Intro Plot Point: Blood Savages in Umi

The party encounters the blood savages through various means - seeing them on the road, hearing a terrified traveler's account, or receiving a quest from a nearby town. The traveler and small-town starting points give the gold reward as the traveler is from the small town. It is up to the game master how this quest is started and if they want to give the party extra coin.

A pack of Blood Savages has made its way south to Umi. They are seeking a new settlement as the north feels too crowded. They are not known to roam Umi, as their kind predominantly lives in the Grimslarian Empire. The number of blood savages depends on the party’s size and levels, according to the combat level table in the creature guide section.

This pack doesn’t act like regular Blood Savages. They seem to be more strategized in combat and, when out of combat, a more civilized nature. While they still enjoy the taste of humanoid flesh along with bathing in blood, they prefer a more balanced diet of animal flesh mixed with vegetation. They are a more cultured pack. The odd behavior of the Blood Savages opens this plot point up to being more than a hunt and kill mission. It is possible to befriend the savages instead of killing each other, if played out appropriately. To increase the number of goblins in the clan, not all are fighters. Some perform tasks such as cleaning, crafting, cooking, etc. They meet the clan's standards by decorating the floors and walls with blood from their hunts and using bones for decorations. To a blood savage, the smell of rot and decay is as pleasant as flowers are to a human. The commoner blood savages stats are half the blood goblin listed stats.

In the Ugrath clan, ranking is determined by intelligence and no longer uses the archaic practice of blood goblins being lesser to the blood orcs. Therefore, Thugat is Ugraths second in command.

Ugrath is the only orc in her clan. All the other members are goblins.

Ugrath Clan’s Hideout

The Ugrath clan made their home in an abandoned outpost in a cave in the Byhase Kingdom. The outpost was previously used during the Great War as a supply depot but was abandoned afterwards.

While looking for the Blood Savage hideout, it is possible for the party to stumble upon a vegetable garden around the hill from the cave entrance. It is a ten by fifteen-foot stick fenced garden with all kinds of vegetables. Some are ready to be harvested while others still need time. There are basic gardening tools leaning against the fence next to its gate. (This is the blood savages garden as they prefer to cook and mix their meats with vegetables.)

The entire hideout’s floors and walls are painted with blood, as is the culture of the blood savages.

Entrance

The entrance is a shallow cave that leads to a stone wall and a heavy iron double door. A covered wagon with a few broken empty crates and barrels sits off to the side. On the stone wall, decorative animal bone and skull effigies hang. The effigies have detailed symbols carefully painted on with blood. The symbols are the blood savage’s native language, brood.

The attention to detail on the stone wall and iron door does not seem to be typical blood savage behavior. The effigies are too clean, and the iron door is clean, except that it’s painted red with blood. If the iron door is checked, it is locked but poorly (DR8). If the door cannot be picked, the blood savages poorly repaired; it leaving the hinges exposed. With a DR8 guts check, the hinge pins can be removed, allowing the door to be removed.

However, knocking is also an option which would greet the party with a small blood goblin opening the door a crack and peaking its head out. The blood goblin will panic at the sight of the party and try to close the door quickly. If it is successful, a few minutes later, the door will open with Ugrath stepping out. Behind her are the few fighters the clan has. The party can see a small group of blood goblins behind the fighters, trembling as they hold on to makeshift weapons.

Ugrath will ask the party what their business is here and that they have caused no problems with the locals.

Ugrath: “Greetings. What business have you in our home? We not caused problems with locals and have made to keep our distance. We do not wish for trouble.”

Ugrath’s future responses will be up to the game master based on how the party responds.

If the combat does not break out and the party talks through the situation with Ugrath and her clansmen, they can make potential allies with the blood savages. Even possibly being able to call upon them in the future should their help be needed.

Ugrath will welcome the party into their hideout only if they appear friendly and promise not to case any harm to her people. If combat breaks out, the game master will need to calculate how many blood savages the party will go up against based on their current levels. If they succeed, the rest of the hideout is free to pillage if they see fit to do so.

If a fight breaks out at the entrance, the blood savage fighters in each room can be ignored. However, commoner blood savages would hide wherever they can find a place.

If the party enters undetected, Ugrath is in the dining area drinking ale.

Room One: Training Foyer & Stables

Non-Aggressive Creatures: Four commoner blood goblins
Potentially Aggressive Creatures: Two fighter blood goblins

The foyer of the hideout was a combination of a stable and a training room. It is a twenty-five by thirty-five-by-thirty-five high with a ten by twenty-by-twenty high alcove off to the side. The alcove has an area to feed animals, bales of hay, and other equipment found in a stable. Across from the stables are training dummies. Next to the door leading deeper into the hideout is an enormous pile of manure.

If the party peacefully enters the hideout, there are two common blood goblins caring for two horses. Another is working the manure pile with a pitchfork while a fourth is cleaning/repairing one of the training dummies. Two fighter blood goblins are practicing on a training dummy.

If storming the hideout, the goblins are surprised and try to flee deeper into the hideout. The fighter blood goblins will attack.

