited the tomb of Shordoth and is more interested in the force of Chaos than the orc immortal Gruumsh. He is interested in necromancy and has acquired some unholy items that help him command the undead. He finds it easy to manipulate his chief, Gornax the Brute, and considers him a useful figurehead. 
• Dalgosh: 6th level orc warrior. More intelligent than Gornax. Dalgosh has spoken with members of the Circle of Forgotten Secrets about hiring the Red Spear orcs as mercenaries. Varrath has not directly intervened but does not trust the human mages either.   

The Hill-Stomper Clan

Headquarters: Pikehead Camp (palisade & ditch on hill top with wooden buildings) not far from Darokin

Population & Fighting Strength: 650 (430 warriors) + 200 kobold slaves

Notable troop types: 

• Kobold Slingers. Those kobolds trusted with weapons are generally used as scouts and skirmishers, equipped with slings and long daggers. Currently there are 40 of them. 
• Worg Riders: About 15 of the most elite warriors (3rd level orc warriors) ride worgs into battle. 

Notable NPCs:

• Eegorn Warhunter: 8th level orc warrior. Eegorn has begun a process rather unusual for orcs - trade with certain humans. Such humans are usually amoral and sometimes aligned to Chaos. This means that Eegorn can get better weapons and armour. He has recently got kobolds to mine gems from local seams and selling the gems to these humans for gold. 
• Norstrol Swordbreaker: 6th level orc warrior. Leader of the largest tribe within the Hill-Stomper Clan, Norstrol is not interested in trade and thinks that any non-orcs should be attacked. However, he keeps being put back in his place by the chief, Eegorn. 
• Barrvoss: 6th level orc shaman. Barrvoss is not sure about his chief’s new business ventures. As a follower of Gruumsh, Barrvoss believes in bloodshed and conquest, but he can also see the benefits of prosperity. He has had several non-violent interactions with chaos cultists and although he is not going to convert to their cause, he can see they can be useful allies. 

The Screaming Raven Clan

Headquarters: Raven Roost, a large natural cave complex halfway up a mountain, with many traps and pitfalls. However, deeper in the cave are a roost of Deep Glaurants who have started attacking the orcs

Population and fighting strength: 750 (500 warriors) + 50 kobold slaves. 

Notable Troop Types: 

• Raven Archers (about 100 warriors from all the component tribes are trained with shortbows and arrows)
• Raven Slayers: 15 experienced orc warriors (2nd level) with better than average dexterity (13 dex, +1 to hit with missiles and -1 to AC) armed with longbows.
• Gannish’s Rockhurlers (30 orcs and kobolds trained and equipped with ballistae and onager catapults)

Notable NPCs:

• Scarrag The Angry: 10th level orc warrior. Scarrag has found himself having to fight two separate opponents, the halflings of the shire and the Deep Glaurants who have taken a dislike to his orcs. 
• Gannish the Clever: 7th level orc shaman. Gannish has spent time with the mysterious Modrigswerg (molder dwarves) of the Northern Reaches and has learned much about craftsmanship and contraptions from them. He now oversees the crews for several siege weapons and has organised the construction of traps guarding the clan's caves. 

The Hungerers

Headquarters: The Bone Pit, a large natural cave in the mountains with excavated extensions. Decorated with lots of bones. 

Population and Fighting Strength: 500 (340 warriors) + 20 ogres + 30 gnolls

Notable troop types: 

• 40 orc berserkers (1st level orc warriors) & 20 battle ragers (2nd level orc warriors) who never check morale and never retreat, getting +1 to damage like human berserkers
• Droog’s Hackers: 10 ogres + 1 ogre leader equipped with huge battleaxes (1d10+2 damage)

Notable NPCs

• Hraak the Eyegouger: 7th level orc shaman. Hraak has spent time in the Altan Tepes along side The Ravening Maw cult and has picked up their beliefs and gruesome traditions and brought them over to his tribe in the Cruth Mountains. As far as orcs go he is very charismatic and has swayed most of the Hungerer clan to his newfound cult, even changing the name (formerly they were the Broken Boulder clan). Every full moon he organises a horrible feast where their slain enemies and other hapless victims are devoured. 
• Marvorg: 6th level orc warrior. Marvorg is nominally the chief of the clan but he has conceded that now Hraak is running the show. But as a Gruumsh-following traditionalist, he is not comfortable with these new-fangled beliefs. Marvorg is uncomfortable with cannibalism: orcs eating humans, halflings and even kobolds is understandable, but orcs eating other orcs just seems wrong. He is considering leaving the Hungerers clan for a less radical one. Perhaps the Hill-Stompers will accept him?
• Reshhee the One-Eyed: 5th level orc shaman. As a Gruumsh-believing traditionalist, Reshhee is not happy about Hraak and the Ravening Maw cult. She is also a female orc shaman which is not common, and is facing prejudice from other orcs who want to keep their females firmly under control. Unlike Marvorg she is not intending to leave but to kill Hraak and re-establish the old order of Gruumsh. 
• Droog the Paunch: Ogre leader. Droog is not an orc, but he is Hraak’s strongest ally, and he and his ogre gang are more than happy to brutally suppress dissent within the clan and promptly devouring those slain. His epithet is as a result of his prodigious appetite.