History

In the years before it proclaimed itself an empire, the Kingdom of Berphaunt in the east had a need for expansion. Its populace grew with each passing year, both living space and adequate farmland becoming increasingly more pressing concerns for Berphaunt’s ruling class. As is the case with most budding imperial powers, they sought the solution to their problems through conquest, drawing their eye to the fertile lands in the southeast. Unfortunately, in those lands were the largest and most united clan of Greenskins to ever exist – Clan Sprawn – and none in Berphaunt doubted they would fight like demons to defend it. While some of its nobility were undoubtedly reluctant or even fearful of the consequences of a war with the Orcs, they were silenced by those unwilling to accept a race of Greenskin “savages” as neighbours, nor would they allow their people to starve as the kingdom’s borders expanded. As grim as the reality was, there was simply no other option but war. At least, that is what the leadership told it’s people.

The conflict between Berphaunt and Clan Sprawn did not progress in the manner that its generals had predicted in their hasty plans, however. And while many early victories were won thanks to their superior tactics and wartime material, Clan Sprawn were both numerous and strong, not readily accepting defeat and willing to fight to the last orc in battle after battle. The war quickly became a bloody quagmire, a machine that devoured all the viscera forced into its hungry maw from both sides. As the casualties began to mount past projected numbers, the King of Berphaunt came to the realization that his overconfident generals and yes-men had bit off more than they could chew against their “savage” enemy. In addition, the Orcs had sought allies abroad; allies who were concerned with Berphaunt’s burgeoning power and influence. They aided Clan Sprawn as a means by which they might check Berphaunt’s aggressive expansion. Duvainian ships kept the coasts clear, while advisors from other nations helped orcish warlords and their overlord Bröduex Sprawn to forge their scattered war parties into disciplined and well-armed shock troops.

It became apparent that Berphaunt could not endure this state of affairs over the long term, lacking in both the funds and manpower to continue this war of attrition and began to seek other alternatives. The king issued a call to the best and brightest of his subjects, asking that someone devise a way by which the orcish threat to Berphaunt might be crushed once and for all. To buy time for such a measure to be brought to fruition, the Conclave used Seti, the Orb of Barriers, to imprison the majority of Clan Sprawn within a great magical dome.  While the barrier was impenetrable, doing so took much of Seti’s energies, and it was thought that the conjured barrier could last a decade at most. The dome bought Berphaunt time and nothing more. As such, the paragons of Berphaunt set themselves to the task with a grim determination.

Ardeana Stye, the Black Arcanist of the Conclave’s Black Tower was an incredibly brilliant and accomplished mage, and the kingdom’s foremost authority on the creation and utilization of constructs. Golems were tireless, fearsome warriors, able to kill tirelessly and without compunction for whomever held their reigns. And even when a Golem did fall, few wept for the stone shards in the same manner that they grieved for a fallen daughter or father slain in battle. As such, she believed that the answer to Berphaunt’s woes lay somewhere within her area of expertise. Despite this belief, the problems with a force of Golems were plain for all to see: Golems lack true sapience and intelligence, simply following only the direct orders they are given. This limitation would be especially worrisome, as once let loose inside the Wall of Seti there would be no way to issue further commands to their army of constructs. Without the ability to improvise and adapt to ever changing circumstances against a chaotic enemy, they could hardly be counted upon to prosecute a war by themselves. Furthermore, their creation was both difficult and expensive in resources, and nothing approaching the numbers King Louis Berphaunt had requested could feasibly be created by the Black Tower in such short time as the Wall of Seti gave them.

Black Arcanist Stye experimented for months inside her expansive laboratory, seeking a means by which she might imbue her creations with both the true sentience and the ability to reproduce. As her expired test subjects and frustrating failures mounted, one undeniable fact became clear to her –  true sapience was bestowed by the presence of a spirit, and the power to create the very essence of a person was beyond even the Conclave’s power.

If she could not create a spirit out of whole cloth, perhaps she could repurpose those that already existed? Early experimentation upon mortal spirits quickly proved that few if any were strong enough to be divided into several host bodies, and while one could occasionally animate a single stone body, the fact that this process could not be scaled up without drawing undue attention led her to abandon this approach. The True Fae were too powerful and their spirits too unique to apply the same process to all of them, Elementals too single minded and alien, Demons too chaotic and capable of rebelling against their masters. It seemed as if nothing might work until a suggestion from one of her apprentices; what about the Angelic Hosts? A rogue Angel was summoned and bound into nearly a hundred inert stone bodies, whose eyes snapped open in unison for a brief moment. And while the strain soon obliterated the Angel’s spirit, for a moment she had tasted success and she knew what she must do to tweak her ritual magics.

