I put this little fake journal entry as my description for my Gnoll homebrew, i more or less did it on the fly but i enjoyed doing it.
Excerpt from "My time with the Gnolls" by Jaysis Une
" In my most recent travels of study i found myself in the unenviable position of being captured by a warband of Gnolls. For reasons i didnt understand they did not immediately kill me but instead threw me in a dug out earthen pit covered with a roughly made barred top of branches. I had just hit the bottom of the pit and was gathering my bearings when.. "You must escape." came a voice from the other side of the dark pit, i quickly turned towards the direction of the voice surprised to find i wasnt alone, but was even more so to find i shared my new "cell" with another Gnoll as well. Was i thrown in with this beast to be its plaything? its food? Was it some kind of Gnoll Chieftan? "Wuh-what? " i replied visbily shaking in fear, i was a researcher after all, a biologist, not a fighter, i would not mount much of a defense against this hulking demon. "They keep you, kill later, for Flind arrive, Flind gets mad when the others dont leave him blood." The Gnoll explained to me quietly without looking up. For whatever reason, perhaps something in its tone, my fear began to subside, something inside me assured me my cell mate was no threat to me, the researcher in me however would not be so easily imprisoned. "Why have they thrown you in here?" I asked him (i think it was a him) still cautiously. "I am broken." He responded meekly and though im not sure but if i didnt know better i could swear he smirked and softly chuckled as he made this comment, Gnolls make such a variety of noises its hard to determine sometimes. "Broken?" i pressed on. With this he looked up at me for the first time, what little light that was reaching us at the bottom of our hole now reflecting in his yellow eyes giving them the appearance of glowing, sending chills down my spine. "I am clean, of Yeenoghu, i no longer hear, i no longer heed, I am clean. Broken they say." he explained pointing upwards to clarify whom he was speaking of. His common tongue was not very fluid but he definitely demonstrated a level of intelligence i to this point had never seen exhibited in a Gnoll. The scientist inside me roared to life, my mind was over come with questions and possibilities, no longer considering my predicament. I straightened myself into a more comfortable position and swatted some dirt from my pants "My name is Jaysis, well met." i offered. He turned his head and side eyed me seemingly confused and a little suspicious ( from kindness?) after a moment or two "Hoontra, I am Hoontra" The large gnoll offered back tapping his big clawed hands against his chest as he too straightened to face me better, it was then as he came more into the limited light i noticed both his legs were badly broken. "Youre hurt." i pointed to his legs stating what must have seemed obvious. Hoontra shrugged, "Dead soon, Home soon." he replied as he looked up at the night sky through the bars as if contemplating the stars, remarkably calmly. His mannerisms expressed a thoughtfulness that surprised me more than his inteliigence.
Gnolls with thoughts?
"How did you become Broken?...eh Clean Hoontra?" i pressed him further and again the big gnoll shrugged, not breaking his gaze from the sky "Mother call me, I wake up in the woods clean, no more mad, no more hungry, just Hoontra. Just Hoontra and Mother." with this Hoontra resignedly smiled, I cant be certain it was a smile, but i like to believe it was. There he sat staring skyward Hoontra showed no sign of pain, no sign of anger, sadness or anxiety, just what seemed contentment as he continued to look out into the night. Each answer Hoontra gave me only raised more questions in me "Who is Mother Hoontra? who cleaned you? " With this question again Hoontra looked to me and extended his large muscular arm to the dirt wall besides him and gently pressed his large clawed fingers against a roughly carved image of a Unicorn head. "MeekiLee, Meekilee is mother." The coincidences were too striking to not be comfortable in assuming that "MeekiLee" was his pronunciation or interpretation of Mielikki the forest goddess. I was gobsmacked, was it true? Could the Gnolls be cleansed of their demonic taint? Had the ranger goddess cleansed this gnoll? Hoontra continued "Meekilee forgive, Meekilee love me, soon i die and run in tall grass forever, and Meekilee run with me." Hoontra looked to a small wooden circle carved with the image of a unicorn he wore around his neck with some shoddy twine. He turned it around in his fingers for a few seconds before shifting onto his back "I sleep, If you escape, i help, wake up Hoontra." I smiled at thesurprising beast and crossed my arms, a million questions rolling through my mind pushing away the reality of my imminent death, my thoughts however were short lived, broken by the sudden sounds of battle above. Hoontra straightened up eyes wide. With stunning speed he launched himself forward on just his arms, dragging his broken legs behind him and grabbed me. He pushed me behind his huge body defensively and lowered his head in a snarl, the the black mohawk of hair running down his spine spiking upwards. I tensed in fear suddenly overwhelmed by everything going on around me, was this it? was this how i die? I sunk my fingers into the tattered cloak Hoontra wore over his back and i closed my eyes when suddenly a loud BANG rang out from above followed by several gentle thuds. Hoontra exhaled deeply and his body went limp.
"Jaysis! Jaysis Une! are you down there? " a voice called down into the hole as light suddenly surrounded me. "Yes! im here!" i responded as i looked up and saw three armed men holding crossbows and a torch. "You ok?" another of the men continued. "Im unharmed!" i yelled back relieved but saddened as i looked down at the body of Hoontra. "Ok just hold on a minute. we'll find some rope and get you out of there." the men said as they walked out of my range of vision. I rolled Hoontra over onto his back as gentle as i was able, he was shockingly heavy, i surveyed his arrow riddled body and sighed. There was no way the men could've known, who in a million years would ever believe a Gnoll could be anything, but well...a gnoll?
I sat beside Hoontra for a few minutes just taking in the moment, being able to truly appreciate how big a gnoll is, id likely never be this close to one again. That was when i noticed his arm, layed across his chest and holding his "Meekilee" symbol in his hand, a peaceful smile, yes, it was a smile, on his canine face. "Doctor! we're lowering the rope to you now." the men had returned. "Gentleman!" i spoke back "Im going to need to take this corpse back with me, for study " i said to the men. The leader sighed "Doctor, there are plenty of dead gnolls up here we ...." he tried to explain when i cut him off "No, i need this one, ten gold for each of you if you help me get it back to my home." With this the mens eye widened and with smiles they hurried off to find more rope.
Of course there will be no study.
there is a clearing in my garden at the base of an old oak tree surrounded by different flowers and bushes and things with a clear view of the sky and the stars at night, i often sit there to read my books by candle light and occasionally, distracted by the infinite night sky i stare off and wonder about everything and nothing. This is where ill bury my friend Hoontra and perhaps leave a carved stone unicorn so Meekilee will know where to find her son.
That is very cool. I love it.
'The Cleverness of mushrooms always surprises me!' - Ivern Bramblefoot.
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That is a nice D&D story. Thanks for sharing it.
Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt
Thanks so much for reading it guys
Wow. That is very good. I'm impressed!
Five percent of the people think; ten percent of the people think they think; and the other eighty-five percent would rather die than think.
An intelligent man believes only half of what he hears, a wise man knows which half. (Even Esar)
Don't wait for the perfect moment to strike, strike in the current moment and make it perfect. (William Yeats)
STATUS: Personal Problems, will not be active for a few days.
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thank you so much!
I loved your story!
Thank you!