Another dawn arrived in Transia. In the great den of Smuggler's Wood, the Bloodclaw chieftain, Lord Hogg, had been enjoying a pretty good life lately. He stretched as he emerged from his cave.
He wiped his eyes, which brimmed with cunning and wisdom, and swished his short, hairless tail as he pulled on the hood of his "assassin's outfit." As usual, he concealed his face in shadow.
He stood at the highest point of the great den and looked down.
The sky had only just begun to lighten, but thanks to his careful management, his "diligent" clan was already awake.
Bloodclaw hunters riding hyenas headed out in groups of three or five, led by their respective captains. They would patrol the woods and bring back some fresh meat and forest fruits and vegetables for the clan. The stronger gnoll brutes, meanwhile, headed for the outpost on the edge of the woods under the leadership of Captain Maltai the Dim.
They were going to relieve the brutes under Captain Fangore, who were stationed there. Maltai and Fangore were the two strongest brute leaders under Hogg, and they had earned his trust. Of course, they still couldn't match Nash, who was very good at guessing what Hogg was thinking.
And it wasn't just the brutes who had already set out. The female gnolls, led by several of Chieftain Hogg's mates, had also gone into the caves beneath the den to get to work. The pelts from the game hunted in the woods needed to be processed, then sent in bulk to Crimson Fort through the Bloodrat Gang's channels.
There, the professional fur merchants of the Batasin Trading Company would buy these "goods of dubious origin," whose quality was quite good, and pay for them with food.
All in all, under Hogg's leadership,