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 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.

Lair
Old abandoned mine.