Gargoyles (Dwur Guardians) (updated 2004/01/19)

Powerful, sleepless, and as enduring as stone, the Gargoyles are relics of ancient times, but many still maintain their vigilance at the most holy sites of the Dwur.

The Gargoyles were created by the Dwur long ago as perfect, sleepless guardians--triumphs of Dwur artistry and magic. Gargoyles were widely varied in appearance depending on the vision of the artist, available materials, and needs in the guardian. Large or small, they were created from the hardest materials, such as stone and metal. A Dwur priest might choose single block of stone and draw the gargoyle within to the surface, skillfully removing chips of stone until it had fully emerged. The body would be engraved with Thaumaturgic runes, inlaid with precious metals and given a pair of glittering gems for its eyes. Finally, they were were imbued with the semblance of life through sacred rites of worship to Xohm, the Earth Mother, for it was Her treasures that the Gargoyles were being created to watch over. The construction and rituals were performed at the location they would guard, binding them to the place physically and spiritually.

They were perfect guardians, patient, watchful, never sleeping, and able to pierce the veil of magic. Their link with the place and mystic eye gems allowed them to see through all manner of smoke, illusions, and trickery. Born of the earth itself, the Gargoyles were strong nearly impervious to harm. Even if a Gargoyle was destroyed it would reform from the stone and energy of its home, resuming its vigilance. The minds of the Gargoyles were simple, suited for guarding much like a well-trained, faithful hound. Some were even capable of rudimentary speech.

Ages passed, during which the Dwur faced countless Goblyn invasions, and then the great Wyrms. True to their purpose, the Gargoyles defended the Dwur from their foes, but even their might was not enough to stand against the Wyrms who tunneled into the Dwurdelf halls. The Dwur fled, but the Gargoyles were forced to remained behind by their binding ties to the land.

The Dwur allied with the Baal to hunt down the vile Wyrms and eventually regain their Dwurdelfs. They desperately needed new Gargoyles who could accompany them into the field of battle against the great Wyrms and barbaric human hordes who impeded the advance of the Baal armies. The Dwur also wanted assistance in the construction of the Baal Dragonstone keeps that followed the path of the armies. The guardian Gargoyles were ill-suited to these tasks, so the Dwur Stoneshaper priests chose to recast them in a humanoid form that could lift massive hammers to quarry stone and fell foes. Thus, from the memory of the Gargoyles were the Karrocks born.