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Second only to orcs, there is no race quite as versatile as gnolls. Gnolls being primarily scavengers and opportunists, they can adapt to any environment and make the most of any available resources. Being bigger and stronger than orcs, they fail to consistently dominate regions because of their brutish and chaotic lifestyles and generally rustic living conditions. As such, disease and impromptu duels between group members cut their population down with significant regularity Gnolls have a loose hierarchy. A group is called a kaszh and each kaszh is led by a khan. This is usually the extent of the organization, but depending upon the nature of the group, in other words a group that is trying to mobilize militarily or accomplish anything especially in large numbers, an orakhan may come into power who then may place gurkhans to lead individual khans and their kaszhs. These larger gatherings are extremely rare and it is not usual for gnolls to exhibit the unity and interpersonal respect required for prolonged engagements, particularly in very large groups. It is possible for some very large kaszhs to exist and some are known, but usually such a situation means that there is a very powerful and well respected khan who can organize and even alter the nature of his or her people. Though women do tend to be of a lesser status, mostly because they aren't as tough, gnolls defer to the stronger and better warrior, so a female who can best the males in her kaszh is respected as any male. Gnollish women are not automatically called upon to tend to the children and the home as is the case with females in most communities of the hard races. What this means is that cleaning and child care and healing are performed by the individuals who want to do these things, which often means they don't get done. Many unnecessary strains are put upon the gnollish peoples because they don't attend to these preservative needs. Gnoll camps are often filled with filth and waste, children are left unattended and often die of neglect, and the sick and wounded are left to die as there is usually no individual with the skills or desire to exert the effort. Instead they usually take what is immediately accessible and use it for their needs in any way they possibly can. In this manner, they don't need to learn weaponsmithing or leathercraft or any other skill, they just need to take it or find some other usable option to hastily patch their current need. This isn't because gnolls are all stupid, and some do learn skills and trades, but gnollish culture is generally short-sighted. Gnolls are tempestuous, impatient, and volatile. When they see something they want, they go get it. It is difficult to get them to wait for anything. They don't focus on anything too long. Planning anything for the future is typically beyond their capacity. In many ways they hearken to their not too distant animalistic behaviors of living only immediately and being directed actively toward the most attention catching element in their arena of awareness. This preoccupation with the moment has actually manifested itself into formal law and a differing version of temporal understanding. Gnolls have a word for "forever," but to them change redefines circumstances and alters the "forever." Basically, forever has limits. It is extremely important to know that with the arrival of a full moon everything is changed. You can make an agreement or a gnoll can sign a contract but at the very least with the arrival of the full moon all bets are off, all contracts are null. Every gnoll under the full moon's gaze starts anew -- all debts are gone, all crimes are pardoned, all burdens are lifted and in this rebirth they can then start over in their policy of depredation with a clear conscience. Amongst the more rustic kaszhs this clean slate is a powerful doctrine of religious significance that defines their spiritual nature. It is a model that tells of arriving in their world as free masters of forever, but as the weight of living grows and one becomes more ridiculously attached to elements of reality, the moon comes and slices through the bonds that limit true free-living. Once free they can continue through a new eternity. Usually, however, doctrine is used as a convenience, and there is not much spiritual significance to breaking an oath at the full moon for most gnolls. What is significant is the centrality of the notion, as they still cling to the excuse granted by the moon when they could just choose to be deceitful for no reason at all. True devotees of this gnollish sense of segmented reality understand that change of any kind is an actual breaking point from one reality to the next. Though many have attempted to make it understandable through textual definition, all that consistently results is just another interpretation (mostly because it is hard to identify when a change causes a break) and ultimately the wisest have accepted that at best this philosophy is defined by intuition. Though most don't come near this level of examination, gnolls embrace this inexactness of living like no other. Put bluntly, "The world is crazy so I do what I want." When gnolls are relaxed they are very noisy. Physically they appear as hyenas and vocally they have the same tonal quality as well. This means that their language is a mixture of growls, yips, whines, barks and gnolls have adapted their tongues to add a sharp clicking sound as well. When focused on hunting or hiding they can be quiet, but if their mind wanders or they are at ease they often vocalize their spontaneous emotions without being aware. Short yips, whines and laughs are the most common expressions made when in recollection whereas growls and extended laughs erupt when actively emotive. When speaking their sentences are littered with little emotional sounds which makes it difficult to understand for an unschooled linguist as words can get blurred within the emotive particles. In any case, they usually speak loudly in most circumstance. Locating a gnoll camp is very easy. Most gnolls don't do well in civilized environments. They don't seem to notice when they have entered an area where certain behaviors are required. Everything still revolves around them and their need to be satisfied. The volatile nature of gnolls also makes it hard for them to contain their emotions. |