Myrgle, Adept of Yeenoghu (Gnoll NPC adept throughout his life and beyond)

For those of you who enjoyed my 1st thread "the Saga Of Hargash" I now present to you a darker more "vile" tale. In this thread I will detail the life and times of a power mad gnoll adept in his struggle to exert the will of his patron demon over his tribe and his pursuit of a final transition into undeath.

I will be using a lot of stuff from the BoVD to make Myrgle a little more frightening then the average adept.

Here is how his levels and aging will play out. Gnolls have a pretty short life expectancy, even lower than orcs, so he wont quite attain the levels that Hargash did. In additon he is hindered further by an ECL rating of 2

Age 10 years: Standard Gnoll (ECL 2)
Age 16 years: Adept L1
Age 20 years: Adept L2 (middle age)
Age 26 years: Adept L3
Age 30 yeasr: (old age)
Age 33 years: Adept L4
Age 40 years: Adept L5 (venerable)
Age 49 years: Adept L6
Age 59 years: Adept L7
Age 60 years: Death?

I will post the first stat block when I get off work at 4:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.

Dirge

Myrgle, Gnoll Shaman Apprentice
med humanoid; AL NE; CR 1; age 10
HD 2d8+6; hp 15;
Init +1; Spd 30 ft; AC 14 (+1 Dex, +1 natural, +2 leather);
BAB +1; Atk +4 melee or +2 ranged;
SV Fort +5, Ref +1, Will +2;
Str 16, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 14, Cha 08

Skills (8 points): Knowledge (religion) +4 (5), Listen +1 (6), Spot +1 (6), Wilderness Lore +2 (4)
Feats: Thrall to Demon (Yeenoghu)
Languages: abyssal, common, gnoll

Armor: Leather, +2 speed 30ft, 15 lbs.
Weapons: Heavy Flail: Atk +4 melee, Dmg 1d10+4, crit 19-20 x2
Sling: Atk +2 ranged, Dmg 1d4+3, crit x2, range 50ft

The gnolls of the Red Claw tribe are as vicious and evil as any gnolls have a right to be. They stage frequent raids on nearby human and elven settlements slaying and devouring anyone that stands in their way. The Red Claw gnolls are truly a menace to everyone and everything in their general area, but unknown to the savage humanoids a far greater evil grows unchecked in their midst.

For generations the Red Claw tribe has worshiped Malar and frequently engages in wild hunts of intelligent humanoids in honor of the malign deity. Vagak, the tribe adept, leads the Red Claw gnolls in the worship of Malar, and save for the tribe chieftain holds the most power in the tribe. Vagak now seeks to cement his influence over his people with the addition of his only son Myrgle into the ranks of Malar’s faithful.

Myrgle is a smart gnoll and is wise well beyond his years. He has eagerly learned all his father has offered to teach him about the dark arts and has feigned devotion to Malar while in secret he has given his soul to another. Over the past year Myrgle has dreamt of a strange and powerful entity that whispers darkest secrets and promises of great power into the sleep numbed mind of the young gnoll. Recently these nighttime visions have increased in strength and regularity and the entity has revealed itself to be none other than Yeenoghu, demon prince of gnolls. Yeenoghu has promised Myrgle power and magic prowess in exchange for fealty and worship, a bargain the young gnoll readily accepted. Myrgle learned of Yeenoghu from his father but was taught that the demon prince was inferior to the dread might of Malar and unworthy of true worship. Myrgle intends to teach his father and his tribe the error of its ways.

Short for a gnoll, Myrgle barely tops six and half feet in height, but he is broader and more muscular than his fellows. His ears are rounded and his muzzle shorter suggesting flind ancestry, this may also account for his increased intelligence and wisdom. Easily strong enough to be one of the dominant warriors in his tribe, he has nonetheless chosen a different, far darker path.

