Adventure for 18-20 Level Characters

Overview: An orcish army is laying waste to the country-side. The king has offered 500,000 gold bounty for the head of the leader of the army. Finding the army isn’t a problem. Just follow the path of destruction it leaves. The challenge is getting through the army to reach the leader: An orc chieftain named Zaragog the Immortal. However, the players will find a traitor who may be willing to get them close probably for a price.

Part 1. The Destruction of Archdale

Setup: 

You’ve heard the rumors of an orc army slowly pushing its way north. It’s lead by an orc chieftain named Zaragog the Immortal. He’s supposedly a massive orc whose mere presence causes battle-hardened veterans to run for the hills. The king has offered a bounty for Zaragog’s head: 500,000 gold pieces. It’s enough to attract legends such as yourselves. He might even be willing to throw in a princess or prince in the bargain such is the fear of this army. You’ve arrived in Archdale, a small town on the outskirts of the kingdom that, if your sources are correct, is right in the path of the orc army. Most of the townsfolk have fled. Only a few stubborn souls remain including the gruff innkeeper of “The Mottled Dragon” where you are staying. There’s also a company of soldiers in town defending its walls so the inn is currently packed with soldiers spending their last few hours drinking themselves into oblivion.

The players may talk with the soldiers, gamble, drink, and otherwise come up with a plan of action. The mood of the town is grim. Any entertainment is short-lived. The town is about a mile in diameter and is surrounded on all sides by a 10 foot high stone wall.

Here’s what players may learn with an Intelligence (Investigation) check:

10 or below: The orc army is expected any day now. 

11-12 The king’s army is on its way but it will likely not arrive in time. 

13-14: The leader of the town guard is a paladin named Dyne Silverblade. He has told the soldiers that the plan is to hold the walls until the king’s army has a chance to arrive.

15-16: A lich by name of Fellwick attempted to stop the orc army with an army of vampires and the undead last month. The undead army was destroyed and Fellwick is now a slave to Zaragog.

17-18: Dyne has hired a group of high-level wizards to help with the town defense.

19-20: There is a secret escape path under the mayor’s mansion that leads to the surrounding hills to be used as a last resort.

These are all rumors and be sure to note to the players that not all of them are necessarily true. The part about the wizards and the escape path are false. The part about the lich is partially true. Fellwick is working for Zaragog but isn’t enslaved and joined Zaragog willingly. 

In the middle of the night, a horn blows and a cry rings out in the street, “The orcs are coming. The orcs are coming!” You make your way through the shouts and soldiers to peer over the town wall and your jaw drops. It looks like the distant hills are being totally covered by an enormous blanket. The army is huge. There must be thousands of orcs out there. Maybe tends of thousands. You turn and look at the nearby soldiers and every one of them has the same scared expression. You are all thinking the same thing: This town is doomed. 

The players may seek out Dyne and offer their services or they can leave the town and observe from a safe distance or they can fight on their own. Either way, make it clear that there’s only about 600 soldiers in Archdale and they are outnumbered 20 to 1. Here’s how the battle will progress:

Stage 1: The orc army moves to within 1000 feet of the town. Zaragog rides forward with a company of orcs to talk to the soldiers at the wall. He tells them he will not let them surrender and that he intends to bathe in their blood. Dyne challenges Zaragog in a one-on-one battle but Zaragog only laughs. His men crave blood and glory. Why should he deprive them of that for a vain fool to die at his hands? Zaragog will pull back and the first level of assault will begin. Catapaults will fling bulettes and fire elements into the town to cause destruction. If the players are in town they will need to defeat four bulettes and four fire elementals that land near them.

Stage 2: The orc army assaults the walls. The players may defend a section of wall if they desire. If they try to seek out Zaragog they will find him too surrounded by soldiers to properly attack him. If the players use high level magic to try and sway the battle they will be challenged by Fellwick the Lich. He will remain at a distance with an army of orcs between him and the attackers so that only ranged spells and attacks can get to him. He will counter any big spells directed at him or the army. Each round, the players will each be attacked by four orcs. The orcs will make two melee and two ranged attacks on each player then the player may attack. The players must kill a total of 20 orcs each round or risk being over-run and forced to retreat. If the players can last five rounds, give them each an inspiration point and then read the following:

You fight well but the sheer size of the army is overwhelming your allies. You realize if you don’t pull back you will be surrounded and likely swarmed. You see the paladin Dyne ride past blowing his horn with the signal to retreat. The soldiers around you begin to leave their places on the wall and run. You have no choice but to follow them.

