vampire Gangre no122:04 Jan 03 2012
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The Gangrel are a clan of vampires, often associated with the Camarilla, from White Wolf Game Studio's Vampire: The Masquerade, Vampire: The Dark Ages, and books and role-playing games.
The Gangrel are associated with transmogrification, and vagrants. As a symbol, Gangrel often use an eye with four slashes underneath. The Gangrel clan's magical Discipline, Protean, allows them to assume partial or complete animal forms. Their mastery of Protean is so much greater than any other Clan that Gangrel can assume virtually any animal form, providing it is a scavenger or a predator. Other vampires with the Protean Discipline are limited to the forms of Wolf and Bat; no one (not even the Gangrel) know why this is so.[1]
According to Second Edition sourcebooks, the Gangrel, despite living in the wilderness, are attacked much less often by Werewolves than other vampires; some speculate that the Werewolves and Gangrel have a shared origin. This, however, was retconned in Revised edition.
In the Dark Ages, the Gangrel were the vampires most commonly associated with the Road of the Beast, which dictates a life based on instinct, similar to that of an animal (living in the immediate present, having no morality, killing whenever necessary but only then).
In the modern setting, Gangrel are commonly allies of the Brujah and enemies of the Ravnos. The Gangrel severed its ties with the Camarilla in 1999, when the Camarilla's ruling body refused to lend aid to the clan's Justicar to fight a creature he identified as an Antediluvian (the god-like progenitors of the vampire clans).[1]Dark Age
Very few records are kept of the Gangrel during the Dark Ages, for obvious reasons. What is known has been passed down from sire to childe for hundreds or perhaps thousands of years. The Gangrel have a bloody Clan rivalry with the Tremere, since the Tremere are believed to have used Gangrel in experiments to create the Gargoyles. Sometimes, the Gangrel and Tzimisce make alliances of convenience against the Tremere, but these pacts seem to disintegrate with relative ease once the immediate threat has been dealt with.
The Gangrel are most often found in populations that make their homes in Northern Europe - Nordic tribes (modern day Denmark, Sweden, Norway), the Picts (Scotland), the Welsh (Britain), and the Celts (Ireland). Given the Clan's propensity to wander, Gangrel can be found among peoples in almost any region, including the "Anda" from Mongolia, scattered communities in Africa, and various other individuals brought into the Clan from all over the Old World.
During the time of the Inquisition, those Gangrel that travel close to cities are often singled out as being "spawn of the devil" - sometimes by other vampires. Like the Nosferatu and Tzimisce, the Gangrel grow to be some of the most obviously inhuman monsters of the night. Ventrue, Toreador, and Lasombra Princes, eager to set the hounds of the Inquisition on another trail, are willing to sacrifice members of the "Low Clans" to prove their own piety. It never helps that most Gangrel are Embraced from populations that follow religions other than Christianity; as such, they are just as often hunted down by for being pagans as much as they are for being vampires. Often, this persecution comes at the hands of Clans that took to Catholicism - the Ventrue and Lasombra. These attitudes merely confirm a long-held belief of the Gangrel: the other Clans aren't worth the trouble, and most of them are backstabbing, holier-than-thou curs to boot.[2]Victorian Age
In the rapid growth of cities and technology that marked the Victorian Age, very few Gangrel had any interest in staying in towns and hamlets that became industrial centers almost overnight. Additionally, though there were few documented cases of mortals possessing "true faith", the growth of religious influence made many Gangrel cringe, wary of another round of the vicious Inquisitorial practices of the Dark Ages. Only the scholar and theology debator Mr. Beckett was known to have any regular dealings with "proper" Kindred society during this period; most other clanmembers hied it to the wilderness to wait out this newest burst of human ingenuity and religious fervor.
There is some debate that this period in time saw the rise of the "City-Gangrel" bloodline. Gangrel historians point to the Victorian Age as a "new era in Gangrel evolution", arguing that just as mortals grew more urban-centric and technologically skilled, so too did the Gangrel adapt to hunting in cities with larger concentrations of Kindred and Kine. It was also seen as the very beginnings of Gangrel as political and economic powers. The old, out-of-the-way regions rich in metal and fuel resources fell directly under the province of Gangrel packs and elders. Even if they did not profit directly from such findings, the influx of mortals with loose morals proved good feeding; likewise, richer persons moving to the country to get away from the city-light and noise may have found themselves automatically under the supervision of Gangrel trying to hold on to their territory[3]Final Nights
The Gangrel survive and thrive in the Final Nights, as is their wont. In 1999, Xaviar, the last surviving Gangrel Justicar, removed his entire Clan from obedience to the Camarilla, calling the Inner Council liars and manipulators. However, as is usual for the Clan, each member has decided for him- or herself where their allegiances lie, and many have stayed with the sect. Others, now freed from the Traditions, find purpose in their unlives as members of the Sabbat or act as Independents.