Myrgle, Gnoll Shaman Apprentice
Adept L1; med humanoid; AL NE; CR 1.5; age 16
HD 2d8+1d6+9; hp 21;
Init +1; Spd 30 ft; AC 15 (+1 Dex, +1 natural, +3 leather);
BAB +1; Atk +4 melee or +2 ranged;
SV Fort +5, Ref +1, Will +4;
Str 16, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 14, Cha 08

Skills (11 points): Concentration +1 (4), Knowledge (religion) +6 (7), Listen +1 (6), Spot +1 (6), Wilderness Lore +2 (4)
Feats: Thrall to Demon (Yeenoghu), Willing Deformity
Languages: abyssal, common, gnoll

Armor: Studded Leather, +3 speed 30ft, 20 lbs.
Weapons: Heavy Flail: Atk +4 melee, Dmg 1d10+4, crit 19-20 x2
Sling: Atk +2 ranged, Dmg 1d4+3, crit x2, range 50ft
Other Gear: potion of cure light wounds

Spells: 3/2
Commonly Prepared Spells
0 – cure minor wounds, detect magic, slash tongue
1st – seething eye bite, cure light wounds (1d8+1)

Myrgle has shown much potential as a a young adept and has proved himself a valuable member of his tribe. His father, Vagash, bolstered by his sons growing power has gained much prestige but keeps a close eye on his young apprentice lest he become too powerful and pose a threat to Vagash’s position.

Through his demonic patron Myrgle has gained access to spells his father has never seen, this worries Vagash as it appears that Malar has chosen Myrgle over himself to receive these special gifts. Myrgle plays the part of a devoted zealot well and his father has no knowledge of his son’s true master.

The other members of the Red Claw tribe are beginning to fear Myrgle as his devotion to Yeenoghu has begun to corrupt his body. He has become gaunt and his fur has fallen out in large patches although he displays no sign of physical weakness. He has been challenged only once; an overconfident warrior sought to usurp Myrgle’s right to devour a slain prisoner and Myrgle made a quick example of the young male. Summoning the corrupt power of Yeenoghu Myrgle smote his adversary with a terrible spell causing his eyes to burst in a spray of vitriolic fluid. Howling with pain and fury the blinded warrior feebly stumbled about attempting to locate his attacker much to the adept’s grim amusement. When Myrgle grew bored with his opponent’s agonized cries he casually beat his blinded victim to death with his flail. No one has challenged Myrgle’s right to do anything since.

For those of us who don't have BoVD, what are the benefits of the "Thrall to Demon" feat?

MavrickWeirdo said:

For those of us who don't have BoVD, what are the benefits of the "Thrall to Demon" feat?

Click to expand...

Sorry about that. The thrall to demon feat is taken when you swear allegiance to a demon lord. It allows you to pick up certain prestige class and to gain other "vile" feats. What it does for you in game is; once per day you can get a +1 bonus on any roll while pefroming an evil act.

The other feat I used, Willing Deformity, is the first in a feat chain that allows you take other deformity feats. The wiiling deformity feat itself simply gives you a +2 to intimudate.

I am sure you figured out what the seething eye bite spell does.

I plan on using other things from the BoVD because they really fit this character. I will add simple explanations for each in the future.

BLACKDIRGE said:

Sorry about that. The thrall to demon feat is taken when you swear allegiance to a demon lord. It allows you to pick up certain prestige class and to gain other "vile" feats. What it does for you in game is; once per day you can get a +1 bonus on any roll while pefroming an evil act.

Click to expand...

Actually, unless I'm reading the Feats chapter wrong, anyone who is evil can take Vile feats. You don't need Disciple of Darkness or Thrall to Demon.

Also, this thread is incredibly cool. Same with Hargrash(sp). I might be dropping both of them into my homebrew, slightly modified. Keep up the good work!

Myrgle, Gnoll Shaman
Adept L2; med humanoid; AL NE; CR 2; age 20 (middle age, -1 Str, Dex, Con; +1 Int, Wis, Cha)
HD 2d8+2d6+8; hp 22;
Init +0; Spd 30 ft; AC 16 (+2 natural, +4 chain shirt);
BAB +2; Atk +4 melee or +2 ranged;
SV Fort +4, Ref +0, Will +5;
Str 15, Dex 11, Con 15, Int 13, Wis 16, Cha 09
(4th level stat bump +1 to Wis)

Skills (14 points): Concentration +3 (5), Knowledge (religion) +7 (8), Listen +1 (6), Spot +1 (6), Wilderness Lore +2 (5)
Feats: Thrall to Demon (Yeenoghu), Willing Deformity
Languages: abyssal, common, gnoll

