Gangrel (Low Clan)

[Tami]

Gangrel



Through the forest night wander the lonely, nomadic Gangrel. Unlike their brethren, Gangrel spurn the trappings of civilization, preferring to roam the deep wilds in solitude. The Gangrel is a clan only in the loose sense; its members tend to be rugged individuals, indifferent to the protocols of either mortal or vampire. They are the bestial ones, the closets to losing themselves to the wild.

Few beings know the wilds places like the Gangrel do. They remember many of the ancient sites of elder magic, and have allied with (or at least know how to avoid) the few mythic beast still dwelling near those sites. Gangrel also traffic with more mundane beast, and most Gangrel can converse with the denizens of forest and field. Indeed, Gangrel tend to be more comfortable with such creatures than with the mortals they were or the vampires they have become.

Of all vampires, Gangrel have made the most progress towards establishing anything close to tolerable relations with the Lupines. Perhaps this is because Gangrel themselves master shapeshifters; most tales of transforming vampires have their roots in the doings of the Gangrel. This talent, however, comes with a price – many older Gangrel loose their human form altogether, becoming more like the beast they emulate. Many Gangrel also have lost any semblance of human behavior, and hunt and feast like wild animals.

Gangrel were once more common, but the decline of the ancient pagan cultures and the spread of human civilization (and its vampiric parasites) have forced the clan deeper and deeper into the wastes. Many Gangrel resent this, and battles have recently been fought between civilized “settlers” and Gangrel reluctant to leave their hunting grounds. Even those Gangrel who have accepted Christendom (if not necessarily Christianity.) rarely venture into the more populous regions, instead wandering the back roads from hamlet and farm to farm as the moods strikes them.

Sobriquet: Animal

Appearance: Many Gangrel appear as, and dress in the manner of, barbarian people. Furs, plaids, deerskin clothing and similar garb predominate. Some, emulating the highland Picts go about in woad and little else.

Of course, those unfortunate Gangrel who have fallen prey to the Beast one too many times have a look all their own, Tufted ears, horns, coats of fur razor talons, gleaming catlike eyes, even feathers and scales adorn (deform?) these bêtes noires, and a feral musk wafts about them.

Haven: The Animals almost never establish a permanent haven, but instead wander the continent in an inscrutable migratory pattern. Occasionally one will mark a “hunting territory”, but even this is usually quite expansive. Gangrel rarely enter the cities, preferring deep forest, lonely moors and even peat bog and fens. Their ability to meld into the earth often means that the world is their haven.

Background: Many Gangrel come from pagan and barbarian civilizations: Celts, Vikings, Mongols, Lapps and the like. Those Gangrel drawn from “civilized” peoples tend to be chosen from foresters, yeomen and other sturdy, resourceful folk on the outer reaches of their civilization.

Character Creation: Gangrel rarely have sociable natures or demeanors, though nature and demeanor can be dissimilar (Gangrel rarely lie, but even more rarely reveal their true agendas). Physical attributes are almost always primary, while Talents and skills predominate among abilities. Gangrel often have Allies (Forest tribes, magical creatures and the like), but rarely have Influence. Most Gangrel follow the Road of the Beast, though a few from the ancient bloodlines walk the Paradox Road.

Clan Disciplines: Animalism, Fortitude, Protean

Weaknesses: Gangrel are closely attuned to their inner Beasts, but this carries a drawback. As Gangrel fall prey to their ravenous urges, the Beast leaves its taint on their bodies. Each time a Gangrel frenzies, she gains an animal feature (a furry coat, a tail hooves, horns, luminous eyes, a guttural voice etc.) Every five such features reduce one of the Gangrels social attributes (player’s choice) by one. Ancient Gangrel often look (and sound and smell) completely bestial.

Organization: The clan has no formal organization to speak of. Elder Gangrel are often respected for their might and cunning, but there are also tales of ancient, monstrous Gangrel berserkers brought down by packs of outraged youngling. A Gangrel’s status, on the rare occasions it comes into play, is based on the tales of that Gangrel’s deeds (even if told by the Gangrel herself – similar to the Celtic boasting contests)

Quote: Thou art a valorous warrior, mortal, to have won through to this place. I shall give thee a death worthy of a champion and tells tales of thy deed.”

[Tami]

(Revised Book)

The natural kine tendency to gather together has been a boon to Cainites. Most choose to follow their prey into the towns and cities of the world. The Gangrel are the exception to this rule. From the Tartars of the east to the Arabs of the south and the barbarian tribes of the north, the Gangrel make their homes among the wild people of the world. To them, cities are traps wherein once-strong Cainites grow weak and lazy.

The Gangrel do not believe themselves to be descended from Caine, though. In the days before history, they say, the greatest gods chose many to be their children. A pair of twins among the gods became bitter rivals. One twin, Ennoia, chose only the most worthy of warriors as her children. The other, Churka, chose those best versed in deception. The broods warred for long years, until Churka coerced two of Ennoia's most trusted children to leave the field of battle. In her anger and despair, Ennoia decreed that all the children of both twins should have to depend on the blood of others for their lives. The other gods approved of her decree, and so Clan Gangrel, the children of Ennoia, came to be.

