Gnoll

​​​​​ A gnoll is a humanoid creature stretching up to about seven feet tall. They had muscular torsos, thin dog like legs, extended neck with spots of fur, ears curled upward, and a dog-like snout. They were strong able to rapidly dart and leap across areas. They communicated in yips and growls and had a hyena-like laugh. As well as their bite, they used spears and longbows. They wore patchwork hide and leather armor over mangy fur that was coated in thick oily liquid smelling of acrid rotting flesh.

Society
Traveling in small roving hunting packs of half a dozen at a time, these humanoids were generally seen on the outskirts of civilization. Such packs were seen to roam from as far east as Bladegarden and the border with Xhorhas, to all the way to the south beyond Trostenwald.

Although known to be easily provoked into violence, large-scale raids against points of civilization, like had occurred to Alfield, were generally too dangerous for their small packs, and would only dare to do so out of desperation.

Aggressively hungry creatures, gnoll would eat what flesh they could get a hold of, though they had been known to be opportunistic hunters, keeping to small game and the occasional person who had wandered too far from their fields. On occasion when food was scarce, it would not be uncommon for gnoll to turn to cannibalism in their obsessive hunger. Feeding on each other, gnoll would pile up the bones of the dead whose flesh they had devoured.

Worship
Worshiping dark powers the gnoll were seen to have banners made of flesh with the mark* of a demon lord of the abyss called Yeenoghu. Through rituals performed in the name of this patron, the gnoll were able to take the corpses of the fellow gnoll they had consumed and raise them up as undead warriors in their service.

Yeenoghu
A demonic lord of the abyss, Yeenoghu was a large feral bestial demon that had once roamed the prime material plane. Ever hungering, and ever wandering to conquer and devour all in its wake, leaving destruction, feted meat, and wave and waves of yipping angry hyenas that would devour what was left behind.

Gnoll Witherling (Undead Gnoll)
With clumps of fur, sloughing off dried flesh, and exposed bone, these undead skeletal gnolls had part of their skull pushing out of their snout. They shambled alongside their living allies during the attack of Alfield and had gnashing teeth, claws for tearing flesh, and a heavy wooden club.

According to Bryce's research, the Witherlings are gnolls who did not survive food shortages. After they were eaten by other gnolls, someone raised them from the dead.

Gnoll Pack Lord
This thicker more heavily armored gnoll was the leader of the pack attacking Alfield. They wore ornate scale mail armor with thick bony manticore spines that were woven into the shoulders, the back of their large helmet, and the sides of the armor. These 1.5-2 feet long spines may have served a defensive purpose or perhaps only been an ornate adornment meant to look scary. This gnoll wielded a longbow, and a large 2-handed glaive with an ax-like hooked blade with spines affixed to the edge of it. It also carried a large shield making its armor class 16.

Behaviour
Conducting a ceremony to Yeenoghu, they placed several hearts onto an altar within the lair, which after giving small muffled barks and yipping sounds and saying a prayer in broken common, the gnolls around them yipped in unison, tore into and devoured.

"'The hunger will be fed, ours and hers.”"

Attire
Smaller than the gnolls, this humanoid figure wore a hollowed out skin of a gnoll. Wearing the skin like armor they used the jawless head as a hood, and sections of the arms like handless gloves. Part of this armor was discolored and rotting with long bony manticore spines piercing through elements in the shoulders and head of this gnoll hide that they were wearing.

Hyena
On the bottom of the gnoll totem pole hierarchy, these beasts were dwelt among the gnoll and acted as guard dogs. Pushed around by the gnoll, they were last to eat and would tear at whatever scraps remained.

Lair - Rill's Mouth Mines
Located a little over an hour and half to the east of Alfield and north of the Rillway Road this old abandoned mine was the lair from which the gnolls coordinated their attack on Alfied. This lair was found among a series of large rolling hills, topped with broken shale, and were surrounded by vibrant green grasses and tall weeds that varied from knee to chest hight.

Mineshaft Yard
In a barren valley of rock and dirt, this yard contained large wooden pan tables, broken boxes, pickaxes, the remanence of some rusted lanterns, and the three carts that the gnolls had used to haul captives and spoils back to their lair.

Gathered around and licking the dried blood splatter that has soaked into the wood of the carts were three hyenas guard dogs.

Smart and cautious of being followed, the gnoll hid the entrance into their lair by deliberately sweeping and dusting their track around  the mineshaft yard with dirt. To further hide the location of the entrance, on an eastern hill within this valley, the gnoll had created a 12x12 foot blanket of interwoven grasses to cover it over.

Abandoned Shed
Around the corner, hidden among the cluster of hill of the mine, was an old shed that had long been abandoned and locked up.

Shakäste found and used this place on the surface to keep the survivors he'd rescued out of harm’s way while he searched and rescued other captives.

Mine Enterance
As well as the wooden support structure of the interior, this mine shaft contained a partial barricade made up of piles of broken furniture, dry rotted pickaxe handles, and wooden beams that were shattered and jammed into each other. Placed flanking each side of the enterence way, there was only around a three foot wide gap that acted as a path into the mine. This shaft was around 35 feet long and had only a faint amount of light which bled in from the entrance, beyond which it quickly became pitch black.

