Gnollakaz Ideas

Traditions
+10% Shock Damage
-5 Years of Separatism

Victory on the SorrowIn 1438 Pack Mistress Grizaka began her meteoric rise to power, unifying the Sorrowclaw Gnolls and beginning an invasion of Irsmahapan that would split the Kheteratan empire in half, leading to the independence of the Tijarikheti states to the south. To the west, another gnollish power eyed Kheterata greedily, and soon the armies of Viakkoc marched to war along The Sorrow.\n\nIn 1442 the two gnollish states clashed outside of Kheterat. Even weakened by the siege of the city and outnumbered by their Seascourge foes, Grizaka’s military genius and use of shamanic fire magic saw the Sorrowclaw victorious, slaughtering over half their enemies and causing a decisive rout. While Grizaka’s forces were eventually driven back by a Kheteratan counterattack, her victory over Viakkoc is still studied as a prime example of the importance of shock and awe tactics.
+1 Land Leader Shock

Masters of IrsmahapanSandwiched between the Windhowlers to the west and the Sorrowclaw to the east, the humans of Irsmahapan were used to dealing with gnollish raids, but the conquest of 1438 was unlike anything they had seen in centuries. Where many gnolls would have clapped the entire population in chains, Grizaka saw the wisdom of incorporating the existing power structures into her new empire. In return for supplying her forces with food, shelter and resources, the humans were allowed to continue worshipping their gods and were exempt from sacrificial tithes.
+2 Tolerance of Heathens

Empress of GnollkindWhen Grizaka drove the Viakkoc pack out of Kheterata it led to the downfall of their empire in West Sarhal. With the greatest pack of the age now defeated, Grizaka declared herself Empress-of-Gnollkind, seeking to claim the prestige and legitimacy of great states like Kheterata, Fangaula, The Phoenix Empire or distant Castanor. A powerful statement of intent to unify the gnollish peoples and create an empire that would stand the test of time. A true empire needed a true capital, and so Grizaka decreed the building of a mighty fortress astride The Sorrow, naming it Gnollakaz, Fortress Of The Gnolls.
+1 Yearly Prestige

GremraboSelf-aggrandisement was common in many gnollish cultures but the Sorrowclaw had made an art form of it. Whether soldier, merchant or priest, nothing was more important to a Sorrowclaw gnoll than their reputation. Though prideful and egotistical, the Sorrowclaw knew that allowing the killing of rivals over the smallest slights would be disastrous for the pack. As a result, a way of non-violently resolving conflicts emerged within Sorrowclaw culture known as the Gremrabo, the "Insult War". The Gremrabo would see two opposing gnolls invent increasingly outlandish insults about their opponent in front of an audience, the first gnoll unable to respond to an insult being declared the loser. The importance of this practice became so respected by the gnolls, that on occasion Kheteratans were able to use Gremrabo to save their towns from an impending raid if they were unable to offer tribute.
+10% Morale of Armies
+50% Power Projection From Insults

Red Sails on the RiverPrior to their conquest of the Kheteratan heartlands, Sorrowclaw gnolls would regularly sail down the river in heavily armed barges which were notable for their sails depicting the flag of Gnollakaz, a stylised design of The Sorrow running red with blood. These journeys would see them extorting tribute in the form of wealth and slaves from the towns they encountered, sacking those that dared to defy them.
+15% National Tax Modifier

Blood and GoldThe gold mines of Golkora found infamy throughout Sarhal for the sheer number of slaves that lost their lives within the depths of the mines. For the rulers of Gnollakaz this was a small price to pay, the vast quantities of gold funding their campaigns into Kheterata and purchasing high quality equipment for their warriors. This greater availability also facilitated a growing cultural importance of the precious metal, particular among the upper echelons of society. As the chieftains of the Sorrowclaw Gnolls became increasingly settled and integrated into the power structures of the humans they ruled over, demand for elaborate and ostentatious golden jewellery and other fancies grew to fevered heights.
+0.15 Yearly Inflation Reduction

The Dance of DemonsWhen Grizaka entered the Pyramid of Elikhet to defile the dead gods corpse, she did not return, but had ensured that her daughter inherited the throne of Gnollakaz safely. She would reign for many years as a stabilising influence. However, upon her death her two daughters, the elder Xukret and the younger Kyztzehr, both attempted to claim the throne. The conflict between the two sisters became known as The Dance of Demons, and saw Gnollakaz ripped apart by a vicious civil war.\n\nXukret was supported by the Xhazobkult Shamans and the Warlocks of Rakkaz, as well as being loosely allied with Brrtekuh and Viakkoc who invaded from the northern coast, hoping to destabilise their old foe by tipping the scales in the civil war. By contrast, Kyztzehr was supported by the human population and the Khetist Clergy, as well as eventually the Haraagtsedi to the east. In the end Kyztzehr emerged victorious, marking a significant shift among the Sorrowclaw Gnolls towards Kheteratan culture and the declaration of a new Gnollish-Kheteratan realm, Konolkhatep. Had she failed in her bid for the throne, who knows what the fate of Gnollakaz would have been under Xukret and the Xhazobkult…
-2 National Unrest

Ambition
-10% Core-Creation Cost