L1-5D. Book-Light Barracks

Another orc barracks carved out of a Suel dormitory. The room’s mosaic is pristine: a tall robed figure holds a radiant great tome, its light driving back swampborn foes—classic Suel iconography of law/knowledge (likely Lendor’s priesthood bearing the Book of Origins; some scholars argue a Wee Jas rite of warding). Eight orcs billet here—six asleep on wall pallets; two awake, drinking and bickering at a makeshift table made from two battered chests dragged to the center. Any fight nearby draws this room on your response clock.

What’s here & clues

• The Mosaic (Religion/History DC 12): Suel rite—law/knowledge mastering chaos. PCs naming Lendor or Wee Jas as keepers of order/arcana gain advantage on later checks to identify Suel inscriptions in this wing.
• Table-chests: One empty, flipped as a table leg; the other locked (below).
• Arguers: The two awake orcs slap the table and spill ale—easy to distract (Deception DC 12 to keep them bickering for 1 round).

Tactics & response

• First beat: The two awake grab axes and bark, “Huh? A noise?” → “Found you! Now try and hide from this!”
• If a round passes, one sprints to Room 4 to blow/bray the horn while the rest form a half-ring around the table for half cover (AC +2).
• Response clock: From loud combat here, 5A sends 2 orcs in 2 rounds, 5B in 2–3, 5C peeks in 4.
• Morale: If 4+ orcs drop, survivors try to shove and fall back toward 5A.

Orc voices (sprinkle): “Bleed! Bleed and die!” “Die, metalman!” “Stop moving, stupid human!” “You are weak! I am stroooonng!”

Loot & containers

• Locked chest (crude copper lock; DC 12 thieves’ tools / STR DC 16):
  13 gp, 160 sp, 330 cp in mixed coin and a knotted gut-string purse.
• Empty chest: Just bones and rag-scraps; lid used as table plank.
• Misc: 2 dented tankards, a jawbone howl-whistle wedged under the table (Perception DC 12; functions as horn).

Quick 5e plugs

• Orcs (8) as MM. Optional spice: once/encounter Moon-Frenzy—after first time bloodied, +2 damage on next hit.
• Cover: The chest-table provides half cover to two adjacent orcs until moved or broken (15 hp, AC 12).

Development

• PCs who praise the “book-light keeping swamp horrors at bay” may impress any Suel-leaning NPC later (minor social edge).
• The untouched mosaic can serve as proof of Suel provenance for Verbobonc officials—or as a target for Howling Moon desecration if the alarm spreads.