A Forbidden Lands Resource

INTRODUCTION: Malla’s Marauders are a group of adversaries that can be placed in an existing For-
bidden Lands campaign. They can be encountered anywhere to test the resourcefulness and strength of an
adventuring party. Included in this supplement are the backgrounds and profiles of the prominent charac-
ters as well as basic profiles of the rank and file orcs. Also presented are several ways to include them in your
campaign.

by DAVE THOMPSON

This product was created under license. Forbidden Lands and its logo, are trademarks of Fria Ligan AB.

This work contains material that is copyright Fria Ligan AB and/or other authors. Such material is used with permission
under the Community Content Agreement for Free League Workshop.

Character portrait is copyright 2020 by @_angry_Elf. Cover by Fat Goblin Games. All other original material in this work
is copyright 2020 by Dave Thompson and published under the Community Content Agreement for Free League Work-
shop.

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Malla’s Marauders
 “Stupid ruddy orcs!” Grugnir shouted to the dwarves next to him, their shields locked together in a de-
fensive wall. “They’re just standing there jeering… Cowards!” He laughed, taunting the ranks of orc sol-
diers facing him across the pass in the Thynde Range. His kinsmen started banging their hammers against
their shields, further taunting their enemies, eager for them to attack as they slowly edged down the nar-
row pass.

On the vanguard of the orc force, the hulking Roka orc, Guroth grew impatient growling and snarling like
a war hound straining at it’s leash. “I’m gonna kill ‘em boss, lemmie kill ‘im.. Stunty little runt…” He
turned to Malla, leader of the orc mercenaries, Malla’s Marauders. His fellow orcs echoed his frustration,
shouting obscenities and threats at their hated dwarven foe.

“Just a few more seconds Guroth, they’ll be all yours soon enough.” Malla said calmly, eyes scanning the
pass just beyond the dwarves formation. Moments later a flash of white on the hillside by the dwarves flank
brought a sly smile to the old orc’s scarred face.

“Now!” The veteran orc shouted and simultaneously the heavily armoured Ard Ladz followed Guroth
as he led the charge toward the dwarf line just as the goblin wolf riders unleashed a hail of arrows from
their position on the right flank of the static dwarven formation.

Once again Rogud’s wolf riders had earned their keep and as the dwarves casualties mounted, the rest of
Malla’s forces joined the fray taking a heavy toll on their enemy. As the tide turned against them, the
dwarves tried to break away, turning to run back up the pass toward their stronghold in the mountains.
Guroth and his Ard Ladz made to pursue them, but much to their disappointment Malla called them
back. “What’s the point in killing them all?” Malla asked when they tuned to question the order. “If there’s
nobody left to spread our reputation, then nobody else will come looking for a fight.”

his hangover, Guroth repaid Malla’s favour by persuad-

HISTORY ing some of his clan to join the group. The Ard Ladz
and Brogga’s Boar Boyz were quickly joined by the origi-
Formed from wandering orc soldiers, scouts and goblin nal Da Gruntz as they ventured southwards along the
wolf riders, the Marauders have been roaming the fringes of Roka clan lands.
Ravenlands for the last two years under the leadership of
Malla Spine-Snapper. The Marauders have gained no- For the next six months the Marauders were sell-swords
toriety around the fringes of the Feulenmark, the Arina to a variety of orc clans, winning many battles in the
Forest and the Dankwood by selling their services to name of their paymasters and gaining a reputation as a
those that are willing to enter into a contract or more tough, dependable mercenary band. Malla’s reputation
often, raiding and pillaging settlements across the west- as a leader was growing and all seemed well.
ern reaches of the Ravenlands.
The Marauders were enjoying some well-earned revelry
Malla’s first recruit to the Marauders was Guroth, a short distance from the Eye of the Rose when they
whom they rescued from an angry mob of dwarves after crossed paths with a group of goblin wolf riders and
the pair happened to be drinking in a tavern on the their leader Rogud “Beaky” Rugbrodda. Nobody quite
fringes of Meromannian clan lands. Guroth had just knows what went on, but there was some sort of misun-
been in a fight with a dwarf and Malla saw an oppor- derstanding between the goblin and Malla. By the time
tunity to help out a fellow orc and at the same time, re- the sun rose over the Ariana Forest, the goblin riders
cruit someone to their cause. Once he’d recovered from were the Marauder’s newest, rather reluctant recruits