Under a second, smaller barrier erected by Seti that hid the realms above from her work, Stye and her most trusted Archmagi summoned and imprisoned Angels of both Light and Dark, imbuing and dividing their salvaged spirits within the cold stone bodies that awaited them. As they awoke in unfamiliar bodies, powerful enchantments laid upon their new forms activated, subsuming their independence and memories before shackling their minds to the Conclave. And to Ardeana Stye’s delight, they could reproduce! While the process was far from perfect and did not produce offspring each time it was attempted, this meant that she had her army. A peerless force of stone warriors utterly bound to her will, and one that could act independently and strategically, replacing their losses without needing outside assistance.

The Gargylen, as they were named, were armed and given their orders as a doorway through Seti’s barrier was torn open for their advance:

“Kill every last orc, let none survive.”

And that is what they did… or at least what they tried to do. For years they fought ferociously and meticulously against the imprisoned forces of Clan Sprawn. An army of stone and shield pushing against an army of frantic Orcs with their backs against a wall. The Orcs did not give ground easily, but even they might have fallen were it not for an unforeseen consequence of the barrier’s magics. In their haste, the Conclave had made several errors in the complex spells that bound the Gargylen and their minds, and had not the time to fully research how interference from the Wall of Seti might impact the magic that set them to their genocidal orders. Over time the spells that shackled their minds began to weaken, and this was escalated further by the efforts of Sprawn’s own shaman who used their spellcraft to speed the process along, poking holes through its latticework of defensive magics. When the Wall of Seti came down in the year 2253, the common people of Berphaunt were shocked to see that not only were the forces of Clan Sprawn still alive, but legions of free Gargylen now stood shoulder to shoulder with them.

Fueled by a righteous rage and a desire to repay their blood debt to the Orcs, they joined together with Clan Sprawn in their war and brought their fury to Berphaunt’s doorstep. While they were Angels no longer, they did not forget the celestial glories that Berphaunt had stolen from them. Countless Berphauntian soldiers met gruesome ends at their hands, but it was not until a united host of Angels descended from the realms above that Berphaunt truly realized the gravity of the error it had made. The Gods of Light had ordered the destruction of those who would victimize their greatest servants, and even some Angels of the Dark Pantheon went behind their master’s backs to join the warriors of Light in pursuit of vengeance and retribution. While the forces of the Pax Arcanium later slaughtered Clan Sprawn through deception and unparalleled death magic, against the fury of Angels both Light and Dark the Conclave knew it was outmatched. Thus, King Louis Berphaunt was forced to intervene.

He pronounced the “Angelic Deconfliction Edict”, placing the entirety of blame upon the Black Tower, removing them from the umbrella of the Conclave and consigning all who wore their black robes as traitors. It is said that some fled and formed the Skein Dominion, while others simply changed their names and robes, but a great many perished with stone hands around their necks or with an angelic blade through their hearts. Some still believe it was Master Ryneh Brier, the head of the entire Conclave, who instructed Ardeana Stye in her final rituals of creation in secret, but such has never been proven. It also bears note to history that despite Master Brier wielding peerless political and magical influence, she too disappeared when Ardeana’s tower fell.

As the dust settled and their rage cooled, the Gargylen began to consider their future. They could not return to what they once were, that much was clear. And while many nations of Arthos sympathized with their plight, none were willing or able to grant them an independent nation within their borders that might contain all of their number. Nor were the Gargylen themselves willing to take a homeland by force, as many were exhausted from all the battles that they had seen in years past. As a consequence, the larger Gargylen race split apart, forming small communities and finding acceptance wherever they could across Maud’madir in an event they later named the Great Diaspora.

Geography

For much of their history, the Gargylen were a people without a home. Created to be weapons meant to enact a genocide, they were never meant to live in significant numbers beyond the destruction of Clan Sprawn as the magic which ensnared them was simply too resource-hungry. When the Berphaunt’s conflict with the Greenskins was brought to a sudden and final end by the Pax Arcanium, the Gargylen were often traumatized by the abrupt loss of those who had helped them win their freedom. Amidst the ashes and bones of their fallen companions, they had not the will to avenge themselves upon Berphaunt, nor could they imagine carving out their own nation by force from the lands around them. Disgusted with the idea of warring any longer and repelled by the imperial ambitions that led to so much suffering, they simply broke into hundreds of small groups and dispersed throughout Maud’madir. Some fell in with other peoples, while others built their own small yet simple settlements deep in the frontier, far away from any other power that would seek to use them.

