Gnoll

The **yogara** species, commonly known as **gnolls** are a race of highly civilized canine-like bipeds who represent the organized military force of the Sorjachani. They are also sometimes called **dogmen** or **werewolves**. They are derogatorily called **jackals**.

## Biology

* Two pairs of ears.
* Lupine features; werewolf archetype.
* Have fur all over their bodies; originate from a cold, tundra climate. Hunted rival bands and wore their furs to defend against the cold.
* Cold, red deserts eroded by frigid winds.
* Windswept plains of tall grasses and bent trees.

### Tails

* Western yogarans and those originally from the Sorjachani Empire regularly groom and braid their tails. There is only one accepted braid style for all yogarans, which they are taught in their childhood.
* In the Drayden Kingdom, the yogarans crop their tails to a short stalk and then tie it.

### Reproduction

The yogara are biologically marsupials, which means that female yogara give live births to partially developed fetuses, which then crawl into their mother's abdominal pouch for comfort, security, and sustenance, as the mother's nipples are inside of her pouch. The gnoll cub will live in its mother's pouch until it is a juvenile, at which point male cubs are inducted into the garrison for training, while girls remain with their mother at home.

## Characteristics

* Dutiful, honorable, disciplined. Conservative, traditional, rigid.
* Enforcers of the socraj and foot-soldiers of the Empire.
* Wear special anti-magic helmets that allowed them to hunt down and eliminate the mourasta Sargat.They have retained them, refusing to join in under anyone's animic hegemony.
* Bred to serve faithfully and loyally; when left to their own devices with no discernible leadership structure, yogarans will veer towards a pack mentality with their brothers-in-arms as a survival mechanism, forming very close bonds with their so-called blood- brothers.
* They lack (metaphorical) vision; direction.

The yogarans are always fighting a war. It's the only thing they know how to do; the Yonga were their producers, and they relied on more dominant races like the dromuts or habaddians to fill in roles of authority and provide infrastructure.

It is for this reason that the yogarans hesitantly revere the Dromut over the drearily diplomatic Habaddian. Habaddians prefer to resolve things peacefully, or else maintain the *status quo*, whereas dromuts are always looking to stir the pot. The pattern of tyrants rotating between dromuts and habaddians reflects periods of conquest and peacetime, respectively.

When the yogarans get bored of keeping the peace (gaps of stagnancy to the yogarans), they begin scouting for a new master to serve—one who would obviously be worthier of rule if he successfully challenged and killed the incumbent. And then, after the predictably chaotic and expensive regency of dromuts, the yogarans would opt for stability and throw their lot in with more rational minds.

> "The yogarans are never divided."
>
>

Even in situations of controversy, conflicting yogarans are remarkably humble and will readily embrace the majority opinion of his comrades, without fail. This is not to say they will not distrust other species in charge, and the yogarans' art of speculation is often more decisive than any other factors.

## Society

### Communication

To communicate with other gnolls or packs from faraway, gnolls will cry a loud, distinct howl called the *gnollcall* which can be used to coordinate tactical positions and attack formations, warn against coming dangers, or simply to locate other gnolls in the area.

### Naming

The yogaran naming system is strictly codified, following a chronological pattern of binary epithets added in sequence. Every ten years, two letters are addended to an individual's name, showing career progression and approximate age. The combined unit is a consonant and a vowel, with each pairing reflecting different information in the name.

* A
* T
* B
* L
* M
* K
* R
* S
* Th
* Sh
* Y

#### Vowels

* A
* E
* I
* O
* U

#### Examples

* Ma-la-ko-ta = Malakota, the King of the East at forty-years old.
* Ta-to-ma = Tatoma
* Ta-ka-shi-lo-ra-ta = Takashilorata – a sixty-year old gnoll.
* Lolo
* Kiki
* Loki
* Koko

### Community

The yogara are social creatures, forming into packs of fellow gnolls for mutual convenience of hunting and shelter. Despite their self-sufficient culture, the yogara eschew positions of authority, and will more often than not defer to the commands of a worthy leader, particularly obeying the socraj as decreed by the reigning tyrant at the time. In lieu of a non-gnoll to lead them, the yogara will defer the eldest male of the pack, as seniority is the least subjective standard the yogara universally respect.

Gnoll communities are schematically garrison towns, specifically referred to as stockades. The stockades are organized enclaves of self-enclosed society where only gnolls and their servants are permitted, barred to the outside with a portcullis and sentinels at every gate. The stockade evolved from campaigning for the Sorjachani, when the legions would establish a base camp and fortify the area with sharpened abbattises, trench dug-outs, and bivouac tents. In parts of Hephestia where the yogara were welcome, these encampments became more permanent and towns became more urban and sectional. The stockades adapted into high-walled ethnic districts which were exclusively gnoll-friendly, with iron gates raised and lowered at scheduled hours to further restrict the gnolls' tightly controlled lives. All other races are prohibited from visiting the stockades, even other demons, which only deepens the mystery surrounding the enigmatic culture and private lives of the gnolls outside of the battlefield.

