136 Chapter 4: allies and adVersaries
raVager slaughter lOrd
Nearly every orc tribe of the Dividing Plains has joined
the Ravagers, and most do so willingly. Orc warchiefs,
hungry for recognition in the single burning eye of their
god, turn to the Ravagers as a way to fight greater bat-
tles, kill stronger foes, and win bloodier spoils. The few
war chiefs whose deeds live up to their ambitions soon
find themselves leading an arm of the Ravagers—and
honored by the title of Slaughter Lord. A Slaughter Lord
craves combat like it craves food, and leads Ravager raids
as often as possible, but is frequently forced to remain at
its stronghold because of its strict regimen of alchemical
treatments.
A small army of shamans and alchemists attend to
the Slaughter Lords in order to artificially enhance their
already-tremendous strength. The blessings and con-
coctions crafted by the orc-lords’ lackeys grow their
muscular forms to mountainous size, sharpen their
tactical reasoning, and bestow upon them the
divine protection of the One-Eyed Ruiner.
While their unnatural size is a Slaughter
Lord’s most obvious martial advantage—it
dual-wields weapons most humans could
only wield with two hands—the Ruin-
er’s blessings grant it tremendous
divine magic. Rumors abound of
brave warriors being slain or blinded
by a single guttural utterance.Ravagers
Whether driven by resentment for being shunned by the
fairer folk, or consumed by the burning fury that still
drives them since the corruption of the Ruiner’s blood in
the Calamity, most orcs are a chaotic force of destruction.
They are a threat to civilization, to be sure, but more a
mindless force of nature than a coordinated menace.
However, with each generation, some orcs grow smarter:
more organized, learning from their foes, and understand-
ing the might in well-led numbers. This growing horde of
calculating, ruthless murder is known as the Ravagers, and
with each defeat, they learn. And grow stronger still.