Orcs. It's orcs. I was thinking about using Yuan-ti or Lizardfolk, but they don't feel right in the terrain, or acting in consort with dragons. The Yuan-ti looked interesting, but their motivations aren't to overrun anything by force, or hold it that way, so I think its better to stick with orcs.
Deciding that, I think the war party that I'm going to build is going to borrow heavily from Volo's Guide to Monsters, which has a nice section on orc lairs, and introduces several variant orc "types" that might help spice up the encounters.
I don't feel very inclined to type much up tonight, but I've got an idea now. My first thought is that there is a general, with at least three bands in the war party. Each of these bands would have a captain and an Eye of Gruumsh, as well as more generic orc soldiers. After reading Volo's, there are some interesting adjustments that can be made. For instance, orcs like to align with strength, so the general can be a Fire Giant. Orcs also can ally with ettins, werebears, and even trolls. An ettin or two might fit nicely for this encounter.
There is also a creature called a Tanarukk that is part orc, part demon. I think it will work nicely as a surprise addition to the battle. According to the section on orcs, they would also have a war wagon. I'm envisioning two, with one being a cage for the Tanarukk, and the other for loot.
That gives a nice base for building an encounter. Now I can set it up... sketch out a layout of the town, position the orcs, and scheme out their rotation. The party is slotted to arrive at or just after night fall, so there are chances to infiltrate or act against the invaders in covert fashion.
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