                                 GARGOUILLE



   By Abe Dashiell (adashiel@silver.ucs.indiana.edu)

   Background: During its first few centuries, survival for the Tremere
   bloodline and later, Clan Tremere, was not easy. They were vigorously
   opposed by the Tzimisce and after the diablerie of Saulot, faced the
   wrath of the Inconnu as well. As a means of defending themselves, they
   created the Gargoyles, a bloodline synthesized from captured
   Nosferatu, Tzimisce and Gangrel. The Tremere used the Gargoyles as
   shock troops and cannon fodder, throwing the nearly mindless creatures
   against their enemies with wild abandon. The magi never feared
   exhausting the numbers of these servants, because it was simple to
   create more. They would release a Gargoyle or two in a peasant village
   with orders to Embrace everyone there. To insure that they would
   always be loyal servants, the Tremere added a special feature.
   Whenever a mortal was Embraced by one of these hideous creatures, she
   was exposed to the twistedness of her sire and her entire bloodline,
   leaving her mind twisted and weak -- and easy to exploit. This
   continued for centuries, long enough for the Tremere to take their
   slaves for granted. This was to be their undoing, for the Gargoyles
   were slowly regaining their minds and developing wills of their own.
   Finally, they openly rebelled, warring against their creators and
   taking their own freedom. Not strong or numerous enough to defeat the
   Tremere, the Gargoyles fled, hiding in the remotest regions of Europe
   and occasionally hiring themselves as mercenaries or guards for other
   supernatural beings.

   Their future as a bloodline was not guaranteed, however. The days of
   the Inquisition were drawing near, making it more difficult for
   vampires to appear openly. For the Gargoyles, the Masquerade simply
   was not an option. Unlike the Nosferatu and Samedi, both of whom were
   masters of Obfuscation, Gargoyles were unable to hide in plain sight.
   This made them extremely vulnerable to hunters, who were becoming
   increasingly prevalent and dangerous. An even more serious problem was
   the debilitating effect the Embrace had upon the childer of Gargoyles.
   Not only were their bodies twisted, but so were their minds. Young
   Gargoyles would often go insane, literally throwing themselves upon
   the agents of the Inquisition.

   Concerned that extinction would prevent them from ever obtaining
   vengeance against the Tremere, a few of the bloodline's elders
   conceived a plan to save themselves. They had learned if they fed
   their own blood to a prospective progeny, and maintained her as a
   ghoul for a time, the mind rending effects of the Embrace were not as
   severe. Taking cues from the Tzimisce, perhaps half- remembered in
   their blood, they decided to create a family of revenants. They hoped
   that if they concentrated their blood over several generations, that
   the curse of their line would be completely alleviated. They realized
   that they would have to perform their experiment in an extremely
   isolated locale, and for half a century, they looked for an ideal
   place to begin. Ideally, they were searching for an area that was both
   geographically remote and also relatively untouched by supernatural
   influences. They finally discovered what they needed in the Swiss
   Alps. They had found a small valley, entirely surrounded by mountains,
   and home to a small population of peasant farmers. The community had
   formed only a few generations earlier, and had been isolated when a
   rock slide had cut off the only pass leading to the outside world.
   This, of course, was no hindrance for the Gargoyles, but it would keep
   others out.

   The subjugation of the town began slowly, with only one gargoyle
   arriving at first. This first, a vampire known as Marie, had some
   mastery of Obfuscation, enabling her to pass as human. Posing as one
   of the peasants, she began to Dominate and blood bind large portions
   of the population. Within twenty years, she had the entire settlement,
   some fifty people, subjected to her will. It was then that the
   Gargoyles sprang their trap. Under the cover of darkness, the rest of
   the Gargoyles arrived, bringing with them plague infested rats. One by
   one, the peasants became infected. Marie began spreading panic
   throughout the community, saying those who died of the plague were
   damned, doomed to suffer eternity in flames. Susceptible to her will
   as they were, the peasants were stricken with fear. That is when the
   Gargoyles revealed themselves. So desperate were the peasants, they
   eagerly accepted the Gargoyles' offer to cure them, not even minding
   the hideous visages of their saviors. The vampires began to blood bind
   them on a larger scale, ghouling each and every member of the
   community, and insuring they received a steady supply of Vitae. The
   peasants believed that without the blood they received from their
   saviors, that the plague would return again. Their masters did not
   argue.

   The Gargoyles' next action was to institute an aggressive breeding
   campaign. They took careful measure of the new births in the
   community, looking for signs of vampiric traits. Those who exhibited
   them were favored, given more blood and more opportunities to mate.
   Individuals who did not "respond to the therapy" were quietly
   eliminated, spurring on fears of the now non-existent plague. Some
   members were Embraced, to see the effect, and they were pleased to
   learn that the mental derangements were steadily diminishing. Within
   several generations, the Gargoyles began noticing physical differences
   in the some of the children born to the peasants. Gnarled skin, tiny
   wings and demonic features were becoming increasingly common. These
   individuals were mated exclusively with each other and given enough
   blood to keep them "full" at all times. They were also let on to the
   truth of their existence, and indeed were convinced of their
   superiority over their fellows.