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Malla’s Marauders
and have been with them ever since. Admittedly, they The Ard Ladz are five heavy set orcs, originally from
do add another dimension to the mercenary band’s capa- the Roka clan. They followed Guroth when he joined
bilities, the mounted goblins being far more stealthy Malla and formed the Marauders. They rely on brute
strength and intimidation over any particular tactic and
and agile than the orc boar riders. Their hit and run
Malla has to be careful not to give them any overly
flanking attacks and scouting capabilities have saved the
complex instructions. The are most often used to break
skin of the orcs on more than one occasion. enemy formations, or to protect the centre of the Ma-
rauder’s formation.
Another relative newcomer and oddity, the orc shaman
Nolmor “Wind Maker” raised a few eyebrows among Outside of combat they can be particularly troublesome,
the Roka orcs when he was first taken in by Malla. He is often bullying weaker members of the Marauders and
stealing from them. If they are kept busy or entertained,
a strange fellow, dressed in rags, a feathered head-dress
they are less of a worry for Malla so the majority of the
and his almost continual loud and smelly bowel move- group’s spoils are given to Guroth and his Ard Ladz.
ments have led to many complaints from the other Copious amounts of alcohol can help too, though occa-
orcs. Malla however, seems to be very tolerant of his sionally that tactic backfires badly when the Ard Ladz
strange habits and holds great stock in his ability to read egg each other on to do more and more dangerous dares
the signs, be they in the bones he casts on the fire, or or to pick on someone unfortunate enough to catch
their eye.
the ashes, or more often the entrails of some unfortu-
nate that has crossed swords with the Marauders.
The wear a mix of chainmail or plate armour along with
closed helmets, often decorated with trophies taken
Lately Guroth and his allies, the Roka orcs that came from their victims. Two handed hammers or clubs are
with him, have been growing frustrated at the lack of favoured weapons.
hard fighting. The Marauders have been sticking rela-
tively close to the Eye of the Rose and the Roka orcs Brogga’s Boar Boyz
have been asking for the mercenaries to travel further
afield in search of richer pickings and harder fights, One of the first units recruited by Malla when the Ma-
something that Malla seems to be reluctant to do these rauders were formed, Brogga’s boar riders are an impres-
days, not like ‘the good old days’. sive sight as they charge across the field, scattering their
enemies to the wind. With their notoriously bad-tem-
pered boar mounts, the heavy cavalry unit can win a
fight simply by their intimidating presence as they
charge headlong toward an enemy formation.

DA MARAUDAZ Their boars aren’t suited to scouting, being large and

bulky and they barely tolerate being ridden, so they need
The Marauders are made up of several different units of the kind of riders that are as stubborn and thick skulled
orc and goblin soldiers. Each have their own leader and as they are so the Roka orcs are well suited to the job.
distinct job to do. They all wear the Marauder’s insignia The riders demand the rich pickings that their reputa-
either on a shield, banner or crudely added to their tion deserves and often squabble with Guroth’s Ard
Ladz over who gets the best loot. Brogga is almost as
clothing, but the different units also have their own
fearsome as the Marauder’s second in command, rarely
style.
backing down in a fight. Malla has had to step in a few
times lately, leading to some friction with Guroth.
The Marauders insignia is a pair of crossed swords over
an orc skull. Their uniform, if they can be considered to The Boar Boyz wear either studded leather or chainmail
have one is simply black or dark brown cloth with a with an open helm. They use a short spear or scimitar
and small shield.
blood red flash somewhere on their helmet or shield.