In the Final Nights, several Gangrel have made names for themselves as warriors and survivors. Ramona, a young female Gangrel, has taken it upon herself to spread the word of what really happened in New York in 1999 - the event that caused Xaviar to remove the Clan from the Camarilla. Xaviar himself has gone into hiding, and many young Gangrel attempt to seek him out and join his pack of followers. Karsh, Warlord of the Camarilla, has taken Xaviar's defection as a personal insult, and punishes any "wayward" or "traitorous" Gangrel with a heavy hand. Beckett went missing for a few months in the mid-2000s, and since he has shown up again, his skeptical attitude about Gehenna and the destruction of the world appears to have evaporated; now he is a major agitator for preparing against the End Times. Mark Decker remains Prince of Milwaukee, holding off the near-nightly attacks of Lupines from the Great Lakes region, keeping nominal ties with the rest of the Camarilla when given the chance. A group calling itself the Valkyrie (led by one "Brunhilde") has sent representatives around the world from their home base in Scandinavia. These Gangrel warrior-women believe that Ragnarok is nigh, and are preparing the Clan so that they may survive the Twilight of the Gods. Little has been heard from the wise elder Inyanga, but it is assumed that she is on another one of her world tours, perhaps back home to her native Africa.[4]
Although originally part of the Camarilla, Clan Gangrel severed its ties in 1999, when the Camarilla's ruling body refused to lend aid to the clan's Justicar to fight a creature he identified as an antediluvian.[1]Gehenna
Gehenna suggests that the most likely fate of Ennoia, the Gangrel antediluvian (clan founder), is that she merges herself with the Earth, eventually sinking down to the Earth's core, becoming something more than vampire with the ability to move continents themselves. Unlike her siblings, she isn't vengeful against her clan, and only awakens because of the battles of the other antediluvians. After stopping them to a point where she can rest, she returns to her slumber within the Earth. (It should be noted that Gehenna also poses alternative scenarios, in one Ennoia is as secretive and vicious as the other antediluvians, only stopped when Saulot returns as the Vampire Messiah).[5]Gangrel Antitribu
Gangrel antitribu Symbol
Two bloodlines exist among the Sabbat; the Country-Gangrel and the City-Gangrel. The Country-Gangrel are the same as the main clan, with the Fortitude, Animalism and Protean disciplines. The City-Gangrel have adapted to city-life, forgoing Animalism and Fortitude for Celerity and Obfuscate.
Feral and untamed, the Gangrel antitribu show an animalistic face to the Sabbat. Having grown apart from the Gypsy heritage of the mainstream Gangrel, the Sabbat Gangrel have returned to their bestial sides, becoming deadly hunters whose skill in the pursuit of prey is unmatched. The clan includes subtle slayers and savage berserkers alike, and the skill with which the Gangrel take on their foes lends a powerful strength to the sect. Gangrel antitribu are not sadistic bullies like the Brujah or mindless automatons like the Blood-Brothers, however. Rather, they are instinctive, predatory creatures, enjoying the thrill of the hunt almost as much as the heady rush of feeding.
The Gangrel of the Sabbat have seen a recent influx of defectors .... from the Camarilla in recent nights, though few of these vampires seem to want to share the reasoning behind the exodus. Many whisper of "sleeping horrors" awakened, and the fact that the Sabbat has been "right all along". The sect as a whole seems frustrated by this turn of events and the apparent reluctance of the defectors to speak about their motives, but whatever it is that scares these urban predators, it must be of epic scale. Gangrel antitribu divide themselves into two sub-clans, based on a deviation of clan-blood thought to have occurred in the late 18th century. The "original" Gangrel, known in the Sabbat as Country-Gangrel, are similar to their erstwhile Camarilla counterparts, shunning society and eking out unlives as lone hunters. They resemble the monstrous vampires of mortal legend, possessing the abilities to assume animal forms and call on nature's lesser creatures. The Country-Gangrel support the Sabbat as scouts and warriors, using their animal contacts to retrieve information and their martial prowess to rend foes to bits.
