Vile Rune Warband
 | |
|---|---|
| Founded | xxx TA |
| Size | Minor Kingdom |
| Ruler | Rak Gnomeshooter |
Led by the goblin shaman Rak Gnomeshooter, the smallest of the orcish warbands live in Shadowyarn Mountains near the Gnarley Forest at the northern end of the Hollow Highlands. Unlike many of their brethern, the Vile Rune warband lives almost entirely in caves built into these hills. They rarely send troops into battle, as they are constantly searching the caves and digging tunnels to find buried dwarven treasure. The Vile Rune orcs were granted warband status by Gruumsch because of their alliance with the great wyverns that live in the northern Shadowyarn Mountains. These great winged beasts are used by Gruumsch as scouts and spies, a service for which they are repaid in human food. It is thought that Rak has some supernatural hold over the wyverns, although the nature of this magic is unknown.
Nearby Places of Interest
Gnarley Forest
In the far north of the Orc Nation, in the eastern shadows of the Shadowyarn Mountains lie vast tracks of sparsely populated fir and pine trees. Surrounding a large lake, the Gnarley Forest spreads for over a hundred miles, reaching from the mountains in the west to White Fang Bay in the north. It is named for a variety of extremely rare twisted pine whose bark is thought to contain powerful magical healing properties. The ancient trees of the Gnarley Forest are the ancestral home of the goblins, a diminutive race of creatures who live in tribal societies scattered throughout the area. Subject to bitter winters, the goblins raid south during the warm seasons hunting the great herds of hoofed animals common to the Thunderland Plain.
Hollow Highlands
The overland reaches of this area encompass beautiful rugged hills. This hill chain is called the Hollow Highlands due to the dwarven mining and burrowing which took place there in the early years of the Third Age. With the minerals and gems long ago played out, the mines and subterranean passages are now home to goblins from the Vile Rune Warband.
Thunderland Plain
The Thunderland Plain extends for hundreds of miles east of the Shadowyarn Mountains in the northern Orc Nation. It is bounded on the north by the Gnarley Forest and the south by the The Wilds. This vast stretch of treeless grassland is relatively unpopulated by orcs and men, as its unprotected position is brutally cold in the winter months. It is home, however, to vast herds of migratory animals which move along its central and eastern extents moving south into The Wilds for protection in the winter and north to White Fang Bay in the summer. The Thunderland Plain is frequented by orc, goblin and human rangers during the hunting season. Several small kingdoms, most notably goblins and dwarves have been built on the western edge of the Thunderland Plain sheltered by the Shadowyarn Mountains.