Premade Campaign 23: “Gruumsh Calls!” (2/3)
“Gruumsh Calls!” is intended for Paragon level characters and is Part Two in a Three Part series.
In the first ten levels of this Premade series, there was likely little plot progression as the party rushed from outpost to outpost to save the remaining soldiers from the unprompted Orc attacks. None of the brutes seem willing to explain why they are attacking without reason, and would rather die a bloody, meaningless death than to say who sent them. As the party finishes off the last of the Orcs they return to the town, where several groups of Orcs are being held for questioning by the town guard. As they are tortured, the warrior’s screams of “For the eye!” and cleric’s yells of “Gruumsh calls!” can be heard for miles. Eventually, one of the Orcs snaps, screaming out “Gruumsh is back, and Gruumsh will save us!” before collapsing in a bloody heap.
That’s a good reason to launch attacks on a local Kingdom, the earthly return of the God of slaughter and pillage.
The town’s remaining guards (including the party) are sent to investigate the supposed return of Gruumsh, and each are given different areas to search. In three weeks, when the groups are to meet back, several have gone missing and the rest have found nothing. Given even larger groups, the remaining soldiers (once again, the party included) are told to search the areas of those who didn’t return, and they find scorched bodies and heads on pikes. As they leave, an Orc ambush tries to capture them, but the adventurers should be able to beat them back.
The rest of the Paragon tier should be investigating Gruumsh’s return, as it is a little more important than anything else that could be happening. Little hints from time to time show that he may, indeed, have returned to battle on the Material Plane, and by the end of the Paragon tier they may even catch a glance of a huge-sized, one-eyed Orc commanding troops in the distance. One surviving soldier from an ambush might also speak of seeing the god, who he describes as “A massive Orc, the size of a god.”
But of course Gruumsh hasn’t returned, and all of this is just screwing with your players into making them think they are supposed to fight a god at the end of the campaign – right? That all depends…
Be sure to check back tomorrow for the first of two possible epic endings to this Premade campaign.
