The race of Gargoyles is an ancient sub-race of the recently massacred elves. They have never been as plentiful as the elves, and few humans have met a Gargoyle, or at least, realised they have met a Gargoyle. They have survived the purge only through their great skill at remaining concealed, even when immersed in human or other cultures. They live amongst normal civilisation, largely unrecognised for what they are, and also in underground settlements in the Southern mountains and through the world.

Personality:

Generally cynical and dark, their personalities matching their horrifying true appearances, gargoyles have seen too many of their brothers and sisters disappear over their long life-spans. They have a tendency towards keeping to themselves rather than sharing their life-history, though they will tell a lot to one or two fellows they have grown to respect and trust. They are usually honest regarding their true feelings about an idea or plan, not minding causing offence if they can say what they feel. In battle, they feel similarly, attempting to fight a straight battle relying on their skill and power to finish it without wasting time or risking injury.

Physical description:

Another race of bizarre appearance, the gargoyle is mostly human size, though slightly slimmer and taller, averaging from 1.6 to 2.2 metres tall and weighing 60 to 120kg. Each gargoyle, however, has batlike wings extending from his or her shoulder-blades and extending roughly the length of their arms. They usually have dark grey skin with a blue, green or even maroon tinge and hair that ranges between black and white, as well as dark primary colours, such as navy and maroon. They have long and angular faces with sharp chins and share their elvish cousin’s pointed ears. Ear piercings are common on both sexes and clan tattoos mark the faces and chests of many gargoyles. They have thin and bony arms and legs and a tendency to hunch their backs, as well as sharp black talons on their fingers. They generally wear leather or thin cloth clothing and robes, covering much of their bodies. They reach adulthood at around 40 and can live to be up to 500 years old.

Relations:

Almost no other races know of the existence of the gargoyle race, which has allowed their survival of the purge and continued use of arcane magic despite its outlawing. Clever humans, both Tiagarathian scholars and non-religious researchers; Kartika; vampyres and Labori have come across mentions of them in ancient texts, but few have seen them and recognised them for what they are. The Gargoyles are seen by non-gargoyles as humans or other Medium sized humanoids at all times except when flying or choosing to appear in their true form to a particular person or group. This has allowed them to keep their existence secret, and several clever gargoyles have made lives on the surface, always maintaining the façade of humanity.

Alignment:

Gargoyles tend more towards chaos than law, but despite their horrifying appearance and unusual behaviour they are just as likely to be good as evil. Those who are good-hearted often reveal themselves to a party of human and other adventurers that they have befriended, lending their talents to the dark world in hopes of fixing the mistakes of the lawful government.

Gargoyle Lands:

Gargoyles have dens and cities in deep caverns in the southern mountains and throughout the world, in which the majority of them live, not bothering with the pretence of humanity and relishing their gargoyle abilities. Some few, however, often those who did not fit with into gargoyle society, travel to the surface and adopt the appearance of a normal human, mutant or vampyre, living amongst those whose appearance they have assumed and rarely, if ever, being caught, due to a combination of their perfect disguise and preference for solitary life. These Gargoyles usually work in skilled trades or as scholars, as opposed to the cave-dwellers who are usually forced to concentrate almost entirely on providing food for the table.

Religion:

Most gargoyles do not see a point in worship, however there are exceptions to this rule: surface-dwelling gargoyles like to worship a particular god to avoid drawing attention, usually Tiagarath or a variant. Underground, some evil gargoyles belong to cults to the dark gods, but the majority of those who believe worship what is believed to be a variant of Harajat, known as Karmbakja (in Common, The Hooded Man).

Language:

Gargoyles speak a Elvish variant known as Gargoy, which sounds much like elvish and shares many words, though it has a more guttural and harsh sound. Gargoy is written using elvish script with a few unusual characters added. It is a fairly literal language, without the flowery synonyms and metaphors of Common and elvish.

Names:

In general Gargoyles are given names in Gargoy at birth, though any that wish to dwell amongst other races adopt a name appropriate to the race they find themselves living amongst. Their birth-names are similar to ancient elvish names, but are pronounced according to the more guttural Gargoyle language.

Gargoyle Racial Traits:

• Medium: As Medium creatures, Gargoyles have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.

• Gargoyle base land speed is 10 meters.

• Masquerade: A Gargoyle may assume the illusion of being any Medium sized living creature once per day. This Masquerade will last all day unless ceased by the conscious decision of the Gargoyle or if the Gargoyle attempts to fly. To assume the guise of a creature, the Gargoyle must have either known them on a casual basis for at least a year or observed their appearance and mannerisms ceaselessly for 3 days or more. With 8 hours of concentration, a Gargoyle may assume the guise of an individual that is entirely produced in the Gargoyle’s imagination. After a Gargoyle has masqueraded as a creature once, it can remember how to ‘play’ that creature for 1d6+Int months. So long as these requirements are met, there is no way to distinguish between a Masquerading Gargoyle and the normal humanoid. If the study requirements for a known person are not meant, a DC 20 Spot or Sense Motive check reveals that something is wrong. When seen by unprepared humanoids in their true form, a gargoyle is treated as having 3 Charisma, no matter what it truly has. In Masquerade, its Charisma is as rolled.

• Winged: A Gargoyle’s wings allow it to fly in all directions at a base speed of 10 meters. It may double this to hustle, but not multiply it for running. When flying a Gargoyle’s masquerade falls, and the Gargoyle is unable to cast spells of a spell greater than its caster level – 10. The Gargoyle is also unable to undertake skill checks requiring fine work, such as Open Lock checks, while in flight, and his or her Dexterity bonus to armour, attack rolls (if applicable) and reflex saves is halved.

• Solid-skin: A Gargoyle has a +2 bonus to his Armour Class from natural armour. This does not cause arcane spell failure or encumbrance, and gargoyles may wear other armour or clothing if it is specially made. This doubles to a +4 bonus when the Gargoyle is reduced to ¼ of his health.

• Arcane channel: Arcane energy infuses the very blood of every gargoyle, lending it a +3 racial bonus on Concentration checks made to continue casting, Spellcraft checks and on the DC for saves against the gargoyle’s spells.

• Automatic Languages: Common and Gargoy.

• Favoured class: Battle-mage. A multi-class gargoyle’s battle-mage class does not count when determining whether he takes an experience point penalty.