Gnoll Stronghold Anyone???
CharlestonianTemplar
Member Posts: 855
Hi Modders: I posted the following in another thread a couple of weeks ago. Lot's of folks liked the idea as did many in an earlier thread on the same topic. It was suggested that I bring this to the modder community to see if it could get any traction. And so I do. Below is the original note I wrote. Any chance anything like this could happen?
I was writing my adventure recap for my latest trip to the Gnoll Stronghold for this thread:
http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/14574/baldur-s-gate-series-and-icewind-dale-series-minimal-reload-challenge-spoiler-warning#latest
As I was expanding my narrative a bit, trying to read a little bit about Gnolls as they were described in D&D & AD&D. I came across a reminder that the DEMON LORD OF GNOLLS in the old Monster Manual was YEENOGHU.
Some thoughts came to mind for expansion (& that's when I found the original thread on this - for some reason I couldn't reply, so I decided to start fresh):
Some information on YEENOGHU to fuel the fire, borrowed from AD&D & Wikipedia sources.
Description: YEENOGHU combines the worst features of a Gnoll and demon in one immense form. Standing 12-foot-tall (3.7 m), his body is gaunt and lanky, and patches of yellow fur stained with brown spots cover him. Leprous gray skin and suppurating wounds mar his body, revealing the corruption of his flesh and spirit. His head is a large, anthropomorphic hyena’s, with glowing red eyes and a toothy maw from which spills strings of drool. He is often depicted wielding a three-headed flail.
As a demon lord, YEENOGHU rules the 422nd layer of the Abyss, aptly and unimaginatively named Yeenoghu's Realm. It is a salt-swept wasteland bordering a foul ocean in which lurk Gnolls, hyena-like creatures, and various carrion-eating undead. Before YEENOGHU took over the layer, it was known as the Savage Searing, ruled by the fallen Celestial demon lord known as Azael. Even before Azael, the layer was realm to the obyrith Lord of Storms and Tempests, Bechard. YEENOGHU himself lives in a wheeled, mansion-like yurt the size of a city pulled by thousands of slaves, which slowly makes its way across the layer.
Worshippers: YEENOGHU is revered by both Gnolls and ghouls, as well as power-hungry humanoids of other races. He acts as the patron for Gnolls, wishing to see a material world where other humanoids are simple slave labor or food. However, with his own conquests in the Abyss requiring direct attention, YEENOGHU also attracts other followers who seek power, often corrupting them into supporting his undead armies. One such Abyssal conquest was the White Kingdom, a layer devoted to ghouls and other undead. After YEENOGHU subjugated Doresain, King of Ghouls, the hungry dead began revering him as well.
Clergy: The typical ceremonial vestments of YEENOGHU'S priesthood are dark brown robes accented by mangy yellow furs. The robes are never cleaned, becoming fouled with blood and reeking of dead flesh over time. Clerics of YEENOGHU have access to the domains of Chaos, Demonic, Evil, and Fury. According to page 8 the Deities & Demigods supplement, Erythnul grants YEENOGHU clerics their spells, with YEENOGHU acting as a go-between and a loyal servant, at least, until the chance for him to achieve godhood himself is within his grasp.
Temples: YEENOGHU has few formal shrines or temples. His unholy sites are rocks in the wilderness smeared with blood and feces and crude paintings. In the Abyss his temples are more elaborate, taking the form of five-sided, six-tiered ziggurats covered in corpses and swarming flies.
I wish I had the skills of a modder to run w/this b/c run w/it I would. As an old AD&D Dungeon Master, I could have a blast designing the adventure - but alas, unless it's p&p D&D, I'm out of luck, b/c a modder I'm not.
With all the information above, one can envision that beneath the Gnoll Stronghold are numerous tribes of Gnolls, Gnoll Veterans, Gnoll Slashers led by Flinds and/or Gnoll Chieftain's. Ghouls, who also revere YEENOGHU, would be wandering everywhere as would other humanoids (e.g. Xvarts, Kobolds, maybe Goblins & Orcs who ar enot currently in BG1). These would be subservient to their Gnoll masters IAW this quote from above, "He acts as the patron for Gnolls, wishing to see a material world where other humanoids are simple slave labor or food." Heck, you could even tie in "Doresain, The King of the Ghouls', who has been subjugated to YEENOGHU.
There is so much here. I'm more than happy to use my former AD&D DM skills to help write the narrative and the plot but would need help turning it into anything more than something akin to the old AD&D Modules. It w ould involve moving Dynahier somewhere else (maybe) - like you can do w/Quayle & some other NPCs...or maybe you hit the stronghold early but then return later in the game after finishing the current adventure. Something keys PCs to return there & when they return an entrance in the caves, or main fortress, is suddenly open - like the door to where Claire & the Demon Knight are in Durlag's Tower.
YEENOGHU could be reached through a portal in a temple in the deepest depths of the Gnoll Stronghold, or, if that is too high in level for BG1 then maybe his 'high priest' resides there. But seeing as in the current game PCs fight the Demon Knight & Aec'Letec (a Demon Lord) it is not inconceivable that they could face YEENOGHU, Demon Prince & Demon Lord of Gnolls, and/or 'Doresain, The King of the Ghouls' or both in an expanded adventure.
