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Prologue I: Background

You are a gnoll (that's fantasy-speak for "hyena monster"). You like to roll around in the grass, explore caves, wrestle, be lazy, and wander through the wilderness.

People do not like gnolls. This is especially true of people who live in villages, castles, cities, forts, or even just basic walled settlements. Religious orders think your kind serve demons, humankind thinks you are savages, elves treat you worse than they treat humans, and the only gnolls any of them like are dead gnolls.

They make a point of expressing that fact, and the only reason your people aren't extinct is because someone introduced a religion hell-bent on raising ferocious warriors. Literally. But if you're defending yourself from people who accuse you of being demon-spawn, you might as well enlist the help of a demon, right?

Settled lands have been expanding far throughout the past forty years, to the point that there are few stretches of wilderness left to travel. Tribes are becoming more cramped, wildlife is becoming scarce, and though you're starting to be driven underground, the dwarves are equally inviting. Life is rough, and you're starting to get the feeling that the tribal way of life is soon to die off completely.

First thing's first.

1. What is your name?

Specify.

Family

2. Who was your primary parent?

Thrrae Skullcleaver : Chieftain of the Greatfang tribe, a warrior who fought her way to the top and is said to have slain a giant. You know not which of her three husbands spawned you, but Thrrae was clearly the dominant presence. She always made time for her children, and when those looking to become chief accused her of being weak for it, she would have a public duel. Witnesses started calling the usurpers' deaths "Suicide by Thrrae."

~You are more talented, because being the chief's kid means everyone's eyes are on you when hers are not. You've lost a brother and a sister to jealous packmembers and, grabbing a weapon, you sought vengeance yourself. Two of them fell in the street, after which their accomplices called for justice. Your mother, fair ruler that she is, decreed that they should seek their justice in a duel. To make things interesting, you were given armor but no weapons, and your opponents were given blades but no armor. Thrrae's lesson was simple: a fierce swordsman is nothing without his sword, and protection alone will only delay the inevitable, so you must learn to use everything at your disposal, to avoid being overcome by circumstance.

Grerr Fire-eye : A priest serving The Dread Prince Yeenoghu, and also his two skeletal servants. He's missing an eye, and is known to plot many things. Though much of his time was devoted to his religious calling, Grerr kept his nose in your everyday life, always looking for some way to mold you into the perfect successor to his ego. Whether he succeeded or not, you had lots of practice putting him at his wits' end, challenged by your own urge to drive him completely mad.

~Your rough upbringing has made you tougher, and your mannerisms are closer to the more savage members of your species. You also have greater insight into the teachings of various deities, specifically in the relationship between death, fear, and subjugation. Whether you follow similar beliefs or not, you do recognize the need for such a religion, as it is the only thing that keeps your people united. Without it, the crusaders and the nobles would have wiped gnoll-kind out long ago, keeping the only survivors as slaves, and you do agree that it is better to not be a thrall, especially not to the hypocritical teachings that most "holy" men live by. As you are certain to meet crusaders in your life, you keep a weapon specifically enchanted to counter their zeal.

Remmar Greyscruff : A scavenger known for finding and trading oddities and dressing in noble finery. He tends to dress you similarly, insisting that assimilation will someday be the only way to survive. Neither of you are popular with the locals, but you do learn about many interesting things, your tribe's heritage being important but uninteresting. Many tales you've heard follow the lives of subservient warriors who serve their masters by slaying their enemies, or the masters who have all of their riches in a massive stone keep, whose servants believe themselves to be free while they serve. Other stories follow the pagan folk, and those who are versed in the arcane. Few in the tribes appreciate foreign stories like these, but something about them calls out to you.

~You are more sensitive to the social norms of other cultures, and understand how not to offend them. You also understand the merits of diplomacy, which has saved your skin many times when your nose has been in the wrong place at the wrong time, or when you've been outnumbered by a drastic degree. When things did turn ugly, however, you feel that the trinkets you and your father collect have a hand in your protection. Experienced killers have stayed their hand when they otherwise wouldn't; arrows veer off course as though struck by a sudden gust. You're also a great swimmer, but that has more to do with how you find these items.

