Post by Andrei on Jun 10, 2007 18:47:57 GMT
Of all vampires, the Gangrel are perhaps closest to their inner nature. These nomadic loners spurn the constraints of society, preferring the comfort of the wilderness. How they avoid the wrath of the werewolf is unknown; perhaps it has something to do with the fact that the Gangrel are themselves shapeshifters. When a mortal speaks of a vampire changing into a wolf or a bat, she is probably speaking of a Gangrel.
Like the Brujah, Gangrel are fierce warriors; unlike the Brujah, Gangrel ferocity does not stem from anarchic rage, but from animalistic instinct. They are among the most predatory Kindred, and love to lose themselves in the thrill of the hunt. Gangrel have a keen understanding of the Beast in their souls, and prefer to spend their nights in communion with the animals whom they so emulate. Indeed, Gangrel are so attuned to their Beasts that, after losing themselves to frenzy, animalistic features often appear on their bodies.
The clan itself has little contact with, or regard for, the rest of the Kindred. This might be due to a desire to avoid the snares of the Jyhad, but is more likely the product of simple disinterest. Certainly, Gangrel are popularly viewed as quiet, taciturn and reclusive. Although there is no more truth to this than there is to any other stereotype, the clan as a whole displays little of the ostentation found among lines such as the Toreador or Ventrue.
Gangrel are closely tied to the Rom, or Gypsies, adopting much of that culture’s speech patterns and mannerisms. Rumors speculate that the Rom are in fact descended from the Antediluvian who founded the Gangrel line. As such, say the rumors, any Kindred who harms or Embraces a Gypsy will suffer the wrath of the Ancient. Obviously, the vampires of Clan Ravnos ignore this fabled prohibition, and Gangrel and Ravnos harbor an ages-old hatred for each other.
Nickname: Outlanders
Sect: Clan Gangrel is nominally in the Camarilla, though a fair number of Sabbat Gangrel exist as well. Most Gangrel care little for sect, and rumblings of outright secession from the Camarilla have made the rounds at recent Gangrel Gathers. (Update-Gangrel did leave the Camarilla)
Appearance: Gangrel’s harsh unlifestyle and lack of interest in fashion often make them seem rugged and wild. Couple this with the animal features common among the Gangrel sometimes appear downright frightening. Some mortals and Kindred find a certain predatory beauty in the Gangrel, though this can lead to a dangerous judgment of the Gangrel's intentions.
Haven: Gangrel often make no permanent havens, sleeping wherever they can find shelter from the sun. Gangrel with sufficient mastery of the Protean Discipline sleep in the very earth, lairing in parks and other spots of natural terrain. Although many Gangrel prefer to lair in the wild or travel from place to place, they are as vunerable to attack by werewolves as other Kindred are, and so they are often forced to remain in the city’s confines.
Background: Gangrel embrace for a variety of reasons, as do most Kindred, but do not pass on the Curse lightly or commonly. If a generalization must be made, it could be said that Gangrel prefer to Embrace loners, those who have the physical and emotional resiliency to survive the shock of the change. The sire’s training, what little there is, tends to be gruff and harsh; most Gangrel most discover the vagaries of unlife largely on their own.
Character Creation: Gangrel often have similiar Natures and Demeanors, as they rarely rely on subterfuge to get their way. Physical Attributes and Talents or Skills are common among the Gangrel. They often have Allies (Gypsies) or Mentor as Background, but rarely have high levels of Influence or Resources.
Clan Disciplines: Animalism, Fortitude, Protean
Weaknesses: Gangrel are very close to the Beast Within; as they succumb to it, it leaves its mark on their bodies. Every time a Gangrel frenzies, she gains an animalistic feature. This determined by the player; it might be ears, a pelt, a tail, catlike eyes, a snarling voice, tusks, or even feathers. Every five such features acquired permanently reduce one of the Gangrel’s Social Attributes.
