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| Orc Pantheon: Bahgtru, Ilneval, Gruumsh, Shargaas, Yurtrus (left to right) and Luthic (front row). (c) 2002 Wizards of the Coast, "Faiths and Pantheons." Artist: Mike Dubisch |
Really satisfying
villains justify their actions, have complex motivations, and cause
serious harm to the player. The great villains of the Baldur's Gate
game series linger in the minds of players over a decade later
because they are complex but can be understood, even sympathized
with.
In today's Behind
the Scenes blog, Amber Scott returns with the backstory of the
villain in our office D&D game, Orc Hordes of the King's
Forest.
The Story So Far
Every Friday we
play the latest edition of Dungeons & Dragons here in the
office, so that we can learn the rules and understand better how
games work (also because it's fun). The PCs have been tracking an orc
named Urmgech across Cormyr, as the orc seems to be behind a plague
that's spreading through the land. You can read a recap of the game
on our forums.
After the first
few sessions of play, with the heroes fighting orc bandits and
struggling to reach the city of Arabel, I realized I needed to lock
down the villain and his motivations. The orcs needed some compelling
reason for their banditry. Why were they leaving the King's Forest to
attack caravans, towns, even cities?
I started brainstorming reasons for the orcs' behaviour. Were they being driven by a strong figure—perhaps a dragon or demon? That seemed a little too much like the plot of Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition. Was a greedy new leader motivating them? Too boring. Perhaps a religious leader was behind the banditry. I started reading up on orc deities, and Yurtrus caught my eye. What if banditry was their secondary goal and the orcs were really spreading a sickness to their victims? An hour and much frantic scribbling later, I had the backstory for the campaign's villain, Urmgech.
Spoilers ahead for
anyone playing in the game!
Urmgech the Maggot
Crouched in the
reaches of the Stormhorns, the Sharpstaff orc tribe made their home.
From their base in an abandoned dwarf mine, the orcs lived out their
lives hunting, preying on lone travelers, fighting among themselves,
eating, drinking, and revelling.
The leader of the
tribe, the warrior Slarn, ruled with customary brutality alongside
his mate Chonnal. The other orcs respected Slarn for his strength and
combat might and willingly obeyed his commands. It was a good life
for the orcs—save for the tribe's priest, Urmgech.
Urmgech served
Yurtrus, Lord of Maggots, the orc god of disease and pestilence.
Yurturs was not a widely-worshiped god among the orcs and no one
paid Urmgech much mind. His job was to ensure the food and drink
didn't spoil and make the tribe sick and to lead the tribe in the
occasional religious ceremony. Urmgech was not a strong warrior and
had a twisted foot as well, which only added to the contempt the
other orcs held for him. Within the tribe he was known as “the
Maggot.”
Urmgech would have
led a short and unfulfilled life if Yurtrus himself had not
intervened. In early spring, the tribe fell sick. The fever,
vomiting, and weakness was traced to rancid meat on which the tribe
had feasted. Slarn accused Urmgech of failing in his duties, but
Urmgech protested that he had checked the meat repeatedly and it had
been fine. It had spoiled all within a night.
Then some of the
orcs started recovering. Not only did they recover, but they were
stronger and more ferocious than before. They showed exceptional
strength and grew long white nails—symbolic of the white-handed
Yurtrus. Exhilaration seized Urmgech. Sure, some of the orcs had
died, but the ones that hadn't were obviously Yurtrus's chosen.
Urmgech took it as a sign that his god was helping him. That night,
around the bonfire, he approached the tribe. After making a long
speech about Yurtrus's blessings and how the tribe was destined for
greatness, he attacked and slew Slarn. The other orcs watched, dumbfounded, as
Yurtrus claimed leadership of the tribe. With much of the tribe still
ill, and those who had healed reveling in their new strength, the
tribe agreed. Chonnal volunteered to be Urmgech's new mate and the
two took over the tribe.
Soon a profound
change swept through the tribe. The strong orcs were made lieutenants
and sent away to find gold for Urmgech. Banditry, theft,
extortion—Urmgech didn't care how the gold was obtained. He claimed
Yurtrus had sent him a vision and he required lots of treasure to
carry out the plan. On their missions, the orcs were also to spread
their disease as much as possible.
Some orcs
recovered with exceptional strength but scrambled minds. They
venerated Yurtrus by sewing their mouths shut (as Yurtrus is a silent
god) and inserting feeding-tubs into their stomachs through their
guts. These pitiful but dangerous servants were sent with the
lieutenants out into the world.
Soon the money
started pouring in. Many of the orcs were killed on their missions
but Urmgech didn't seem to mind. A new age was coming and he would
rule in it. Other races exposed to the disease died after a prolonged
illness—only the orcs survived and strengthened. Wasn't that proof
that Yurtrus had blessed the tribe? No more would Urmgech be the
Maggot. Now he would be chieftain over Cormyr.
When Urmgech had a
large fortune amassed, he loaded up all the gold into a wagon and set
out south through the peaks of the Stormhorns, leaving Chonnal in
charge of the few orcs that remained in the mine. His destination: a
large cave carved into a mountainside. There laired Rillelbellax, a
mighty red dragon.
Urmgech approached
the dragon's lair with caution. He stood at the entrance to the
cavern and called down praises on Rillelbellax's head. He heaped
adoration on the dragon and stated his attention to pay tribute to
the magnificent beast. Eventually a plume of smoke wafted out of the
cave and Urmgech cautiously entered.
Rillelbellax
deigned to poke his massive head into the cavern and demand to know
what Urmgech wanted. Nothing, the orc swore, but to pay homage to the
greatness of the dragon. The orc gestured to the cart he had brought:
gold, silver, jewels, and art objects piled in a glittering heap. To
the side of the treasure horde were several slain boars that Urmgech
had hunted on the way.
The greedy red
accepted the tribute and dragged the carts into his lair while
Urmgech hastily retreated. Now, days have passed and Urmgech can hear
Rillelbellax's groans of pain from within the mountain. The slain
boars, carefully infected with Yurtrus's disease, bring an end to
the great red. When the dragon dies, Urmgech will summon his
lieutenants and drag the rotting, infested corpse down to the
Dragonmere. There the red dragon's disease-riddled form will sink
beneath the largest freshwater source in the country, spreading the
plague to such a degree that it will never be stopped. Then, when the
people of Cormyr lay dead and dying, Urmgech will take his place as
the kingdom's new ruler, in Yurtrus's name.
