Gangrel

Gangrel

Gangrel
Pseudonyms	Animals; Beasts; Outlanders
Sect	Independents
Disciplines	Animalism Fortitude Protean
Bloodlines	Ahrimanes Anda Coyotes Lhiannan Mariners Noiad Taifa Zoidones
Rarity	Common

The Gangrel are still undead, but of all the clans they are the closest to the natural world in spite of the cold blood in their veins. Gangrel have a reputation for being close to nature, with an affinity for animals and a comfort in the wilderness that most Kindred can't claim. They tend to be nomadic, traveling from territory to territory, and are often loners, some even shunning all other Kindred for most of their lives. When they do associate with others, it's usually with other Gangrel, with whom they form small packs and family units that take care of each other in a mutually comfortable arrangement.

Gangrel can function in the city and even in high society if they so choose, but for the most part they prefer not to; many of them were Embraced from the ranks of hunters, farmers, or indigenous peoples used to living off the land, and they see little point in learning the ways of civilizations that change at the drop of a hat. Clan Gangrel is unique in that it was one of the founding members of the Camarilla, but has since broken away and officially become Independent, refusing to take an official stance in the hostilities between the Camarilla and the Sabbat.

History

Even more than many other clans, the Gangrel's origins are shrouded in folklore and myth; there are almost as many stories about where they came from and how their powers developed as their are disparate Gangrel themselves, and they aren't worried about agreeing as a group. Some stories claim that they descend from the Norse god Odin, the first of their kind, while others name the fabled ancient Ennoia as their original progenitor (but even they do not all agree about who she was or where she came from).

Some such folklore also seeks to explain the traditional enmity between the Gangrel and members of Clan Ravnos, a clan from the Jati with few members in the western world. One version of the tale claims that the two clans' Antediluvians ruled over their progeny together, but that one of them betrayed the other to their death, earning the hatred of their clan for all eternity. (Of course, who betrayed who is seldom agreed upon by members of either clan.)

The Middle Ages

The Gangrel suffered more than most clans with the rise of trade routes, information trade, and monotheism; many of their ancient lands and holdings were based upon them appearing to be gods or spirits to the locals, and with the decline of paganism they struggled more and more to hide their obviously inhuman natures. Similarly, the rise of forestry and the beginnings of industrialization began to erode forests and other natural landscapes where the Gangrel had been able to hunt for animal prey or escape into by pretending to be animals themselves, making them more vulnerable in urban areas.

Seeing the writing on the wall, the clan splintered into a large number of smaller groups and struck out across the continent, finding new footholds and upsetting shapeshifters as they went. Several of these small splinter groups later developed into their own bloodlines from isolation or specialization. By the Victorian Age, most Gangrel were no longer even trying to get along with what their fellows called "civilized society" except as nomads, traders, and visitors passing briefly through.

The Withdrawal

In spite of their problems with the rest of society, the Gangrel were one of the founding members of the Camarilla and remained some of its staunchest supporters until the 1990s, when the Gangrel Justicar, Xaviar de Calais, appeared before the Inner Council itself. He told them bluntly that the clan was leaving the sect, with no further explanation or argument, and before a month had elapsed, word had trickled down and all Gangrel had summarily become Independents.

While the official word from the Camarilla is that the Gangrel were fractious and decided to abrogate their responsibilities to return to their lives as aimlessly wandering mendicants, the clan knows better. Xaviar's announcement that the clan was leaving is referred to as the Withdrawal among other Gangrel, and rumors strongly suggest that the Justicar had discovered information about new and dangerous supernatural threats during the East Coast Offensive, but that the Council had ignored his warnings, preferring to bury their heads in the sand. To the other Gangrel, Xaviar is a hero who chose to sacrifice his own powerful position in order to protect all his clanmates from a senselessly hideous death in a war with corrupt commanders, no matter how many outsiders try to claim that the move was one of cowardice or political maneuvering.

Strongholds

Due to their generally nomadic nature, there are few permanent places of power for the Gangrel, who prefer to carry anything important with them rather than rely on landscape or society not to change over time. However, they do enjoy creating mobile meetings they call Gathers, which summon members of the clan to a chosen location for several days of rituals, argument, politics, and of course storytelling. Gathers never last longer than a week, and most end sooner if possible, freeing those Gangrel participating to regain their accustomed solitude.

Similarly, if the clan decides they are threatened, they may call for a Revel, a call to battle where the Gangrel meet, tell stories, and prime one another for battle, breaking loose at the end in a hellish and terrifying hunting pack that few enemies can withstand. Such meetings are more rare, and are typically called for in order to deal with invasions by the Sabbat or skirmishes with local shapeshifters.

In very rare cases, a Gangrel elder of sufficient fame and status might be able to call a Great Gather, where other members of the clan are summoned from all over the world for a temporary but critically important meeting. The last Great Gather to be held was called by Xaviar in order to inform his clan of their break with the Camarilla.

Advantages and Weaknesses

Advantages

Gangrel are automatically a little bit better at the Animal Ken and Survival skills as a result of their naturalistic backgrounds and blood; they aren't necessarily all born hunters, but they do all right as long as the situation isn't too dire. They are also more attuned to those supernatural creatures more nature-connected than themselves - the Garou, whom they tend to be able to sense and work around when they are in the area. This doesn't make Garou like them any more - as a general rule, Garou hate Gangrel as much as any other Kindred clans - but it can help them avoid uncomfortable confrontations or dangerous scuffles. Because they so frequently wander in and out of various Princes' domains, Gangrel are not required to present themselves to a Prince unless they plan to remain in a city for more than one night (although doing so is always a nice gesture of courtesy).

Disadvantages

Because they are already so close to the inherent nature of the world - and by extension, their own inherent nature, the Beast - Gangrel have difficulty returning to normal if they succumb to their true natures. Whenever a Gangrel enters any kind of Frenzy, they gain a permanent bestial trait - it might be pointed ears, elongated teeth, patches of fur, slit pupils, or any other animal feature that would normally be out of place on a human being. These bestial traits are visible to others and make hiding their nature from humans problematic, and only high-level Discipline powers in Vicissitude or Thaumaturgy can attempt to permanently remove them.

The Gangrel in DC

The Gangrel are DC's greatest unknown quantity; officially, they have no opinion on anything and avoid city affairs as much as possible, even those that live within city limits. Because they tend to be more aware of outside beings influencing the city (especially Garou) than other clans, they consider the area too much of a hotspot of supernatural activity to be really advisable as a home base. Art Morgan, the local Gangrel elder, could wield considerable influence if he wanted to, however, so the movers and shakers of the city always have to take into account how the Gangrel might react to any major change to the status quo.

Recently, Prince Marcus Vitel appointed the roving Gangrel warrior Colin Thomas as his Scourge, at his request. Political movers and shakers in the city wait to see if this signals his support of the clan in some way, and rumors are already rising that, being a Lasombra, he is intentionally creating a cabinet that is less likely to side with the established Camarilla hierarchy for reasons of his own.

Gangrel Player Characters

Barrett Weller	Colin Thomas	Damien Campbell	Gentle Wind	Jag

Jason Blood	Keith Anders	Lorna Ashe	Pal-Mal	Stephen Rosengeld	Victor Caspian	Yeke

See Also

Coyote
Gangrel Antitribu

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