In many campaign setting

Campaign setting

A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...

s for the Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...

role-playing game

Role-playing game

A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...

, Gorellik is the gnoll

Gnoll

A gnoll or gnole is a fictional humanoid creature - a cross between a gnome and a troll. They first appeared in Lord Dunsany's story in The Book of Wonder: How Nuth Would Have Practised His Art upon the Gnoles and subsequently reappeared in Margaret St. Clair's, The Man Who Sold Rope to the Gnoles...

 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

Demon lord (Dungeons & Dragons)

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, demon lords are demons who have gained great power and established a position of preeminence among demonkind. Each demon lord has a unique appearance and set of abilities. Most control at least one layer of the Abyss...

 Yeenoghu

Yeenoghu

In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, Yeenoghu is a Demon Prince, the Demon Lord of Gnolls, and the bestial embodiment of savage butchery. His personal weapon is his dreaded triple flail, created from the bones and skin of a slain god. Yeenoghu commands the obedience of ghouls and ghasts...

 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

Monster Mythology

Monster Mythology is a sourcebook for the second edition of the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. Released by TSR in 1992 and written by Carl Sargent, with interior illustrations by Terry Dykstra, John and Laura Lakey, and Keith Parkinson, Monster Mythology was released as a companion volume for...

(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.

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.