Scales of War Adventure Path

Chapter 1: Bordrin’s Watch

“How can we forget the suffering of our kin during the Age of Chains? How can we set aside those ancient grudges when the risk of slavery is now greater than ever? Fellow warriors, the orcs are upon us, marching once more to the beat of the giants’ drum. It falls to us to stop them—to hold fast no matter their numbers. If we falter, we give into fear. It’s not just ourselves and our way of life that will suffer; all people of the Elsir Vale will perish as well. War is upon us. Now is the time for men and women of courage to stand up and defend those who cannot defend themselves.”

Background:

The lands west of the Stonehome Mountains have been a festering mire of want and suffering. This parched and barren landscape is suited only for orcs, goblinoids, and other fell creatures. From time to time, a warlord gathers a small army and tumbles out of these badlands to test their strength and arms against the stalwart dwarf defenders, but never have they crossed the mountains because straddling its single pass is an ancient dwarven stronghold named Bordrin’s Watch. No matter how many orcs muster, they die upon its walls, painting the sturdy stone with their black blood. So the rumors of a new host in these forlorn bogs and dead woods seemed a small threat—nothing the guardians could not handle. This army, though, is different. Unlike all the many times the orcs have emerged, they now have a leader who can keep them together long enough to win. The orc leader is an overlarge warrior and chieftain named Tusk. Not a true orc, he has the blood of ogres in his veins, which makes him larger, tougher, and eminently more dangerous. Having slaughtered half a dozen orc chieftains, he drew together the unruly tribes to mount an offensive against Bordrin’s Watch to lay claim to the soft lands beyond its walls. Tusk knows the history of the Stonehome Mountains well, knowing that unless he can find some way to bypass the fortress in the mountains, it won’t matter how many warriors he commands since he would fail. What Tusk needs is a way around the fortress.