Gargoyle Yokai

**Gargoyle Yokai** are winged beings who are on top of churches and other high buildings.

## Phsyical Appearance

Gargoyle Yokai has either a humanoid appearance or an animal-like appearance. They have fanged teeth, sharp claws, horns on their heads, and a large pair of wings. They have pointy ears and their skin is made out of stone. Making them quite cold to the touch.

## Description

Gargoyle Yokai are winged beings with a penchant for perching on high terrain. They're often seen perching on top of churches and very high buildings such as the skyscrapers in New York. Given their origins as statues of grotesque humans and animals designed to ward off evil spirits and channel rainwater from rooftops, they also tend to have an ability to turn to stone, voluntarily or not. Few are actually living stone. During the day, they look like ordinary statues. But at night, they come to life and do whatever they usually do during the night before heading back to their homes just before the sun rise.

## Abilities

Here are the abilities that Gargoyle Yokai can have in their arsenal:

* Camouflage
* Dermal Armor
* Enhanced Durability
* Enhanced Regeneration
* Enhanced Strength
* Night Vision
* Wallcrawling
* Wing Manifestation granting Gliding or Flight

### Variations

* Animal Morphing - more animalistic individuals.
* Chimerism - truly unique individuals.
* Decelerated Aging
* Guardianship
* Natural Weaponry
	+ Claw Retraction
	+ Enhanced Bite
	+ Prehensile Tail
* Stone Mimicry - those who are solid, living stone.
	+ Geokinetic Wing Manifestation
* Water Manipulation - Classic French folklore associates gargoyles with water.
	+ Water Breath - Some gargoyles are associated with fountains.

### Associations

* Evil Immunity
* Mythic Physiology
* Petrifactive Hibernation

## Pop Culture

Traditionally, in folklore, they were benevolent despite their appearance, which was framed as being frightful to scare demons away. This is less common in modern fiction. A French legend that sprang up around the name of St. Romanus (French: Romain; fl. c. 631–641 AD), the former chancellor of the Merovingian king Clotaire II who was made bishop of Rouen, relates how he delivered the country around Rouen from a monster called Gargouille or Goji. La Gargouille is said to have been the typical dragon with bat-like wings, a long neck, and the ability to breathe fire from its mouth. Multiple versions of the story are given, either that St. Romanus subdued the creature with a crucifix, or he captured the creature with the help of the only volunteer, a condemned man. In each, the monster is led back to Rouen and burned, but its head and neck would not burn due to being tempered by its own fire breath. The head was then mounted on the walls of the newly built church to scare off evil spirits, and used for protection. In commemoration of St. Romain, the Archbishops of Rouen were granted the right to set a prisoner free on the day that the reliquary of the saint was carried in procession (see details at Rouen).

In modern fiction, there are many gargoyle characters. Huginn and Muninn from Rise of the TMNT are both gargoyles who shares the name with Odin's ravens. The show "Gargoyles" focuses on a group of gargoyles who roams around New York at night. Rochelle Goyle from Monster High is the daughter of the gargoyle who lived in France. American Dragon's gargoyles all live on top of the skyscrapers at 112th street.

## Variations

### Dragon Yokai

Many early gargoyles depicted some version of a dragon, especially in France. In addition to serving as spouts for water, the gaping mouths of these gargoyles evoked the fearsome destructiveness of these legendary beasts, reminding the laity of the need for the church's protection.

## Life in the Hidden World

Gargoyle Yokai usually live high above the ground. Perching on top of tall buildings where they have room to fly. They can be quite mischievous in nature, especially in regards to food. They would sneakily take bites from other Yokai's meals when they're not looking. In the Surface World, they pretend to be inanimate statues during the day. Perching on top of tall buildings such as the Empire State Building and the gardens of the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine on 112th Street in New York City. But at night, they come to life and do whatever they usually do before the sun rise again.

## Symbolism

Some think that the gargoyles' angry faces were meant to scare away evil spirits and protect the building. Others think that scary gargoyles were placed on churches to remind people that there is evil in the world, so they should enter the church often and live a good life.