Organization: Gangrel have no true organization to speak of. Vampires of great age and great deeds are typically shown respect, though the young are by no means subservient. Outlanders occasionally meet in groups knows as "Gathers"; at these festivals, vampires dance, feast and tell stories of their travels. Disputes between Gangrel are often settled through ritual combat to first blood or submission; while savage, these fights rarely result in the loser's Final Death. Gangrel commonly hunt alone, though occasionally two or more Gangrel unite in a coterie of sorts (a "pride" or "pack").
Bloodlines: Two bloodlines exist among the Sabbat; the Country Gangrel (similiar in most ways to the main branch of the Clan) and City Gangrel (whose disciplines are Celerity, Obsfuscate and Protean). Both types are found only among the Sabbat.
Quote: You provided worthy sport, mortal. Now, though, the chase is ended.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Updated section from Guide to Camarilla
The Gangrel, as a clan, have formally seceded from the Camarilla. That is not to say that every single Gangrel has turned in her membership card and turned her back on the organization as a whole, as there are plenty of Gangrel who consider themselves part of the sect. Rather, it is the clan as a whole that has withdrawn its support from the governing body, abandoning its right to have equal say and equal power in the sect’s councils. The clan’s elders attach no stigma to those individuals who choose to remain with the Camarilla— it’s the individual’s right to choose, after aIl. However, one must now make the distinction between saying that there are Gangrel of the Camarilla (true) and that the Gangrel are of the Camarilla (false). Those Gangrel who have remained with the sect occupy a slightly reduced place in the sect’s hierarchy. Without the presence of a clan justicar to defend Gangrel interests, members of other clans (particularly the Ventrue and Brujah) are making subtle encroachments on Gangrel territories and domains. The end result of this process may be to drive the remaining Camarilla Gangrel off as well, but long-term planning isn’t every Kindred’s strong suit.
Even Camarilla Gangrel are generally taciturn and solitary by nature, albeit perhaps less so than their newly non-affiliated brethren. It is rare for a Gangrel to take much interest in a city’s government; most prefer moving from place to place, or develop a concern for a specific part of a city’s landscape (a zoo, a central park system, an arboretum etc.) and make a crusade out of protecting that one spot. Anything that affects a Gangrel’s chosen territory is fought tooth and nail, while the rest of the city can generally go hang.
Contrary to popular belief, Gangrel don’t necessarily enjoy running carefree through the woods or spending time with werewolves, as in most cases Lupines regard Gangrel as being just as bad as the rest of the bloodsucking lot. Rumors of cooperation between the two groups are greatly exaggerated, to say the least. While the vast majority of Gangrel do prefer to get the hell out of the cities when they can, they take to the countryside with an eye to self-preservation rather than bucolic splendor.
Strength and Influence: While stronger than the splinter groups within the Camarilla, such as the Samedi or Lasombra antitribu, sectarian Gangrel now lag well behind the six major clans in strength. In any given city or region, there are likely to be enough Gangrel to keep anyone from pushing the clan around too much, but when it comes to overall policy decisions, the Gangrel just don’t have the muscle anymore. Having given up representation on the Inner Council and the right to present a justicar, the Gangrel are now without voice at the highest levels of power, and are feeling the consequences of that change nightly. In terms of geography, the Gangrel form a sort of perimeter on Camarilla territory. They prefer small cities or very large ones (which usually house extensive parks, zoological gardens and so on); mid-range urban environments don't much to tickle the Gangrel fancy.
Organization: The Gangrel who remain with the Camarilla are not so much organized as they are stable. An unofficial hierarchy of respect has emerged among the stragglers, who prefer to keep out of sect business as much as possible. If two Gangrel come into conflict in a situation where one does not have clear-cut dominance over the other, the result is a bloody brawl. Such impromptu duels rarely result in fatalities, but there is considerable ioss of face involved for the loser. Some Gangrel would seem almost to prefer dying to admitting defeat. Of late, certain princes have encouraged contentious Gangrel in their do mains to settle matters in less violent fashion, or to agree to limits to the carnage, but the notion hasn’t taken hold.
