Gorellik

In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Gorellik is the gnoll deity of hunting, hyenas, and hyaenodons. It was he who taught gnolls to tame hyenadons for purposes of hunting. Gorellik was the original patron god of gnolls, until the gnolls turned to giantish gods and later toward the demon lord Yeenoghu began stealing their worship and devotion for himself. As a result, Gorellik has suffered the loss of much of his power and is now no more than a demigod.
Gorellik now wanders the planes endlessly, with no seeming purpose, losing followers at a steady rate.
Publication history
Gorellik was first detailed in the book Monster Mythology (1992), including details about his priesthood.
Description
Gorellik appears as a tall mangy gnoll or as a mottled white hyenadon. As his power has declined he more often takes the form of the latter, prowling and hunting anything in his path.
Relationships
As a god in decline who increasingly acts more feral and animalistic, Gorellik has few if any constructive relationships with other deities.
Realm
Gorellik has no fixed home. He prowls Pandemonium and the Abyss at random.
Dogma
Before his fall from power, Gorellik taught gnolls to respect only force and power. This proved to be his downfall as they turned away from him to more powerful, alien gods. His dogma did not even encompass any creation myth for the gnoll race, which he could have used to help maintain some greater reverence toward himself.
Worshippers
Gorellik has few worshippers, and he does nothing to encourage this state. He occasionally will manifest an avatar before a gnoll horde and demand worship, though he is just as likely to run and hunt with a pack of hyenas. Among gnolls his worship is avoided by flinds in particular. His holy symbol is a white, mottled hyenadon's head.
4th edition
Gorellik is killed by Yeenoghu.
 
< Prev   Next >