Gargoyles

Monstrous outcasts created in Tremere laboratories, out for revenge
Profoundly committed to freedom and the Anarch cause
They look extremely inhuman

Monstrous creations of Tremere magic, intended to guard their chantries and fight their wars, the free Gargoyles are some of the fiercest Anarchs in the Revolt. Forever excluded from human society, and unavoidable breaches of the Camarilla’s Masquerade, their choices have narrowed to fighting like hell, bowing to the Tremere again, or facing the sun. The free Gargoyles know that their back is against the wall – but in many ways, that’s where they are strongest.

They lack memories of their mortal lives; they lack a way to hide in mortal society; they lack the ability to resist the Domination of their creators. But they do not lack for the will to survive and thrive in a world stacked against them. Any Affinity would be rightly proud to call a Gargoyle kin.

Sobriquet

Grotesques

History

In 1121, the Tremere created the first Gargoyles from the bodies of captured Tzimisce, Nosferatu and Gangrel. Goratrix’ apprentice Virstania made them in the chantry of Ceoris, bathing her creations in unwavering love and thaumaturgical rituals. They turned the tide of the Omen War, securing their creators’ place in Cainite society.

Barely a century later, however, the cracks in Tremere control were starting to show. Some Gargoyles were able to throw off their chains, and at least one chantry was destroyed from within by rebellious Gargoyles. These rebels started to group together in Grotesqueries, passing on the secrets of the enchantments their former owners had placed upon them, seeking revolution and vengeance in equal measure as they codified a Discipline from these fragments.

These incidents only intensified over the next 250 years, with some chantries completely discontinuing the practice of having Gargoyle guards. When House Goratrix left the Tremere in 1465, many were surprised that her former apprentice Virstania elected to stay at Ceoris, working with the Gargoyles. Just eleven years later, her reasoning became clear.

When the Gargoyle Revolt began, Virstania stood with her creations, diablerising the chantry’s castellan and compromising Ceoris beyond redemption before going to join House Goratrix. The Gargoyles stand with the Anarchs now, having thrown off their shackles. They revile Clan Tremere utterly and with furnace-like hatred, always looking for ways to exact vengeance on their creators; only Virstania’s kindness and active support allow some Gargoyles to make an exception for House Goratrix.

Organisation

Gargoyles are inherently social creatures, both with their own bloodline and especially with Gangrel, Nosferatu, and Tzimisce (with whom many feel some kinship). They prefer to live among other Cainites, but there is a degree of stigma against them so they often form large Grotesqueries. Such groupings are often highly motivated to attack local Tremere if the opportunity presents itself.

Usually From

Bohemia
Crimean Khanate
Hungary
Lithuania
Moldavia
Poland
Wallachia

Preferred Roads

Havens

Having once dwelled only in Tremere Chantries, free Gargoyles may live in mountain caves, forgotten catacombs, or any other wild or hidden place that will protect them from the sun

The Embrace

The original Gargoyles were magically created from a blending of captured Tzimisce, Gangrel, and Nosferatu Cainites. This was a horrifying and painful process, wrenching the mind from its previous state and wiping all memories clean. It still goes on today, but around a third of Gargoyles have the ability to pass on their curse through the Embrace.

Among those free Gargoyles capable of Embracing, it’s almost unheard of to simply kill a mortal for blood; they will Embrace every chance they get, seeking strength in numbers. Given that half of their progeny die within weeks as their bodies transform, Gargoyles are still relatively rare. Even Embraced Gargoyles lose all memory of their former lives, with sires teaching their childer of the bloodline’s dark history so that each generation knows the atrocities suffered at the hands of the Tremere.

Clan Disciplines

Fortitude, Potence, and Visceratika

Weaknesses

Gargoyles are monstrous in appearance and cannot pass for human without supernatural aid, such as Obfuscate. In addition, the Tremere created the Gargoyles to be easily controlled and, as a result, they have a -2 penalty to Mental test pools to resist Dominate powers, including Dominate-based techniques.

Costuming requirement: Gargoyle flesh comes in a variety of stony hues, and grows thicker and harder as the Gargoyle ages. Many sport bat-like wings, claws, or overt fangs. Without supernatural intervention, they cannot be mistaken for human, and it’s important to show this through your costume, prosthetics, and makeup if you want to play a Gargoyle – though the wings aren’t necessary (much as they would be really cool)