The City-Gangrel are rumored to have become a distinct bloodline during the time of the Industrial Revolution, when cities became larger and less dependent on the resources of the countryside. Rather than forage for themselves in the hinterlands, a certain few Gangrel made havens for themselves in the cities, becoming monsters of urban legend and spreading terror in the wake of their feeding binges. No less animalistic than their siblings of the Country-Gangrel, City-Gangrel hide among the refuse and alleys of the city rather than the Lupine-infested forests that other Gangrel prefer.
More so than other Gangrel, however, Gangrel of the Sabbat realize the importance of watching each other’s backs during these tumultuous nights before Gehenna. The cities and outlands alike harbor many dangers, and a pack stands a better chance of dealing with them than an individual does. In this way, Sabbat Gangrel consider themselves more in touch with their animalistic sides than Camarilla or independent Gangrel by emulating the wolves and lions of the wilds.[6]
The City-Gangrel antitribu are believed to be descended from the Greek Gangrel.Ahrimanes
Ahrimanes Clan Symbol
The Ahrimanes are a bloodline originating with the Gangrel antitribu. Upon arriving in the Americas, Gangrel of both the Camarilla and Sabbat went into the southern wilderness, encountering a number of native tribes. Many of these Gangrel set up their havens near native villages. They preyed upon the villagers and defended them from European intrusion.
The founder of this bloodline was a Gangrel antitribu named Muricia. She studied the powers of the local shamans and used their magic to break her blood-bond with her sire, not wanting to get caught up in the constant warfare between the two emerging rival Gangrel antitribu factions; country and city.
When Muricia utilized the thaumaturgic (blood-magic) based powers of the native shamans, she effectively separated herself from her clan and altered her blood. The magic rituals she used on her body affected and mutated her own vampiric appearance. She soon combined the spiritual magic of the shaman with her own Gangrel powers, giving her an unusual edge over standard Kindred. This process, however, left her unable to sire new vampires. She learned she could use existing Gangrels and through the same ritual make them like her. Because of this, all Ahrimanes are "normal" Gangrels before they become Ahrimanes. In addition, Muricia only chooses females to join her brood, believing men to be inferior and the reason for most conflict.[7]
The Ahrimanes are more of an artificial bloodline. All Ahrimanes must renounce their former clan before they are accepted into the bloodline. The Ahrimanes number only a handful, existing primarily in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana and some surrounding areas. They are extremely secretive and violent, enjoying material wealth and controlling many human pawns. They form packs of their own despite the opposition of the Lasombra. The Sabbat accepts their ways, because the sect values freedom. Additionally, the Ahrimanes aid the Sabbat tremendously by watching the threat of Lupines (Werewolves).[6]
Ahrimanes practice the unique discipline of Spiritus. Additionally, there are no male Ahrimanes.Greek Gangrel
Gangrel have been hiding in the cities of man even before Babylon. As the centuries have passed, these Gangrel have focused on surviving in a different environment - one fraught with its own unique dangers. The Greek Gangrel, as they call themselves, developed Obfuscate instead of Fortitude, finding it better to hide from danger where mortals congregate. The Greek Gangrel are also on good terms with the Nosferatu who share the sewers with them.
There are very few Greek Gangrel and most of them appeared in Constantinople, with at least one present in Paris, during the Dark Ages. Unlike their wild brethren they rarely ventured out into the wilderness. Though they never met at Gangrel gathers, many expressed interest in building ties with the main clan.[9]
In the modern nights, the Greek Gangrel survive as the City-Gangrel antitribu.Laibon
Main article: Kindred of the Ebony Kingdom#Laibon bloodline
The Laibon were, during the Dark Ages, viewed as a single bloodline by European vampires. With Kindred of the Ebony Kingdom, the old Laibon tribe was "replaced" by the Akunanse tribe (alternatively, you can view the "Laibon" as a bloodline of the Akunanse Legacy that came to Europe during the Dark Ages). However, it is still considered canon to play with the Laibon bloodline in Dark Ages: Vampire games, if you so choose.Lhiannan
Lhiannan Clan Crest in the Dark Ages
The Lhiannan are a territorial, druidic Cainite bloodline who existed in the Dark Ages. Though they are an offshoot of Clan Gangrel, they believe they are not descended from Caine at all, but rather that they were created by The Crone, a mysterious figure who may be Lilith mentioned in the Book of Nod.
