Gnoll

## On Gnolls

*"Remus will grant us victory over the spawn of Yeenoghu! There are only a handful of them!"-Neonak Tribestalker Kulumaga, goliath paladin, his last words before the gnoll ambush slaughtered his party.*

*"And people call us demonspawn!"-Saphai, tiefling escort, to one of her clients in indignation.*

*"Some do turn from their evil ways and live in accordance with nature's laws. These are worthy of our admiration and our assistance. Those who remain bound to Yeenoghu must be put to the sword without mercy for they are a dangerous depraved lot and will show none."-Vafnin Cratershadow, centaur war-leader, herself the adoptive mother of two gnoll cubs.*

*"They destroyed the village! Killed everyone in sight! Even orcs would show more mercy than that!"- Vic, human farmer, not completley inaccurately.*

Gnolls are vile, wicked hyena-folk who live on the edges of civilization. The spawn of the demon lord Yeenoghu, gnolls revel in wanton slaughter, pillaging and destruction. They enjoy eating sentient prey live and carrying off their loot. However, some gnolls refuse the path they have been set upon by birth and become more benevolent. Such bands of honest gnolls live in packs of their own hiring out their skills as guides, trackers and hunters. These good gnolls are still hunters and predators but they try to limit their hunting to non-sentients. Occasionally they will clash with packs of evil ones in bloody battles. Honest gnolls follow a code of wilderness survival and try to honor it but there is a savage edge to most gnolls that will never be fully suppressed.

## Appearance:

Gnolls are tall and lanky creatures with oversized limbs and aggressive, hunched postures. Like the hyenas they so resemble, gnolls have gray skin and hides of dark brown, spattered with black patches and spots. Many also have a large mane of reddish-hair that stands above the skull like a crest. Their eyes are yellow, glaring out with a wicked intelligence over mouths full of yellowed, broken teeth. Their hands and feet both end in sharp claws. Due to the demonic influence in their blood many gnolls are victims of minor mutations including vestigial limbs, orange spots, venomous saliva and burning red eyes. Gnolls reek of rotting flesh and filth, many are accompanied by swarming flies or growing patches of fungus. They use tattered equipment, barely bothering to maintain it. Crude tattoos and piercings are common. Good aligned gnolls will clean and bath themselves regularly to avoid the stench but are otherwise similar in appearance. Females are larger and more aggressive but, aside from their breasts (most have two but four and even six are not unheard of), remain physically almost identical to their male counterparts.

## History:

Yeenoghu, the demon lord of destruction has a mad quest, to end all forms of civilization and bring ruin to all corners of every world across the multiverse. With such a lofty goal, he sought out beings that could aid this monstrous plan. The demon went from plane to plane, consuming all in his path. That which he did not eat he utterly destroyed with his three-headed flail. According to legend, while rampaging through the plains of Apia Yeenoghu ate a pack of hyenas that caused him so much indigestion and stomach pain that he passed them immediately. The first gnolls, born of Yeenoghu's hatred and hastily expelled meal, arose from the pile of dung before spreading across the plains. They were savage and unthinking, killers so crude that they lacked the basics of metal-working, spinning, crafting or written language. The gnolls went on killing and plundering all before them for many years. They were so barbaric that they didn't participate in Latrell's rebellion. They were too simple, to savage to work with others or follow orders. Even the beholders didn't bother with using them as slaves, instead exterminated them on sight.

Gnolls would have remained little better than simple savages if not for the interference of The Green Lord. The horned god  saw that, while the gnolls were consummate survivalists, they lacked the basic skills capable of propel them into proper hunters. Despite his usual nature as a neutral god, he took pity on them and taught a few secret tribes basic hunting and crafting skills. Soon these chosen gnoll tribes could craft simple weapons and armor, track prey through the woods and use tactics beyond a mad rush. The Green Lord didn't care what the gnolls did with his gifts, only that they had them. As a result, most gnolls remained as worshipers of Yeenoghu except that, because they were capable of manufacturing arrows and hiding in the trees, they'd become more dangerous. But some developed a complex code of hunter's ethics and became, while not civilized by any stretch of the word, certainly more than savages. Today, small tribes of good gnolls exist in the wild places where they serve as hunters, trappers and wilderness guides, while large packs of savage raiders sack settlements and kill without thought of anything save satisfying their hunger.

