A grotesque creature with the ability to appear as a stone statue. Existing in underground caves until, similar to the guardian angel, it either chooses or is assigned to a certain human or human family to protect.

Once the family is chosen the gargoyle will position itself high on the rooftop or near the entrance of the family home. Then it will become perfectly still as if carved from stone and will remain this way, guarding its family for generations. Its mere presence warding off most evil including demons and spirits.

If ever an evil approaches that the gargoyle cannot repel in its inanimate form, it will come to life, summon all other living gargoyles in the immediate area and engage the evil in a battle to the death.

These battles are rarely visible but may be detected by observing missing gargoyles on several buildings (this may be difficult to observe as often times the gargoyles perch high and out of sight). Also if the battle is good-sized it may generate strange weather and geological phenomena, most commonly torrential downpours, landslides, and small to medium earth tremors.

Though uncommon, at times the very battle to protect a building and its occupants turns out to be the cause of its destruction.

There are also non-living gargoyles both mundane and enchanted. The mundane variety are nothing more than statues. The latter variety are carved stone statues that are said to be enchanted to ward off evil much like a living gargoyle. They can be made from materials other than stone, such as wood.

Enchanted gargoyles are used frequently throughout the world, unfortunately they do not work as commonly expected. The spell is not capable of warding off evil and is especially ineffective in dry climates. However, if it rains an enchanted gargoyle can successfully wash a structure clean by drawing the evil out and temporarily trapping it in the rainwater. It then throws the rainwater far from the structure walls where it is swallowed by the earth and rendered neutral for an undetermined amount of time.

Also known as grotesques.