Gnolls in my campaign are a hybrid race that went bad. No one is quite sure why. Maybe goodness was slowly bred out of them over the centuries. It could be the gods they chose to worship.
They are the result of interbreeding between an ancient race of humanoid canines and an even older race of humanoid felines.
The canine race has waned and not many people know of their existence, they are very wolf like, though some appear a bit more like various dog breeds. It varies from tribe to tribe, their culture is very much like that of Native Americans, particularly the Plains Indians. They have a few archetype gods and listen to the spirits of their ancestors. They are mostly nomadic, following food, and avoiding humans, most of whom no longer remember them. They have been known to settle down if they find an idyllic spot, where the land speaks to them. They are shamed by their child race and fight fiercely when they come across them. Though they once lived in harmony with humans, they would now rather avoid human contact than be mistaken for gnolls.
The feline race was hunted to extinction by the gnolls. As far as anyone knows, they no longer walk this world. Unknown, even to the canines, is that they also interbred with demihumans, giving birth to gnomes. There are only a paltry handful of gnomes on the main continent, probably traveling in secret. The largest gnome population lives on a large, volcanic island far off the continent. They have technology on par with that of the romans and Greeks, and pride themselves on the speed and intricacy of their many varied sailing vessels, which they often race. They do not stray far from the island though, and not many people know it exists, as it lies beyond a rather treacherous span of the ocean.
Some say that recently their have been some strange, feline looking, children being born to some couples on the island. Hearkening back to a legacy that even they had almost forgotten.
Centuries ago the gnolls were beaten back to the lower area of the continent, but in the last few decades they have been moving north rapidly. Their culture resembles a dark and twisted version of that belonging to their canine father race. Their ancestors souls figure into their religion, and many of the leaders try to link their ancestry to a deity. The gnolls' society fluxes from matriarchy to patriarchy constantly. Power struggles and coups are vicious, bloodthirsty, and frequent. The matriarchy holds fast in some of the old southern tribes, but the groups pushing north are held in firm control by the male warlords and the shamans. They use fear and power to hold the tribes in their sway.
The shamans use their ability to speak to the tribal ancestors, and dark gods as a tool for gaining power and influence just as the flind warlords use their strength and combat prowess to gain power. The shamans and warlords do work together frequently, especially if a female is trying to take over the leadership the tribe. The warlords provide living sacrifices for the shamans, and if no captured enemies are available sometimes they have to make do with a competitor from within the tribe...
Despite their bloodthirsty nature, gnolls avoid coming close to, or attacking human villages and towns, unless they are confident of victory, desperate for food, or the flinds are in dire need of a victory to bolster their status.
As for other humanoids;
There are some orcs and half-orcs far away in the remote Black Desert. They compete with the evil lizard folk for water and land. They are a bit rough with interlopers, but they are good people.
Their are groups of goblins, hiding in the dark caves people avoid. They come out at night to raid villages of food and livestock. They are rare enough that many people don't believe they (or any other monster) exist. They are quite evil and keep kobold sorcerers as slaves. Kobolds are almost gone. The existing ones are kept as slaves by goblins and their breeding is controlled so their numbers stay low. This prevents a slave revolt. Goblin leaders prize the kobolds as a sign of their high status and as a tool for gaining and holding on to power.
It is unknown whether, if left to their own devices, kobolds would be good or evil.
Only one bugbear has been seen in generations, it is a large and fierce cave dwelling creature that the local village refers to as "The Gumbaroo".
Elves are few, and in hiding in villages far away from humanity. Most have turned bitter and evil, a result of generations of hiding from and hating humankind. Forest Elves
Drow are a new creation. The descendants of fugitives from the Great Purge that were saved by the goddess Kesha, and then marked as her own. They are peaceful and cultured, with architecture and dress reminiscent of ancient Japan.
Most half-elves that existed when the Purge occurred integrated into elven communities and interbred until their genetic presence was almost undetectable. Some looked human enough to hide among the enemy and continue with their lives. Albeit a life of looking over their shoulders.
Halflings, also a victim of the Great Purge perpetrated by the humans, are almost nonexistent. A few wanderings clans of them roam around looking for a new home. Most have just become permanent gypsies, moving from place to place, and avoiding human contact.
Dwarves still flourish under an "uninhabited" stretch of mountains and have cut off all contact with the outside world. Some bold groups have taken to performing night raids on the trade caravans that frequent the pass.
Some groups of Wild Elves exist in the dense forests towards the southern region of the continent, as do groups of rather savage halflings. The halfling warriors wear short stilts and have ghostly white masks mounted on their topknots. When encountered in the dark of the forest they appear tall, spindly, and quite terrifying. They are very adept at fighting atop the stilts, and it is rare for anyone to live long enough to describe an encounter with them.