Da Gruntz
Bull-Neck’s Ard Ladz
The backbone of the Marauders, the infantry holds the
line while the Ard Ladz and Boar Boyz take all the

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Malla’s Marauders
glory. They are loyal to Malla so long as they get paid ill suited to lugging around the camp’s food and tents.
and fed, just like any mercenary soldiers. Not all the orcs injured in battle have stayed around to
be turned into beasts of burden either. With that in
Commanded by Malla, these foot soldiers usually oper- mind, Malla has spared the lives of several of their van-
ate as a single force on the field, though on occasion quished foes and now ‘employs’ them as baggage carri-
Malla will split them if the situation dictates. They ers, cooks and general hangers on. In exchange for
aren’t known for their tactical expertise and have a hard enough food to stop them from starving to death these
time following any complex orders, so most of the time slaves do Malla’s bidding for as long as the other orcs
they either wait for an enemy to come within range or and goblins tolerate their presence within the Maraud-
form up behind the Ard Ladz and Boar Boyz and ad- ers camp.
vance towards their foes.
There are currently around a dozen non-combatants in
There are close to two dozen orcs in the unit, from a va- the Marauders, doing whatever they are ordered and
riety of clans with Malla recruiting replacements for generally being bullied and intimidated by the other
those killed or seriously injured. Most of the newcom- orcs.
ers are Drifters, taken in as the company has travelled
the Ravenlands. Those not able to fight on either end
up carrying equipment, cooking or fleeing rather than
suffer such a dishonourable
end to their lives.
DA BOSSES
The Guntz carry a variety of one-handed weapons and
large shields and typically wear studded leather armour
with an open helmet. Mallagrude “Malla” Spine-Snapper

Rogud’s Riders Old by orc standards, Malla has gotten this far by being
more cunning and uncharacteristically cautious than
other orcs of their clan. Preferring to play a long game
A band of goblin wolf riders employed by Malla as
as opposed to giving in to their emotions and planning
scouts and trackers. Led by the goblin Rogud “Beaky”
Rugbrodda, they are reluctant allies of Malla, often un- out the next few moves has worked out well for them,
derpaid and underappreciated they nevertheless follow allowing them to form their own small band of merce-
his orders, having been conscripted by the orcs several naries and raiders.
months ago.
Standing around six-foot-tall and with several ugly scars
They are good scouts and are sent ahead to search out on their face, Malla is broad shouldered and dark
any potential trouble, forage for food and camp sites skinned, typical of many an orc. Their tusks are quite
when the unit is on the move. In battle they are used to
small, though their black hair is shot through with
flank and harass the enemy from a distance. With their
streaks of grey. What makes Malla all the more remark-
short bows they can shoot and ride off out of range, us-
ing their speed to find cover before their opponents can able as an orc leader is that Malla is a female. Of course,
retaliate. There are currently eight goblins in the unit, nobody knows that and Malla is happy to keep this se-
several having been lost over the last month or so due to cret of theirs for as long as possible. While females and
the other orc units refusing to come to their aid. the Viraga may be the true decision makers of orc soci-
ety it is always done in the shadows and Mallagrude and
They wear leather armour and all carry short bows and a the Viraga want to show that a female can lead from the
dagger or two. They also have a mix of short spears, front. To this end, Malla is masquerading as a male orc
swords and small shields. until the Marauder’s reputation is such that it would be
impossible for them to be recognised by either Emperor
Dogz Bodyz Hroka or even General Archa of the Roka clan, regard-
less of who leads them.

Though the orcs share their race’s hatred for humans

and elves, Malla is smart enough to realise that not all
of their soldiers are willing to carry and look after all of
the other essential equipment needed to keep the Ma-
rauders running.

