Introduction

The stone is cold against your back, and the air is thick with the sour scent of sweat and damp. Rusted iron shackles bite into your wrists, bolted directly into the cavern wall behind you. Around you, the rough rock curves in a narrow dome—no bars, no cells, just stone and restraint.

A faint rustle breaks the silence. In the shadows of the far wall, another prisoner stirs—his frame little more than skin stretched tight across bone. His eyes glint in the gloom as he turns his head to you, he stairs without saying a word.

Escape!

Roleplay Prompt: Prisoner NPC (Tarn)

Name: Tarn
Appearance: Emaciated human man, mid-forties, with hollow cheeks, sunken eyes, and a deep scar running down the left side of his neck. He speaks slowly, with a ragged voice, as if each word costs him effort.

Personality: Cynical, resigned to death, but shrewd.

Goal: Tarn has resigned to his fate and has no wish to bring further hardship on himself before his inneviteble death. Tarn is content with this but is open to sharing the information he has.

Information Tarn Can Provide

• The players are cursed or marked in some way by the shaman—he calls it "the thread." It's not just imprisonment; something is actively eating away at their souls.
• Escaping the cave won’t be enough. The shaman’s ritual leaves a lingering spiritual bond, one that will slowly destroy them or turn them into something else if not removed.
• Killing the shaman won't break the curse. Another will rise in her place, and the mark will remain.
• A herbalist lives on the other side of the canyon. She despises the shaman and may know how to sever the bond properly.

Escape Skill Challenge

Players must escape their shackles and find their belongings.

Example Skills:

• Dexterity (Thieves' Tools) DC 14 to pick locks (Only works if one or more players gets out first and is able to find thieves tools)
• Strength (Athletics) DC 15 to break chains (I would only allow 1 of the chains to be weakened enough to be broken without tools)
• Intelligence (Investigation) DC 13 to discover the key dangling from the waist band of the guard (Only works if the guard has first had a reason to interact with the players)
• Wisdom (Perception) DC 12 to hear a guard outside the cave.

For each failed check, or any time a player attempts to break the chains, roll 1d20. On a 10 or lower, the guard will hear and enter the room. He will strike the player he thinks is making the noise with his club..

Guard: There is 1 guard stationed outside the cavern. He is not strong, but is confident and complacent. He will strike a prisoner who is making too much noise or who he deems to be out of line. He is not afraid of the prisoners and has a sense of security in knowing that the prisoners are all chained up.

• Depending how the encounters go with the guard, if he does decide that there is trouble that he alone cannot handle, he will run out of the room, returning a few moments later with 2 Orc Warriors.

Equipment

When the players begin searching for their equipment read:
In an alcove near the back corner of the cave, you see a large heap of discarded gear, tossed together without care. The pile is a chaotic jumble — adventuring packs torn open and spilling their contents, half-shattered crates, bent shields, and fine traveling cloaks crushed beneath dented helms. Loose coin pouches and gleaming buckles catch the torchlight, and here and there the polished edge of a weapon juts out from the mound. Though much of it is worn or broken, plenty of what you see appears useful — even valuable — yet it has all been treated as if it were nothing more than refuse.

DC 13 Insight - something feels wrong. The gear is valuable, far too much to simply discard — fine silks, good steel, untouched provisions. Any raiding party would normally seize or sell such spoils. Instead, the orcs appear to have deliberately rejected material wealth, leaving it to rot. Material wealth seems not a concern to these orcs, but if not wealth, then what?

It takes approximately 10 minutes of searching to find all the players equipment. If the guard has not been killed or run off to get help yet, the guard will come in, confidently and upon seeing the players, free of their chains, will freeze in a brief moment of panic (allowing the players 1 opportunity to act), before fleeing.

If the guard succeeds at getting away, he will return a moment later withe the 2 Orc Warriors.