With these ideas, is there a snowballs chance in the '422nd layer of the Abyss' that this could lead to anything?
CT
I was writing my adventure recap for my latest trip to the Gnoll Stronghold for this thread:
http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/14574/baldur-s-gate-series-and-icewind-dale-series-minimal-reload-challenge-spoiler-warning#latest
As I was expanding my narrative a bit, trying to read a little bit about Gnolls as they were described in D&D & AD&D. I came across a reminder that the DEMON LORD OF GNOLLS in the old Monster Manual was YEENOGHU.
Some thoughts came to mind for expansion (& that's when I found the original thread on this - for some reason I couldn't reply, so I decided to start fresh):
Some information on YEENOGHU to fuel the fire, borrowed from AD&D & Wikipedia sources.
Description: YEENOGHU combines the worst features of a Gnoll and demon in one immense form. Standing 12-foot-tall (3.7 m), his body is gaunt and lanky, and patches of yellow fur stained with brown spots cover him. Leprous gray skin and suppurating wounds mar his body, revealing the corruption of his flesh and spirit. His head is a large, anthropomorphic hyena’s, with glowing red eyes and a toothy maw from which spills strings of drool. He is often depicted wielding a three-headed flail.
As a demon lord, YEENOGHU rules the 422nd layer of the Abyss, aptly and unimaginatively named Yeenoghu's Realm. It is a salt-swept wasteland bordering a foul ocean in which lurk Gnolls, hyena-like creatures, and various carrion-eating undead. Before YEENOGHU took over the layer, it was known as the Savage Searing, ruled by the fallen Celestial demon lord known as Azael. Even before Azael, the layer was realm to the obyrith Lord of Storms and Tempests, Bechard. YEENOGHU himself lives in a wheeled, mansion-like yurt the size of a city pulled by thousands of slaves, which slowly makes its way across the layer.
Worshippers: YEENOGHU is revered by both Gnolls and ghouls, as well as power-hungry humanoids of other races. He acts as the patron for Gnolls, wishing to see a material world where other humanoids are simple slave labor or food. However, with his own conquests in the Abyss requiring direct attention, YEENOGHU also attracts other followers who seek power, often corrupting them into supporting his undead armies. One such Abyssal conquest was the White Kingdom, a layer devoted to ghouls and other undead. After YEENOGHU subjugated Doresain, King of Ghouls, the hungry dead began revering him as well.
Clergy: The typical ceremonial vestments of YEENOGHU'S priesthood are dark brown robes accented by mangy yellow furs. The robes are never cleaned, becoming fouled with blood and reeking of dead flesh over time. Clerics of YEENOGHU have access to the domains of Chaos, Demonic, Evil, and Fury. According to page 8 the Deities & Demigods supplement, Erythnul grants YEENOGHU clerics their spells, with YEENOGHU acting as a go-between and a loyal servant, at least, until the chance for him to achieve godhood himself is within his grasp.
Temples: YEENOGHU has few formal shrines or temples. His unholy sites are rocks in the wilderness smeared with blood and feces and crude paintings. In the Abyss his temples are more elaborate, taking the form of five-sided, six-tiered ziggurats covered in corpses and swarming flies.
I wish I had the skills of a modder to run w/this b/c run w/it I would. As an old AD&D Dungeon Master, I could have a blast designing the adventure - but alas, unless it's p&p D&D, I'm out of luck, b/c a modder I'm not.
With all the information above, one can envision that beneath the Gnoll Stronghold are numerous tribes of Gnolls, Gnoll Veterans, Gnoll Slashers led by Flinds and/or Gnoll Chieftain's. Ghouls, who also revere YEENOGHU, would be wandering everywhere as would other humanoids (e.g. Xvarts, Kobolds, maybe Goblins & Orcs who ar enot currently in BG1). These would be subservient to their Gnoll masters IAW this quote from above, "He acts as the patron for Gnolls, wishing to see a material world where other humanoids are simple slave labor or food." Heck, you could even tie in "Doresain, The King of the Ghouls', who has been subjugated to YEENOGHU.
There is so much here. I'm more than happy to use my former AD&D DM skills to help write the narrative and the plot but would need help turning it into anything more than something akin to the old AD&D Modules. It w ould involve moving Dynahier somewhere else (maybe) - like you can do w/Quayle & some other NPCs...or maybe you hit the stronghold early but then return later in the game after finishing the current adventure. Something keys PCs to return there & when they return an entrance in the caves, or main fortress, is suddenly open - like the door to where Claire & the Demon Knight are in Durlag's Tower.
YEENOGHU could be reached through a portal in a temple in the deepest depths of the Gnoll Stronghold, or, if that is too high in level for BG1 then maybe his 'high priest' resides there. But seeing as in the current game PCs fight the Demon Knight & Aec'Letec (a Demon Lord) it is not inconceivable that they could face YEENOGHU, Demon Prince & Demon Lord of Gnolls, and/or 'Doresain, The King of the Ghouls' or both in an expanded adventure.
With these ideas, is there a snowballs chance in the '422nd layer of the Abyss' that this could lead to anything?
CT
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