Snaarl’s Boys

For centuries the Spotted Ones tribe had lived in fear of the stronger Greyskins, the more savage Black Pack or the cleverer Rat Tails, but this all changed when Snaarl Blackmane became chief. For this he always attributed his success as tribal chieftain to one thing: he never turned anyone away.

The tribe’s fortunes first began to turn when they discovered the strange striped nose whelp, left abandoned in a sewer pipe. On Snaarl’s orders they took him in and raised him as their own, for even as a pup Snaarl could see potential in the small mewling thing. It was not long before ‘Mewl’ had surpassed the old shaman in all matters spiritual. Their enemies soon learned to fear his skills and knowledge of all things poisonous.

Then there were the half-breed barbarians of the upper levels. While strong and ferocious in battle, they were slow and dim-witted when it came to tactics and were being hunted to extinction by the cunning Gnoll tribes. Snaarl changed all that, offering a paw of friendship that ultimately saw them become his shock troops.

He also spared no attention to his rank-and-file tribesmen – be they lowly thugs or favoured Templars – all got their share of the spoils. Even the Hyenas could expect a decent feed after the many wars of expansion that Snaarl launched against his former oppressors.

Soon the Spotted Ones had expanded their territory from the Great Canal to the Skull Gate Fighting Pits, even reaching down into the old laboratories and workshops that had lain undisturbed and forbidden since the time of the Makers. Here they had discovered strange treasures, which they jealously guarded despite being ignorant of their function.

But now a new threat had emerged. Hairless ones, smooth skins and fangless warriors from the Great Above with strange magic and alien smells. Incursions into Snaarl’s territory became more and more frequent. Deep down Snaarl regretted ever delving into the Maker’s secrets, for now these others came in search of such things, and the great chief knew that fighting them would be the only option.

Let his warriors gibber and squeal in anticipation then. The Gnolls of the Spotted Ones tribe are on the hunt once more…

The last bunch of minis for my Gnolls then: a chieftain (Reaper Bones Gnoll warrior) and some ‘Gnoll’ barbarians. I decided to use Reaper Bones Bugbears as to my mind there were no suitable barbarian torsos in the Northstar box set and I wanted a change from painting Gnolls (I’m also tempted to use these as barbarian berserkers if there’s nothing I fancy in the Forgotten Pacts barbarian box set).