• While the players are searching, they can make a DC 14 investigation check to find among the pile:
• 1x Circlet of Blasting
• 1x Bead of Enduring
• 1x Potion of Healing

The Canyon Camp

You push through the narrow cave mouth and emerge behind a jagged ridge on the camp’s western edge. The air is dry and smells of ash and pitch. Just ahead lies a small training ground—scuffed earth, a few worn dummies, and scattered ranged targets pinned to crude posts. To its side sits a hovel, fashioned from the bow of a ship, turned upside down, tarped with old fishing net. A central bonfire crackles quietly in the center of the canyon, crowned by an arch of bone strung with blackened skulls that twist gently in the breeze.

Across the canyon, against the far wall, a stone chimney hovel leaks smoke with a bitter, herbal tang, while a more secluded cliffside shelter blends into the rock near it. To the north, a towering longhouse looms, flanked by skull-topped stakes and marked with crude glyphs. The southern gates, made of thick ironwood, remain shut but unwatched. Aside from the steady crackle of flame and the faint creak of swaying wood, the camp is still.

Training Ground (West of Camp)

Description:
Rough-hewn posts jut from the ground, each lashed with straw and hide to form crude training dummies. Nearby, several wooden targets are riddled with arrows—some fresh, some splintered with age. The packed dirt is scuffed with heavy bootprints and the smell of sweat lingers in the air.

features:

• The weapons are of surprisingly good quality (standard still, but not crudely made)
• Several weapons of various types, as well as ammunition.
• DC 14 Investigation - There are several foot prints, difficult to tell precisely how many, however, there is one set that stands out as they are twice the size of the other footprints.

Boat Hovel (Beside Training Ground)

Description:
A large ship’s bow lies overturned and reinforced with crude timbers, forming a shelter. Its keel curves upward like the ribs of a beast. Weathered ropes dangle from its interior frame, and a makeshift curtain of skins acts as a doorway.

Features:

• Inside: simple bedding, scraps of smoked meat, and a rusted shortsword.

Loot:

• A locked iron strongbox (DC 14 to pick or break) contains 15 gp, 1 potion of healing, and a small idol of Burakar made of obsidian (if destroyed, have the player who destroyed it roll 1d20. On an 8 or lower, they suffer the effects of the Bane spell for 1 hour).
• 50ft of coiled silken rope

Central Bonfire

Description:
In the heart of the canyon stands a wide, scorched firepit filled with smoldering coals and blackened logs. Half encompassing it, a massive arch of bleached bones looms around it—four large fangs, stuck into the ground and adorned with tusked skulls, femurs, and spine segments lashed together with sinew and iron spikes. Charred symbols are scorched into the dirt around the fire, forming a rough ring. The silence here is heavy, broken only by the occasional crack of embers and the whisper of wind through bone.

Features:

• Bone Arch: A DC 12 Religion or Arcana check identifies the burned symbols as orcish rites—simple prayers to Burakar or spirits of conquest.
• Multiple Layers of Ash: The firepit has been used repeatedly for more than just warmth. Mixed into the ash are fragments of animal bones, humanoid remains, and ceremonial objects — charred beads, crushed reagents, and bones etched with runes. This suggests a longstanding ritual site, used for dark orcish rites, not just one-off offerings.
• Blood and Bone Sigils: An ogre bone sits in the middle of the bone arch, around it is a ritual carving in the dirt: a stylized figure with broad shoulders and tusks, surrounded by swirling marks in the dirt. A DC 14 Arcana check identifies lingering traces of transmutation magic.

Loot:

• Scavenging the Ashes: A DC 13 Investigation check uncovers:
• A scorched but intact talisman of bone and silver wire (can be used as a spellcasting focus or sold for 25 gp).
• A melted iron ring (worthless), and a charcoal-etched drawing of a child and wolf, clearly sentimental.

Ironwood Gate (South End)

Description:
Massive double doors of reinforced ironwood stand shut, barring the southern path out of the canyon. Heavy crossbeams and rusted chains secure the currently unguarded gate

Features:

• Winch and lever system (mechanical; Athletics DC 14 to turn)
• Iron-banded doors (very durable)

Loot:

• Climb Watchtower: Small cache with:
• 1 signal horn (damaged)
• 4 darts
• Folded cloth: a crude map showing nearby hills and a river crossing to the south

Stone Chimney Hovel (East Side)

Description:
This squat hovel is crafted of stone, its roof sagging under the weight of thatch and dirt. A crooked chimney rises from one corner, belching faint smoke. The scent of burning roots and iron lingers. A small stack of bones sits beside the door—cleaned and painted.