The Ard Boyz have steadfastly refused to carry anything

except their weapons and armour and the wolf riders are

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Malla’s Marauders
Unfortunately for Malla, one drunken night of revelry
could spoil her and the Viraga’s plans. After a particu-
larly successful raid of a dwarven trade caravan she and
the goblin Rogud ended up in a compromising situation
Runeforged Axe
and she has fallen pregnant to him. She made him swear
never to reveal her secret liaison or else and now wishes
Guroth’s weapon is a great axe stolen from a
she had silenced him there and then, but the wolf riders
dwarven warrior he encountered several
are too useful an advantage and Malla knows that they
years ago. The orc slew the dwarf in a
would leave if their boss were to disappear.
drunken brawl in a tavern, though he will
tell anyone who dares ask that it was an hon-
Malla has taken in the fake shaman as he can actually
ourable and hard fought fight.
perform some healing and is keeping him with the Ma-
rauders in case she needs his skills to tend to her during
The axe is of superior craftsmanship and
her pregnancy, should she be out of reach of the Eye of
covered in dwarven runes. It is a 2-Handed
the Rose or any other orc stronghold when the time
weapon with a +3 Gear bonus, 3 Damage and
comes. She knows he has little or no skill in foretelling
the properties of Heavy, Hooked & Edged.
coming events but feigns interest in his readings in or-
der to keep him close.

Secrets: Mallagrude is a female orc and member of the

Viraga. Malla is also pregnant. He may not be as smart as Malla, but he is watching
Goals: Prove herself as good as, or better than any male and waiting for an opportunity to take control of the
orc. Grow the Marauders reputation. Ensure Rogud Marauders, slowly building support within the ranks,
meets his end before her secret is revealed. starting with his own Ard Boyz and the Boar Boyz. He
is curently trying to prove his dominance to Brogga. He
despises the goblins and their boss, gladly throwing
STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 4, WITS 4, EMPATHY 3
them into near suicidal situations on Malla’s orders.
SKILLS: Might 1, Melee 3, Move 2, Marksmanship 1,
Lore 1, Insight 3, Manipulation 2, Scouting 2. Secrets: Guroth is a bully and will act as one when
TALENTS: Path of the Blade 2, Path of the Sword 2, faced with someone bigger and stronger than him.
Defender 2.
Goals: Take over the Marauders.

GEAR: Broadsword, large shield, dagger, chainmail

STRENGTH 6, AGILITY 3, WITS 2, EMPATHY 2
armour and open helmet.
SKILLS: Might 3, Melee 2, Scouting 1, Survival 1.
ARMOUR: 8 (5 vs arrows and Stabs)
TALENTS: Brawler 2, Threatening 1.
REPUTATION: 3
GEAR: Runeforged Axe*, studded leather armour,
closed helm.
Guroth Bull-Neck
ARMOUR: 6
REPUTATION: 1
Broad and heavily muscled even by orc standards,
Guroth is brute force personified. With a vindictive
streak, Bull-Neck has no qualms carrying out acts of ex- Nolmor “Wind-Maker”
treme violence to keep his reputation intact and ensure
that the rank and file follow Malla’s orders without hes-
Once a minor member of Emperor Hroka’s court, Nol-
itation – it is often the case that they fear Guroth more
mor “Wind-Maker” was cast out after being usurped by
than any enemy they face.
Hranga Gala. The human tricked him into a contest of
Guroth is hard-headed and narrow minded, full of skill and publicly humiliated him. He was found by the
hatred for humans, dwarves and elves. He will go out of Marauders wandering the Harmsmoor and taken in as
his way to pick a fight with other kin, especially dwarves their shaman.
who he believes are responsible for all of his clan’s woes.
He thinks that strength is far superior to intellect and
Nolmor is quite old and frail looking for an orc, with
holds no interest in learning anything other than how
to swing his axe. His brand of discipline is to make his wild white hair and ritual scars on his cheeks. Among
men more frightened of him than their enemy, using his ragged clothing, he wears a cloak of a deep purple
violence to instill ‘respect’ rather than any more hue. He imbibes a variety of questionable herbs and po-
effective methods. tions in order to ‘contact the spirits’, though even