   A few hundred years later, the once peasant farmers were no longer
   human. The vampiric blood coursing through their veins had warped
   their features so much that they were indistinguishable from their
   kindred masters. They even called themselves the "Gargouilles," the
   word for Gargoyle in their native tongue. They had become full-fledged
   revenants, developing Viceritika at a very early age and learning
   Potence and Fortitude soon after. Even more bizarre is the method they
   reproduced. Their women no longer bore their offspring alive, but
   instead would lay several eggs. These they would incubate in a
   collective nest, a large, brick structure built in the valley's
   center. There the eggs would remain for several months before
   hatching. Their early development was greatly increased, with a new
   born gargouille being the size of a two year old. Amazingly, the life
   style of the colony had not changed greatly from the days before their
   encounter with the Gargoyles. They remained farmers, dutifully tending
   their animals and fields. However, they had also become hunters. No
   longer hemmed in by the mountains that surrounded them, they would fly
   over the peaks, searching for prey. These parties were always led by a
   Gargoyle, and their victims were typically hapless mortals who had
   ventured too close to their home. Occasionally, they would make longer
   trips, especially if they had discovered the location of a Tremere
   chantry or knew that agents of the Inquisition were in the area.

   Unfortunately for the Gargouilles and their vampiric allies, their
   peace was broken last century. A tribe of Shadowlords discovered their
   location and attacked. The werewolves were repulsed, but not without a
   great cost in Gargouille lives. Fearful that the garou would return,
   the Gargoyles decided it would best to scatter their colony. As
   quickly as possible, they evacuated their Alpine haven, spreading out
   over Europe and North America. While they were as discreet as
   possible, at least one group was captured by Tremere, who were
   concerned to find eggs among them. Not understanding that their
   captives were actually revenants, they immediately reported to the
   Vienna chantry that a group of Gargoyles had apparently found a way to
   reproduce via egg laying. It is rumored that Etrius was so alarmed
   that he woke Tremere himself to tell him the news.

   Now the Gargouilles are spread out all over the planet, but especially
   in remote regions of Europe and North America. Despite the fact that
   many no longer speak French, they still refer to themselves as
   "Gargouilles." A few have settled in the Nevada desert, in regions
   left highly radioactive from H-bomb testing in 1950s. The few humans
   that have come across them often think they are mutants, resulting in
   not a few tabloid articles. Some have left their colonies and offered
   their services to other supernaturals, posing as Gargoyles. Their
   ability to work in both daylight and darkness has made them
   particularly valuable, but few have admitted this capability to their
   employers.

   Perhaps the greatest problem facing the Gargouilles is the fact that
   for centuries they have been breeding almost exclusively within their
   own community. The result is that they have become severely inbred.
   Few individuals are born without some kind of defect. Madness,
   feeblemindedness and even greater physical deformity are common.
   Reluctantly, they have been making overtures to other ghoul families,
   most notably the Obertuses, but without much success. Much to their
   dismay, they have been forced to introduce human blood into their
   pool, almost always by force. They dislike the prospect of weakening
   their line, but realize that without new blood, they will soon perish
   anyway.

   Appearance: Gargouilles closely resemble their Gargoyle kin. From
   birth, they have small wings, and these grow throughout their long
   lives. Many of the oldest Gargouilles have larger, more effective
   wings than even the Gargoyles. Older Gargouilles have rocky, gnarled
   flesh that becomes more and more indistinguishable from stone. When a
   Gargouille dies of old age, his corpse completely solidifies, becoming
   a stone statue. Often, when a Gargouille is about to die, he flies up
   to a high rocky outcropping and partially melds with the stone. There,
   he watches the vista and patiently waits for death to come. When it
   does, he has returned to his elements and truly becomes part of his
   surroundings. In the city, a Gargouille will often choose a concrete
   building for his final resting place. On more than one occasion,
   building owners have found that they have a statue that they hadn't
   had before.

   Organization: There are at least twenty Gargouille settlements
   scattered across the planet, each with a dozen or so members. They are
   a tight knit people, so gatherings are common, even between members of
   widely separated settlements. They keep in touch as much as possible,
   flying under the cover of night between their colonies. Each colony
   typically has at least one Gargoyle and possibly more. They always
   welcome Gargoyles and other Gargouilles, but others are typically
   chased away.

   Disciplines: Viceritika, Fortitude, Potence (Because they are born
   with their wings, they fly as if they had one level of viceritika
   higher).

   Weaknesses: Like Gargoyles, the hideous visage of Gargouilles render
   them with an appearance of zero. In addition, because they are so
   inbred, each individual has some kind of defect or deformity. Hunched
   backs, feeblemindedness and madness are common.

   Stereotypes:

   Gargoyles: We are the only beings who can survive the Embrace of the
   Gargoyle with our minds intact. We insure the survival of the line.

   "The only difference between us and them is that they've got a
   heartbeat."

   - Pumice, 8th generation Gargoyle

   Tremere: They would enslave us as surely as they did our brothers.
   Destroy them before they find us out.

   "These rumors of egg laying Gargoyles have obviously been cooked up by
   Malkavians who have watched too many bad monster films."

   - Reggie, 10th generation Tremere

   Revenants: They spurn us and believe us inferior. Just because we
   don't have nobility flowing in our veins does not make us any less
   than they.

   "These beasts are more monstrous than we are...I envy them."

   - Gomez Addams
