Still not quite sure where in the setting will this character live, but likely on the same planet as Va'kri and some others.
Cape version
Hiki is a gnoll orphan who grew up in the streets, raised by a community of poor people clinging together to survive. Eventually, he learned how to provide for his found family by stealing expensive things from the rich merchants and nobles of the city and sharing the spoils. Since he is too big and bulky to sneak up to people or break into noble estates unseen, he uses the help of his specially trained rats who bring the shinies to him.
Hiki is rather shy and usually prefers to be quiet and not bother anyone, but is very friendly and always glad to help. He does not hold grudges and isn't judgemental due to growing up surrounded by all sorts of different people who, much like him, often make a living through not so legit means. He scarcely remembers his parents and is very curious about the culture of his people, often seeking out opportunities to learn something about them. He detests violence and doesn't use any weapons, except for his claws and teeth in direst of circumstances. He prefers to avoid direct confrontation at all costs even despite his large frame and powerful arms and jaws (or perhaps, because of them). Hiki loves good company (even though he doesn't talk much himself), a tasty meal, and he is also fond of all manner of animals.
Cape version
Hiki is a gnoll orphan who grew up in the streets, raised by a community of poor people clinging together to survive. Eventually, he learned how to provide for his found family by stealing expensive things from the rich merchants and nobles of the city and sharing the spoils. Since he is too big and bulky to sneak up to people or break into noble estates unseen, he uses the help of his specially trained rats who bring the shinies to him.
Hiki is rather shy and usually prefers to be quiet and not bother anyone, but is very friendly and always glad to help. He does not hold grudges and isn't judgemental due to growing up surrounded by all sorts of different people who, much like him, often make a living through not so legit means. He scarcely remembers his parents and is very curious about the culture of his people, often seeking out opportunities to learn something about them. He detests violence and doesn't use any weapons, except for his claws and teeth in direst of circumstances. He prefers to avoid direct confrontation at all costs even despite his large frame and powerful arms and jaws (or perhaps, because of them). Hiki loves good company (even though he doesn't talk much himself), a tasty meal, and he is also fond of all manner of animals.
Category Artwork (Digital) / Fantasy
Species Hyena
Size 1965 x 1875px
File Size 4.29 MB
Listed in Folders
Thank you ^^ I got kinda inspired by playing WoW classic and fighting gnolls, so I thought I could make a gnoll character for my own setting, who would still fill the niche of a social outcast and criminal element, yet actually helpful to other marginalized people and very different from the usual bloodthirsty image of a gnoll.
Oh, that's great to see how some artists and writers are taking common fantasy archetypes and then bring their own twists to them. Both honoring what was done before while subverting some common tropes. I'm not sure yet if I'll have Gnolls in my setting. But if I do, one of the twist I'll bring is that Gnolls practice carrion-eating as a sacred ritual to keep balance between life and deat. Thus, letting corpses rot would let death and decay overwhelm the realm of the living. However, this would likely get a bad rep amongst many cultures or species.
That's an interesting idea! For my own setting, I plan on making Gnolls nomadic people who frequently move around, subsisting off hunting and scavenging. This, however, has put them at odds with more sedentary people who moved into their territory, and built their cities and villages there. Those newcomers disrupted the ecosystem with farming and excessive hunting, thus provoking gnolls to do acts of sabotage, theft and sometimes raids on their settlements, which of course created even more hostility. This, coupled with gnolls having no traditional agriculture (aside from planting or burning certain plants to manage the animal populations in their lands) leads to a stereotype of gnolls being lazy brigands who rob others because they don't want to do farming on their own.
Woah, that's a neat concept too! I'm genuinely hyped.
Also "fun fact": burning plants as land management is/has been used for a long time by several Indigenous communities. Unfortunately, white settlers misinterpreted or misrepresented them as "wasteful" and "destructive".
Also "fun fact": burning plants as land management is/has been used for a long time by several Indigenous communities. Unfortunately, white settlers misinterpreted or misrepresented them as "wasteful" and "destructive".
Are you assuming gnoll culture in Wild Aeons is also that of robbing and killing like it is in WoW and DnD? Because It probably isn't. I haven't come up with it yet, but it's definitely not a demon cult, I am not known to draw demons and cultists, after all!
Jokes aside, yeah, gnoll culture in my setting will likely be subverting a lot of tropes established by other media.
Jokes aside, yeah, gnoll culture in my setting will likely be subverting a lot of tropes established by other media.
I've played around a little bit with how I'd like to incorporate gnolls. The idea of them having had the conventional demon murder cult past, but independently civilizing and moving on from that legacy is interesting.
Would your version have customs or culture that is misinterpreted by other civilizations causing negative perceptions? I'm really curious to see your take on gnolls filled out.
Would your version have customs or culture that is misinterpreted by other civilizations causing negative perceptions? I'm really curious to see your take on gnolls filled out.
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