Gargoyles

## Common Knowledge

Gargoyles are near mythical peoples who are somewhat known in myths and legends as greedy, war specialists whose lifespans rival the elves. Many stories speak of their immediate lust to satiate their desires and their brutally devastating wits to meet these ends. They are thought to be a menace and were hunted throughout history until their numbers dwindled into what they are today.

## Appearance

Gargoyles have the appearance of stone given a semblance of life. Gargoyle's are given clan markings by birth and their pattern is decided by themselves when they reach a rite of passage into adulthood. Until then, the gargoyle will wear their clan colors in three straight lines above their eyebrows.

## History

The history of the gargoyles have been lost to time. Their earliest records are jealously guarded and kept among their own kind. Even among these scraps of notes, the truth behind their origin is still vague. The gargoyles are known to have been created although their creators are wrapped in mystery.

The only term left surviving that refers to their creators is "The Masters". This term is placed with much resentment and fear among those Gargoyles who choose to study the ancient texts. It is believed that the first Gargoyles came from a mountain known as 'Sobierururai' and that servitude was their intended role. No being alive knows which mountain is 'Sobierururai' although many claims have been announced although their authenticity is constantly questioned.

The legends surrounding the gargoyles of 'Sobieruyurai' portray them as guardians who were clever and unparalleled in battle. The Masters were able to bend them to their will using relics and artifacts which can cause Gargoyles to act against their own wills. Some say these artifacts remain to this day, buried underneath the rubble of time alongside the coffins of the Masters. Other folk stories claim that gargoyle kind was abandoned by the Masters once their cooperative pacts met their objective and with no guiding force, they chose to leave Sobieruyurai to forge their own paths. Some clans hold the belief that their ancestors escaped from the harsh and cruel Masters, their flight of exodus taking them as far as their stamina allowed, even claiming that they made it overseas in lands unknown. In other tales told in murky tavern keeps and cold campfires say that the gargoyles were exiled and cast out from a welcoming home for some forgotten transgression. For all the accounts of the gargoyles past, none are verified as they all come from oral traditions and each story is told differently with new flares added on occasionally.

The facts concerning Gargoyles increase once one looks at their history after their departure from the mountain. It is believed that the Gargoyles were great in number but with no place to call their home, they spread out across the land and claimed territory for their own, occupied or not. With no overseers to guide their actions, these Gargoyles acted with great greed and fought for land. Their ambitions were not tuned to their long lifespans but to their immediate, base desires. Utilizing their natural cunning and wits to devastating ends, they manipulated not only the beings of flesh but also their own kin to fulfill their objectives. After many conflicts regarding land and property, gargoyles were thought of to be a menace by the Greater Orelislian populace and were hunted down severely until their numbers had dwindled to a fraction of their original count.

Seeing the effects that their actions had wrought, the Gargoyles concluded that if things continued as they were then as a people they would be wiped out within the century. A great meeting was called and summons for their kin covered every corner of the land. The Gargoyles enjoyed logic above all else and debated seemingly endlessly for years, high above the mountains where no mortals dared to reach. As the conflict raged on outside, it was decided that as a race, they should no more act freely on their emotions as they concluded that it was their own greed that nearly brought them to ruin. Twelve leaders arose and from these leaders came the Great clans to which modern gargoyles descend from and wear their markings in honor of. They exiled themselves from the land of Flesh and Mortals, cloistering themselves away in their own clans to where they remain to this day.

## Culture/Religion

A gargoyle tends to be born into a specific clan, and while some individuals have switched clans before, it is a very uncommon occurrence, and, if not handled delicately, something of a scandal. While the color of a gargoyle’s clan markings are chosen for them by the circumstances of their birth, the pattern of the markings is something which each gargoyle decides for themselves as a rite of passage into adulthood. This rite can be taken at any time, between the ages of 20 and 100, depending on the gargoyle. Until the Rite of Marking, the gargoyle will simply wear their clan colors in three straight lines, above their eyebrows.

Modern gargoyles are not emotionless, but they consider emotional displays to be quite shameful. They are fans of logic, and especially enjoy riddles. While many gargoyles live peaceful lives, the fact remains that they were created as guardians, and it is quite rare to find a gargoyle who does not have a natural knack for weapon-play and the art of battle.

The twelve clans are outlined briefly, as follows:

Mutsuki: Represented by the colors Red, White, and Violet, the clan of Mutsuki traveled to the coldest, highest mountains of Valdislag. They were marked apart by their remarkable ambition, and those who left and traveled among men, (which, admittedly, were few- gargoyles as a whole tend not to enjoy the company of humans) tended to take up positions of leadership wherever they went. The Mutsuki tend to be rather elitist, but are clever enough to act appropriately when they travel, which they are known to do frequently. Those of the Mutsuki clan tend to be traders.