Armor: Chain Shirt, +4 speed 30ft, 25 lbs.
Weapons: Masterwork Heavy Flail: Atk +5 melee, Dmg 1d10+3, crit 19-20 x2
Sling: Atk +2 ranged, Dmg 1d4+2, crit x2, range 50ft
Other Gear: potion of cure light wounds, amulet of natural armor +1, pearl of power (1st level spells)

Spells: 3/2
Commonly Prepared Spells
0 – cure minor wounds, detect magic, slash tongue
1st – seething eye bite, cure light wounds (1d8+2)


Myrgle has gained much power and is now the sole shaman in his tribe. He became the “sole shaman” after his father died screaming beneath the sacrificial knife wielded by his own son. The tribe now venerates none but Yeenoghu and Myrgle punishes the unfaithful with a slow and painful death. Guided by visions from his dark master, Myrgle has constructed a grand altar to his vile patron and has instituted “Myrgle’s Take”, which forces all females in the tribe to surrender the first born of a litter to the sacrificial altar.

Myrgle continues to grow in power due to his fervent devotion to his master. He sacrifices intelligent beings, including members of his own tribe, almost nightly. This greatly pleases Yeenoghu and he bestows his blessing upon Myrgle in the form of spells and other strange powers. The tribe fears and loathes Myrgle but they lack the courage to confront him, he has successfully cowed every gnoll in the tribe save one. The tribe chieftain Kuzok is a powerful gnoll warrior and he alone defies the might of Yeenoghu and secretly still worships Malar, which infuriates Myrgle to no end. The two have not met in open conflict for the simple fact that Myrgle suspects he would not be able to defeat the veteran warrior in battle while Kuzok genuinely fears Myrgle and the dark powers he commands.

At 20 years of age Myrgle has entered middle age for a gnoll, although he looks far older. The corrupt energies he channels from Yeenoghu have forever warped his body and his appearance is nothing short of horrific. Myrgle’s fur has completely fallen out and his bald grayish skin is covered with running sores and ulcers. His eyes have become a sickly jaundiced yellow and the stench of decay clings to him like a shroud. Even though his appearance would suggest otherwise he is still strong and uses his flail to great effect when forced to enter melee.

Myrgle has gained a few magical items from his dead father, an amulet of natural armor and a pearl of power.

*Myrgle makes extensive sacrifices using the rules found in the BoVD, because of this he is often under the effects of various spells. Yeenoghu commonly blesses him with bull's strength, endurance or bless but he can access other powers as needed.

Myrgle, Gnoll Shaman
Adept L3; med humanoid; AL NE; CR 3; age 26 (middle age}
HD 2d8+3d6+10; hp 27;
Init +0; Spd 30 ft; AC 18 (+2 natural, +4 chain shirt, +2 shield);
BAB +2; Atk +4 melee or +2 ranged;
SV Fort +5, Ref +1, Will +6;
Str 15, Dex 11, Con 15, Int 13, Wis 16, Cha 09

Skills (17 points): Concentration +5 (7), Knowledge (religion) +8 (9), Listen +1 (6), Spot +1 (6), Wilderness Lore +2 (5)
Feats: Thrall to Demon (Yeenoghu), Willing Deformity
Languages: abyssal, common, gnoll

Armor: Chain Shirt, +4 speed 30ft, 25 lbs.
Large Wooden Shield +2, 10 lbs
Weapons: Light Flail +1: Atk +5 melee, Dmg 1d8+3, crit x2
Sling: Atk +2 ranged, Dmg 1d4+2, crit x2, range 50ft
Other Gear: potion of cure light wounds (2), amulet of natural armor +1, pearl of power (1st level spells)

Spells: 3/3 (Save DC = 13 + spell level)
Commonly Prepared Spells
0 – cure minor wounds, detect magic, slash tongue
1st – seething eye bite, cure light wounds (1d8+3), sleep

Kuzok the clan chieftain is dead. A terrible demon appeared from nowhere and devoured the gnoll warrior alive while Myrgle looked on with grim satisfaction. When its grisly task was complete the beast turned to Myrgle nodded its misshapen head once and disappeared. No one has dared challenge Myrgle’s authority since.

The Red Claw tribe is greatly feared by the surrounding human and elven settlements for the gnolls raid not for slaughter alone, they take many captives whose dying screams fill the surrounding woods for days after. As Myrgle grows in power his aspirations grow accordingly, he is now possessed with the pursuit of immortality and seeks dread arcane secrets and forbidden lore to accomplish this task. His prayers to Yeenoghu on this matter have gone unanswered and he has increased the number of sacrifices he makes each month in an attempt to please the demon prince.

