My Campaign Notes

[Samloyal23]

Never show your teeth if you smile at a gnoll - this is intepreted as a threat (ie saying I will eat you) and will result in attack

If a Gnolll chews a peice of meat, spits it out and then offers it to you - this is a sign of great affection (female gnolls chew the meat of their young). If you refuse the Gnoll will be offended and attack!

Gnolls eat their dead (and anything else dead or even half dead for that matter)

Rotten food is a delicacy (Yummy! look at the maggots in this beef Mavis - delicious!")

Read more: http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?55405-Exotic-and-interesting-customs/page2#ixzz3G5vtvRk4

Gnolls have much in common with hyenas, which are by nature sscavengers. I found the above customs on another thread they make a certain sense. So gnolls in the last lands are scavengers and act like it, eating pretty much any type of meat that is not actually poisonous, the stinkier and "riper" the better. Gnolls in Shosnar who have obtained some wealth and social status may follow the Thosian customs for the burial of the dead, but those of the lower castes cannibalize their dead and simply bury the bones in urns. Gnolls are naturally greedy and only share food with those they are very close to, which they may pre-chew to soften before sharing.

 

[Samloyal23]

Sea of the Fallen Notes
Anyplace shallow and along the sea bed zombies and skeletons abound, but traveling by ship these are rarely encounter. Instead, swimming in the waters just below the surface are wraiths, wights, and many ghosts.

Throughout the Boiling Sea lava and steam para-elementals are common. Ships skirting this region are often infested with mephits. The volcanic fumes of this sea can be toxic and many a seaman has been poisoned by a cloud of gas bubbling up from the deep.

Over the centuries many ships have tried to cross this sea only to see their crews killed by the dead or poisoned by the fumes of the Boiling Sea. Ghost ships are a common sight. Beware of trying to board a wreck or search for treasure in sunken hulks.

Legends say numerous Kironan gods, including Zeus, Hera, and Poseidon fell into this sea and died during the Theomachy. Search for their remains at your own peril.

 

[Samloyal23]

Pearl Isle
Off the western shore of the Last Lands is an island that barely rises above the waves. There are no communities here unless you count the endless flocks of birds that come here to hunt for fish trapped in tide pools. Aarakocra come here to rest and hunt and seagoing merchants are known to land here to stock up on fish and birds. Rumour has it that more than one assassin has buried a body in the sand here and tales of buried treasure left here by pirates abound. Pearl diving is the main reason anyone else comes here as oysters are abundant here.

Travel to the island is hazardous, it sits on a treacherous reef, and when the tide rolls in most of the island is flooded. Grottos beneath the island are inhabited by Scrags, aquatic trolls known for their habit of eating anyone they can drag into their lairs.

 

[Samloyal23]

Shark Isle
A muddy island off the southern coast, shark isle is dotted in farms owned by the queen of Shosnar. Entry to the island is forbidden to any but her personal slaves who toil daily on her plantations. The island gained its name from the tribe of Sahuagin employed as guards by the queen and the trained sharks they use to patrol the waters around the island. Death by shark is the standard punishment here for those who displease Queen Aneh-tet.

 

[Samloyal23]

The main difference between the Thosian pantheon of Shosnar and the historical pantheon of ancient Egypt is the absence of Horus. Priests of Isis and Osiris have predicted that in the distant future a god will be born who avenge the death of Osiris at the hands of Set, but this has not happened yet. The priests call Horus the Unborn, and look to his arrival at the End of Days. For now he has no priesthood.

 

[Samloyal23]

In the city of Ys gondolas are the main form of transport for many people. Most of them are owned by Bullywugs who are known to be pickpockets and con artists. Many gondoliers are paid by taverns and inns to steer customers to them. Some also work for bawds, finding customers for harlots.

Higher class rental boats are run by priests of sea and river gods. Some of these are larger on the inside than the outside, being enchanted to stretch into extradimensional spaces.

 

[Samloyal23]

Buildings in Ys are constantly sinking, inch by inch, so they are always building them higher, adding new floors as lower levels get flooded. Dykes abound, the Ysians fight a constant war to keep the sea at bay. Most buildings have numerous levels of flooded rooms. Smaller homes are often built on stilts to keep them from flooding. Canals get dredged on a regular basis to silt from backing them up. All of this requires large crews of workers to maintain. Masons and bricklayers and quarrymen are in constant demand. Many dwarves from other cities come to Ys during the winter and fall for extra work in construction since the seasons are milder than in Burghausen and the work is easy for them.

 

[Samloyal23]

Since the original royal family of Lyonesse was cursed and banished, there is no true royal left from that now sunken kingdom to rule over the city of Ys. It has fallen instead to a ducal line from the old country to rule the city. The real power in the city however is the council of guilds, made up of craftsmen, merchants, and bankers as they hold the purse for the city. The current duke, Tristane de Rohan, nonetheless maintains a regular army to defend the city and owns substantial plantations.

 

[Samloyal23]

When a criminal or other unwanted person is to be executed in Ys he is given a special form of "mercy", marrying a daughter of the duke for one night and being treated like a prince, able to have whatever pleasure he may seek, sometimes even in her bed or that of a concubine. All of this time he is blindfolded by a black silk mask strapped on with a cord around his neck. When the morning meadowlark begins to sing the claw-like clasps on the mask come to life and tighten the cord, strangling the "husband". His body is taken by a knight of the royal guard and thrown into the sea as a sacrifice to the gods. By this means the city propitiates the dark gods of the deep and maintain their wealth and power. Many young aristocrats, corrupted by the wealth of the Ysian court, have used this tradition to have affairs without consequence, certain the vagabond or peasant they fancied for a night will never tell the tale.

If a child should ever be born of such a union it is taken by the priests and raised to become one of their order, just like any orphan given to the temple, never being told who his or her parents were.

 

[Samloyal23]

Early in the founding of Ys the dukes of the city made a pact with a dragon that was pillaging ships off the coast. The city's own ships would be allowed to pass and the dragon would share the treasure it gained from the ships of other cities that it looted. In return the early dukes of Ys made regular sacrifices to the dragon, feeding it criminals and vagabonds caught on the road. The dragon was eventually slain by heroes from Valora, but by then Ys had grown rich on the proceeds of the sea dragon's pillaging.