So, Who Or What Are The Great Gnolls Of G'Normandy?

The Great Gnolls were bred from the brightest and largest Goblin bloodlines by the Great Wizard (nobody knows his true name because as everyone knows, true names have power). They were schooled in the ways of men and were taught the values of discipline, and order as well as the arts of metal working and armouring in imitation of the men of the Western Lands, whose proto-chivalric existence was well suited these disciplined folk.

Over time the Great Wizard expanded his lands and created the city-state of G'Normandy (well, that’s what you do when you’ve spent a life studying diabolic magicks) and, being less affected by daylight than their more ‘natural’ cousins, the Great Gnolls populated that land, building human style keeps of wood over the networks of tunnels in which they lived. A few human warlords got quite a surprise when they assaulted what they thought was a keep containing a few dozen defenders, only to find that there were hundreds of well trained and well equipped Great Gnolls in vast tunnel complexes below (it was akin to picking a boil), who relied on discipline and tactics rather than fungal brews and bloody great balls and chains.

The Great Wizard has not been seen in decades, but his creations continue to slowly expand his borders so that G’Normandy is encroaching into other civilised realms. Is this natural expansion, or is it a sign that the Great Wizard is still very much alive and plotting something a bit nasty?

The Great Gnolls have varied skin colours but they are less vivid than those of their Goblinoid cousins, tending towards ochre, olive and swarthy flesh tones, as well as insipid blues and oranges. Their eyes can be either very human in appearance, solid black or red. 

They are tall for goblins at around 5 feet with a slightly bandy gait, which belies their strength and dexterity. 

They are braver than many of their cousins, but also have a greater intellect and thus, are not going to hang around if it makes no tactical sense.