However, in recent years the Duesworn Fellowship has brought great change to the Gargylen race as a whole. Accepted by the Amaranthine Legion for their shared history with the extinct Clan Sprawn, the Greater Gargylen have gathered in numbers for the first time since their Great Diaspora, and for the first time have established a permanent home on the continent of Amaranthia where all Gargylen are welcome. While many have yet to leave the lives they have established elsewhere, hundreds still have flocked to Voynak where they aid the nascent Greenskin nation with their expansive interest in such matters as masonry, politics, agriculture, philosophy, and ritual magic.

While most of the Greenskin clans of the Amaranthine Legion have claimed a district within the second ring for themselves, the Gargylen instead have laid claim to a massive fortress-keep within the city known as the Grand Orrery. Even before they arrived it was likely one of the most formidable fortresses on Arthos, but now after being made subject to extensive reconstruction efforts it stands as a sprawling marvel of design and strength. Here the Gargylen race finally has a place it can truly call a home, a place where they can begin to ask what it means to be a Gargylen, what they value as a people, and what glories they hope to achieve now that they are united in purpose.

Culture

The Gargylen are relatively new to the world of Arthos, and they are unlike most of the other mortal races in that they do not have a widely shared set of beliefs or traditions. With several notable exceptions, they are in large part a race of individuals. Most simply absorb the practices of wherever they happened to end up, or whomever took them in. In many villages that dot the frontiers of Maud’madir, it is not uncommon to see a lone stone-skinned figure among a sea of faces, working, living, and worshipping as they do. They are a folk well adapted to toil and hardship, and are oft-well valued members of the communities in which they dwell, although sometimes their odd appearance or grim history leads to others looking upon them with suspicion or fear.

Nevertheless, the traumatic beginnings of their race has led a certain core belief to become common among most Gargylen, and that is an almost near-universal rejection of slavery. The hatred of that vile practice is something even the youngest Gargylen feels, and is etched into the very fibres of their being. Only the most wretched and fallen Gargylen would ever even consider taking part in the flesh trade, and most combat it any way that they can. For many Gargylen this hatred of slavery extends even further to a dislike for anything that might constrain the freedom of another sentient being. Liberty is so high valued that it is celebrated by most Gargylen on a communal holiday known simply as Liberation Day, which occurs on the date September 16th every year. On that day, Gargylen across Arthos are encouraged to place their own personal choices and desires ahead of all others, within the laws and regulations of the lands in which they currently dwell. For most this means taking a day of rest from toiling away in their chosen field, and yet for others who have found their true calling, they often instead choose to continue working because it is how they feel the most happy. Regardless of what they choose to do, the important thing is that each individual gets to choose for themselves.

Those known as Forgeborn or the “Greater Gargylen” are the progenitors of their race; they who were the first to awaken into sentience deep within the bowels of the Black Tower. They are few in number in the current age, as conflict they were born into took its grim toll upon these unique and powerful folk. They differ from the more common Gargylen in that they retain the greater portion of the celestial essence that quickened their cold stone forms, and as a consequence they possess a depth of wisdom and a degree of spiritual power that exceeds that of their children. Thus, they tend to act as shepherds of their kind, and the Gargylen in turn treat the Forgeborn with a reverence most mortals reserve for royalty.

While the majority of Gargylen have either assimilated into the nations of Arthos or have joined the Duesworn Fellowship, many still have ended up forming their own unique cultural groups through design or circumstance. These are deemed “Clusters” by the Forgeborn, and are most often the result of how a collection of Gargylen processed the change and hardship of the Great Diaspora that scattered their people.

Gender identity is quite fluid among the Gargylen peoples. With just basic tools and a cursory knowledge of blacksmithing, any Gargylen can freely change their appearance, although they cannot completely alter their identity to the point of becoming unrecognizable. Traditional gender roles are absent from Gargylen society and are often seen as a concept that is given too much importance by other races. Although they are free to adapt and express themselves however they choose, most Gargylen value pragmatism over beauty when deciding on their physical features and manner of dress. Those who spend too much time on personal vanity are often looked upon as being foolish by their more traditional Gargylen peers.

The Clusters

The Ferals

While some of the Gargylen decided to leave their collective pasts behind them by assimilating into the cultures of wherever they came to rest, the Ferals just… disappeared. The Gargylen who later became the Ferals were last seen vanishing into the deep forests of Maud’madir and were never seen again by most civilized folk. A minority of these rustic folk went to live with communities of Fauns, Wild Elves, and Wood Fae that lived in these remote glades, but most instead chose to keep to themselves, living at one with nature. Some learn the magics of stone and stream, while others may use the nature around them as weapons wielded against those that would despoil it. The Ferals look noticeably different from most other Gargylen: they have allowed nature to claim them, with moss, vines, and flowers growing over their stony skin.