In the meanwhile, Gangrel exist as floaters and neo-independents, shunning the need for organization above the local level. Gangrel gatherings are called by whoever sees a need for one; the informal prestige of the individual making the invitation determines how many guests are likely to attend. A Gangrel prince is an extremely rare thing; odds are that any such vampire has been forced into her position by circumstance rather than ambition. If a Gangrel takes a position within a city government, it’s most likely to be one without rigid responsibilities, such as sheriff. A higher than expected number of Gangrel take up the mantle of archon, possibly because the job’s nomadic nature and mandate to circumvent politics appeal to Gangrel sensibilities.
Concerns: The primary concern that most Camarilla Gangrel have, unsurprisingly, is the worry that the whole thing is going to come crashing down any night now. While the clan as a whole might not have had any problems with Gangrel remaining behind with the sect, there were any number of hard words and harder blows between individual clan members over the issue. If the whole thing collapses, the survivors are going to have a serious loss of prestige within the clan. Throw in other concerns like, say, survival, and suddenly the durability of the Camarilla becomes of more than academic interest to even the seemingly apathetic Gangrel. A lesser problem, but still an important one, is the way in which the post-schism Gangrel are being squeezed by their sectmates. With territory growing more and more scarce as broods of childer grow larger and larger, it is often the Gangrel who find themselves being shoved aside to make room for favored neonates descended from primogen members or those whom elders owed favors. The situation has not yet reached a boiling point, but sooner or later someone’s going to start comparing notes and then the shit is likely to hit the fan in a hurry.
Practices and Customs: While not formal in the sense that a Ventrue or Toreador would understand, Gangrel customs have a strict ritualization to them that the Tremere would be hard-pressed to emulate. Much of what has survived as modern Gangrel culture had come from the clan’s concentration in Scandinavia during the past two millennia. Gatherings of Gangrel are called althings (or things, if they’re on a smaller scale), and the recounting of deeds and tales that occurs at such gatherings is reminiscent of the Viking brag. Althings occur on the equinoxes, while May 8th often hosts smaller gatherings. Precedence at a gathering of Gangrel is determined by a series of individual contests of dominance. Most such challenges are just staredowns, but a few graduate to brawl status. Such combats are vicious but rarely fatal; there aren’t enough Gangrel for them to go around killing each other at meetings. Such duels for primacy occur whenever Gangrel meet on their own and for the first time, even if it’s just two clanmates coming across each other in the woods. Once precedence is established, the pecking order is fixed and there’s no need to repeat the process every time the same Gangrel meet. The only exceptions come when someone on the losing end of a prior encounter decides he’s in line for a promotion, and tries again. The winners of such combats gain prestige within the clan, while the losers are reduced in standing (and usually beaten to a pulp as well), which does keep the number of frivolous challenges down.
Once precedence has been established, the leader begins the recitation of names and deeds, plus whatever other information she feels needs to be passed along. If there’s no discussion, the floor is then yielded to the second in command, and so on. All in attendance, regardless of whether it’s a frill allthing or just two clan members, are expected to remember what they are told, and to pass on the important and particularly interesting tales to other Gangrel not in attendance. Thus heroes are made of some Gangrel and laughingstocks of others, but the news that needs to travel somehow gets spread.
Gangrel rarely reveal themselves to their progeny at the time of the Embrace. Instead, they watch prospective childer for an extended period of time before dooming another mortal to vampiric existence, then strike without warning. The new childe is abandoned to its own devices (though the sire and usually a few other Gangrel keep an eye on him) and must learn to survive on his own. If he does so well enough, eventually his sire will come forward and induct him into the ways of the clan. If not, incompetent neonates tend to take care of themselves in fatal fashion. A sire whose neonate fails can suffer a loss of prestige, depending upon how fast and how emphatic the failure was.
