Gorellik was the gnoll deity prior to the rise of the demon prince Yeenoghu. Gorellik fell out of favor among gnolls after Yeenoghu rose to prominence, though he was already in great decline before this.[1]
Description
Edit
Gorellik's one and only avatar appeared as either a tall gnoll with mange or as a hyaenodon with blotchy white fur.[1]
PersonalityEdit
Gorellik became more savage and feral as his power declined.[1]
AbilitiesEdit
Every few years at random intervals, he could travel between the planes.[1] Any gnoll that encountered him on the planes (i.e., got within his tiny spherical realm) was immediately transformed into a hyaenodon and joined his hunting pack, unless they were a gnoll priest or shaman of some other deity.[3] He could also charm any canine, but only twice a day.[1]
Divine RealmEdit
After his long decline, his realm was limited to about a 100 yd (91 m) radius around his person.[3]
ActivitiesEdit
In his relative weakness, Gorellik spent most of his time prowling Pandemonium and the Abyss in his avatar form.[1][3]
RelationshipsEdit
Gorellik had no allies and his primary rival was Yeenoghu.[1]
HistoryEdit
Long ago, Gorellik was the one who originally taught gnolls how to train hyenas for use in hunting. Gorellik had the status of a lesser deity and was perhaps even a higher power, but his followers respected only force and they gradually turned toward the evil side of the giant pantheon. Early gnoll myths did not tell of a creation story for their race so Gorellik could not even claim this familial tie to bind the gnolls to him. Then Yeenoghu, an interloper demon lord that inserted himself with the giants (and made his avatar giant-sized) was able to grab attention from the rudderless gnolls and his power increased as Gorellik's faded away.[1] Yeenoghu offered the gnoll priests new abilities, such as command undead and spells for witchdoctors, that Gorellik could not, and it was only a matter of time before they abandoned Gorellik in droves.[1][4]
In modern history, Gorellik was worshiped by the gnoll tribes of the Shaar, but saw a sharp decline in the Year of the Fanged Beast, 640 DR, as Yeenoghu surged in popularity and emboldened the tribes to attack the region around Lake Lhespen with their newly acquired shamanistic power.[5][6]
Less than a millennium later, Yeenoghu's purview over the gnolls was, for all practical purposes, complete.[7][note 1]
AppendixEdit
NotesEdit
- ↑ The Demonomicon of Iggwilv article states that Yeenoghu slaughtered Gorellik during the conflict between the gods and the primordials in prehistoric times. This could be the victors writing the history, because Gorellik still had a smattering of followers and was known in modern times. Perhaps he was just slowly dying from his wounds.
ReferencesEdit
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Carl Sargent (May 1992). Monster Mythology. (TSR, Inc), p. 83. ISBN 1-5607-6362-0.
- ↑ Colin McComb (1996). On Hallowed Ground. Edited by Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc), p. 176. ISBN 0-7869-0430-5.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Wolfgang Baur and Lester Smith (1994-07-01). “The Book of Chaos”. In Michele Carter ed. Planes of Chaos (TSR, Inc), p. 9. ISBN 1560768746.
- ↑ Colin McComb (1996). On Hallowed Ground. Edited by Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc), p. 137. ISBN 0-7869-0430-5.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd, Darrin Drader (July 2004). Serpent Kingdoms. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 103. ISBN 0-7869-3277-5.
- ↑ Brian R. James and Ed Greenwood (September, 2007). The Grand History of the Realms. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 93. ISBN 978-0-7869-4731-7.
- ↑ Robert J. Schwalb (June 2008). “The Demonomicon of Iggwilv: Yeenoghu”. In Chris Youngs ed. Dragon #364 (Wizards of the Coast), p. 10.