Mirrin Scarletfeather : A huntress who lived off the land, only stopping in settlements to barter, enjoy the wine, and enjoy the women. By chance, she ended up with a male one night and had you a few seasons later. You spent a lot of your childhood on these hunting trips, and can appreciate the amount of dedication it takes to thrive in the wilderness. When you stayed in a tribe, others your age were always curious about you, and you've always held their interest with tales of distant lands, slain beasts, ancient ruins, other hunting parties, and sometimes what it was like having two moms.

~You have a profession! While other gnolls survive solely on their slaves' labour and the corpses of their foes, you know how to get through dangerous lands without the protection of many packmates. You can maintain equipment, tan hides into leather, collect firewood for cold nights, and you've event spent time aboard a ship, where your skills in navigation have always been useful. You never learned to hunt, though: that was Mirrin's job, and the first rule of survival in a small group is to have loyal companions who can do what you cannot. Incidentally, the second rule is to excel where your companions do not.

Religion

Living among a large tribe, you could not be among your people without hearing of the dread prince Yeenoghu, whom gnoll-kind spreads the message of through slaughter and terror. His priests are fearsome, and known to do more than dabble in the dark arts, but it is through fear and power that a tribe stays together. Ritual sacrifices and feasts were the norm for your people, with many captured slaves being given a front row seat for a demonstration of what happens to the disobedient, and also the obedient when food gets scarce.

On lazy days, you would spy on the thralls. Often they would pray for rescue, salvation, or divine retribution. On boring days, you would have them tell you about their deities. Some would scoff at the notion of a gnoll learning their customs, but taking a bite out of them also meant taking a bite out of their snark.

3. Who do you worship?

Yeenoghu : The Dread Prince, of course! You only spoke with the thralls to better know your enemy.

Obad-Hai : _The guardian of nature, elements, life, and survival. His teachings emphasize strength, but there are neither guidelines for what to do with it, nor are there requirements for worshipers' morality. _

Erythnul : He follows the same principles as Yeenoghu, but with an interest in trickery and mischief mixed in. Among tribals and berserkers who raid settlements, this is a more popular religion.

Fharlanghn : He who protects travelers, the guardian of roads. This one is less about butchering and more about traveling, and surviving against all odds while doing so, and enjoying the sights. None of that baby-butchering, leave-some-alive-so-they-will-suffer-longer nonsense the other deities have trouble shutting up about.

Nerull : Foe of all life, Hater of Darkness, King of Gloom, Reaper of Flesh. The only thrall to speak of this deity was a necromancer, and you think he had abandonment issues, but the thought of raising one's enemies as skeletons to fight their former friends does sound amusing.

None : Organized religion is for those who need someone to tell them how to live.

There are others, but the rest consist of weaklings, charity work, things that are not appealing, are run by people who have a "kill gnolls on sight" policy, or any combination of the four.

Talents

As a young gnoll, you have few skills beyond your weapons training and what was gleamed from your upbringing, but you do stand out among others your age, to the point that the tribe considers you old enough to serve in a raiding band a year early. 4. What could possibly have made them do that? (Choose three of these)

Strength : Gnolls are very strong, by definition. You, on the other hand, have yet to fully develop and you're already wrestling with the adults in your free time.

Reflexes : You react to things very quickly in your training exercises. When ambushed, you are often the first person charging to strike your target down, your shield catches blows from the side when you face multiple opponents, and you always have multiple opponents in training exercises. Surrounding you is the only way your peers have ever managed to get past your defenses.

Intellect : While most of your kind has little need for tactics beyond ambushing, you and your friends have acted on cunning plans of your own design to catch the other pups off guard after they tried to push you down the pack heiarchy. Those who have crossed you have learned the hard way not to be cocky, even stronger warriors whom you've tangled with one on one.

Willpower : You see things that others don't, and when someone tries to coerce you into seeing things their way, even if by magickal means, you have a knack for sensing their intentions.

Fortitude : Though most gnolls have a thick hide, you are unusually sturdy and also resilient to disease.

Charisma : The savage nature of your heritage is both a blessing and a curse. Gnolls rule through power and fear, while you have other ways of influencing people. Acquaintances that accept you are less likely to attack you, your friends are more loyal and protective of you, and your foes underestimate you as often as they overestimate your reputation. Is it because you're pretty?