## Geography:

Tragically for Apians, gnolls can be found on all corners of the continent, from the snowy regions of Druz and the Shelf, to the Great Plains, Umgar and Taskanda. They are consummate survivalists and adapt well to new environments from frozen wastelands to tropical jungles. Good aligned tribes can be found on the Great Plains, the Dominion border and Umgar in particular. The gnolls have a massive kingdom on the Southern Contient, much to the chagrin of their human neighbors, complete with a king (rare for the matriarchal gnolls) and standing army. These gnolls are more dangerous than orcs to the men of the south, so vast are their numbers.

## Personality:

More than any other sentient race gnolls are creatures of instinct. They are controlled by almost feral survival impulses that drive them to hunt, kill and survive at any cost. The great hunger of Yeenoghu gnaws away at the pit of the gnoll's stomach meaning he'll always be at least a little hungry. He's never full, merely sated. They are aggressive almost from birth, demanding and combative, seeking out opportunity to inflect harm on something. Polite niceties are non-existent among gnolls. They do not request, they make demands. Even good aligned gnolls behave this way as asserting strength is key to surviving in the wilderness. Because of all these things gnolls greatly prefer living freely in nomadic tribes in the wilderness and only enter even small villages to trade or raid before returning to the wilds. Gnolls have a compulsive drive to scavenge and will take anything they can possible use before moving on, going so far as to eat both carrion and the dead. Even good-aligned gnolls will eat the corpses of sentients including other gnolls without hesitation. In a similar way, gnolls of all alignments take trophies to serve as reminders and encouragement of deeds done in difficult times.

Gnolls can display tremendous pack-loyalty, refering to one another as "pack-brother" or "pack-sister" and seeing the tribe as one extended family. They will help one another out when needed, though for evil gnolls this does not go so far as to risk life and limb. Gnoll females are larger and more aggressive than males which puts them in positions of leadership except whenever a flind is present. The female picks her potential mates from among the prospective males and aggressively pursue those she is interested in, typically leaving the male with little choice. Because gnoll culture is far from monogamous all gnolls trace their family line through the mother, as identifying the father of any gnoll, particularly one whose mother is an impressive hunter or warrior, is impossible. Gnolls of all alignments detest physical labor. For good-aligned gnolls this leads to a benign laziness where they do only what must be done and nothing else. For evil gnolls it involves taking of slaves that can be forced to do those things they find unpleasant. The slaves are worked to death and then eaten.

## Society:

Gnolls of all alignments live in nomadic packs that follow game, resources and the whims of the alpha female (or flind warlord). Pack leaders maintain their position by strength and enforce their will by the same standard. Some leaders are guided by shamans or clerics but most operated on nothing but instinct. A gnoll camp is nothing more than a collection of crude tents pitched near a cave, ruin or other defensible position, surrounded by filth as gnolls laze about in the hot sun, eating, playing cruel games and rutting. Hyenas roam freely through camp eating the kills and carrion left behind. Slaves cry out in pain as they are worked hard and tormented for fun. Hunters come in and out freely, bringing back kills, loot and slaves. A crude shrine to Yeenoghu takes up the center of the camp. For evil aligned gnolls, this is the extent of their lives, plundering, raiding and killing indiscriminately for their own glory and their demon god. The leaders of these tribes revel in control of their petty kingdoms, giving themselves extravagant monikers like "Empress of all gnolls" or "Yeenoghu's own consort," or "King of the plains." These grandiose titles mean nothing outside of the immediate vicinity each tribe holds by force.