Features:

• Hearth fire (low-burning)
• Bone effigies and a carved mask hanging on the wall
• Bone-handled cleaver and drying rack

Loot:

• Medicine DC 11: The bones are animal, not humanoid—possibly from wolves or goats.
• Search: Clay jars of preserved meat and marrow (ration quality), 2 days’ worth
• Hidden Compartment under floorboards, DC 14:
• 1 Potion of Healing and 1 Potion of Lesser Restoration (dark red, thick)
• 3 throwing knives (bone-handled)
• A charm that grants Initiative roll (Crumbles after used)

Cliffside Shelter (Herbalist’s Den)

Description:
Exterior Description:

Tucked into a cleft in the canyon’s eastern wall, this modest shelter blends seamlessly into the stone, nearly hidden behind a hanging curtain of moss and brush. A smooth window-like cutout in the rock reveals shelves of dried herbs, labeled vials, and bundles of roots tied with twine. A thin, glowing green liquid trickles from a fissure in the rock beside the door, running into a carved stone trough that glows faintly. The scent is a blend of earthy rot and sharp mint — unmistakably alchemical.

Interior Description:

Inside, the shelter is small but well-kept, clearly lived-in. A rough desk, laden with parchment and reagents, sits near the back, next to a gently bubbling cauldron over a low fire. A cot is neatly arranged beneath shelves of preserved flora. A hunched woman with iron-gray hair, sharp cheekbones, and deep crow’s feet works over the desk, grinding something into a bowl. She glances up as you enter, eyes narrowed but not hostile.
“Strangers. Brave, or cursed. No difference in this canyon. Close the flap behind you — and don’t touch anything.”

NPC: The Herbalist – Nelka Mossbind

• Appearance: Wiry and weathered, with long fingers stained green from constant tincture work. Wears layers of woven cloth, thorn-studded jewelry, and smells strongly of herb smoke.
• Personality/Roleplay Traits:
• Schemer in Shadows: Soft-spoken but calculating — always watching, always planning.
• Greenblooded Pragmatist: Nelka has no love for mysticism or spiritual rambling—her belief is rooted in plants, not portents. She’ll often interrupt talk of omens with a dry remark or a practical counter, preferring poultices and potions over prayers and prophecy.
• Motive:
• Nelka wants to replace the shaman as the tribe’s spiritual leader. She believes the current shaman has betrayed tradition for power and is destroying the balance of the canyon. Nelka is not altruistic — she simply wants her rival removed and will use the players to do it.
• Nelka sees the parties escape from the cave and arrival at her den as a sign, and understands that by helping them, they too can help her.

Quest Hook – Nelka’s Task:

Nelka can help remove the magical mark from the players, but only if they capture the shaman alive and bring her here.

“The mark’s threads are woven through soul and spirit. I can unbind them, but I need the one who spun them… alive. Break her bones, fine. But leave her breathing.”

Information the Players May Learn:

• The shaman has performed numerous rituals in recent weeks, many of them untraditional and power-hungry.
• The central firepit and bone arch are used for ritual sacrifices and magical enhancements, particularly aimed at the chieftain.
• The chieftain has been magically enlarged and strengthened through a rite of soul-binding with an Ogre— a dangerous practice that Nelka opposes.
• The shaman discovered an ancient text (possibly from ruins in the canyon) and now serves something beyond the tribe’s old gods.
• Some in the tribe whisper that the shaman speaks to a voice beneath the stones.
• The god Burakar is not an Orc god. The shaman now serves a god worshiped by the very dwarves their kind warred with for centuries.

