Gnoll

Gnolls are a threat which lingers on the edge of society and at the Frontiers. A corruption of the Shifter race, Gnolls are volatile hunters and savages. Thought exterminated decades ago by Shifter Blood Hunters, Gnolls have reappeared, striking out at their old rival clans in true force. Their wrath, however, extends to all manner of races as it would seem. Gnolls have begun appearing across the world as bandits and deadly mercenaries. Known to eat other races, Gnolls are seen as untrustworthy. Despite the proliferation of their lore, few from the interiors of civilization have ever seen a Gnoll in person.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Appearing as bipedal humanoids with an extra leg joint and a hunched stature, Gnolls typically bear the appearance of a predatory mammal such as Hyenas, Wolves, Wild Cats, or any of a variety of other creatures.

Genetics and Reproduction

Gnolls may reproduce through natural means but do possess a second method of reproduction. Like Shifters, Gnolls may be created through a ritual known as "The Unbreaking" which produces a more powerful distorted version of the common Shifter. This process is typically done willingly but can be performed without the consent of an individual.

Growth Rate & Stages

Young gnolls age quickly, reaching mature size in only eight years and full maturity in fourteen years. They pay for this rapid ageing with short lifespans as Gnolls aren't suspected to live longer than sixty years naturally.

Ecology and Habitats

Found in both warm and mild climates, Gnolls rarely venture into cold regions, preferring the heat which makes habitations difficult for most other races.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Possessing voracious appetites, Gnolls must consume a large amount of meat each day. This can be substituted with some fruit and vegetables but gnolls have difficulty digesting non-meat produce.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Like their Shifter cousins, Gnolls are organized into a clan-like structure. Unlike their Shifter cousins, Gnoll clans are violent power structures where might makes right. The strongest Gnolls rise to the head of the Clan through combat and formed multiple clan warbands which strike out at the frontiers.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Gnolls possesses enhanced senses similar to that of predatory mammals, including acute smell, hearing, and eyesight.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Gnoll names vary greatly with many Gnolls possessing human names or a variety of tribal names.

Major Organizations

Like Shifters, Gnolls possess some form of cohesion as a race with a Gnolls being chosen by Yeenoghu and gifted with greater power. The most powerful of these Gnolls is known as the Grand Warchief and has some ability to influence the actions of the race as a whole.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Gnolls speak their own version of common which has been distorted and merged with the tribal languages they encountered on the frontiers. Their racial language is generally referred to as Gnoll.

History

Created through the process of The Unbreaking, Gnolls are the creation of Lucas Jannis. A former disciple of Joshua Sorrows and a former Shifter, Lucas believed that more power could be unlocked through The Taming. Without Sorrow's approval, Lucas began his experimentation. Met with failures, Lucas was eventually approached by an unknown entity who promised the key to his research at a price. Accepting the price, his own immortal soul, his bargainer revealed himself as the Demon Prince Yeenoghu. Dominating Lucas and his disciples through his demonic power, Yeenoghu corrupted The Taming to produce the first Gnolls.
Discovering what he had done, Joshua Sorrows rallied to the Shifters and any Blood Hunters he could find in a bloody battle which engulfed the Sorrows Lodge in flames. At the end of the fight, Lucas and all of his disciples were believed dead at the cost of dozens of lives. However, a few of Lucas disciples survived, retreating from Sorrows Lodge they found a new home far from civilization. Using the influence of Yeenoghu and following their new leader, Fara Rawls, the Gnolls began transforming willing tribes folk into their ranks and capturing and forcing the conversion of those who resisted. After decades of work and with their numbers burgeoning and even splitting off into different groups, the Gnolls reemerged on the frontiers, beginning to threaten civilization with their demonically gifted powers. Learning of their reemergence, the new head of Clan Sorrows, Joshua Sorrows II set out on a campaign to bring an end to the Gnolls with many Shifter Clans moving to the frontiers to face off against them.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Having grown far from their intended purpose as monster hunters, Gnolls have become monsters themselves. They view other races as nothing more than unwilling recruits or food for their warbands. Most view them as the monsters they appear to be while others view their intelligence as something to be abused, hiring Gnoll Warbands to boost their own agendas. These agreements, however, often go sour when payments come short of the Gnoll's ever-growing expectations.

Lifespan

30 years

Conservation Status

Once thought extinct, Gnolls have reappeared in large numbers.

Average Height

7' to 7'6"

Average Weight

280 to 320lbs