Vampire The Masquerade Lore: Who are Clan Gangrel?
Вставка
- Опубліковано 8 лют 2025
- Do you wish to know of the clan of the wilds? Those who feel they have more in common with animals than people? The ones that trace their origins to old norse myths? Come and take a seat while I tell you the tale of this clan of vampires.
(music by Rik Schaffer)
(none of the art in the video is my own and belongs to its respected owners)
My archive is always open; / discord
Please feel free to like, comment and subscribe.
Some of the most humane kindred I've met have been Gangrel. An old friend from before the Camarilla, Matejo was his name, spoke of how he loved the humans more than anything. He knew the beast, and he knew his humanity, and having one foot on each path allowed him to see clearly which one he prefered. He was never tempted to set himself above the kine, but only wished to be a vessel for their stories, to be carried by his immortal memory so that they too could live forever.
That was long ago now, and I now rarely hear from him. I hope he is still happy and true to his heart.
My Gangrel was a boxer who beat the fuck out of his sire before his embrace. After his embrace my guy, Named Jake Booker, keeps sparing with his sire and for several plot points during our games his sire came around for a surprise sparring session with Jake.
Does his sire jump out of trashcans screaming kiryu chan perchance?
@@phobia_master-lord_of_early LOL
... Unagi?
@@phobia_master-lord_of_early
No but my DM made it a point to play the theme music when these happened.
@@bonissoni1989
No idea who that is.
Gangrel who lean into the Pagan or Odin history/culture are really interesting, Old Norse and Aesir society in a pack structure.
Another type of embrace is the pitty one. As the bloodbag fought with tenacity against the kindred, they decide to "bless" their foodstuff with the embrace, then the childe is left to fend for themself.
Clan Gangrel for life
I personally like the theory that Gangrel come from a clan of werewolves that was defeated and embraced as a means to humiliate them. Or perhaps visa versa depending on who’s telling the story. They were driven away from the Middle East and into Western Europe. Odin rose to prominence and was deified by the local kine.
I picture an example of a Gangrel Ancient looking something like Sabertooth from X-Men
I had one player who was a Malkavian was modelled off of a Cuthuthulu style inspector. His insanity was never upfront, until suddenly something not quite right would happen. The colors would shift, or he'd witness something that couldnt be explain. Worst part was the Chronicle revolved around taking down a Lasombra Methusulah before they awoke and caused massive devastation. So it was really fun when the rest of the coterie finally saw the tentacles in the shadows ever shifting.
I just finished a playthrough of VtM: Bloodlines, and my first character was a Gangrel. I've done a lot of digging into which Clans I would either fit into or would join out of choice, and Gangrel was one of two I would choose to join into (despite, ironically, freely-choosen Embrace being something of disgrace in the Clan lol). I've got a soft spot for the beasts, the wild ones, the Skaalds. If I ever got to play in a Chronicle, I would love to play as a Gangrel who wanted to explore the nature of where the Beast ends and Humanity begins. Humans are just beasts, after all. Smart, sophisticated, fancy beasts after all, walking upright and speaking in complicated sounds to express even more complicated concepts, but we are *animals* nonetheless
So uhm, I know I'm late to the party, but I'm pretty sure the Gangrel didn't leave the Camarilla because of the event with the sarcophagus, but rather because Xavier, the Justicar at the time for Gangrel, had encountered a powerful vampire that he believed to be the Toreador Antedelluvian (it wasn't eventually a Antedelluvian, but rather a kindred who came accross a very ancient and powerful artifact), and when he tried to tell the Camarilla that the Antedelluvian 's were real, they rejected his accounts, so he lead a mass exodus out of the Camarilla. Always found the story interesting, that he uncovered the truth, by believing a falsehood, that lead to the Gangrel joining the Anarchs
There are many different reasons given for them leaving the camarilla and Xaviers is the most believed one, its also the one that makes the most sense.
Its hard to say which event was the final straw since the Gangrel leaving was almost an inevitability. Its the same with the Anarch Revolt or First inquisition, many things lead to it (enough where I might make videos on events like this)
The main reason I hand wave away the reason for why they left is for time since to tell all the reasons would take too long and some of them are contradictions.
We're petty as hell
i had a gangrel who was an urban variation but instead of focusing on mammals he focused on insects and arachnids which he used as a form of intelligence gathering which other the other clans used against each other.
The clan really has a lot to explore, specially when the story mix with Werewolf elements. The dominant metaphor for World of Darkness spirit world is the Spider Net. Spider Spirits working for the Weaver are supposed to be everywhere. And I cannot think about any reason why they would share the Garou bigotry against vampires. Even more so considering that vampires are a sort of constant, in their ageless existences, and the Weaver is all about build on extrapolation and complexification of constants. A vampire with sensibility for spirits, who dedicates most his time to insects and arachnids, would likely end up crossing the path of some spider spirits. Possibly even gain a door to the Umbra as a reward for his services, if he proves to be useful.
