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<blockquote data-quote="Redwizard007" data-source="post: 8833693" data-attributes="member: 7024098">Loads of great ideas for cultural and biological motivations. One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is external stimuli.Orcs live in rough country, but so do much scarier monsters. A dragon moving into a new lair could easily prompt an orc migration across several tribes, and since the dragon is a lot scarier than town-dwelling humans... well, path of least resistance. The same holds for outbreaks of undead, the appearance of powerful wizards, or the opening of gates to less savory planes of existance. If the orcs raze a town or two, they draw the attention of other tribes that may join the &quot;horde&quot; for easy loot, revenge for past wrongs, or the glory of Gruumsh. It wouldn't take much for the oft maligned orcs to rally behind their version of Joan of Arc. While expecting this to occur frequently enough to blacken the reputation of orcs may seem farfetched, consider that it occurs with enough frequency to keep the PCs regularly engaged.Similarly, orcs have found safety in fallen dwarf-holes, but they never consider what those holes might be concealing. Ancient evils bound by dwarven rituals, deep dragons or Balrogs, formerly guarded passages to the realms of drow or illithids... All can be harsh masters to the orcs, forcing them into slavery or reverence, and requiring tributes of gold, flesh, or even souls. The orc plague along a nation's borders could be caused by any of these, particularly if the orcs are attacking with particular savagery. Similar forces could drive orcs from their dark forests or craggy hills.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Redwizard007, post: 8833693, member: 7024098"] Loads of great ideas for cultural and biological motivations. One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is external stimuli. Orcs live in rough country, but so do much scarier monsters. A dragon moving into a new lair could easily prompt an orc migration across several tribes, and since the dragon is a lot scarier than town-dwelling humans... well, path of least resistance. The same holds for outbreaks of undead, the appearance of powerful wizards, or the opening of gates to less savory planes of existance. If the orcs raze a town or two, they draw the attention of other tribes that may join the "horde" for easy loot, revenge for past wrongs, or the glory of Gruumsh. It wouldn't take much for the oft maligned orcs to rally behind their version of Joan of Arc. While expecting this to occur frequently enough to blacken the reputation of orcs may seem farfetched, consider that it occurs with enough frequency to keep the PCs regularly engaged. Similarly, orcs have found safety in fallen dwarf-holes, but they never consider what those holes might be concealing. Ancient evils bound by dwarven rituals, deep dragons or Balrogs, formerly guarded passages to the realms of drow or illithids... All can be harsh masters to the orcs, forcing them into slavery or reverence, and requiring tributes of gold, flesh, or even souls. The orc plague along a nation's borders could be caused by any of these, particularly if the orcs are attacking with particular savagery. Similar forces could drive orcs from their dark forests or craggy hills. [/QUOTE]

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