Kisaragi: Represented by Violet, Pink, and White, and smallest in number, those of the Kisaragi clan started a monastery high on a mountain, but sent their members to travel the continent performing altruistic acts for the other races, claiming their actions to be logical, as repairing relations with man would aid their entire race. Other clans looked down upon this act and Kisaragi as a whole due to this, claiming them to be “soft of heart and mind” for such behavior. All the same, the majority of the Kisaragi clan are healers or champions for the cause of the weak.

Yayoi: Blue, Green, and Black, the Yayoi clan claimed cliffs near the sea as their land, claiming the power of the ocean to be a worthy indicator of their own might. The Yayoi were natural warriors, mostly veterans who had lived through and survived battles against the race of men, and those descended from them retained their deep dislike and distrust of men. Few of the Yayoi clan ever choose to leave their home, preferring to keep their skills sharp by sparring with other gargoyles, the only opponents “worthy” in their eyes. They are very noble, if mildly ethnocentric.

Uzuki: Green, White, and Yellow, the Uzuki dispersed in many directions, but maintained one major city on a mountain in Taphran. The Uzuki loved to test their wits and the wits of others, and particularly enjoyed to do so in the form of riddles. As such, many of the Uzuki travelled the world, searching for new riddles and aiming to expand their knowledge in general, but most who did travel would stay in one place for prolonged periods of time and wait for travelers to find them instead.

Satsuki: Purple, Silver and Black, the Satsuki clan did not see the logic in completely abandoning humans, as they had their uses, and instead lived very near them. They retained their pride, considering humans to be a lesser species, but would gladly trade with them and even allow them to take up residence within gargoyle towns. This was great cause for rivalry between them and the Fumizuki clan, as the Fumizuki saw this as despicable.

Minazuki: Pink, Red, and Orange, the Minazuki lived near the dwarves, and shared their fascination with metalwork- in fact, swords and armor crafted by the Minazuki clan are considered highly precious throughout gargoyle kind. The Minazuki in particular have a fascination with the stories of old, particularly with the idea of creating life as they were once created- as such, they experiment frequently with golems.

Fumizuki: Red, Yellow, and Orange, the Fumizuki clan almost immediately broke the treaty created at the forming of the clans- warlike and ferocious, the Fumizuki acted as a roaming clan of barbarians, spreading death and destruction upon any humans which they come across. It is for this reason that many of the gargoyles refuse to refer to them by their clan name, believing them unworthy of it- instead, they call them “The Dark Force.”

Hazuki: Yellow, Black, and Blue, the Hazuki clan value order above all else, and as such organize communication and the law for all gargoyles. The majority of the Hazuki clan do not travel frequently, choosing instead to maintain massive libraries where accounts of each tribe and many pieces of information regarding the lesser species are kept. Only members of the Hazuki clan are allowed within these libraries. The Hazuki clan also upholds their laws with a small but extremely elite task force of gargoyles- it is said that they are the only reason why the Fumizuki clan has not declared war on any other clan or on non-humans- as long as they remain small-scale, their actions are not enough to upset the precious order of the Hazuki clan.

Nagatsuki: Blue, Orange, and Green, those of the Nagatsuki clan are quite enigmatic scholars with interests in every field. They do not tend to visit non-gargoyle towns, but still travel frequently, visiting all the clans to pursue their goals of attaining knowledge. They are known to pay well for books from the lands of lesser species, since they refuse to travel among such beings. They are considered highly respectable by the other clans, albeit strange, and are always offered hospitality when on a scholarly mission.

Kannazuki: Orange, Pink, and Green, the Kannazuki lived in the forests, observing with great fascination the plants and animals with whom they shared their space. Many of the Kannazuki are druids, while some are instead excellent alchemists, masters at utilizing the components around them. Despite their living in the woods, the Kannazuki are not savages, and take high offense to being called such- their city, created high in the trees, is actually an extremely sophisticated architectural marvel, and almost unreachable by those who can’t fly.

Shimotsuki: Silver, Orange, and Red, the gargoyles of the Shimotsuki clan lived within the shadows, acting as assassins and thieves. It is not known where the Shimotsuki make their homes, though it is rumored that they have massive settlements made beneath major cities, labyrinths which allow for easy escapes when the need arises. The Shimotsuki are highly respected among the other clans, and considered the most elite mercenaries one can buy.

Shiwasu: Silver, Blue, and Yellow, the Shiwasu are known for their fascination with magic- they tend to be powerful mages of every school of magic, though they are most commonly wizards. The gargoyles of the Shiwasu clan are very reclusive, rarely leaving their massive university. Their magic does not seem to suffer from this isolation, and they claim (though this is an unverified rumor) that their casters are the most powerful in the entire world.

## Known Locations

-Mt. Sobieruyurai

-Valdislag Mountains

-Taphran Mountains