The players can retreat with the rest of the soldiers or they can fight their own way out of town and hide in the surrounding country. 

Stage 3: The orcs burn Archdale. Whether the players stayed with the guards or fight their way out on their own, they must succeed at a skill challenge to escape the doomed town. Each player may choose one unique skill they think will help them escape. Successful skill roles require a roll of DC 16 or higher. At least three successes are required to leave the town without incident. If the players fail the skill challenge, each player loses one item worth 3,000 gold or more which is either snatched by the orcs or destroyed/lost in the escape. These items cannot be recovered. Once complete, read the following:

The battle out of Archdale is chaotic and bloody. After what seems like hours you manage to navigate through the burning streets and the never-ending orc horde through a collapsed hole in the wall. You move to a safe distance and turn to see a full moon shining down on the burning town. Archdale is gone. You’re not sure if any others escaped but you certainly hope they did. Once you are out of sight of the city you drop the unconscious orc prisoner you managed to snag and kick him awake. The ugly orc grunts and his yellow eyes flare to life.

Part 2. The Traitor

The orc’s name is Hurrgat. The players may cajole, bribe, threaten, or enchant him so that he tells them what they need to know. Hurrgat will say that Zaragog sleeps in a large tent in the very center of the army. Hurrgat will offer to sneak them through the guards so that they can get close enough to kill Zaragog. There’s only one problem: The Lich. Fellwick has placed a lot of defensive spells around Zaragog. If the players can destroy the lich, Zaragog will be practically helpless. Fellwick stays outside of camp because the orcs can’t abide the zombies he leads. Bodies of the fallen are brought to him for reanimation. Once the battle is over, Hurrgat will offer to help the players get close to Fellwick first.

You see a large tent on the edge of the orc army encampment. Slow moving orcs are dumping piles of dead bodies next to the tent. Every few minutes, an undead guard shuffles out of the tent and drags a couple of more bodies into it.

Four dread warriors guard the re-animation tent. If the players can get past them without a lot of noise, they will surprise the lich who is inside the tent raising zombies. The players will need to kill Fellwick and the twelve dread warriors in his 30 foot wide tent. Fellwick’s spirit jar/phylactery is hidden in his lair many, many miles away. 

Hurrgat leads you through crowds of orc warriors celebrating their recent victory. They are drinking some sort of vile liquid and eating soup from huge cooking fires spread out across the army encampment. You shudder to think what’s in the pots. Hurrgat deftly speaks to several guards that challenge you and you slowly push your way deeper into the throng. Eventually, Hurgatt pushes past several large tents and points toward a large tent. You move forward carefully and quickly and quietly deal with the two guards standing by the entrance. You push into Zaragog’s tent and…it’s empty. There’s no one here. You come out of the tent and find you are surrounded. Orc guards laugh and point in your direction. Zaragog stands at the front and laughs. He shouts to the group, “I told you. There’s always a traitor.” Hurgatt rushes forward pleading his innocence but an arrow pierces his neck and he falls to the ground gurgling. Zaragog turns to you, “Shall we do this the easy way or the fun way?”

Part 3. The Battle with Zaragog

The players must now defeat Zaragog. He will be joined by forty archers who will fire javelins at the players. Twenty on each side. Zaragog will also have forty orc warriors join him in melee combat that will block the players so that only one player may fight Zaragog in melee range at any one time. If the players didn’t help him escape, Dyne will be here as a prisoner. If the players manage to kill Zaragog, read the following:

The might orc chief grunts in pain as you deal your killing blow. His warriors gasp in shock and surprise as their leader collapses to the ground. The orcs flee in all directions shouting and screaming. “Zaragog is dead!” and other such cries fill the night. You reach down to pull off the evil tyrant’s head when you see that the body begins to shrink. The thick matt of hair becomes fine and blonde. The rough features of his face soften and smooth out. The muscular arms and legs become slender and hairless. The orc gradually transforms into the body of a young male elf. All that is left of Zaragog is a bulky and dented suit of half-plate armor and an enormous axe.

The elf’s name was Zane Siilfdalen. He was cursed with the immortal axe and Zaragog eventually took over his body. He leaves behind a bloody trail of destruction and the cursed Immortal Axe.