The Red Claw tribe is now firmly under the control of Myrgle and the one hundred or so gnolls that make up the tribe spend their days trying to avoid his notice, lest they become a candidate for sacrifice or worse. Myrgle has a small group of devoted bodyguards that enforce his rule and aid in the obscene rituals he performs nightly. These corrupted individuals hope to earn Yeenoghu’s favor by aiding one of his chosen.

Myrgle now resembles little more than a breathing corpse. His skin has taken on a waxy almost translucent quality and is pulled taut over his gaunt skeletal frame. He is followed at all times by a miasma of flies and other small vermin that swarm around his body in a buzzing cloud of filth.

Most of the tribe holds its breath waiting for Myrgle to succumb to the corruption that infests his body, but he shows no sign of weakness and is at all times possessed with frantic energy. Myrgle has gained another magical item, an enchanted flail, from the body of an elven ranger that stumbled into a Red Claw hunting party.

Myrgle, Gnoll Shaman
Adept L3; med humanoid; AL NE; CR 3; age 30 (old age, -2 Str, Dex, Con; +1 Int, Wis, Cha)
HD 2d8+3d6+5; hp 22;
Init -1; Spd 30 ft; AC 17 (-1 Dex, +2 natural, +4 chain shirt, +2 shield);
BAB +2; Atk +3 melee or +1 ranged;
SV Fort +4, Ref +0, Will +6;
Str 13, Dex 09, Con 13, Int 14, Wis 17, Cha 10

Skills (17 points): Concentration +5 (6), Knowledge (religion) +8 (10), Listen +1 (7), Spot +1 (7), Wilderness Lore +2 (5)
Feats: Thrall to Demon (Yeenoghu), Willing Deformity
Languages: abyssal, common, gnoll

Armor: Chain Shirt, +4 speed 30ft, 25 lbs.
Large Wooden Shield +2, 10 lbs
Weapons: Light Flail +1: Atk +4 melee, Dmg 1d8+2, crit x2
Sling: Atk +1 ranged, Dmg 1d4+1, crit x2, range 50ft
Other Gear: potion of cure light wounds (2), amulet of natural armor +1, pearl of power (1st level spells), scroll of death knell

Spells: 3/3 (Save DC = 13 + spell level)
Commonly Prepared Spells
0 – cure minor wounds, detect magic, slash tongue
1st – seething eye bite, cure light wounds (1d8+3), sleep


Obsessed with his pursuit of immortality, Myrgle’s evil has twisted inward and is eating away at his sanity. Yeenoghu still remains silent on the matter and Myrgle is prone to fits of rage after his lengthy meditations and rituals yield no answers. The only instructions Myrgle has received from his patron has been to take his tribe and move further into the thick forest the tribe calls home, there Myrgle was instructed to find the ruins of an ancient temple. The temple, once devoted to the worship of various demon lords, had been abandoned for centuries but still radiated a powerful aura of deepest evil. Myrgle claimed the temple for Yeenoghu and moved himself and his tribe into its dismal interior.

Within his new temple, Myrgle has found that Yeenoghu bestows greater blessings for sacrificial offerings and his own spells are bolstered by the temple’s corrupt aura. In addition to the temple’s more intangible qualities Myrgle has found a few decayed scrolls in the temples library. One of these scrolls contained an animate dead spell, which Myrgle put to use at once. He ordered the immediate death of three elven prisoners he had been holding for sacrifice and animated their corpses into zombies. Myrgle uses the undead to further enforce his will and as additional bodyguards.

Now entering old age, Myrgle’s physical prowess continues to erode. He has developed a pronounced hunch and his twisted spine causes him almost constant pain. Myrgle’s has also scarred and mutilated his body in self defacing rituals in honor of Yeenoghu so that his pallid gray flesh is crisscrossed with raised welts and scars; a particularly large brand in the shape of a three headed flail mars the flesh on his back. Myrgle knows that his mangled body cannot withstand the rigors of his fanatic devotion forever but his frantic prayers to Yeenoghu go yet unanswered.

This is incredibly cool!
Please continue the thread if you can! I really like seeing the BOVD material described in use, I have not incorporated anything from it yet, but this looks really well done.
thanks