The Severed Oak Orcs

"The crisp air that was once filled with the chill of winter gives way to a rather horrid stench – a mixture of wet mud, blood, and burning meat. You watch as seasoned orc hunters move through the camp with purpose, their furs and leathers adorned with trophies from past hunts. They look at you in the same way you’d imagine hunters would view a meal – both with anticipation and dark intent. Additional orcs slowly make their way out of the camp itself, emerging from structures crafted from weathered wood and hides that have likely withstood many years of abuse. Tents are interspersed among the trees, and the occasional smoke rises from central hearths."
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For as long as Hygrim can recall the Orc Tribes that once inhabited the Mahia Forest now live, isolated, to the south of the Nevan River. As long as no one travels across the river, the Orcs don't attack. With the reclaimation of the Mahia Forest, pressure has been put to build an outpost overlooking the Orc territory. This has led to renewed conflict in the area, which can spell disaster for an already spread-thin Hygrim.

Known Facts

A clan of over 100 orcs positioned in the southeastern corner of the Mahia Forest, past the Nevan River and hidden behind the Kheldon Mountains. This clan is not considered hostile to the people of Hygrim, as they tend to never cross the Nevan River. The general rule of thumb is to avoid their territory – and DEFINITELY don’t venture into the nearby ruins. These ruins, once belonging to the Noresha Monks, are now considered places where holy rites of passage take place for Orcs who are coming of age. To step foot in those ruins is considered the highest insult, punishable by death.
The name Severed Oak comes from a mighty tree that the Orcs worship – one with six mammoth severed branches that each represented a different god. When an Orc is ready to join the hunt, they slice six branches from a nearby tree and use it to craft a special weapon, which they take into combat.
The clan is led by a Chieftain named Bajok the Boltbreaker, named for a legend that says he stopped a lightning bolt from hitting the sacred oak with his bare hands, and afterwards no storm has since gone near them. He is surrounded by six different shamans, each representing a different branches of the Severed Oak.
The clan has no respect for humans, believing that they are the cause of the corruption of the forest. They will attack those humans onsite, but will not give pursuit past the river. They naturally distrust the Elves, as it was their ancestors that originally drove back the clan to the SE corner of the forest (as in centuries past, they were more spread out). They don’t care at all for the Gnomes, believing them to be nonthreatening. And in most cases, a great source of food. Little else is known about the clan, as they keep to themselves. As long as no one passes by the river, they are safe, and Hygrim is okay by this rule.
It is later revealed, through one of the Shaman, that a special arrangement between the Orcs and Hygrim exists. In exchange for a precious material mined near the Orc Camp, Hygrim has offered weapons and potentially more.

Encounters

• The Orcs are first mentioned by The Weaver, who tells the party that the Noresha Wrappings they are looking for are found deep in their territory.
• The first official encounter with the Orcs occurs when the party leaves Hygrim and crosses the river. Tina is quickly found and captured, with Grendira and Jade retreating.
• Tina was then escorted into the Severed Oak Camp, where she discovered that the Orcs were seasoned hunters, living an isolated life away from humanity.
• Inside the camp, Tina was confronted by Bajok and the Shaman. They offered to let her go, in exchange for 'sending a message' to Hygrim that they will be attacked if their expansion efforts pushed to the river's edge.
• Before leaving the camp, Tina demonstrates to several Orcs her thunder powers. This, combined with the fact that Tina also sets the Triple Fang outpost on fire, causes a stir within the Severed Oak.
• The Triple Fang later informs Hygrim that the Severed Oaks want to see Tina again. Bajok sees her as a threat to his rule and wishes to sort things out through a bloody and brutal ritual.
• The entire party enters the camp with Thornstrike, where they encounter Bajok again. They manage to humilate Bajok before making an escape, forcing a divide amongst the Orcs.
• At the Noresha Temple, the party encounters both Bajok and two of the Shaman. Here one of the Shaman openly betrays Bajok, hoping to team up with Tina to take him down. After a vicious battle, Bajok and the Shaman loyal to him is killed. The surviving Shaman informs Tina that she will tell the Orcs that both Bajok and her fell in combat. Then she will work to repair the relationship between the Orcs and Hygrim.

Conclusion

The conflict between the people of Hygrim and the Orcs has been avoided.  Bajok has fallen and a new leadership will emerge from the remaining Shaman. In order to appease her people, the Shaman will tell stories on how both Tina and Bajok both fell in battle at the Noresha Temple.  As long as Tina avoids interacting with Orcs in the future, this peace within the clan might just persist.

Plot type

Side Quest

Related Characters

• Bajok
• Thornstrike

Related Locations

• Noresha Temple Ruins
• Severed Oak Camp