Clan Prestige: Gangrel gain prestige from one another through the allthings, and by having word of their deeds and actions spread by other Gangrel. Prestige bestowed by members of other clans is generally worthless to the Gangrel, unless the outsider in question has done something to earn Gangrel respect.
Like the Brujah, Gangrel are fierce warriors; unlike the Brujah, Gangrel ferocity does not stem from anarchic rage, but from animalistic instinct. They are among the most predatory Kindred, and love to lose themselves in the thrill of the hunt. Gangrel have a keen understanding of the Beast in their souls, and prefer to spend their nights in communion with the animals whom they so emulate. Indeed, Gangrel are so attuned to their Beasts that, after losing themselves to frenzy, animalistic features often appear on their bodies.
The clan itself has little contact with, or regard for, the rest of the Kindred. This might be due to a desire to avoid the snares of the Jyhad, but is more likely the product of simple disinterest. Certainly, Gangrel are popularly viewed as quiet, taciturn and reclusive. Although there is no more truth to this than there is to any other stereotype, the clan as a whole displays little of the ostentation found among lines such as the Toreador or Ventrue.
Gangrel are closely tied to the Rom, or Gypsies, adopting much of that culture’s speech patterns and mannerisms. Rumors speculate that the Rom are in fact descended from the Antediluvian who founded the Gangrel line. As such, say the rumors, any Kindred who harms or Embraces a Gypsy will suffer the wrath of the Ancient. Obviously, the vampires of Clan Ravnos ignore this fabled prohibition, and Gangrel and Ravnos harbor an ages-old hatred for each other.
Nickname: Outlanders
Sect: Clan Gangrel is nominally in the Camarilla, though a fair number of Sabbat Gangrel exist as well. Most Gangrel care little for sect, and rumblings of outright secession from the Camarilla have made the rounds at recent Gangrel Gathers. (Update-Gangrel did leave the Camarilla)
Appearance: Gangrel’s harsh unlifestyle and lack of interest in fashion often make them seem rugged and wild. Couple this with the animal features common among the Gangrel sometimes appear downright frightening. Some mortals and Kindred find a certain predatory beauty in the Gangrel, though this can lead to a dangerous judgment of the Gangrel's intentions.
Haven: Gangrel often make no permanent havens, sleeping wherever they can find shelter from the sun. Gangrel with sufficient mastery of the Protean Discipline sleep in the very earth, lairing in parks and other spots of natural terrain. Although many Gangrel prefer to lair in the wild or travel from place to place, they are as vunerable to attack by werewolves as other Kindred are, and so they are often forced to remain in the city’s confines.
Background: Gangrel embrace for a variety of reasons, as do most Kindred, but do not pass on the Curse lightly or commonly. If a generalization must be made, it could be said that Gangrel prefer to Embrace loners, those who have the physical and emotional resiliency to survive the shock of the change. The sire’s training, what little there is, tends to be gruff and harsh; most Gangrel most discover the vagaries of unlife largely on their own.
Character Creation: Gangrel often have similiar Natures and Demeanors, as they rarely rely on subterfuge to get their way. Physical Attributes and Talents or Skills are common among the Gangrel. They often have Allies (Gypsies) or Mentor as Background, but rarely have high levels of Influence or Resources.
Clan Disciplines: Animalism, Fortitude, Protean
Weaknesses: Gangrel are very close to the Beast Within; as they succumb to it, it leaves its mark on their bodies. Every time a Gangrel frenzies, she gains an animalistic feature. This determined by the player; it might be ears, a pelt, a tail, catlike eyes, a snarling voice, tusks, or even feathers. Every five such features acquired permanently reduce one of the Gangrel’s Social Attributes.
Organization: Gangrel have no true organization to speak of. Vampires of great age and great deeds are typically shown respect, though the young are by no means subservient. Outlanders occasionally meet in groups knows as "Gathers"; at these festivals, vampires dance, feast and tell stories of their travels. Disputes between Gangrel are often settled through ritual combat to first blood or submission; while savage, these fights rarely result in the loser's Final Death. Gangrel commonly hunt alone, though occasionally two or more Gangrel unite in a coterie of sorts (a "pride" or "pack").
