Yeenoghu Character in Tales of Faerun | World Anvil

Yeenoghu

(a.k.a. Beast of Butchery)

The Beast of Butchery appears as a great battle-scarred gnoll. Lowering 14 feet tall. Yeenoghu is the Gnoll Lord, and his creations are made in his twisted image. When the demon lord hunted across the Material Plane, packs of hyenas followed in his wake. Those that ate of great Yeenoghu's kills became gnolls, emulating their masters ways. Few others worship the Beast of Butchery, but those who do tend to take on a gnoll-like aspect, hunched over, and filing their teeth down to points.   Yeenoghu wants nothing more than slaughter and senseless destruction. The gnolls are his instruments, and he drives them to ever-greater atrocities in his name, Yeenoghu takes pleasure in causing fear before death, and he sows sorrow and despair through destroying beloved things. He doesn't parlay; to meet him is to do battle with him - unless he becomes bored. The Beast Of Butchery has a long rivalry with Baphomet, the Horned King, and the two demon lords and their followers attack one another on sight.   The Gnoll Lord is covered in matted fur and taut, leathery hide, his face like a grinning predator's skull. Patchwork armor made of discarded shields and breastplates is lashed onto his body with heavy chains, decorated by the flayed skins of his foes. He wields a triple-headed flail called the Butcher, which he can summon into his hand at will, although he is as likely to tear his prey apart with his bare hands before ripping out its throat with his teeth.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

One of Yeenoghu’s greatest and earliest triumphs was the subjugation of Doresain, the King of the Ghouls. Once a vassal of Orcus, the King of the Ghouls controlled his own layer of the Abyss until Yeenoghu’s army invaded and conquered the layer and its undead ruler. The King swore fealty to Yeenoghu and continues to pay him homage to this day. Doresain still rules the White Kingdom today, but as a sworn ally of the more powerful Prince of Gnolls. Orcus’s attention has been elsewhere, and so far, he has not acted against the Prince of Gnolls for the theft of one of his subjects.   One of Yeenoghu’s great desires is to see to the prosperity of his people, the gnolls. He envisions a Material Plane dominated by his children, where elves and humans and dwarves and halflings are slaves at best and food at worst. Yet he realizes that all the gnolls in the Material Plane could not achieve such a goal—as a result, he actively supports cultists of other races who turn to him for support. The enigmatic leader of the Maure family once represented his most powerful cult among humanity at the time, yet internal strife caused by rival demon lord Malcanthet saw to the ruin of this resource. Today, Yeenoghu counts the Queen of Succubi as one of his greatest enemies and periodically raids her realm. He is always turned back by her defenses, but one day he hopes to gain enough allies to see to her ruin.   Only Yeenoghu’s eternal war with Baphomet nears the level of his hatred for Malcanthet. The source of the conflict between the Prince of Gnolls and the Prince of Beasts is unclear, likely forgotten even by the two demon lords themselves, yet they show no signs of ceasing their eternal hostilities.   Yeenoghu demands living sacrifices in remote wilderness regions on altars of crude stone. His faithful wear dark brown robes accented by mangy yellow furs. They are not allowed to clean these robes, and in time they grow horrific with clotted blood and foul odors.

Social

Contacts & Relations

SERVANTS, ENEMIES, AND GOALS

Yeenoghu is one of the lesser demon lords, yet he still commands a large empire on the 422nd layer of the Abyss, a region known simply as the “Death Dells.” He spends much of his time hunting lesser creatures or captured mortals and idly plotting assaults on the holdings of powerful demonic entities who are not themselves demon lords quite yet.

Mannerisms

STRATEGY AND TACTICS

Bestial and straightforward, Yeenoghu is more likely to charge into melee growling and screaming epithets before doing anything more subtle, although his first action in combat is almost always to cast enhance ability (strength). If faced with large numbers of foes, he’ll summon gnolls, ghouls, and demons for support.
Divine Classification
Demon Lord
Realm
Children
Ruled Locations

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