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Malla’s Marauders
Malla suspects this is just for the shaman’s own pleas- fellow riders would follow him to the ends of the Raven-
ure. lands and he commands the respect of his hogs too –
just about the only orc that does.
In truth, Nolmor is a charlatan, claiming to be able to
read bones and predict the future by taking ‘erbs and Secrets: He prefers the company of his boar to other
reading the ashes of fires. He is however, a master at orcs. Prone to melancholy and rage due to the loss of his
reading people and telling then what they want to hear. family.
He’s also a great pickpocket and trickster, using his abil- Goals: Show Guroth who is top orc…
ity to concoct some potions and healing poultices to
STRENGTH 5, AGILITY 3, WITS 2, EMPATHY 3
further cement his position in the Marauders until he
SKILLS: Might 2, Melee 2, Scouting 2, Survival 1,
has gained Malla’s confidence. Once he has made him-
Animal Handling 2, Manipulation 1.
self indispensable to the mercenary band, he intends to
TALENTS: Path of the Companion 3, Path of the Knight
persuade them to take him back to Hroka’s court and
2.
present himself as a rival to the trickster Hranga Gala.
GEAR: Short spear, short sword, small shield, chain-

Secrets: Nolmor is a fraud, more of a trickster than a mail, open helm.

shaman. ARMOUR: 7 (5 vs arrows and stabs)

Goals: Regain his place in Hroka’s court. Replace

Hranga Gala.
Rogud “Beaky” Rugbrodda
STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 3, WITS 3, EMPATHY 4 Leader of the wolf riders, Beaky (a nickname based on
SKILLS: Melee 1, Healing 2, Craft 2, Insight 3, Ma- his large and rather hooked nose) is a somewhat reluc-
tant recruit to Malla’s Marauders, having been con-
nipulation 3, Performance 3, Sleight of Hand 3.
scripted by the orc some months ago. The pair encoun-
TALENTS: Path of Lies 2, Herbalist 1, Poisoner 1. tered each other in a backwater inn and after a night of
GEAR: Dirty purple cloak and rags, collection of drinking and gambling an ‘incident’ occurred that nei-
ther will speak of. But, Rogud has been in service to the
bones in a leather pouch, crafting tools. Dagger, var-
Marauders ever since and is more than a little fearful of
ious poisons. Malla, never mind the brutal lieutenant Guroth.
ARMOUR: 0
He is spindly limbed, nervous looking and never seems
REPUTATION: 1
to sit still, especially around orcs. He keeps his men
separate from the main group at camp, telling anyone
Brogga “Hog-Master” Rungaroth who asks that the wolves need their own space though
most suspect it is his fear of Malla that has him sleep-
ing surrounded by the wolves and their riders.
Lead rider of the Boar Boyz, the Hog-Master is a vet-
eran rider who has seen battle across the west of the Secrets: He knows Malla is a female… from intimate
Ravenlands. He is a boar breeder of some repute as well experience.
as a cunning fighter. He is a thick-set, square jawed Goals: Gain the support of some orcs to help when he
Roka orc, with a host of scars on his arms due to his exposes Malla’s secret.
constant boar wrangling. His parents were breeders of
fine pigs and he intended to follow suit, but a clan dis- STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 4, WITS 4, EMPATHY 3

pute dragged him into military service and devastated by SKILLS: Melee 2, Marksmanship 3, Animal Handling 3,
the loss of his parents he turned to breeding boars for Scouting 3, Manipulate 1.

battle and fighting to keep his grief at bay. TALENTS: Path of the Plains 3, Horseback Fighter 2.
GEAR: Short bow, Short Spear, dagger. Leather armour,
He fought alongside Guroth and when the big orc came leather cap.
to him with Malla’s offer of employment with the Ma- ARMOUR: 3
rauders, Brogga saw it as a chance to broaden his hori-
zons and perhaps put his personal loss behind him. De-
spite his grizzled and ferocious appearance, he cares for
his troops almost as much as his hogs, and while prone
to occasional bouts of violence, he is a fair leader. His
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Malla’s Marauders
 can the adventurers sneak into Malla’s encampment and
steal it back from a band of orcs and goblins?