Aid: If the players request any further assistance, with a successful DC 13 Persuasion, Nelka will give the players:

• Relentless Medallion
• Wondrous Item, rare (requires attunement)
• This iron medallion is etched with a jagged spiral that seems to twist inward endlessly. When worn, it fuels a cycle of pain and resilience.
• Relentless Resilience. When the wearer of this medallion is hit with a melee weapon attack, they take an additional 1d12 damage of the weapon’s type. Immediately after taking this damage, they gain temporary hit points equal to half of the total damage dealt by the attack (including the extra 1d12).
• These temperary hit points degrade by 1d8 at the end of each of the wearers turns.
• Ring of Spell Storing:
• 2x Chromatic Orb
• 1x Magic Missile
• 1x Flaming Sphere

Chieftains Longhouse (North End)

Exterior Description:
This large, imposing structure stands apart from the other hovels with a base of stacked stone supporting dark wooden walls. Its roof is clay-packed and reinforced with a lattice of thick beams, its shape a long rectangle. Massive, sun-bleached bones line the rooftop, lashed in rows as grim decoration. Small windows pierce the front and sides, glowing faintly from firelight within and exuding the smell of smoke and roasted meat within.

Interior Description:

The air inside is thick with smoke, roasted meat, and old blood. Directly across from the entrance rises a crude but commanding throne of carved wood and tusk, set atop a raised stone platform. A long iron spit stretches before it, currently roasting a half-butchered animal over glowing coals. On either side of the spit are two sturdy wooden tables with benches—scarred by knife marks and stained by countless meals.

The walls are hung with trophies—antlers, broken weapons, mummified limbs, and fanged skulls. At either end of the hall, heavy slab tables display butchered game and tanned hides. One bears a sprawling owlbear skin, its beaked face turned upward as a grim welcome mat.

Occupants

• The Shaman (see NPC profile below), seated in the throne, calm but alert.
• Orc Fighters equal to the number of players, standing or sitting casually around the tables.

The only way into the Longhouse is through the front door. A window could be used, but due to the nature of the interior, it would be pretty easy to see someone crawling through a window. The idea for this encounter is to be fought within the longhouse, as the final encounter will take place in the camp itself.

I would allow the players to lure 1 fighter outside (2 if there are 6 players in the party). After they are dispatched, Grukkha's voice will ring out from inside "Why do you resist the gods will? Come, your fate awaits"

A creature marked by Grukkha can be commanded once per day and the command cannot be resisted. This command will force the players to enter the longhouse. (This may be too arbitrary for some, so feel free to skip it. I spent a lot of time and filament on the chieftains hall though and want to use it :p)

Grukkha will engage with the players, if they attempt to roleplay. Ultimately however, her and the fighters will attack the players if they refuse to return to the prisoners cave.

Shaman Grukkha - A gaunt orc woman draped in bone charms and tattered ritual robes. Her face is streaked with ash, and her hair is matted into cords wrapped with feathers and finger bones. Though her body is withered with age, her eyes burn with authority.

Roleplay Traits:

• Taps bones or knocks her staff when she wants silence.
• Believes prophecy requires pain to manifest.
• Eyes on the Strongest: Constantly watches the strongest character in the group, appraising them for potential use in her rites.

Motive: Grukkha has uncovered a half-buried scripture of Burakar, a Duergar god of conquest, sacrifice, and shadowed dominion. Through whispered dreams and bloody rites, she believes she’s been chosen to prepare the world above for Burakar's return. She sees the orc clan not as kin, but as tools—raw material for rituals and vessels of war in her god’s name. Her endgame is to turn the clan into a fanatical force serving Burakar, with her as its high priestess.

Returning Grukkha:

Returning to Nelk

As the players return to Nelk, with Grukkha subdued, Nelk greets the players with joy. She would like to waste little time and immediately begins collecting a few items before ushering the players to the ritual site.

Rite of Severance – Breaking the Binding Mark (Finalized)

Location: The Bone Arch Ritual Site

Nelka leads the players and the bound Grukkha to the central ritual site beneath the towering arch of fused bones. Smoke from the ever-burning central fire coils upward into the night, and the scorched circle of ash that surrounds it seems to hum with latent energy. The bones above creak softly in the breeze, as though expectant.