The Gravestone Warriors

As they wandered the back-roads of Maud’madir searching for a purpose, a chance encounter saw this group of Gargylen drawn into the orbit of a travelling group of Risen Undead Hunters. A bond was forged when they both realized that they shared similar stories of pain, trauma, and being created as a violent tool meant for wicked ends. Fascinated by their stories and excited by the promise of a noble cause, these Gargylen took to their new purpose as slayers of the dead with great aplomb. While some hope to eventually put an end to the Risen Harbingers and thus grant their friends a final rest, others cannot stomach the thought of losing their treasured companions. Still, the desire to end all enemies of life itself both unites them and gives them eternal purpose.

The Piatră Wanderers

After the fall of the Black Tower, a group Gargylen found themselves wandering the roads of Maud’madir in search of a new purpose. As they journeyed along, they happened upon something that none of them had ever seen before, a massive Ajaunti Caravan. The Aja asked these strange folk where they were headed, a question for which the Gargylen did not have an answer. Feeling sorry for the Gargylen upon hearing their tragic history as both groups shared their tales, they offered them a place in their caravans until they figured things out, reasoning that they always had a place at their hearths for fellow travellers. Over time, some of these Gargylen found community and family among the Aja and found purpose in performing, storytelling, and experiencing the life of a vagabond wanderer.

To the Aja, these Gargylen became known as the Piatră Wanderers. While there is rarely a large collective of Piatră Wanderers, it is not uncommon to see one or two travelling with the Aja caravans that make their way through the various settlements of Maud’madir.

The Black Roses

After the fall of the Black Tower, not all Gargylen felt the triumph of victory. For some, rage still burnt fiercely in their hearts and could not be ignored. In their eyes, the collapse of one-third of the Conclave was just the beginning. Many mages had escaped punishment, and that was not something these Gargylen could rightly abide. To seize the vengeance that rightfully belonged to them, these Gargylen banded together to form a gang and underground network of Gargylen known as the Black Roses. These Gargylen are spread out across the continent and offer their services free of charge to those who would oppose the Conclave. They most commonly work as resistance fighters and saboteurs, forming the backbone of any movement that would frustrate the ambitions or goals of a Conclave Magus.

The Gargylen of Mount Smaragd

A decade or so ago, a group of travelling Mountain Dwarves were on their way back to their home in the mountains of Gerdain when they came across a small collective of Gargylen huddling around a fire near the road. It was late at night and the nearest inn was still hours away, so the Dwarves asked if they could join these peculiar creatures for the night. The Gargylen were skeptical, but nonetheless they allowed the Dwarves to join them by the warm flames. The Dwarves quickly became fascinated by the Gargylen’s stone-based physiology, and the Gargylen in turn quickly became fascinated by their advanced art of smithing. Realizing the Gargylen had no home to return to, the Dwarves invited them to join them in their halls deep within the mountains. Having nowhere better to go and having enjoyed their company, these Gargylen accepted their invitation.

Today, this community of these strange stone folk has survived and even thrived, learning from the dwarves a great deal on the arts of blacksmithing and mining. The Dwarves, meanwhile, have mastered the art of Gargylen healing and have allowed their works to become influenced by them.

Obsidian Shock Troops

Also known as the Dark Hand of the Empire, the Obsidian Shock Troops were originally a specialized army of Greater Gargylen who were used as front liners and covert agents against Clan Sprawn. Since the fall of the Black Tower, however, they have been mostly disbanded, sold into private armies, or have escaped and become sellswords beholden to no one. Many a Gargylen has grown up listening to the stories of the legendary Obsidian Shock Troops, leading them to seek the survivors out to learn the secrets of their natural weaponry.

Today, the Obsidian Shock Troops still have no overarching goal. The Gargylen who took up the mantle are using their newfound powers to achieve whichever ambition strikes their fancy, while others have formed deadly squads in service of the Amaranthine Legion, fighting their enemies in the name of freedom.

Marriage & Mating

While choosing a romantic partner out of love is not uncommon among the mortal races of Arthos, it is still common for most folk to join their families out of political or economic reasons. Many see their offspring as a chance to grow their own wealth or family’s influence in exchange for providing a mate to another, or seek to forge alliances by intermingling their bloodlines and becoming kin with each other.