3. Let sleeping orcs lie

SUGGESTED Adventurers are asked to find the lair of a band of orcs
ENCOUNTERS that have been troubling local villages and farms. Some
goblins have been seen in a nearby village and the group
are asked to help scare the orcs out of the ruined keep
Most likely encountered on the plains on the western
they have taken as a camp.
fringes of Moldena, the eastern reaches of Harmsmoor
and north Harga. Also occasionally venturing around
4. Dangerous Liaisons
the edges of the forests Feulmark, the Arina Forest and
Groveland Woods. Of course, it is up to you how to use The adventurers encounter a lone goblin rider, drown-
Malla’s Marauders in your setting, but there are a few ing is sorrows in the darkest corner of a tavern. He no-
suggestions set out below: tices them and asks if they will help him out of a tight
spot. He tells them his name is Rogud and he’s made a
terrible mistake and got a girl pregnant. He needs them
1. Wolves at the gates to make sure nobody finds out he’s the father… Only
problem is, he doesn’t say exactly who the girl is until
While resting at a farm the adventurers are caught in an they agree to take the job.
argument between their hosts and Malla’s Marauders. A
lone goblin wolf rider arrives one morning demanding 5. The Lost Heirloom
that one of the young women at the farm hand over ‘the
Approached by two dwarven brothers, the adventurers
sprog’, a demand that is met with scorn from the farm
are asked to help recover an ancient family relic – a
elders. runeforged axe stolen by an orc. The axe is of course,
the one stolen by Guroth in a brawl with the dwarves’
The following day, it emerges that there is indeed a gob- dead brother.
lin baby at the farm, hidden by one of the young women
working there much to the surprise of the others. Just as
When not fighting with the Marauders Guroth is of-
ten found drinking in any one of the orc settlements
the dust settles from this revelation, the goblin returns around the forests in the central Ravenlands, often ac-
with the rest of Malla’s Marauders demanding his child companied by several of the Ard Ladz.
be handed over.

2. One of our caravans is missing

The adventurers are hired at a settlement to find a ped-
dler’s caravan, late for an important delivery. The cara-
van was well defended and the cargo valuable and possibly
dangerous.

When the party finds the missing wagons, the cargo has
been stolen and a dying guard is able to tell them which
way the raiders went before he dies. Their contract only
provides payment on the return of the missing cargo, but

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Malla’s Marauders
 OTHER TROOPS

NAME NUMBER & KIN ATTRIBUTES SKILLS OTHER

Aard Boyz Orc Strength 5 Might 2, Melee 2, Scouting 1, Two handed

Agility 2 Survival 1 weapons, chain or
Wits 2 plate armour and a
Empathy 2 closed helmet.

Boar Boyz Orc Strength 4 Melee 2, Marksmanship 1, Spear & small shield
Agility 3 Scouting 1, Survival 1, Ani- or warhammer &
Wits 3 mal Handling 2 small shield, leather
Empathy 2 armour and open
helm.

Da Gruntz Orc Strength 4 Might 1, Melee 2, Insight 1 One handed

Agility 3 weapon, large
Wits 2 shield, studded
Empathy 2 leather, open helm

Rogud’s Goblin Strength 2 Melee 1, Move 1, Stealth 2, Short spear or short

Riders Agility 4 Scouting 2, Marksmanship 2, bow, leather armour,
Wits 3 Animal Handling 2. leather cap.
Empathy 2

Slaves Various Strength 2 Endurance 1, Survival 1. Fluff

Agility 2
Wits 2
Empathy 2

Riding Animal Strength 4 Melee 3, Scout 3 Move 2, Tusks

Boar Agility 2 (damage 1, blunt)

Riding Animal Strength 4 Melee 3, Move 3, Scout 5 Move 2, Bite

Wolf Agility 4 (damage 1, slashing)

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Malla’s Marauders