The werespiders are an interesting folk as well. And I imagine what sort of interaction a urban Gangrel could have with them. If both sides are lucky and diplomatic enough to find common ground, and mutual profit.
The werewolves would likely not be happy, but the werewolf are really not a happy lot, generally speaking.
I played a homeless pigeon loving gangrel named Volkov. He was a bumbiling goof but always made sure the coterie came out of tough scraps. I even managed to fight off a werewolf one time. Very fun clan to play ❤
This channel is criminally underrated! Keep up the amazing work 🫡
I love this Channel I have learnt so much about the world of darkness because of it, and because of this video I have a new respect for clan Gangrel
I love the name "Canarl" vocally. Knarl Creed, the Sabertooth Bat
great video I love the style in witch u present it
Basically Druid + Vampire = Gangrel
Barbarian + Vampire = Gangrel for the most part. The clan bloodlines are where you can find the druids types.
Nice Video. I never played VTM but did play VTES (Angus the Unruled was my favourite) and I love the Gangrel and would probably be one if I played.
great video mate
Ennioa, I believe was kinfolk and Garou cubs are her children before the Embrace.
Vampiric werewolves ! ❤😍🐺
i tried all clans in VTMB but at the end of the day i gravitate towards gangrel more
just no BS pure physical strenght, no weapons, able to easily feed on any enemies because of our higher strenght stats and intentionally turning frenzy during big fight is a tactical decision
The closest a kindred could come to a garou. Some might even say they're more garou then even some garous themselves. Much respect for them, great fighters, honorable and free in spirit.
I do not recommend some to say that in the company of garou. Your average garou may not object loudly and immediately, necessarily, but he will likely object from the hearth. Better not to insult people's religion when that is avoidable, and many garou are religious about their disapproval of vampires.
I play a gangrel that has bear ears because her embrace lead to her first frenzy she fights by swimming under foot in the earth and popping up behind her target and sinking her meat hooks into the body and shoulders before dropping down into the dirt again as fast as possible shredded them like shredded pork or pinning them to the dirt soshe could pop up and drain the target she had potence as well as fortitude animalism and protean she was a fuckin tank that was turned because she refused to die dispite her sire tearing her apart and has scars from that her chest is scarred to hell and her jaw looks like its permanently torn half open
I don't think sending waves of animals into Birmingham would have done much, if anything it would be an improvement.
I really want to know about the werewolves of this world.
Well then, allow me to indulge this curiosity briefly. Werewolves are inherently spiritual creatures who were made alongside the other werebeasts as the guardians of Gaia, or the spiritual embodiment of earth and nature, which in it’s self has 3 aspects. The Wyld (wilderness, chaos, animals, etc.), the weaver (Civilization, order, humans, etc.), and the Wyrm (Death, decay, vampires, pollution, etc.) for a long time they were balanced and good but the werewolves became prideful and believed all the other fera needed to listen to them as Gaia and the moons chosen champion. The other fera or werebeasts if you prefer disagreed and a war ensued severely weakening all the fera, Garou included (the chosen name for werewolves). This allowed the Wyrm to gain an edge and started causing a lot of problems. The Garou believe this to be the last nights and that disaster waits in the near future for the entire world.
Those base things aside, the Garou organize themselves in tribes, much like the kindred clans they are all unique with different tactics, attitudes, and preferences. However, most clans are able to get along and put aside their differences these nights to defend their cairns, ancient and powerful regions of the Wyld and Gaia’s power that the Wyrm wishes to corrupt.
They have 5 forms they can shift between and their are 3 forms that werewolves can start in referred to as homid (human born), lupus (wolf born), and lastly metis (werewolf born, these are looked down upon and are almost always born with curses and mutations not in their favor).
Garou’s are incredibly resilient, often healing any damage dealt to them outside of silver, fire, and other supernatural creatures.
I would end this here, but I realize I have neglected to specify what makes Garou so spiritual, and that would be there affinity with something known as the Umbra, a spiritual world that affects this one, many creatures reside within, some good, others quite ruinous, the Garou are the defenders of their cairns not just in this world, but in the Umbra.
This has been brief and quite a poor description but it should sort out some basics, if you wish for better resources, the Gentleman Gamer has a series where he did an episode on each tribe, and Brett McGowan is a UA-camr I watched early in my discovery into world of darkness who does have a video on the basics of Werewolf the apocalypse, the Ttrpg for werewolves in world of darkness.
Werewolves in this setting are far more metaphysical and spiritual rather than supernatural.
They are also born as werewolves.
