L1-5A. Wolf-Pallet Barracks

Warband Barracks

A cramped orcs’ barracks poised to flood the corridors with reinforcements. Eight Howling Moon orcs sleep on filthy pallets amid a rough table and trophies; the smashed door hole serves as a crude peephole, and a pried-up tile square hides a reeking stash pit. Low braziers and the chorus of snores let careful parties move quietly, but any clatter of steel or a blown howl-whistle/ram’s horn wakes the room and starts the response clock. The east wall’s Suel battle mosaic hints at the temple’s past, while the pit’s lost howl-whistle gives clever PCs a tool to misdirect alarms.

Tactics & response

• On intrusion, one orc shouts and hurls a javelin while the rest grab axes.
• If a fight lasts 1 round, they kick the table to form a low barricade (half cover).
• If they can, an orc sprints to Room 4 to bray the horn.
• Use your dungeon clock: from first loud clash here, 5B probers in 2 rounds; 5C/5D in 4.

Orc voices (pick 1–2): “What? I hear somethin’.” “Found you! No more games—time to die!” “Bleed! Bleed and die!”

The chests (south wall)

All four are iron-banded; one lid shows a melted corner and hinge (acid). Investigation DC 11: splash pattern from inside—something caustic once stored here (Vhakra’s old bile-pots), now removed.

• Chest 1 — Pay & plunder (locked, DC 12 thieves’ tools / DC 16 STR):
  26 gp, 310 sp, 450 cp in mixed coin; a torn purse with knucklebones (2 sp).
• Chest 2 — Warrior kit (unlocked):
  6 javelins bundled with sinew; 2 handaxes; 1 spare shield (wolf spiral daub 1 jawbone howl-whistle; 1 bottle rot-spirits (horrid liquor; grants 10-min advantage vs. frightened, then 1 level poisoned for 1 hr on DC 10 Con fail).
• Chest 3 — Supplies (unlocked):
  Pickled meat jars (4) sealed with yellow wax (1 day rations each coil of sinew cord (50 ft pitons (8); tile-pry bar; a wolf-tooth snare (counts as a hunting trap).
• Chest 4 — Field stock (locked, DC 10 / DC 14 STR):
  Oil flasks (4); rag bundles; bone needles & gut thread; whetstone; grease pot; wolf-pelt cloak (counts as cold-weather gear ear-string with two dried human ears (no value, grim clue).

Treasure note: Silver isn’t common here. If the party returns the bear-head to a ranger lodge or druid circle, grant +1 disposition and a minor favor.

Hooks & clues

• Acid-melted hinge foreshadows Vhakra’s caustic rites (later room).
• Removed tiles hint that floors elsewhere may hide stashes or escape scrapes.
• Howl-whistle in the pit lets clever PCs trigger false alarms.

Quick 5e plugs

• Orcs (8) as MM. Optional spice: once/encounter Moon-Frenzy—after first time bloodied, +2 damage on next hit.
• Barricade: Kicking the table (object interaction) gives two adjacent orcs half cover until moved or destroyed (AC +2).

If parley happens

• Demanding “passage to Urzhag” draws a test: “Say the words.”
  Correct countersign from prior rooms—“Horn first. Blood second.”
  Otherwise: “Die, metalman!” and the nearest orc runs for Room 4 to blow the bray-horn.