Without a word, Nelka begins. She approaches each player with a bowl of ash and traces a mark on each of their foreheads. She then drags a curved dagger through the dirt, carving a ring of runes around the scorched circle. Small bone totems and dried organs are placed carefully at each cardinal point—tokens of pain, submission, and death. She gestures for the players to place Grukkha at the center.

Nelka’s voice drops low as she begins to chant—not in common, but in a bitter, gravelly tongue. The language carries unnatural weight, resonating through the bones of the arch. The ground trembles slightly as the first reaction sets in: the bindings on the players’ skin pulse with blistering heat, glowing faintly with sickly green light.

Thick, oily smoke begins to rise from Grukkha’s body. From her chest, shadowy tendrils uncoil, stretching toward the players like grasping fingers—tethers anchoring her will to theirs. Nelka circles the ritual space with her staff raised, drawing the smoke into the bone arch above. The fire flares white-hot.

Suddenly, the tether pulls taut. The players feel their marks pull outward, straining with a force that feels like it’s trying to tear something out of them. Just as the pressure becomes unbearable, Nelka drives her staff into the earth.

A violent crack tears through the air. The bone arch blazes with green fire. The tethers snap—recoiling into Grukkha’s body with a scream that is not entirely hers. Her form convulses, limbs twisting unnaturally, as the power surges back into her.

Then: stillness.

Grukkha collapses in a heap of smoke and bone ash. Her eyes are open, but lifeless—burned out from within. The mark on each player’s skin fades to grey, inert and cold. Though the physical scar remains, its magic is broken.

Post Ritual: Warbands Return

As the last wisps of shadow retreat into Grukkha’s lifeless body, the bone arch lets out a low groan, as if exhaling. The fire dims, casting long, flickering shadows over the circle. For the first time in what feels like days, the air is still.

Nelka steps back, shoulders visibly easing. “It’s done,” she murmurs, quieter now. “The mark is broken.”

But then—
Creeeeaak.
The heavy wooden gates at the far end of the ravine shudder, then slowly begin to open.

Nelka's eyes widen. “No—no, no, they’re early,” she hisses. Panic creeps into her voice as she whirls toward the sound. “I thought we’d have time to clean this up—hide the body—hide you.”

The thudding rhythm of marching boots draws closer, punctuated by harsh voices and the clang of weapons. Orc silhouettes begin spilling through the gate, nearly two dozen strong. At their head: Dorg—a hulking brute of iron and fury, face twisted in scorn.

Nelka moves quickly, stepping between the players and the advancing warband, lifting her staff high.

“Listen to me!” she shouts, loud enough to carry across the ravine. “Grukkha is dead. The Rite of Severance is complete. Her madness has been silenced.”

The orcs slow. Some look from her to the corpse in the circle. Whispers ripple through the crowd.

“She led us astray!” Nelka calls. “Burakar’s whispers poisoned our path. This was never who we were—snatching the weak, carving false symbols into the willing and the unwilling.” She turns slowly, eyes sweeping over the faces of the returning warriors. “You remember the old ways. Before the altar. Before the marks. I ask you to remember now.”

A beat of silence.

Then, murmuring agreement, several orcs begin to step aside. A dozen of them—strong fighters all—lower their weapons and move to the fringes, wary but willing to listen. Dorg’s jaw tightens as he sees his numbers thinning.

He snarls. “Cowards. Weak of spine and gutless of blood.”

He levels his axe at the players. “You think this is over? You killed Grukkha—you’ll answer for it. Once these worms stand aside, you die. Then I’ll deal with the rest.”

He looks to the orcs gathered on the fringe. “Any who stand with me, stand ready. Any who don’t—get out of my way.”

Only a handful step up beside him. The rest remain where they are—watchful, but unmoved.The party must subdue her non-lethally.

Final Encounter

Enemies:

• Dorg
• Giant Boar
• Wardrummer
• +1 Orc Warrior for every 2 players