Wormhollow tribe

Kikkling the Slight killed the pack leader of the Wormhollow tribe—a monstrous flind called Ghaldahag—in his sleep 3 years ago. He quickly claimed that he did so with Nga/ani the Warrior Queen’s blessing, though since his tribe has joined the ranks of the Carrion King, he claims the assassination was actually Khro’s will. In truth, the rest of the pack cared not one way or the other about what god slight and seemingly sickly Kikkling followed, for his rule has proven far less severe and significantly more beneficial than their past leader’s. A toady and false zealot, Kikkling the Slight opportunistically panders to the Carrion King, sending regular, needless tributes to the warlord while seeking out word of other tribes who denounce the worship of the god of wrath. From their cavernous lair—one of the oldest gnoll holdings near Pale Mountain—the Wormhollow gnolls follow Kikkling’s whims, watching for signs of dissension and faithlessness in their fellows.

Symbol: Pyramidal pile of bone-white rocks.

Size of Tribe: 45 gnolls, 4 flinds, 6 gnoll slaves.

Leader: Kikkling the Slight (NE male gnoll rogue 7), deceitful sycophant of the Carrion King.

Notable Members: Korkor (NE male gnoll rogue 3), inquisitor; Sinvew (CE female gnoll ranger 3), stalker and spy; Glos (NE male gnoll cleric of Khro 4), eldest faithful of the god of wrath.

Territory: The Wormhollow tribe controls a shallow cave system that winds through the base of Pale Mountain.  None outside of this tribe know how deep the caves go, and other tribes believe the caverns bore all the way into the land of the dead. The truth is far less dramatic, but the Wormhollow gnolls enjoy the fear and awe their eerie home lends them. Members of the Wormhollow tribe rarely venture outside the caves except to hunt and spy upon their supposed allies.

Lair: The entrance to the Wormhollow tribe’s domain is the largest cave entrance on Pale Mountain. An opening in the cliffs on the mountain’s lower western slopes bears the crudely sculpted visage of a snarling hyena or gnoll.  Within lies a cramped and heavily trapped cavern leading to a constantly manned guard post and the main hall of the Wormhollow tribe. Within this trapped corridor, the gnolls keep two giant solifugid “guard dogs,” huge spiderlike desert insects with a hunger for hairless flesh. In the caverns beyond lie numerous chambers, including the cave of Kikkling (high on the wall of the main room) and a large shrine once dedicated to Nga/ani and reconsecrated to Khro. Beyond lie caves that wind to hidden escape routes, though one tunnel hides a crevice known only to Kikkling that leads all the way to the Darklands.

Society: The Wormhollow tribe used to be the most secretive of all tribes around Pale Mountain. With the coming of the Carrion King, though, their white-dyed fur and squinty eyes have become synonymous with deception and fanaticism—if not for Khro than for the Carrion King himself. Scouts of the Wormhollow tribe regularly make their ways among the disorganized lesser tribes and warbands of their warlord’s horde, seeking to garner their tribe leader’s and the Carrion King’s favor by rooting out the lazy and unfaithful, or simply the weak. Not powerful warriors or great hunters, the Wormhollow gnolls seek to elevate themselves above the other tribes through information, falsehood, and perceived loyalty.

Service to the Carrion King: The Carrion King realizes that Kikkling panders to him, but the praise and tribute pleases him. He also enjoys the fear the Wormhollow tribe provokes in the other tribes, increasing fear of the warlord but deflecting anger and resentment toward Kikkling’s people. The Wormhollow gnolls also possess useful skills as spies and liars, services at which few other gnoll tribes excel and which the Carrion King readily takes advantage of in his deals with distant tribes and keeping tabs on the hordes of the Red Sultana—another gnoll warlord—to the south.

Adventure Hook: The other gnolls have grown tired of the Wormhollow tribe’s endless scrutiny and accusations.  Drovoag the Lame was driven from his tribe when Kikkling’s spies accused him of worshiping old demons. He encounters the PCs in their travels and begs for their help in infiltrating the Wormhollow caves, destroying their shrine to Khro, and leaving a message that the god is displeased with Kikkling. The gnoll ranger knows a back way into the tribe’s caves, but the way is infested with the eggs of giant solifugids. In return for their aid, Drovoag offers to show the PCs the way to the hidden caves where the Wormhollow tribe stores its ancient treasures.