Faction Friday: Gyllehaal and His Orcs

RPG faction

Gyllehaal, an old gnome, has seen a lot in his life. He spent decades adventuring unluckily; he can barely remember how often he was captured and beaten within an inch of his life, or a treasure chest turned out to be empty, or a valuable gem slipped from his grasp and went careening down a chasm.

But eventually his luck turned, and after a number of successful adventures, he grew rich. Given so many years of hardship, now he has to show off his hard-won fortune.

Gyllehaal struts the streets of his favorite city, bedecked in jewels and expensive furs, visiting money-lenders during the day to manage his money and every gambling house and high-society party he can get invited to at night.

Photo of gnome sculpt by War Griffon Miniatures

Nobody steals his jewels, though, because of the 4 full orc bodyguards that accompany him everywhere. They speak only among themselves (and then, only in orcish), and they follow Gyllehaal's orders with completely professional alacrity. They even follow him into parties, though they know enough to stay on the periphery of whatever grand ballroom he's in.

The orcs are a mystery to outsiders. They wear well-tailored leather clothes trimmed with wolf fur and heavy boots, and wear their hair pulled back in pony tails. They each carry large, ornate axes strapped to their backs. They seem well-mannered, though they don't say or do much; just surround Gyllehaal while he's in the streets and stand in a knot muttering among themselves when he's inside a structure. Folks whisper that Gyllehaal defeated them in battle some years ago and they swore fealty to him, though he must have done something pretty amazing to manage that.

As a friendly faction, Gyllehaal is no more or less than an ex-adventurer enjoying the fruits of his labor. He'll ask the PCs to collect various amulets, rings, and other objects he can wear in public.

As a foe faction, Gyllehaal may have made a fortune, but he quickly lost it to gambling. Now he works for the money-lenders in a protection racket, using his orcs to squeeze protection money out of a number of businesses.

Unfortunately, Gyllehaal has no problem calling on the City Watch if he's molested, and they have no beef with him, so a group of PCs who just walk up to Gyllehaal and attack him will soon find themselves swarmed with members of the Watch.

Instead, they will have to gather evidence, such as a set of cooked books that he keeps in the basement of his heavily guarded mansion.

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