There's no "werewolf curse."
well done.
Love your laugh
Well, when a fellow like our host says "very young", like is the case about that Gangrel associate of him, that does not really mean a lot. Does it? One could theoretically have seem the first caravel be build and still qualify for the title of "very young" from his perspective. If I understand things correctly.
The people who made the Kindred the Embraced tv series made it too clean and too child friendly, the Nosferatu are just bald vampires dressed in black with funny looking ears instead of being the disfigured sewer dwelling indviduals. The Gangrel are just pretty bikers instead of the savage feral vampires and the Brujah are just gangsters in suits.
I did love the character of daedalus the nostfaratu though.
@@russellwilliams9437 Yes a vampire with a heart is unique, but he is still too clean
I find it weird that all the lore videos i find seem to claim gangrels abandon their childers. Because I remember reading online the reason why the gangrels joined the camarila was because they were disgusted by the anarch's pdactice of diablerie. The reason being the gangrels had much better/friendlier relationships between their sires and childers then the other clans.
They fancy themselves loners and drifters running around the countryside barking at the moon. Hmph, it's all an act
Gangrel can walk upright they just choose not to
Hey I have been wanting to get into vtm for a while but I don't know where to start, got any advice?
@Coldest of nights 56 thanks
Where does it say that fortitude helps resist dominate?
fortitude allows you to strengthen your mind as well as your body, though just making your body stronger is more common resisting control is a power many will use.
@@theashspawn Which book says that
In the core V5 book the first level power "Unswayable Mind" it allows you to add your fortitude dots to resist any attempt you persuade you both natural and supernatural. Even stating that it works on resisting Dominate and Presence.
How can there be multiple Gangel of the 3rd gen? Did you mean 4th gen. Theres a guy named Odin who's a 4th gen.
The reason i tell the story of Canarl is not as a retelling of cain's myth but a different 1st generation kindred all togeather. A first generation that was in himself a Gangrel. As where his 3 childer of the 2nd (of which one also called themself odin) and the many 3rd gens that came after.
This does contradict Cainite myth and thats because it is actually a myth. some of it is true and alot of it was later indoctrination and the gangrel are one of the 3 clans that are known to be later indoctrinated.
you are right about the 4th gen that calls himself odin (Odin the all-high) and hes the only one of them who is still around and a very imporatant character (might do a video on him one day)
@theashspawn really relieved to hear a lore channel actually highlight the fact that Noddist indoctrination is actually just as much a myth as any religious indoctrination of the kine.
One likely designed by someone of the talents of "Set" himself.
The true sources of history we are taught and the truth of history itself lies in the ever enticing and exciting unknown.
It is almost as if the world is ripe for all kinds of stories to be created and told within it.
: )
The area of modern day Germany was only partically "germanic" and only for a time. By the time of julius cesar the south was celtic and later on the area now eastern germany was left by the "germanic" tribes and then were settled by slavic peoples, resulting in all the place names in the area that are of pure slavic or mixed german-slavic origin. The same is true for some older german family names were the slavic origin is no longer noticeable. In fact, if you would had a germanic person from the area from before christian times and you would ask him about Odin, he probably would have no clue who you are talking about and even if you use the word Wodan, you would probably get the same reaction. In fact, connecting what we know about their believes and linking it to the much later documented norse believes seems pretty futile in my mind. Funny enough, in german folk and fairy tales there is a being that could fit the gangrel, two in fact, one the werewolf and the other is the wild man. well, these are the two main ones, but listing the others would take too long.
Btw. which books did you use as source for this video?
When I mentioned that I was explicitly talking about the ancient times before even Rome as I am talking about the homeland of the peoples during what we would call pre-history. There were no real maps of where the people resided or even originated from yet the best educated guesses speculate it was probably around the Jutland peninsula about where Denmark and Germany connect today, that is why I stated the modern day equivalents. So yes while for a lot of history they did not have all of modern day Germany they were also still there in some form especially in the north.
As for the sources, I have read a lot but the main ones for this video are the rules books for 20th and V5 as well as Clanbook: Gangrel and Wolves of the Sea.
@@theashspawn i read the last two and don't remember a story about the Gangrel being created seperately from other vampires. Is that story in the 20th edition or the V5?
@inotaishu1 if you are asking for the Canarl story then that is from wolves of the sea
@@theashspawn thanks. I must have forgotten it then.
Gangrel are The Hybrid Clan (Vampire/Werewolf)
No werewolves are about the natural, Gangrel are still unnatural they're just highly attuned to the beast
trust me dear brujah don't fuck with me in my blood there are Fortitude and
Protean....you CAN'T defeat me, NEVER.
Clan Furry.
I know damn well you didn’t just pronounce the word “gangrel” like that. Bruh.