Type: Gnoll tribe / war-legend
Known for: Ferocity and brutal close combat
Chief: Gorak Bloodfang, a towering warrior of unmatched strength
Their mark: Fangs painted with the blood of slain enemies
In the war: Shock troops whose berserker charges broke enemy lines
The curse: Eternal rage, turning them on ally and enemy alike

The Bloodfangs are among the most feared of the gnoll tribes, warriors who thrive on the thrill of battle and are relentless once roused. Their name comes from the ritual of painting their fangs with the blood of the fallen, a mark of their savagery and their strength.

In the Gnoll Wars

The Bloodfangs were among the first to answer Angash's call, drawn to his vision of a single gnoll banner. On the field they were his shock troops, their berserker fury and headlong assaults shattering enemy formations. The sight of Bloodfang warriors charging with fangs dripping red broke the nerve of even seasoned soldiers.

Notable Figures

• Chief Gorak Bloodfang: The tribe's undisputed leader, a legendary warrior of immense strength and brutality.

• Rasha Bloodfang: A renowned berserker, first into the most vicious fighting.

• Karn Bloodseeker: A shaman-warrior who turns the tribe's blood-rituals into combat magic, feeding the berserkers' fury.

Bloodfang gnolls run larger and more muscular than their kin, with dark, coarse fur streaked in war paint and dried blood. Their eyes hold a feral gleam, and their fangs are stained deep crimson.

Combat Style

They favor close, visceral fighting with heavy axes and maces, working themselves into a berserker frenzy that makes them deadlier the longer a fight lasts.

Culture

Theirs is a warrior culture that prizes strength, courage, and loyalty above all. Cubs are trained to fight and survive from an early age through brutal rites of passage, and the strongest rise to lead.

The Bloodfangs hail from harsh badlands where only the strongest survive, and trace their line to the first gnolls said to have mastered the berserker's rage.

Traditions

• Rite of the Bloodfang: A coming-of-age hunt in which a young gnoll must bring down a powerful beast alone, then paint their fangs with its blood.

• Berserker Rituals: Chanting, drumming, and bloodletting before battle to call up the rage.

• Bone Feasts: After a victory, the bones of the fallen are crushed and consumed as an act of dominance.

Beliefs

They hold strength and ferocity as the highest virtues, believe that consuming an enemy's bones grants his strength and the guidance of his spirit, and see life itself as an unending series of battles.

As the war ended the Bloodfangs were struck by a curse of unending fury. The rage that once made them Angash's finest weapon now turns on them, breaking loose without warning and driving them to attack allies as readily as enemies. It scattered the tribe and left them feared even by other gnolls.

• It is said a Bloodfang cannot cross running water while the rage is on them, and border villages once dug channels for exactly that reason.

• Some claim a Bloodfang who paints their fangs with their own blood, rather than an enemy's, can hold the fury back for a single night.