Common Themes & Conflicts

The Orcs vs. Everybody

The orcs in the North wage a constant war of raid and retreat on frontier out¬posts. Small wandering bands constantly harry farms and villages, stealing live¬stock and brutally killing people. Just as often, they take slaves. Attempts to nego¬tiate or control them for any length of time end in failure. Bounties placed on orcish heads only seem to encourage the beasts to attack for sport.

The Luskan/Ruathym War

The status of this conflict depends on when the DM begins the campaign. Dur¬ing the Year of the Prince, these two are waging bloodthirsty war upon on one another, with Ruathym getting the worst of it. Shiploads of Luskan raiders plunder and pillage the Ruathym coast and slay their leader.
During the Year of Shadows, Water- deep forces a truce and ends the conflict. In so doing, an alliance, the Captains' Con-federation, is forged between the Luskanites and the island kingdoms.
Con¬federation warriors raid cities along the Sword Coast in huge numbers and no ship at sea is safe from Northmen pirates. The Year of Shadows ends with the Lords of Waterdeep in council, deciding wheth¬er to declare war or not.

The Uthgardt Barbarians vs. Civi¬lization

The average Uthgardt regards civiliza¬tion as a cancer to be cut out. Most tribes regularly raid civilized settle¬ments, slaying domesticated animals, burning buildings, and crushing crops. Captives become slaves, though young¬sters are often adopted into the tribe if they seem sturdy enough.

The Uthgardt vs. the Orcs

This is a holy war. Its roots date back to the formation of the Uthgardt as a peo¬ple. The barbarians and the orcs com¬pete directly with one another for the same resources. Savage humans and bloodthirsty orcs fight to the death upon meeting. Adventurers in the North could do worse than to aid the Uthgardt in such a conflict.

Monsters vs. Humans

The monsters of the North, including the trolls of the Evermoors, treat humans — civilized and barbarian alike —as fruit ripe for the picking. There are always giants who raid villag¬es, foul creatures who wake hungry and leave their lairs to feast on a village, dragons who crave treasure, vampires with unholy thirsts, and more.

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Zhentarim vs. the Harpers
This society of Zhentil Keep on the far side of the Great Desert seeks a trade monopoly in the North. Even now, little is shipped overland to the east without Zhentarim involvement. The Harpers work to keep the Zhentarim and their evil plots out of the North.

Pirates vs. Merchants

Piracy is an accepted fact of life in the northern Trackless Sea. Pirates attack ships along the Sword Coast from Ches (March) until Uktar (November). Most are Northmen, but about a third hail from southern lands.

Hellgate Keep vs. Mankind

The demonic forces of Hellgate Keep continually press against the human and dwarven folk in the northeast. Men have not been able to drive the demons out, but mercenary companies and adventuring bands can always find employ as guardians in Turnstone Pass. A monastery of Helm, near Neverwin- ter, sponsors a company of 100 troops of all character classes each year. This group, called Helm's Hundred, leaves Helm's Hold each spring for Sundabar.