Common Area
Forty feet into the mine the shaft widens into a more open area with sloped ceilings. The space was around 35 feet across, widening further to around 45-50 feet towards the back of the chamber, before descending down into two different pathways.

Both of these shafts have wooden frames for support and curved in opposite directions down at a steady 45-degree angle. Neither tunnel showed signs of change in air current or temperature. Both of these passages seemed to contain equal amounts of footprints and traffic.

Trap
Stretched across the opening of the shaft into this chamber was a rope, that was connected to a large log affixed to the sealing set as a swinging trap against intruders. Nott failing to have seen it, sprung the trap which caused it to loudly slam against the rock wall of the shaft and thus alert the gnoll deeper in the mine.

Contents
Although it appeared that the majority of what would have filled this chamber at one point was taken and used as part of the barricade at the entrance, this chamber had a handful of tables, some chairs, sacks of mildewed rice grain, and dry rotted burlap bags of supplies which were strewn about.

Additionally, there was an untapped ale and water barrel, a half full hooded lantern that was partially rusted over, a crowbar, and a slightly rotted sledgehammer.

“Boom-Boom Stick”
"“That’s the alchemical term.” – Nott"

This small ladder rung sized lightweight rod had a waxed twine hanging from one ends. The rod felt to be made of a type of hard clay and smelled similar to that of the explosive catalytic reagent that made up alchemists fire. When exposed to fire it was thought that this rod would create a large explosion.

Left Passage
Descending and curving downwards about 15-20 feet this shaft was seen to rapidly curving to the left and then to the right for a distance of at least 25 feet. Only partially explored by Nott this passage did not seem to contain any traps and was thus not chosen by the party for further exploration. When this area was later inaccessible, upon later examination having collapsed into a cluster of rock and rubble.

Right Passage
Curving down, the right passage there appeared to be a slight depression on the right side of the shaft. In this depression, there was a three and a half foot wide pit that was concealed by a piece of burlap sack. The pit trap took up only a part of the passage, which was about 10 feet wide. From this trap, this passage continued down in a spiral-like curve for another 40 or so feet.

The party being informed of the trap by Nott, determined that this direction warranted further exploration and choose to descend down into and beyond it for another 150 feet before it slowly levels out.

Ritual Altar Chamber
A long chamber of multiple levels, what once may have looked like a solid mining vein is now strewn with bones and flayed skin that is pinned to the rock walls with scavenged nails. Blood spattered across them with intent, a painted jagged smile of sharp teeth adornes four of these flayed hides. A faint source of light in the center level platform of this chamber flickers from a small stone altar holding a cluster of candles. The altar had one of these marked flayed skins stretched over it, as well as several glistening hearts, which were used in a ritual to Yeenoghu.

Contents
Medicinal Supplies Chest:
 * 2 Healers kits, a number of disinfecting herbs and funguses, enough for two uses, which when applied topically can remove poisons if quickly applied to the wound that was poisoned.
 * A small hand pack that contained 4 glass vials, 3 of which are shattered, the last vial contains a greater healing potion.

Y-Intersection
The shaft beyond the altar chamber curved to the right in a wide spiral, before eventually snaking a bit before sharply turning to the right. Straightens out a bit the shaft emerged into a chamber of mixed natural rock walls and simple stonework. Acting as a second common room, two other shafts, heading to the left and right, mark this chamber as a Y-intersection, Breaking the open space, two thick natural pillars or rock stood as load bearing portions of the chamber, while a crumpled section of the floor droped into a pit below. This hole was some around 50-60 feet deep, and seemed to have been an intentionally created well that has since seen disuse. Jester assumption was that pit was used as a poop hole.

Contents
Similar to the first common area, this chamber contained tables and stools are strewn about the area, as well as crates, pickaxes, shovels, and a variety of tools. Most things of worth had been either ravaged or taken, Though on the edge of this chamber was an overturned box containing a “Boom-Boom Stick”.

Right Passage
Following a loud boom that shook the interior of the chamber, that caused dust and rocks settle and fall from the ceiling, a cloud of dust and smoke came billowing out of the right passage, followed shortly by the emergence of Shakäste. Upon later inspection, this passage had collapsed and was no longer usable.

Left Passage
Along this branch, there were two closed doors. And continued deeper into the mine at a moderate grade for about 60 to 70 feet, before it leveled off and turned upwards for another 20 to 30 feet.

Prisoner Cells
When opened the first of these latched doors had strong smell of decay that was given off by four dead bodies that were in various parts and pushed to the back of the room. Two survivors were also housed in this room, a woman named Herma and her child Jules, which had just recently been removed to be taken deeper into the mine.

The second latched door contained three dead bodies and an older half-elven man named Petrov, who was injured though still alive.

Stair Passage
This passage was marked by rough stairs that rose for about 5 or 6 feet. These stairs lead off to a short tunnel that sharply curved to the left towards a large archway, that seemed to have been where a set of double doors had been but had long since been broken off their hinges.

The upper portion of this tunnel also had a large, 40-foot deep pit where part of the floor had collapsed inward.

Gallery
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