Sandpack

The chase has been on for nearly 2 days now and the chances are getting slimmer. The Sandpack ship has been continually gaining all day as we have been collapsing from exhaustion. The blood-coated spears and spikes protruding from the hull still bear the corpses of the Linus, Alfred, and Quonius from the engagement yesterday. Even several miles downwind their screams could be heard for hours...
Soon it will be our turn.

Ship log of an unrecognizable hulk

Some say they are a breed of hyena warped during the chaos years, others say a specter from the old world, the Sandpack have a fearful reputation. They are known for their brutal treatment of those they capture, using them for sport and torture before finally finished them, and their strength in combat.
Thankfully, they seldom appear in large packs, generally having less then 20 martial members. 20 is still sufficient to deal with most traders risking the desert paths for fortunes.

Appearance

Standing nearly a man and a half tall, gnolls are fearsome to behold. Their cousins in the sandpack, however, tend to reach nearly two men tall. Their fur is jet black and their fangs and claws can easily measure two or three hands in length. The specimen I have before me shows signs of persistent ritual scarring and repeated battle wounds. 

The sandpack also differs in that they have a small hump in the small of their back that allows them to go without water for extended  periods of time, similar to the camels sometimes seen in that part of the world. 

Askervills Bestiary

Organization

Like wolves, the gnolls and their cousins have a strong social hierarchy. At the top of the chain is the pack leader. Generally, they are the most unpleasant of the pack but, if cowed or beaten, can win the pack over.
Beneath the pack leader would be the howlers. The priests of the tribe, the howlers hold unanimous fear from their compatriots and are nearly excluded from the pack itself but, when they take part in the pack's actions, they can be the most dangerous of the bunch. 
Finally, there are the pack members. They generally fit a hierarchy based on their fierceness in battle although, sometimes, particularly brilliant or cunning gnolls can rise in the ranks. 
How these beasts managed to survive the harshness of ....

Relations with the Wild
Anonymous

Customs

There is seldom a mix between the sandpack and other races which lead to some wild theories from blood worship to child snatching. However, the red moon seems to be a reoccurring rite for them. Nearly all of the major attacks or skirmishes launched by the sandpack have occurred in the time around the red moon. This allows an easy association to the bloodlust that many try to pass off on them. 

Arimel's World Commentary

Technology

They come in 15 sail ships. The spikes and tears in their hulls are apparent even from this distance, the heads of the capture displayed as prizes. However, despite appearing like wrecks, the ships are proving exceptionally sturdy. They have ballista and catapults of their own mounted on the decks and the toll we have already taken from them.
It is the two ships at the back that are the real demonstration of power though. Both are powered by some sort of necrotic energy giving them exceptional speed. The energy seems unstable though and at least one of the ships erupted in a blaze of fire that almost seemed to drive them on. What weakness we hit in its defenses I have no clue but hopefully you will be able to find it when they reach Aufest. 

Last report from Captain Jeremy

before the fall of Gold Sail