Bonelair Gargoyles are a grotesque and savage species who gorge on any living creature they can find. Renowned for their insatiable appetites, monstrous appearance and cannibalistic tendencies, the Bonelair Gargoyles are one of the most nightmarish races in all of Erendorn.
Habitat
In the central region of Erendorn, a rocky mountain pass covered by a thin veil of snow cuts through the land. The rugged mountains that border either side of the path are so tall that they eclipse the rest of Erendorn as though it never existed. This baleful valley is dangerous to venture through not only because of its steep climbs or the fact that no one would hear you scream, but also because this mountain pass is the home of the Bonelair Gargoyles.
Carved into the jagged, precipitous faces of the mountains are hundreds of small, arched caves that burrow deep into the mountain to create an interconnected network. These caves overlook the path so that their heinous inhabitants can perch on the small protruding ledge and prey on the teeming creatures below.
Characteristics and Abilities
Bonelair Gargoyles possess great spellcasting abilities and many are dedicated to the art of dark shadow magic. They specialise in inflicting slow, painful damage. From spreading diseases and plagues to causing their enemies to rot to death, Bonelair Gargoyles can tap into an entire catalogue of dark abilities.
Their Siphoning Power allows them to drain their victims of health whilst replenishing their own strength. Bonelair Gargoyles can also cause the ground beneath them to decay and spread towards their target, eventually infecting them over time. As well as this, they possess impeccable night vision, allowing them to see clearly when their enemy cannot.
This species is known for many things: their monstrous faces, their great foreboding wings and ruthless nature. But they are also known for their disquieting, pale eyes that look soulless and empty. In fact, their Chilling Gaze freezes an opponent’s joints and makes it almost impossible for them to react in time for the following attacks.
Eating Habits
Besides their grotesque and terrifying appearance, Bonelair Gargoyles are also notorious in Erendorn for their enormous appetite and feeding capacity. These creatures are bona fide carnivores, gorging themselves on almost any living thing they can take.
While their most common meal consists of birds and wild animals, some of the larger, more elite Bonelair Gargoyles have been known to capture much larger beasts before devouring every shred of their carcass, from the flesh and blood to the organs and bone marrow.
The brutality of their carnivorism is revealed in each cave. The floors are covered with high piles of bloodied bones and cracked skulls, the only remnants of their gluttonous meals and the reason why they were given their name. But wild creatures aren’t the only thing this race eats.
In Bonelair Gargoyle territory, cannibalism isn’t unheard of. In-fighting is very common among this race and sometimes it can lead to a macabre, bloody end. These types of attacks are usually carried out on the smaller, lower ranking members of the race since they are easy targets to overpower. This untethered violence among the Bonelair Gargoyles is partly due to their vicious nature, and partly enabled by the regime of fear that their leader, Grafarl, has enforced.
Leadership
Grafarl is the ferocious leader of the Bonelair Gargoyles and he dwells in the very heart of their mountain cave system. His immense eating habits make him the largest of this race and the dark magic that he hones makes him the most dangerous as well.
While his size means that Grafarl is slow in movement, he makes up for this with his incredible strength and powerful spellcasting abilities, which he spends much of his time perfecting from within the mountain’s caves. These characteristics make Grafarl a formidable opponent if challenged, but when it comes to ruling his subordinates, fear is Grafarl’s greatest weapon.
His immense strength, powerful magic and intolerant approach allows Grafarl to rule the Bonelair Gargoyles with an iron fist. No one dares cross him because of the power he wields as well as the consequences that they would face as a result of defying their ruler. While some have rejected Grafarl and the mountain pass territory, instead choosing to wander Erendorn in pursuit of their own personal gains, many others still serve under their leader’s reign of fear.
The Gargoyle Feeders
The Feeders are Grafarl’s legion of Bonelair Gargoyles. They have many duties, including protecting the species from external threats as well as enforcing Grafarl’s will. The Feeders are comprised of 4 ranks and each one has a specific place in the Bonelair Gargoyle hierarchy.
Devourers
Devourers are at the very top of the food chain in Grafarl’s army. While the majority of Bonelair Gargoyles eat smaller wild creatures like birds, this class hunts and eats the larger beasts in Erendorn, such as the Basilisk, Griffon or Hippogryph.
Like Grafarl, the insatiable appetite of the Devourers make them some of the largest of their kind - some have even been noted to be as big as the 9 foot Ogres that roam Erendorn. This is a species that recognises and respects size; so the bigger a Bonelair Gargoyle is, the better the position they get on the hierarchy ladder.
Since Devourers are noted for their great size, they are the most powerful of all Bonelair Gargoyles that server under Grafarl. They also possess tremendous skills when it comes to dark shadow magic, making them able to kill an enemy before they have even posed a threat.
Gorgers
These are large, ravenous members of the Feeders. While they are second to the Devourers, Gorgers are the elite force of Grafarl’s legion, capable of killing and consuming multiple creatures at once.
But Gorgers are also fearsome spellcasters that are able to spread diseases, contagions and plagues among their enemies, killing them slowly and painfully. They earned their name from their habit of gorging themselves on the carcasses of their fallen opponents and even, if their authority is opposed, the lower ranking members of the Feeders who fail to comply with Grafarl’s will.
Feasters and Flesh Rippers
These are the 2 lowest ranks of the Feeders. The Feasters are larger than the Flesh Rippers because they are able to fully feast on a fresh kill, leaving nothing but bones behind. This makes Flesh Rippers the lowest of the low since they are some of the smallest Bonelair Gargoyles.
Some members of the Flesh Rippers still physically struggle to eat the innards of a fresh kill. While they can’t control this, it is still viewed as a weak characteristic and many Flesh Rippers are held in low esteem because of it.
Wandering Bonelair Gargoyles
Even though Grafarl and the Feeders keep a tight fist round the Bonelair Gargoyles of the mountain pass, there are still those who leave the settlement to pursue adventure, wealth and power. These individuals can sometimes be seen wandering through Erendorn and many explorers have even come across one while traversing the dungeon depths.
Flesh Eaters
The most common type of Bonelair Gargoyle to be seen outside the mountain pass is a Flesh Eater. Bonelair Gargoyles who fit into this category often lead an independent, nomadic existence, travelling Erendorn in search of their own personal spoils.
But they have not been softened as a result of this. Other adventurers call them Flesh Eaters because they have seen with their own eyes the way they tear apart and relish the flesh of dead bodies found in the dungeons. Not all adventurers have witnessed such savage, vicious acts, and so Flesh Eaters are just as feared as the Bonelair Gargoyles of the mountains.
Ravenous Bonelair Gargoyles
Ravenous Bonelair Gargoyles have been wandering the depths of Erendorn for a long time. No one knows for how long and no one knows why, but the Ravenous ones are experienced survivors.
They have successfully managed to not only understand and navigate the dungeons, but to also live in them. These Bonelair Gargoyles aren’t fussy with their meals, killing and eating various creatures in the depths that will stave their hunger, give them strength and help them grow in size.
Voracious Bonelair Gargoyles
Not many races in Erendorn have ever seen a Voracious Bonelair Gargoyle, but their legend has reached the farthest corners of this land. After wandering the depths for many, many years, it is said that a Voracious Bonelair Gargoyle possesses a vast knowledge of Erendorn’s dungeons.
They are also said to be potent spellcasters, a skill they developed while alone in the depths and one that makes them very difficult to defeat. While a Voracious Bonelair Gargoyle is rare, it is also one of the largest and most brutal of its kind - so if you see one as you explore the depths, you’d better watch out.
Have you read last week's character profile on the Blue Melmees?
