HELP! Orcs, Tribes, and PC's...

[I'm A Banana]

Well, here's a lil' something of a dillemma in my brain. Maybe ENworld's world-famous pool of cool peeps can help me.

IMC, I have one player who is an orcish barbarian/shaman. His history is a bit up in the air, but I'd like to bring his tribe into the game more...

Basically, I'm wondering: what kind of problems could arise when an orc "comes home?" The PC says he left the tribe to earn some more money in the "civilized world." How do those left in his tribe see this? Is he a betrayer? A weakling? A being to frightened to make it in his own tribe? How will his old family and friends react to him coming back?

Basically, I guess, how is your usual Orcish PC viewed by the more normal orcs who raid and pillage and kill (the PC does that, too, but he's at least CN instead of CE, so he's got a bit of a conscience. ).

The plot I have in mind right now involves the PC's father, dying of a rare disease, and kidnapping the party healer when they come through his territory...

....how do I make the orcish PC instrumental in rescuing and aiding the party (keeping in mind he takes a largely typical orcish barbarian strategy of "hit stuff until it stops moving", and his initial reason of leaving being searching for a better life with "better pay")?

Any great ideas? I'm quite flexible, if I hear some good stuff here. The game is Sunday, so the quicker the replies, the better.

 

[Emiricol]

IMC, that Orc would be viewed as a total loser by the other orcs. "You did WHAT? EARNED money? What use Grok have for money? Earn, Bad! Take, Good! You slave to Hoomins!"

(Edit: of course that's just paraphrasing...)

Now, of course, a suitable challenge and trial-by-combat could end THAT issue, and lead on to the issue of just why Grok and crew should respect the status of the PCs as the orc guy's friends...

I'd run it as a fish-out-of-water side campaign, and make the PCs learn something about Orc culture (without just killing them) if they want to succeed at their task.

 

[Tonguez]

Read 'the Return of Tarzan' - Tarzan gives up his title as Lord Greystoke and returns to the Jungle - he is rejected at first and treated with hostility until he can prove himself in combat.
However he is never able to fully integrate back into Ape society and instead seeks human company (and thus becomes King of the Waziri)

So returning Orc is treated with hostility and distrust (and as Emiricol suggests considered a 'hoomin stooge') and must prove himself. Not merely in combat though he must also show ability to provide for the tribe ands show his loyalty to the Orcsa and not the Hoomins (this is a roleplaying game afterall)

I'd also weave in old rivalries from his youth (say a younger brother resentful that he was left to provide for the olds and whelps and who was in line for the Shamans job until the PC returned sort of thing)

 

[I'm A Banana]

All great! Keep 'em coming!

 

[I'm A Banana]

Anymore? Anything anything?

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

People gathering and working together means usually making the whole group stronger than the sum of the single persons, so I could also see a Orc leaving his tribe to be a feared or respected person when he returns.

It might also be some kind of ritual amongst the members of the tribe, that everybody has to prove himself alone for a while - and since orcs and barbarians tribe are not lawful but chaotic, this could mean that nobody cares how you survived alone - wether you rescue pretty virgins, live as a peasant or as a wander murdering and killing through the world, nobody cares, at least you survived.
(Anyway, a killing and murdering wanderer might have the better ... attitude ... to become a strong orcish tribe leader...)

On the other hand, long-term loners are often looked upon, even in modern society, so there is no guarantee for anything

Mustrum Ridcully

 

[Voadam]

Well, the obvious problem is if he is welcomed back and his buddies are welcomed into the tribe and they all go out raiding the halflings together.

Or perhaps the tribe is involved in an intertribal war with the dark fang orc tribes and they want all the help they can get, they're even willing to share the resulting war spoin slaves with

As a shaman he is already an outsider/other to the normal members of the tribe. Having journeyed far and come around home full circle is not odd, but are these slaves he has brought back with him?