Into the Woods: Traveling to Castle Everglory

Castle Everglory should be as far from Land’s End as the GM wishes, according to how interested they are in having the PCs muck about in the forest. The trip should take at least long enough for the PCs to run into two Orc Patrols, described below as Orc Hunting Party 1 and Orc Hunting Party 2.
== Orc Hunting Party 1 ==
The hunting party has 11 members. The platoon leader, Wolf Fang, is screaming at the other Orcs to be quiet, calling them stupid for scaring the game away. He is doing his best to play the tough guy, trying to dominate the others. However, the other Orcs openly disrespect him. Some are screaming back at him that he is too much of a runt and a weakling to lead the hunt. Two other Orcs are screaming at one another over the issue of a stolen bone.
The PCs should be able to hear the Orcs long before the Orcs are aware of the PCs, giving them ample time to avoid them or to make preparations.
=== Wolf Fang (Platoon Leader) ===
Wolf Fang is a tall, skinny Orc who is one of the Cutnoses’ most skillful hunters when he isn’t stuck leading a hunting team. He wears a tunic and trousers that he skillfully sewed for himself out of wolf hides. He has decorated his outfit with the tails of various animals he has killed – wild pigs, wolves, cats and small mammals.
===10 Cutnose Orc Archers ===
===Treasure===
The Archers have 91 copper pieces between them. Their bows are cheap shortbows of unattractively Orcish design ($10, 2 lbs each) and their quivers are crude pouches of hide ($1, 1 lb each). Wolf Fang’s cheap broadsword also looks unpleasantly Orcish ($50, 4 lbs). As proud as he is of his clothes, no human would consider paying money for them. His pockets contain 20 copper pieces, an apple, and a 4 carat hematite stone worth $160.
The Orcs are having a screaming match over who gets to carry the horned helmet of Smash Head, the platoon leader. Smash Head himself is staying aloof from it all, allowing the lesser Orcs to sort it out among themselves. Should Smash Head get a chance to put his helmet back on before combat, it will provide DR 4 to his head (but not face). However, he won’t stop to put it back on if opponents are already within melee range. The PCs should be able to hear the Orcs long before the Orcs are aware of the PCs, giving them ample time to avoid them or to make preparations.
==Orc Hunting Party 2==
===Smash Head (Platoon Leader)===
Smash Head is a hulking Orcish brute who has at some point received a serious crushing wound to the face, pushing in his cheeks, breaking all his front teeth and leaving deep scars on the skin. He is proud of his wound, thinking that it demonstrates how tough he is. He wears a bear-fur cloak about his shoulders and he likes to flip it back dramatically before entering combat.
Dodge	9
Parry	12
Block	N/A
SM	0
DR	2 (torso/vitals); 1 (limbs, groin)
Attacks	Orcish Broadsword-16 2d+3 Cut; Orcish Medium Shield-12 1d Cr
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
===9 Cutnose Orc Archers===
===Treasure===
The nine archers have 102 copper pieces between them, and a bunch of rats tails bound with string. Their bows are cheap shortbows of unattractively Orcish design ($10, 2 lbs each) and their quivers are crude pouches of hide ($1, 1 lb each). Smash Head has 40 copper pieces in his pockets. His iron helmet is sturdy but lopsided and ugly. It looks like the kind of thing an Orc would wear and will sell accordingly ($10, 8 lbs). Smash Head’s cheap broadsword and medium shield look similarly Orcish and are $50, 4 lbs and $20, 20 lbs respectively. His bear-fur cloak is not of Orcish workmanship and is quite nice ($200, 7 lbs).
==Further Random Encounters==
If the GM would like further wandering monsters and has access to GURPS Bestiary and GURPS Fantasy Bestiary for GURPS 3rd edition, they may use the following system. For each day and each night, roll 3D6 for encounters. If the characters have wiped out the Cutnose Orcs beneath Castle Everglory, ignore results of Cutnose Orcs.
For a day’s travel, there will be an encounter from the day table on 8-
For a night’s camping, there will be an encounter from the night table on 8-
For a day’s camping, there will be an encounter from the day table on 7-
For a night’s travel, there will be an encounter from the night table on 10-
===Day Encounter Table===
3d6 roll	Encounter 	Reference
3 	Palac Cat 	Fantasy Bestiary, p.50
4 	Griffon 	Fantasy Bestiary, p.59
5 	Hodag 	Fantasy Bestiary, p.31
6 	Strix 	Campaigns, p. 461
7 	Centipede, Giant 	Besitary, p. 11
8 	Snake (Poisonous) 	Bestiary, p.32
9 	Wolves 	Bestiary, p.38
10 	Red Deer 	Campaigns, p.457
11 	Cutnose Orc Archers	(3D6)
12 	Wild Boars 	Campaigns, p. 458
13 	Grizzly bears 	Campaigns p.456
14 	Shrew, Giant 	Fantasy Bestiary, p.66
15 	Crocotta 	Fantasy Beastiary, p.50
16 	Hydrus 	Fantasy Bestiary, p.35
17 	Jaculus 	Fantasy Besitary, p.36
18 	Unicorn, Fantasy 	Fantasy Bestiary, p.77)
===Night Encounter Table===
3d6 roll	Animal 	Reference
3 	Plat-eye 	Fantasy Bestiary, p. 54
4 	Palac Cat 	Fantasy Bestiary, p.50
5 	Griffon 	Fantasy Bestiary, p.59
6 	Crocotta 	Fantasy Beastiary, p.50
7 	Foul Bats 	DF 2, p.23
8 	Centipede, Giant 	Besitary, p. 11
9 	Grizzly Bears 	Campaigns, p.456
10 	Wolves 	Bestiary, p.38
11 	Cutnose Orc Archers	(3D6)
12 	Leopard 	Bestiary, p.20
13 	Shrew, Giant 	Fantasy Bestiary, p.66
14 	Strix 	Campaigns, p. 461
15 	Hodag 	Fantasy Bestiary, p.31
16 	Hydrus 	Fantasy Bestiary, p.35
17 	Jaculus 	Fantasy Besitary, p.36
18 	Pooka 	Fantasy Beastiary, p. 55