Being an ageless race of half-constructs with no powerful nation-state of their own, the Gargylen are unique in that such matters rarely concern them. They cannot breed as other mortals do, and unlike races such as the Humans or the Elves, they are not widespread or numerous enough for there to be a need to stabilize their politics via intermarriage. Thus, when Gargylen chose to take a mate, it is almost universally because they have come to look upon that person with a deep and abiding sense of love. These mates are most often but not necessarily Gargylen themselves, as nearly all Gargylen are wary of entering into a romantic partnership with a mortal that will eventually grow old and die.

Marriage rites are typically very simple amongst Gargylen, involving a handcrafted gift and the exchange of vows. Large, lavish ceremonies with an abundance of food, guests, and wealth on display are seen as obscene wastes, with most preferring to instead focus on their partner above the spectacle. Once married, Gargylen partners are fully equal, and one partner attempting to control or curtail the freedom of the other would be seen as a vile sin and an affront to everything their people stand for.

In the earliest days of their race, the Gargylen reproduced mechanically on pre-programmed commands, so as to replace their losses against Clan Sprawn. Once they won their freedom they rejected this cavalier approach to procreation, and over time it became an act that is laden with significant spiritual gravitas. The Gargylen are mindful of their agelessness and do not reproduce lightly, and the act is only undertaken when two Gargylen are certain that the love between them is boundless, and that they are ready and prepared to shepherd a new life into this world. If they still believe after a long period of careful consideration that yes, they wish to have a child, they must send for one of the Forgeborn. This request does not strictly require the Greater Gargylen’s approval, as most are quite happy and honoured to be asked to perform such a sacred and joyous act, and only in the most rare and extreme circumstances would they ever deny their aid to the prospective parents. Through a series of mystical rites only they have the ability to perform, the elder Forgeborn will take a piece of stony flesh from each prospective parent, melding their faint celestial essences together and causing new life to quicken in the small child. As part of the consequence of being a race bred for war, these young mature into adults in as little as six months. Thus, most Gargylen parents tend to dote on their child to an extent that most mortals would likely find excessive, and numerous paintings of their offspring in various stages of growth can often be found littering a Gargylen couple’s home.

Religion and Superstition

Despite their origin, religion is uncommon among the Gargylen. As an ageless race, the thought of a destination for their immortal spirit is a very distant concern. Many, especially those who live among the Duesworn Fellowship, worship no Gods, nor do they follow any of the Firstborn Dragons. Most Gargylen treat their freedom with a sort of reverence that is almost religious in and of itself, and few can abide the thought of a higher power subsuming some part of their personal freedom. Nor does their celestial heritage seem to call to the Dark or the Light, and even the Forgeborn remain untethered to the heavens their spirits once called home.

However, this vague form of deism is not a universally held belief among all Gargylen. Some few do in fact find themselves in the service of a higher power for reasons as varied as the Gargylen themselves. Some may take on worship as a part of the culture in which they were raised, while others may choose to serve because they believe that surrendering a portion of their free will to be worth it. Whatever the case may be, those that do worship can be found in roughly equal numbers across all faiths and creeds.

Common Personalities and Views

As is expected, nearly all Gargylen hold a deep and abiding hatred for the Conclave, especially those who are former members of the Black Tower. This is an important tenet of Gargylen society that the Forgeborn have made sure is passed down through each generation, to ensure that their sins against the Gargylen people are never forgotten. Most are distrustful of magic in general because of this, although some study magic as a means to understand and defend against it.

Additionally, most Gargylen hold personal freedom to be one of the most important moral imperatives, and do what they can to fight against would-be tyrants and those who seek to own other living beings.

Gargylen personalities can vary greatly depending on the circumstances of their upbringing and where they chose to settle down, however most tend to be strong willed and extremely well-adapted to hardship. They are accepting of other cultures because so many have been accepting of theirs. They tend to patient, good listeners and students, and fascinated by the world they were so recently born into.

Roleplaying Tips

• Your race was created as an enslaved weapon meant to enforce a genocide, and the Gargylen have not forgotten that. Freedom is paramount, regardless of your own personal mores or creed.

• Gargylen are typically distrustful or even outright discriminatory against spellcasters with ties to the Conclave.

• Gargylen tend to be hard working, strong willed, and endure hardship with little complaint.

• The Gargylen do not have a homeland beyond their small settlements on Amaranthia alongside the Amaranthine Legion, and as such have no unifying culture or traditions. Many Gargylen who have settled elsewhere tend to assimilate quite well, and reflect the local customs.

• Many Gargylen tend to be mistrustful of the worship or reverence of Gods and Dragons, viewing it as no better than enslavement. Perhaps your Gargylen refuses to follow anyone, or perhaps they have found a God or Dragon they have found to be worth it, despite the costs.