"Up, up, and away!"
"If God had wanted us to stay on Earth, he wouldn't have given us wings."

        As the cities became more and more crowded, there were only two directions left to go, down and up. The Trogs have taken over the subterranean world; the Gargoyles have taken to the air. There’s about as much area on the rooftops as there is on the street, and that's where you live. Abandoned high rises and apartments are your playgrounds. Your game is aerial acrobatics: flying on your personal glide wings, cruising down zip wires hundreds of feet long, and swinging from cables attached to balconies 50 stories above the street. Some call you adventurous; some call you suicidal; they all call you Gargoyles.

What you look like

        Since you live in the sky, your outfits emphasize the freedom the air gives you. Your hair is long to catch the wind or cut to stay out of your face. Your clothes are formfitting to cut down on air resistance. Often, you wear designs with aerial motifs: birds, stars, bats, and so on. Overall, you try for a flamboyant, yet safety conscious look. After all, a good-looking corpse is still dead.
        The only constant accessory throughout Gargoyle subculture is the harness. Usually, it's covered with grappling hooks, lengths of rope, climbing claws, and other gear, but it does more than hold your equipment; it also holds you. You use its buckles, cables, and straps to hook yourself onto zip wires, glide wings, and rappel ropes. Although you don't like to admit it, you couldn't do half of your amazing stunts without it.

Subculture

        Ever since humankind turned its face up and saw the sky, flight has been one of its most cherished dreams. You have reached back to the drive that created Pegasus, hang gliding, vampires, and space exploration. Let the masses shuffle about on the ground; you'll take the sky over the subway any day. Not that the air doesn't have other problems. First of all, the pollution forces many of you to use air filters. In addition, the cops and building owners are always trying to keep you off their roofs. Luckily, there are so many unused apartments, rooftops, and towers that their attempts are largely ineffective. Also, the air may not be crowded, but it isn’t deserted either. There are spinners, low altitude planes, and, of course, huge skyscrapers; all of which could disrupt your peaceful afternoon with a very painful death. Finally, there is the possibility of falling a few hundred stories. On the other hand, if there wasn’t a chance of crippling injury, then the sky would be far more crowded.
        On the whole, your yogang is an odd paradox of strong ties within a loose structure. Because cruising the air and climbing skyscrapers are dangerous hobbies, you almost always travel in groups. You trust the other members with your life, literally. At the same time, you became a Gargoyle for the freedom of the air, so you don't want to be tied down with a complex system of rules and laws. In order to keep everyone safe, yet allow them independence, your yogang has one rule: permission first. If your actions will involve or require another Gargoyle, ask their permission first; otherwise, do as you will. All Gargoyles try to cultivate the trust that this system depends on. This way you can find flight partners for raids or a spotter while you rappel the Biotechnica tower while not insisting that you take a partner or forcing anyone to go with you. Without the trust of the other members, Gargoyle subculture would be even more dangerous than it already is.
        The most distinguishing feature of a Gargoyle is their glidewings. Closely related to hang gliders, they’re your most popular form of transport. Essentially, they’re a large pair of wings strapped to your back, but they're much more than that. Constructed of a special plastic polymer, they can be rigid enough to survive hectic crosswinds while also being flexible enough to match your movement. They also have a small chip controlling it's shape to maximize lift (unless otherwise instructed). Some of the more advanced designs include a small engine to for extra power, but usually the numerous steam vents, air currents, and updrafts are enough to let you travel where you want to go. If an area is too difficult to reach by air, then you'll just use zip wires and swing cables instead. Essentially, excluding security measures, you can get anywhere in the city without ever going below the thirtieth floor.

Belonging

        When they saw you hanging out on top of the rooftops or flying around on glidewings, you were halfway to membership. There were only two things left. First, you had to ask to join. Then, you had demonstrate why they should accept you as an equal. Donations of space, equipment, or money are a good source of proof, so is skill: technical or aerial. After they accepted you, they let you know you could count on them, then they left you alone. If they had not accepted you, you could try again later.
        The only way to be removed from the Gargoyles is to do something that harms the yogang or a group they consider valuable, like the Trogs. If it seemed accidental or minor, the yogang may only censure you and make your action public knowledge. If it is more serious, they may forcibly try to evict you from area. They will force you off the rooftops, possibly without your wings. Occasionally, their allies will join in the fun, the Trogs getting to help most often.

Allies and Enemies

        Your closest allies are the Trogs and ArcoRunners, both of whom share your basic ideas about life in the city. You also share common ground with the GoGangers who appreciate your piloting skills and aerial acrobatics. Your devil-may-care attitude about territory rubs many of the yogangs the wrong way, especially the Goths, MegaViolents, Tribals, and Guardians. The BoardPunks have almost called an all out war because of the frequent mid-air collisions between your two groups. Your goboys usually escape unharmed, but the Buzzheads tend to fall a very long way, very quickly.

Slang

Ants: street dwellers
BackBoard: glidewings
Falcon: an excellent Gargoyle
BuzzHeads: aero-BoardPunks
Mower: a spinner or aerodyne
Stalled: terrible
Zipping: excellent

Yogang Skill AERIAL ACROBAT (Ref)

        If you live hundreds of feet above the street, you had better know how to get around. Aerial Acrobat is the measure of how well you can maneuver in your environment. For example, it measures how well you can pilot glide wings. Antics that would terrify a weekend enthusiast, you consider par for the course. This includes high speed dives (Easy), loops (Average), and catching yourself after a fall (intentional or otherwise) (Difficult). Aerial Acrobat also measures your ability to climb, rappel, walk tightropes, travel on zip wires, and use grapples. Finally, although the occurrences are rare, you have a moderate level of experience with more complex air travel and may use Aerial Acrobat to pilot these at -2 (more complex or obscure the machine the more difficult to pilot it).

If you’re a Gargoyle,

1) Tell me your name, age, and sex.
2) Describe yourself
3) Tell me, apart from your v-trodes, five things that you are carrying

• Glide wings
• Grapple claw and a 150m line
• Knife (for cutting rope) (DC 2 AP)
• A loft (choose where now)
• Climbing claws (DC 2 AP)
• FilterMask
• Envirogloves
• Harness vest (AR 3)