Gorgon

>    *“We were stripped of our perfect forms, a punishment of our own making. Some of my sisters have given in to their pain, anguish, and regret. But some of us persist. With our influence and power, we will shepherd the Dark Elves to prominence - and us along with them.” -* Dea, a Gorgon sibyl.
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It is believed that the all-female Gorgons were once regular Dark Elves, members of a sect that aimed to perfect their minds and bodies through dark magic and bloody rituals. In their minds, these efforts would put them on par with the ancient Dragon Gods themselves so, naturally, many of their rituals involved utilising reptilian and serpentine species. One day, however, one of their rituals went very, very wrong. The magic they were using backfired, warping the bodies and minds of all those present. Their torso elongated and legs fused together. Their skin was rendered tough and scaly. Most curious of all, their hair turned into a wild collection of snakes, controlled by the main ‘host’ body. By the end of their transformation, the Dark Elves of this sect had been turned into serpent-like beings - the Gorgons.

## **Physical Appearance - Serpentine Appearance**

Gorgons’ scaly skin, reptilian eyes, and snake hair make their serpentine appearance incredibly obvious. As a result of their transformation, their bodies have grown quite a bit. On average, they are about 8-9 feet tall, towering to 12 feet or more when they rear themselves up on their serpent tails. Unsurprisingly they are also very heavy, weighing about 280-340 pounds.

A Gorgon’s serpentine biology is obvious for all to see. Their bottom halves are typically that of a snake, completely removing the legs. Their skin is also very scaly and covers their entire body. This is not necessarily the case for all Gorgons, though. In rarer cases, the serpent features their race is best known for are somewhat minimised or subverted. They retain their legs and some of their skin where scales should otherwise be. Their eyes, to, appear more mammalian than reptilian. These Gorgons are not considered ‘outcasts’ amongst their race, as one might expect, and additionally benefit from an appearance that makes blending-in all the more easy, aside from the very noticeable snake-hair.

## **Mentality - Two Extremes**

The psychology of the Gorgons typically fits into one of two camps - hatred or acceptance. These two camps revolve entirely around how the Gorgon in-question responds to their transformation. Some are consumed by regret and hatred of their new forms, manifesting in bitterness and pure evil. Others, however, completely accept their condition and go so far as to show off their forms as an objective improvement of themselves, to the point of vain arrogance. There is rarely an in-between.

Gorgons that are consumed by their hatred consider their transformation a punishment, an abomination, and so see themselves and others of their race the same way. They are tormented by their own regret, believing that they sacrificed beauty and perfection in their desire to obtain even more. These emotions can evolve into deep depression or unquenchable anger. Either way, some of these Gorgons will exert these feelings outward and on others. They can be sadistic, cruel, and brutal - with short-tempers and no forgiveness for those that obtain the Gorgon’s anger. In the worst cases, these Gorgons are completely evil, irreversibly taken by their own hatred.

On the other side of that, there are those that accept and parade their transformation. These Gorgons see their change as the logical outcome of their evolution, the final step towards their goal of perfection. They maintain the goals of their old sect, but believe that the change *was* them obtaining their dragon-like power, though not exactly in the way they imagined. Some of these Gorgons are actually quite pleasant, at least within Dark Elf society, being logical and passionate but still somewhat understanding. The worst, however, are completely arrogant and vain - considering themselves comparable to the gods and god-like beings.

## **Society - Sibyls and Seers**

Many Gorgons actually hold quite powerful positions within the Dark Elf Empire. Despite their transformation permanently changing their bodies, the Gorgons did obtain certain benefits from their change. They have used these to their advantage, gaining influential positions as religious leaders. They serve as priests, known as sibyls, where they give blessings and organise large rituals for those they are tasked with watching over. Outside of this role, some Gorgons serve as warriors in the military, where their large size and tough skin makes them natural and vicious fighters.

In other lands, Gorgons with the complete serpentine features are rare - as many choose to remain in with their Dark Elf countrymen, where their skills are at least respected. Those that do live in other countries, then, are typically those that did not obtain all the features that their sisters did, like the serpentine lower half. These Gorgons serve a variety of roles, such as religious scholars or as escorts for influential figures. Interestingly, these Gorgons prove to be quite popular in the Empire’s beauty market - where they can obtain work as models for designers and artists.

Unable to reproduce naturally, the only way Gorgons can expand or even just retain their numbers is to subject others to the same rituals they themselves did. In some cases, these women are volunteers - but in others women are forcefully abducted and subjected to the transformation.

## **Gorgon Adventurers - Regression and Reputation**

Gorgons that turn to adventuring might do so for a variety of reasons, typically depending on how they perceive their transformation. Those that despise their change might be searching for a way to reverse it and to turn themselves back into their original Dark Elf form. Those that embrace their change, however, might simply be looking for reputation, riches, and recognition. Perhaps they wish to see the world and, from their perspective, showcase their beauty and power to as many people as possible.

## **Gorgon Names**

Being essentially an offshoot of the Dark Elf race, the Gorgons retain the same naming structure that the Dark Elves do. Like Dark Elves and High Elves, they do not have separate family names. Since the Gorgons are an all-female race, they only use Dark Elf female names. It is probable that some Gorgons might use stereotypically male names, but that is not the norm.

**Example Gorgon Names -** Bella, Rhoda, Apollonia, Chryseis, Diana.

## **Gorgon Traits**

Your Gorgon character has certain traits deriving from your unique and serpent-like biology.

* ***Ability Score Increase -*** your Intelligence score increases by 1, and your Charisma score by 2.
* ***Age -*** Gorgons are believed to live for at least a thousand years.
* ***Alignment -*** a majority of Gorgons, especially those that serve the Dark Elf Empire, are lawful evil. They respect the laws of their country but do not care for mercy or life, just as many Dark Elves do. Outside of that, others might fall into neutral or chaotic evil, or just completely neutral.
* ***Size -*** A Gorgon’s height is usually between 8-9 feet tall when relaxed, going up to 12 feet when rearing up. They also weigh about 280-340 pounds. Your size is Large.
* ***Speed -*** your base walking speed is 30 feet.
* ***Parseltongue -*** you can communicate with snakes and serpent-like creatures as if you shared a language and have advantage on all Charisma checks you make to influence them.
* ***Snake Hair -*** your scalp is teeming with living snakes. You can use your hair to make melee weapon attacks. If you hit with it, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d4 + your Dexterity modifier.
* ***Poison Immunity -*** you are immune to poison damage and the poisoned condition.
* ***Quick Read -*** you gain proficiency with the Insight skill.
* ***Natural Armour -*** you have tough, scaly skin. When you aren’t wearing armour, your AC is 13 + your dexterity modifier. You can use your natural armour to determine your AC if the armour you wear would leave you with a lower AC. A shield’s benefits apply as normal while you use your natural armour.
* ***Languages -*** you can speak, read and write Common and Elvish. Gorgons typically speak in a similar manner to Dark Elves, being of the same ancestry. Unlike Dark Elves, though, Gorgons sometimes extend the ‘s’ letter in certain words - just like a snake.