The true origins of the Lhiannan are shrouded in mystery, though Kindred outside the bloodline generally agree they must be descended from the Gangrel. According to their own lore, the first Lhiannan was created when the Crone infused a woodland spirit into a vampire; that spirit's power has lessened as it shared its essence with each new member of the bloodline, and the last of the Lhiannan are much weaker than their progenitors.
All Lhiannan follow a variation of pagan and druid practices, and are closely tied to their personal territory, growing weak if they leave it for longer than a few days. They make chiminage to the local spirits to keep themselves strong, mostly in the form of blood sacrifices.
In the Dark Ages the Lhiannan dwindled in number. The Lhiannan found it harder to prey on humans, who congregated in cities away from the old places of the woods. As the power of the Christian church stamped out the old ways, the Druids were unable to flee the wrath of the Inquisition, who found them easily thanks to their otherworldly auras and obviously pagan rituals. By the time of the War of Princes there were perhaps only 20 Lhiannan in all of Europe, and none survive past the end of the 14th century.
The Lhiannan have a unique connection to the world of spirits, most notable in the form of their Discipline Ogham; this connection gives them an inhuman aura obvious even to humans. They are also bound to the land, unable to leave their chosen woodland territories for long without becoming weak.Mariners
The Mariners are sea-dwelling Gangrel that have evolved into monstrous entities gaining unique advantages for their aquatic environment. They shun both the Sabbat and the Camarilla, and even in a sense the main Clan Gangrel; viewing themselves as individuals. Their embraces are rare and deliberate, often only after a year of observation of the potential childe. However, few Mariners maintain any sort of contact with human life as a whole. In truth, they even shun the company of each other and rarely interact (the one major exception is four Mariners living in Lake Nyasa in southern Africa, though it is believed they are charged in the protection of some lost secret rather than adopting this lifestyle by choice). Mariners are also equally divided between a nomadic and a sedentary life-style.
They are still capable of functioning on the surface, rarely seeking out other Kindred to learn the basics of new Disciplines such as Obfuscate. They are also extremely protective of the sea, helping oil tankers not to save the crew (often Mariners will devour vast portions of the crew in the process) but to prevent the damage it would do the ocean ecosystem.
Although the Mariner bloodline would appear to be one mostly of temperament, it does represent itself in a number of physical ways. Most notably is their rapid adoption of animal features (much more quickly than standard Gangrel, represented in game by a loss of a Social Attribute every 3 frenzies instead of 5). These features are often of aquatic or reptilian life, such as scales or gills. Additionally, Mariners have developed unique Protean powers to aid them in their harsh environment. Primarily, their "Shape of the Beast" (Protean lv. 4) is one of an aquatic predator instead of the standard wolf. Instead of "Eyes of the Beast" (Protean lv. 1) they develop a form of sonar which they call "Dolphin's Unsight". Instead of "Feral Claws" (Protean lv. 2), they develop "Phocidaean Webbing" which elongates their fingers and toes, webbing the area between them, so they can better navigate the depths. Mariner elders report additional bizarre advanced powers.[10]
Mariners are extremely rare, with only thirty or less worldwide. They are however almost universally low generation.Noiad
The Noiad are an ancient Gangrel line. In fact, they are so old they were the first Cainites to enter Europe. They wander the far northern reaches of Scandinavia, protected by their mortal herds (of the Sami tribe) throughout the summer when the sun does not set.
The Noiad believe themselves to be servants of the various pagan gods worshiped by the Sami. Their duties include protecting the Sami from their enemies and interpreting the god's messages (conveyed through the Northern Lights). Their unique curse is to be utterly reliant upon their mortal brethren for survival as they are unable to consume the blood of animals. However, during the three months of endless sun (oftentimes May to July) the Noiad fall into torpor, and they depend on members of their adopted mortal tribe to wake and feed them.
Yet, even as they rely and care for the Sami they are also destroying them. The Noiad fear change and have acted as a brake on any cultural or technological innovation that might improve, ease, or in fact change in any way the Sami way of life.
Although not mystically bound to the land like other bloodlines, the Noiad believe they are the guardians of their far Northern domains and stubbornly refuse to leave them. Their ancestors desired no part in the Cainite and mortal societies that were arising, and the current members of the bloodline share this deeply isolationist attitude.[11]
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