Bloodlines: Two bloodlines exist among the Sabbat; the Country Gangrel (similiar in most ways to the main branch of the Clan) and City Gangrel (whose disciplines are Celerity, Obsfuscate and Protean). Both types are found only among the Sabbat.
Quote: You provided worthy sport, mortal. Now, though, the chase is ended.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Updated section from Guide to Camarilla
The Gangrel, as a clan, have formally seceded from the Camarilla. That is not to say that every single Gangrel has turned in her membership card and turned her back on the organization as a whole, as there are plenty of Gangrel who consider themselves part of the sect. Rather, it is the clan as a whole that has withdrawn its support from the governing body, abandoning its right to have equal say and equal power in the sect’s councils. The clan’s elders attach no stigma to those individuals who choose to remain with the Camarilla— it’s the individual’s right to choose, after aIl. However, one must now make the distinction between saying that there are Gangrel of the Camarilla (true) and that the Gangrel are of the Camarilla (false). Those Gangrel who have remained with the sect occupy a slightly reduced place in the sect’s hierarchy. Without the presence of a clan justicar to defend Gangrel interests, members of other clans (particularly the Ventrue and Brujah) are making subtle encroachments on Gangrel territories and domains. The end result of this process may be to drive the remaining Camarilla Gangrel off as well, but long-term planning isn’t every Kindred’s strong suit.
Even Camarilla Gangrel are generally taciturn and solitary by nature, albeit perhaps less so than their newly non-affiliated brethren. It is rare for a Gangrel to take much interest in a city’s government; most prefer moving from place to place, or develop a concern for a specific part of a city’s landscape (a zoo, a central park system, an arboretum etc.) and make a crusade out of protecting that one spot. Anything that affects a Gangrel’s chosen territory is fought tooth and nail, while the rest of the city can generally go hang.
Contrary to popular belief, Gangrel don’t necessarily enjoy running carefree through the woods or spending time with werewolves, as in most cases Lupines regard Gangrel as being just as bad as the rest of the bloodsucking lot. Rumors of cooperation between the two groups are greatly exaggerated, to say the least. While the vast majority of Gangrel do prefer to get the hell out of the cities when they can, they take to the countryside with an eye to self-preservation rather than bucolic splendor.
Strength and Influence: While stronger than the splinter groups within the Camarilla, such as the Samedi or Lasombra antitribu, sectarian Gangrel now lag well behind the six major clans in strength. In any given city or region, there are likely to be enough Gangrel to keep anyone from pushing the clan around too much, but when it comes to overall policy decisions, the Gangrel just don’t have the muscle anymore. Having given up representation on the Inner Council and the right to present a justicar, the Gangrel are now without voice at the highest levels of power, and are feeling the consequences of that change nightly. In terms of geography, the Gangrel form a sort of perimeter on Camarilla territory. They prefer small cities or very large ones (which usually house extensive parks, zoological gardens and so on); mid-range urban environments don't much to tickle the Gangrel fancy.
Organization: The Gangrel who remain with the Camarilla are not so much organized as they are stable. An unofficial hierarchy of respect has emerged among the stragglers, who prefer to keep out of sect business as much as possible. If two Gangrel come into conflict in a situation where one does not have clear-cut dominance over the other, the result is a bloody brawl. Such impromptu duels rarely result in fatalities, but there is considerable ioss of face involved for the loser. Some Gangrel would seem almost to prefer dying to admitting defeat. Of late, certain princes have encouraged contentious Gangrel in their do mains to settle matters in less violent fashion, or to agree to limits to the carnage, but the notion hasn’t taken hold.