Weapons

5. You can wield many weapons, but which do you prefer using?

Longsword : a favourite among humans and elves. These are expensive to make and maintain, and uncommon among tribals for that reason.

Battleaxe : Great for cleaving through light armour and taking a chunk of flesh out in the same swing. Most tribals favour these, because a good swing from an axe is devastating.

Warhammer : A dwarven favourite, and great for causing concussions through a helmet or bashing skeletons apart.

Flail : A spiked ball on a chain, while unusual, is extremely versatile, but for a gnoll to use its alternative applications effectively takes an unusually sharp mind.

Pick : A mining pick. Great for digging, harvesting minerals, and creating deep gashes in people. Some dwarves use these, but they aren't practical as weapons.

Diplomacy

6. How do you prefer to settle disputes, when a bloodbath isn't an option?

Gifts of silver, furs, and goods

Patience and wit

Deceit

Charm

Other (specify)

Reputation

7. When people speak of your exploits in battle, what do they emphasize?

Your ferocity

Your skill

Your trickery

Your luck

Something else? (specify)

Foreign Relations

The other races chide your people, calling them things like slothful, mangy, abomination, daemon-touched, brainwashed, and a whole bunch of other thing you don't quite understand, but being a gnoll is hard work. Apart from the conquest-happy monarchs and the crusading zealots that can and do rush in at any hour hoping to strike a blow for their cause (and often succeeding), there are also other nomads competing with your people for food. You're lucky to get any break you can!

But one day you were hungry, as everyone was hungry, and the chief decided it was time to pack up and move the camp. Being the brazen warrior she is, she also decided that half of the warriors should stay with the tribe while the rest did what they could to find supplies. Her first suggestion was to see what nearby outsiders were willing to part with. Her second suggestion was to see what they weren't willing to part with.

8. On a related subject, what do have the most experience fighting against?

Settled Humans : While their tribal cousins are respectable warriors, settled humans drain the land of its resources an expand faster than an infection to clothe themselves in armor. Lately they have been claiming more lands for their own, especially those serving the wills of Pelor and Heironeous.

Settled Elves : Proud, dainty narcissists who think the forests belong to them, and house more archers and spellcasters than they do warriors. As many are vegetarians, they taste delicious.

Tribal Humans : Cunning nomads who, unlike their settled counterparts, are neither tasty nor good slaves. They are much less judgmental toward other races, however.

Tribal Elves : Less delicious than the settled elves, but their narcissism is directed mostly toward other elves. They make surprisingly skilled warriors, and their spellcasters have more energy.

Goblins : Cave-dwellers who are decent enough for keeping the dwarves busy, but also eat a lot of food.

Dwarves : Smaller, bearded humans who live in caves and tend to hate anyone who doesn't follow their strict laws. Their meat is extremely rough and lacks nutrients.

Orcs : The least tasty of tribal humanoids, who actively lead war bands against human and elf, settled and tribal, alike.

Reptiles : Lizardfolk, serpents, kobolds, salamanders, basilisks, and all manner of scaled predators.

Brigands : A healthy mix of everything, mostly consisting of people who were dissatisfied with their own society and rulers. Though you don't learn the tactics of your adversaries or forge any alliances, you also don't make any lasting enemies.

Ambition

Having reached adulthood a year early and survived many fights, you've discovered that you probably don't belong with your tribe, which is disconcerting because gnolls themselves don't belong with anyone. But rather than dwell on it, you applied the gnoll solution to any problem that could not be killed: you packed up and left one day.

9. What made you strike out on your own? (choose one, two, or three)

Famine

Sick of living in parent's shadow

Raid gone horribly wrong

Raid gone horribly right

Desired to stop the enemies' expansion

Didn't wish to see gnollkind eventually massacred

Desired a home

Other (specify)

10. Where did you travel?

Westward , to distant lands reachable only by sea, to trade a hopeless end for gnoll-kind's possible survival

Southwest , toward thick forests and swamps

Northeast , through mountains (can also go underground through here)

Underground , via natural caverns

Southeast , toward deserts