Old Orc Encampment

## **Intro**

Located in a cave in The Stotzyev Mountains, around half a day's travel west of the Fuurinae Hanok. The entrance is found off the road, through meadow and sparse trees. This opening is a natural crack in the mountainside which has been roughly widened within the last ~20 years.

## **Description**

The basic structure of the ruins is of dwarven design and is considerably more than 2000 years old. Other additions and alterations to the structure are more recent, dating to around the time of The Orc Wars. This includes a number of orcish carvings in the walls and dedications to the deity Silas.

Due to the ruins' age, many of the rooms are partially collapsed and few furnishings remain. There are also several areas where the stone floor is unstable and can cave in.

At the time of the party's exploration, the encampment was host to multiple Dust- and Mud Mephits, as well as handful of Shadows (described as large and potentially orcish in shape).

## **Notable Locations**

#### **Entrance Hall**

When the party arrived, this large room was littered with fresh goblin corpses, some of which were raised to fight the party - presumably by the resident mephits.

#### **Desecrated Carvings**

*This isn't how it was supposed to go.*

These orcish carvings are too faded in parts to read but are recognisable as a plea. A symbol was carved beneath them but is no longer recognisable as it is bisected by a dark slash which has desecrated the area. According to Ignatious, the carvings date back to "not long after The Orc Wars, before Paeleuah was a country yet."

#### **Altar Room**

This room boasts several benches and an altar, which the party recognised had been recently disturbed:

The altar reacts to the presence of the Dual Crystal Key. When the key is brought close, the wall above the altar glows blue, similar to the floor of the Rest Area (see below). This light, however, is disrupted by the symbol of Yan Turin, which is slashed across the wall in bright scarlet. This symbol is not cut into the wall, but is a magical image upon the surface. The school of magic could not be discerned using *Detect Magic*.

It is likely that this was where the students of Shinan University found the Jewelled Idol.

#### **Rest Area**

The image of a butterfly led Hymn to this small alcove, which is identified by orcish carvings as "a holy rest area dedicated to Silas [where] the ground is protected from evil." The alcove contains the remains of some seating, and the party also discovered a case which was found to contain a scroll of *Protection from Evil and Good*.

#### **Communal Sleeping Area**

This area contains the remnants of beds, split into separate areas, likely for different age groups. The beds were identified as being too large for dwarves, so likely dated back to the encampment's orcish inhabitants.

#### **Offering Box**

This large, locked chest is located at the end of a hallway, beyond some 10' of unstable (now collapsed) ground. The wall above bears the orcish writing; "This chest is an offering box." Inside, the party found the Staff of Flowers.

#### **Gathering Room**

The final room in the ruins boasts the remains of a central fire pit surrounded by benches. It is here that the party found the Dual Crystal Key.

## **The Story So Far**

### **Background**

The original architecture of the ruins is dwarven.

Around 2000 years ago, the caves became home to an orcish warband who were "left by the wayside" in the aftermath of The Orc Wars:

The story of this clan, who at first worshipped Silas but then turned to Yan Turin, was recorded on the walls of the Jewelled Idol's associated demiplane.

Recently, the encampment was re-discovered by Cave-Diving Students who entered via a crack in the mountainside. Inside, they found the Jewelled Idol, which they took with them back to Shinan University.

Subsequently, some goblins seemingly took up residence in the ruins.

### **Chapter 1**

#### **"Grave of the Goblins" (1x7)**

The party sought out the caves in order to search for the Dual Crystal Key, in hopes of solving the crisis at The Sapphire Tower.

Upon the party's approach, two goblins were encountered fleeing the ruins, where most of their kin were subsequently found to have been slaughtered.

Shortly after their arrival, the party were sent into a magical sleep and had most of their belongings stolen by mephits. When they awoke, they swiftly progressed through the ruins, learning about the area's history and fighting several battles to regain their lost items.

#### **"Thinking With Portals" (1x8)**

The group found the Dual Crystal Key buried in the old fire pit in the gathering room, deep in the ruins.

Back at The Sapphire Tower, the key was reunited with the Jewelled Idol. Their interaction opened a portal to a demiplane whose single room closely resembled the architecture of the Old Orc Encampment, minus the decay and ruin of the intervening centuries.