Room Two: Common Area

Non-Aggressive Creatures: Five commoner blood goblins

The common area has a hallway that is 10 feet wide, 45 feet long, and 20 feet high. There is also an alcove that is 10 feet wide, 15 feet deep, and 15 feet high. The alcove has a door to the latrine, while the hallway has a door to the equipment room on the right and another door at the end to the Dining/Bone Cage Area.

The hallway has makeshift tables made of barrels and planks, along with crates filled with various supplies used in the hideout. The alcove has piles of trash in the opposite corner of the latrine door.

There are three commoners playing cards at the makeshift table if they may enter peacefully. Another two are at the trash pile, collecting it to take outside to a burning pit located outside the cave.

If the party storms the hideout, the two handing the trash are hiding in the piles with a DR10 to spot them. The ones playing cards have fled deeper into the hideout.

Room Three: The Latrine

Non-Aggressive Creatures: One commoner blood goblin

Smelling of feces and urine, this room has benches with holes in them lining the opposite walls from the entrance. Along the wall next to the door is a narrow hole with a rickety latter leading down under the benches. The floor and walls are painted with blood, giving the urine and feces smell a slight metallic scent. There is a single commoner blood goblin is sitting on a toilet.

Room Four: Equipment Storage

Non-Aggressive Creatures: One commoner blood goblin

This room is directly off the common area hallway. It has a locked sturdy wooden door (DR6 to pick). Directly on the opposite side of the door is a pressure plate that when activated springs up spears from the ground dealing 1d6 damage per spear with 1d10 minus the player’s reaction instinct (min one) how many hits if their initial reaction check fails (See traps in the game master tools chapter of the players guide).

The room contains barrels of various tools, food, gear, weapons, armor, shields, and helmets. The armor is sized for goblins (small humanoid) with the metal banded sized for an orc (medium humanoid). Besides the equipment, in the back corner are two barrels of ale, one cask of common wine, and four waterskins of water. Any ranged weapons that require ammunition have up to four quivers worth stored in the room.

If entered peacefully, a commoner blood goblin in the hideout is writing inventory on a small board. If they storm in, the goblin is hiding behind some barrels.

Room Five: Dinning/Bone Cage Area

Creatures: Five commoner blood goblins

The room measures forty by thirty-five feet, with a ceiling height of fifteen. It is divided into two by makeshift cloth room dividers. One half has rows of makeshift tables with chairs or benches. Mounted on the walls are animal heads as trophies from their hunts (in a typical blood savage hideout, the animal heads would be humanoids). The floor has random animal pelts as rugs which are horribly stained with many liquids. There are four common blood goblins eating stew with tankards of ale.

The other half are filled with bone cages. Some are hanging from the walls, while others are hanging from the ceiling. One cage has a commoner blood goblin in it, who is sleeping if the party enters peacefully otherwise, if they storm in, she is awake and terrified. She is in the cage as punishment for failing to perform her job duties, which forced others to pick up her slack (she’s lazy).

Room Six: Sleeping Quarters

Creatures: Six commoner blood goblins

The room’s measurements are forty by thirty-five feet, with a ceiling height of twenty feet. This large room has makeshift bunk beds that have worn furs for bedding, otherwise they are wooden plank beds scattered around the room. There are six common blood goblins sleeping in random bunks if the party enters peacefully. If they storm in, the goblins are hiding under random bunks except for one who is passed out hard and snoring loudly.

The entrance wall has a secret stash room that is five by five feet behind a hidden stone door. The door is only three feet tall by three feet wide and to be opened requires pushing on it firmly. It has a DR10 to spot the difference between the wall and door. Inside the stash room are:

Room Seven: Kitchen

Non-Aggressive Creatures: One commoner blood goblin
Potentially Aggressive Creatures: Thugat the Tiny

This fifteen-by-fifteen-foot room with a ten-foot-high ceiling has a stone stove imbedded into the back wall, which has tables on each side. The tables extend out, wrapping around the walls with a square table in the center of the room. Only one corner doesn’t have tables, as they are filled with barrels, baskets, and crates. The barrels are full of water, ale, vinegar, and wine, while the baskets have fresh vegetables. A small crate on a table has different spices of all varieties. On the tables are many cookwares, pots, pans, cutting boards, meats, and assorted vegetables. On the stove is an enormous cauldron of what smells like a meaty stew which only intensifies the wonderful smells coming from the room.

If the party has entered the hideout peacefully, Thugat the Tiny and another commoner blood goblin are hard at work cooking up a feast. If they storm in, Thugat is with Ugrath and the other goblin is hiding under a corner table.

Important Blood Savages

Ugrath the Smart – Standard Blood Orc Stats

A blood orc who leads the clan of savages. She led the clan from the north to find a new home where they can be accepted. She convinced her clan to hunt animals and only hunt humanoids when necessary. Her desire is to be left alone to grow her clan into a settlement and maybe one day be accepted by other cultures.

Thugat the Tiny – Standard Goblin Stats

A blood goblin who is Ugrath’s second in command and husband. He is extremely smart compared to other blood savages and Ugrath would swear smarter than her. He excels in tracking, hunting, and survival skills, which was a great help when leaving the north. Without his skills, Ugrath swears they would have never made it. He gets his name because he is the shortest goblin of the group.

Maps