In the meanwhile, Gangrel exist as floaters and neo-independents, shunning the need for organization above the local level. Gangrel gatherings are called by whoever sees a need for one; the informal prestige of the individual making the invitation determines how many guests are likely to attend. A Gangrel prince is an extremely rare thing; odds are that any such vampire has been forced into her position by circumstance rather than ambition. If a Gangrel takes a position within a city government, it’s most likely to be one without rigid responsibilities, such as sheriff. A higher than expected number of Gangrel take up the mantle of archon, possibly because the job’s nomadic nature and mandate to circumvent politics appeal to Gangrel sensibilities.
Concerns: The primary concern that most Camarilla Gangrel have, unsurprisingly, is the worry that the whole thing is going to come crashing down any night now. While the clan as a whole might not have had any problems with Gangrel remaining behind with the sect, there were any number of hard words and harder blows between individual clan members over the issue. If the whole thing collapses, the survivors are going to have a serious loss of prestige within the clan. Throw in other concerns like, say, survival, and suddenly the durability of the Camarilla becomes of more than academic interest to even the seemingly apathetic Gangrel. A lesser problem, but still an important one, is the way in which the post-schism Gangrel are being squeezed by their sectmates. With territory growing more and more scarce as broods of childer grow larger and larger, it is often the Gangrel who find themselves being shoved aside to make room for favored neonates descended from primogen members or those whom elders owed favors. The situation has not yet reached a boiling point, but sooner or later someone’s going to start comparing notes and then the shit is likely to hit the fan in a hurry.
Practices and Customs: While not formal in the sense that a Ventrue or Toreador would understand, Gangrel customs have a strict ritualization to them that the Tremere would be hard-pressed to emulate. Much of what has survived as modern Gangrel culture had come from the clan’s concentration in Scandinavia during the past two millennia. Gatherings of Gangrel are called althings (or things, if they’re on a smaller scale), and the recounting of deeds and tales that occurs at such gatherings is reminiscent of the Viking brag. Althings occur on the equinoxes, while May 8th often hosts smaller gatherings. Precedence at a gathering of Gangrel is determined by a series of individual contests of dominance. Most such challenges are just staredowns, but a few graduate to brawl status. Such combats are vicious but rarely fatal; there aren’t enough Gangrel for them to go around killing each other at meetings. Such duels for primacy occur whenever Gangrel meet on their own and for the first time, even if it’s just two clanmates coming across each other in the woods. Once precedence is established, the pecking order is fixed and there’s no need to repeat the process every time the same Gangrel meet. The only exceptions come when someone on the losing end of a prior encounter decides he’s in line for a promotion, and tries again. The winners of such combats gain prestige within the clan, while the losers are reduced in standing (and usually beaten to a pulp as well), which does keep the number of frivolous challenges down.
Once precedence has been established, the leader begins the recitation of names and deeds, plus whatever other information she feels needs to be passed along. If there’s no discussion, the floor is then yielded to the second in command, and so on. All in attendance, regardless of whether it’s a frill allthing or just two clan members, are expected to remember what they are told, and to pass on the important and particularly interesting tales to other Gangrel not in attendance. Thus heroes are made of some Gangrel and laughingstocks of others, but the news that needs to travel somehow gets spread.
Gangrel rarely reveal themselves to their progeny at the time of the Embrace. Instead, they watch prospective childer for an extended period of time before dooming another mortal to vampiric existence, then strike without warning. The new childe is abandoned to its own devices (though the sire and usually a few other Gangrel keep an eye on him) and must learn to survive on his own. If he does so well enough, eventually his sire will come forward and induct him into the ways of the clan. If not, incompetent neonates tend to take care of themselves in fatal fashion. A sire whose neonate fails can suffer a loss of prestige, depending upon how fast and how emphatic the failure was.
Clan Prestige: Gangrel gain prestige from one another through the allthings, and by having word of their deeds and actions spread by other Gangrel. Prestige bestowed by members of other clans is generally worthless to the Gangrel, unless the outsider in question has done something to earn Gangrel respect.