Good aligned gnolls on the other hand tend to be far less invasive. They follow great herds of buffalo, deer or wild pig, taking what they need from nature and the ruins they scavenge. They try not to over-hunt or abuse those who live in their space and they do not honor Yeenoghu, in fact they revile him. As much smaller tribes, good gnolls typically live near some frontier village with a relationship that has lasted generations. They will trade with the village and offer their services as guards, hunters, scouts and trackers for those who can pay. Good gnolls do not take slaves.

All alignments of gnolls treat hyenas as pets and friends considering them, while not sacred animals, welcome ones and no gnoll marches without hyenas. They come and go as they please but most stick close by knowing that they can find both eating and pampering where the gnolls are. Hyenas raised by good gnolls tend to be fat, happy, and well trained, more akin to oversized dogs than the sobering beasts that follow most gnoll bands. Exile is considered a major punishment as gnolls are pack creatures by nature who desire to be around others of their kind. For crimes deserving worse than exile, execution and consumption of the executed is the expected punishment.

## Religion:

Gnolls of evil alignment, which is most of them, worship Yeenoghu as both a god and ultimate king. Gnoll females are known to treat him as the dream mate and attempt to draw his gaze through acts of sacrifice and violence in the hopes he'll emerge from the Abyss and mate with them. (The proliferation of half-fiends and tieflings among the gnolls proves that both Yeenoghu and his demons are more than will to take them up on the offer.) Males try to emulate him, that they might draw worthy females.

Good aligned gnolls despise Yeenoghu and try everything in their power to spite him. These gnolls will worship The Green Lord, Bromis or Ahphion. In recent years the faith of Asus has exploded among the gnolls, with some becoming priests of the Redeemed One and depicting him as a gnoll. While Asus and his gnoll followers know he is not a gnoll, he encourages the practice as anything that helps the gnolls on the path to redemption, like seeing themselves in the god, is to be celebrated not stifled. Enough gnolls have begun following Asus that Yeenoghu himself has developed a vendetta against the god.

## Alignment:

Most gnolls are chaotic evil. However a sizable minority of good aligned gnolls exist and are of chaotic good or neutral good alignment. Chaotic or true neutral gnolls are also particular common across the Great Plains or Southern Continent.

## Relations:

Evil gnolls have poor relations with everyone who isn't a gnoll, hyena, or demon servant of Yeenoghu. They will hire trolls, ogres or verbeeg to help with their raids or for protection but hardly like them. Good aligned gnolls are more friendly, particularly with tabaxi, lupins (who sympathize with their plight), wemics, wood elves, lucantusks and centaurs.

## Language:

Gnolls speak gnoll, a brutish language consisting of yips, yowls and barking laughter. Some also speak common.

## Names:

Gnolls have aggressive, barking names followed by a pack name.

**Example Male names:** Thoz, Khax, Diarg, Thrukx, Guoh, Gnuonoh, Mirrguax, Grecex, Yhrixeikk, Kryzerk

**Example Female names:** Nihzszehz, Thuihn, Hro, Dythyrth , Atsehr, Tsaiwihz, Rhelmy, Xaidnysh

**Example Pack names:**  Frothtongue, Ashcheek, Deadsnag, Blightgall, Foamears,Burstbasher, Slabmaw, Pestdeath, Scummask

## Adventurers:

Gnoll adventurers are typically good aligned hunters or scouts who have hired their services out to adventuring parties or friendly communities. Their animal nature compels them to roam and journey with many seeing adventuring as a natural extension of that. Others are exiles who have been sent away for various crimes and are desperate for some kind of companionship. Thus they turn to adventuring and the comradery it brings.

## Traits:

Gnoll traits are described below...

Ability Score Modifiers: Strength +2, Constitution +2, Intelligence -2, Charisma -2. Gnolls are strong and tough but they lack formal education and many are extraordinarily unpleasant.

Size: Medium

Base Land Speed: 30 feet

+1 Natural Armor Bonus

+2 on Handle Animal and survival checks

Darkvision 60 feet

Favored Class: Ranger