By Abe Dashiell (adashiel@indiana.edu)
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. They were 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, hoping that if they concentrated their blood over several generations, 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 -- somewhere that was both geographically remote and also relatively untouched by supernatural influences. Finally, they 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 to 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 terror stricken; 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 blood bound 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 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 existences, 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 Viceratika at a very early age and learning Potence and Fortitude soon after. Even more bizarre was 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. Horus, greatest of the mummies, discovered their presence in his Swiss refuge. Believing them to be agents of Apophis, he leaked their whereabouts to a large sept of Shadow Lords. The werewolves attacked and though they were respulsed, it was not without a great cost in Gargouille lives. Fearful that the garou would return, the Gargoyles decided it would be 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 discrete 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. Even though 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 who 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 are now 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.
"I'm not so sure how much of a success our grand experiment is. We created them so that the minds of our childer could survive the Embrace. But now, their minds are gone even before the Kiss."
Tremere: They would enslave us as surely as they did our brothers. Destroy them before they find us out.
"First Goratrix and now this. Saulot may have his vengeance after all."
The Camarilla: Some of the clans -- especially the Nosferatu -- aren't bad, but never forget that it is the creation of the Tremere.
"Egg laying gargoyles?! Yeah, right! Obviously these rumors were cooked up by Malkavians who have watched too many bad monster films."
The Sabbat: They distrust the Tremere, which is good. But, the enemy of your enemy is not always your friend.
"A feeble attempt by an inferior bloodline to imitate our success."
The Inconnu: We have no fight with them, but I fear they still believe we are the slaves of the Tremere
"Perhaps the only ghoul family worth saving -- if it will put a thorn in the side of the Tremere!"
Revenants: They spurn us and believe us inferior. Just because we don't have the blood of nobility flowing in our veins does not make us any less than they.
"These beasts are more monstrous than we are...I envy them."