### Gender discrimination

Yogaran society obeys a patriarchal formula, unmatched in its extremity by any other race. For unknown reasons, females in yogara society are considered offensively inferior, and are subordinated to the tasks of housework and rearing children. Discrimination against yogara women is so extreme that the inequality is not only acknowledged by both sexes, but accepted as 'necessary.' Female yogara are even muzzled with a special harness referred to as a *roshii*, preventing them from speaking and eating. The *roshii* is entirely voluntary, lacking any means to lock the harness that the wearer herself cannot unfasten; silence and fasting are 'necessary.'

###  Beast-masters

Responsible for breeding, training, and managing the manticores. Enslaved their offshoot gnomish cousins.

###  Social hierarchy

* Seniority is respected and deferred to always. It is the only way male yogarans divide and categorize themselves. Yogarans do not recognize individual accomplishments, they do not have social divisions or positions of authority. In yogaran culture, all male yogarans are brothers-in-arms, and equally beneath them are their client-races and womenfolk.
* They are never the authorities in power, content to serve, but in a way they rule in their own right: any Tyrant must have the support of the yogarans.Whoever they pledge their loyalty to decides the governance of the Conglomerate.
* Gravitate towards authority figures from other races; when the Sorjachani came to the Yogaran world, they eagerly pledged themselves to the tyrant's service. Of course, while they can shamelessly appreciate that they are subservient to dromuts or habaddians in leadership capability, the yogarans are still keen on maintaining relations to the strongest individual player, who might triumph successfully enough to establish the precedent for his species' supremacy in the yogarans' hierarchy.The yogarans always pick the winner.

### Selective breeding

Highly invested in eugenics and racial purity.

On their homeworld, they selectively bred themselves into what they consider the perfect species—purebred soldiers. As a species, the yogarans pride themselves I'm having achieved the peak of their potential. When they first encountered the Sorjachani, the yogarans were awed by its leaders and respectfully ranked themselves below the most dominant. And even though they have taken themselves out of the running for top dog, the yogarans are obsessively intrigued to see which of the two—the dromuts or the habaddians—will end up at the top. Or, even better, the yogarans hope the Sorjachani may discover an even more formidable race to serve.

Enslaved and selectively bred other species from their world to serve as slaves and cannon fodder: the result, gnomes.

## Religion

The yogara worship the moon goddess Yoyashena, being the only tribe of the Sorjachani who have tenaciously held onto their beliefs predating their unification and inclusion in Alaniji. Yoyashena is believed to transcend space-time, her lunar incarnations visible in the night skies of worlds all over the universe.

The yogara worship according to the lunar cycle, howling in unison on the full moon of every month. Different prayer rituals are observed on the schedule of lunar phases.

## Ethnic groups

### Shorthair

> *Main article:* Shorthair gnoll
>
>

The **Shorthair** gnolls are the Marooned descendants of the yogara who remained in Column and campaigned westward into North Mannea and Sitaram. The Shorthairs compose the main branch of yogara left in Hephestia still affiliated with the Sorjachani and are a formidable force in the area, supervising work camps and patrolling the fortresses of their masters. One of the largest stockades in Sitaram is located at the Temple of Eten-Menek.

The Shorthair gnolls have adapted to the dry, hot climate of Sitaram by growing short, fine coats of light fur to withstand the desert heats.

### Longhair

> *Main article:* Longhair gnoll
>
>

The **Longhair** gnolls are the Marooned descendants of the yogara who campaigned in Lower Cremalia during the Ruin of Ioheme. After the separation of two factions during the Purgation Era, the gnolls in the East splintered into roving bands, marauding and bounty hunting to get by. In Drayden, a legion of yogara entrenched on the island and defeated by the Vankish Reclaimers defied tradition and swore allegiance to the Vankish kings of Renais, proclaiming the lords of Drayden to be the most worthy of command in Hephestia, forsaking their kin in Sitaram. The Stephedist Redeemed of Drayden are an extraordinary example of demonkind coexisting with mankind in the East.

The cold winter climates caused the yogara in this hemisphere to grow thicker, warmer coats.

## Relationships with other races

### Gnomes

The gnolls have historically ruled the yonga species.

### Dromuts

Rally for dromut leadership because they are aggressive, ambitious, territorial, and are willing to do whatever it takes to win. Both races are also very attentive to the shifting balances of power within the Underworld, and whereas the yogarans refrain from intervening in politics, the dromuts engage every arena like its champion. However, they also *dislike* the dromuts' needless cruelty, doling out punishments or torture for amusement; punishments must be earned and well-deserved, gracefully accepted and respectfully awarded.

### Habaddians

They appreciate habaddian leadership because they are active, progressive, disciplined, and faithful. Approve of their shared standards for accountability.

## Trivia

* The gnoll's physical design is a chimera inspired by a horse and a wolf, with visual elements taken from lions.
* In emulation of the female yogara's pouch (which she uses to carry her young), male gnoll warriors invented the *auma* to carry their provisions or weapons in. The *auma* is a bag made out of tanned leather, worn on the front with its strap slung diagonally from hip to shoulder.