Members of the clan believe that their mother will relent one night and call upon them to fight for her once more. Then, and only then, will Churka and his lackeys finally suffer the fate that has been due them since the dawn of time. It is the he duty of the Gangrel to ensure that only the most hardy and skilled join their numbers, so that the clan may triumph when the day of that final confrontation comes. Then they will be welcomed back into their mother's love.

Civilization is a trick of Churka to ensure that those who deceive are better suited to the final conflict than those who fight. The clan refuses to fall into the trap of their ancient enemy, and instead chooses to recruit and hunt among the nomadic and wild peoples of the world. The chains of master and slave, of lord and lackey, are utter anathema to them, and hierarchical European society repulses them. They see the ability to survive and prosper under all conditions as the greatest test of an individual's worth. They value simple but profound concepts such as bravery, honor, martial prowess, survival skills and knowledge of the land.

Necessity forces the Gangrel to spend periods of time on their own. More than one of them preying on a particular group of humans can quickly reduce the number available to feed on, or rouse suspicions enough that a confrontation is inevitable. A good hunter knows better than to wipe out all of its prey. Many Gangrel learn to survive alone simply because it is all they have ever known since they were chosen. Sires often leave their childer to fend for themselves, to see if they have the mettle of true Gangrel.

Solitude cannot continue forever, however. On the most practical level, there is a value in numbers if only to form hunting packs. But even then, unlife is hard away from the cities. Gangrel face constant dangers. Lupines stalk many woods, and it also requires cunning and stealth to catch human prey without alerting the whole settlement or group to the vampire's presence.

Therefore, most Gangrel spend at least some time among other vampires. Testing themselves against humans and animals is all very well, but they can only truly test themselves against others like them. That means spending at least a little time in the cities, learning the ways of their rivals. A few have even come to live in cities full time, prowling the night when most prey are locked up in houses. But the weak, diseased and ineffectual humans who dwell there with over-complicated, manipulative vampires feeding on them breed contempt in most Gangrel. For most of the clan, unlife is a series of long periods of rural solitude and interludes of a few years among the massed herd and rival predators.

Sobriquet:

Animals

Appearance:

Gangrel develop animalistic characteristics after their Embrace, and few see any reason to hide them. Indeed, they wear them with pride, as signs of their survival skills. Clothing, when worn, is practical and usually simple. Their general appearance tends to reflect the people upon whom they spent most time preying, but with a distinct rougher edge.

Haven and Prey:

It is rare for any but the few full-time city-dwellers in the clan to have a permanent haven. They hunt over a very wide territory so as not to thin the herd, so they move too much to take the time to create a safe refuge from the sun. Instead most seek simply to merge with the earth through their Discipline of Protean or take advantage of natural shelter, like deep caverns. Gangrel take a particular pleasure from feeding from city dwellers who are traveling through the countryside, or other humans who have been foolish enough to wander alone at night.

The Embrace:

Most Gangrel come from the so-called barbarian peoples--groups like the Tartars (or Mongols), Celts, Norsemen, and Livs. A growing proportion, though, are drawn from those people in the civilized world who have jobs which require survival skills: hunters, foresters, and other rural folk. Most are left to survive for months or years on their own, while their sire keeps an eye on them at best. If they show the strength needed to survive, they are trained and welcomed into Gangrel society. If they don't, the sire (or some other predator) reclaims the blood.

Character Creation:

Physical Attributes, are, by and large, the primary choice for this clan, and Social Attributes often come last. Many Gangrel have identical Natures and Demeanors--they are not ones for dissembling or deception. Talents and survival-oriented skills are chosen before Knowledges. Rural and wilderness dwelling members of the clan tend to focus their Discipline development on Protean before they develop other Disciplines, as it gives them a significant edge in survival. The Road of the Beast is typically Gangrel, though Animals may walk almost any of the roads as well.

Clan Disciplines:

Animalism, Fortitute and Protean

Weaknesses:

The Gangrel's closeness to their inner Beast tends to manifest itself in their bodies. Every time a clan member frenzies, she gains an animal feature (furry arms, cat-like eyes, heavy fangs, etc.). For every five such features gained, one of the Gangrel's Social Attributes drops by one. Some Gangrel view this as blessing rather than a weakness.

Organization:

The clan has little in the way of formal structure, falling back on an approximate status system. Childe and sire often maintain infrequent contact once the neonate has been trained. When members of the clan meet, relative status is established through a combination of recounting deeds and whatever reputation may have preceded the Gangrel. Occasionally groups will meet for ''gathers,'' where regional leaders--an informal position at best--and overall status is determined. Even rarer are revels--war parties of Gangrel gathered to face a particular threat.

Quote: I hope the next town has worthier prey then you to catch.