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| Background
information |
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| Gnarley
Forest |
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| Humanoids |
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| Orcs, gnolls and ogres all exist in
fairly significant numbers, and are a genuine menace in much of the forest. They frequently lair underground in the many dungeons and ruins, or else in very sheltered and obscured valleys or gorges. Smaller numbers of goblins or kobolds can be found in the hillier forest regions, although gnomes have mostly driven them out of their cave homes there. All humanoids here are generally opportunistic raiders, attacking gnomes, woodsmen, other humanoids or whoever else they can kill and eat. They operate in small bands; larger warbands are very rare. Other races do not seek to march forth and destroy the humanoids, for several reasons. First, many demihuman and human communities feel themselves fairly secure (especially true of the gnomes of the hills, having driven out many humanoids in the past decades). Second, they don't have the manpower to do it. Third, the humanoids do not inflict major loss of life on the other races (if a warband were to set out, this would change things!). Fourth, especially to the south, there is the menace of the bandits and scum fleeing the Wild Coast to contend with, a more pressing problem. So, woodsmen, gnomes, and others tend to be satisfied with securing the boundaries of their own territories. The exception to all this is the elves, who hate orcs and hun them down. The elves feel that other races don't help enough with this, and after all, orcs menace everyone, another reason for elven coolness to other races. Some humanoid lairs may contain sizeable treasures, stumbled upon as the rabble settles in old dungeons and explores them. Other communities may have the use of magical items acquired in the same way |