Appendix B: A Guide to the Gargoyles Universe

By Todd Jensen

“L”

LABYRINTH

An underground complex in New York, part of an abandoned portion of the city's subway tunnels. When the gargoyles first awakened in Manhattan, the Labyrinth was being used by Cyberbiotics as a research facility; Hudson and Bronx raided it to obtain one of the three disks that Xanatos had awakened the clan to steal for him. After the raid, the complex was abandoned, until Goliath brought Sevarius there following his kidnapping the scientist, and put him to work to find a cure for the Mutates' condition. Following this adventure, the Mutates settled in the Labyrinth, and made it their home.

Homeless people throughout the city came to settle there as well, under the Mutates' protection. While Talon was their nominal leader, he was slow to take on this position, and Fang took advantage of the leadership vacuum in an attempt to take over the Labyrinth and rule it as a tyrant. Talon finally defeated him, however, with the aid of Hudson and the trio, and recognized the need to serve as its leader. He decreed that the community now formed in the Labyrinth would be ruled by justice rather than by force, and forbade all weapons there.

The gargoyles brought Demona to the Labyrinth for imprisonment after their capture of her at the Golden Cup Building. Her imprisonment did not last long, however, for she was rescued by Thailog not long afterwards. After the defeat of the two villainous gargoyles at Coney Island Amusement Park, the Clones joined the Labyrinth's community, where Talon would teach them to think for themselves, and to use verbs.

LADY OF THE LAKE

A Child of Oberon. The enchanted sword Excalibur is in her keeping; in King Arthur's time, she gave the sword to him, but received it back after his final battle. [She was one of the three women who bore the wounded Arthur away to Avalon after the Battle of Camlann, the other two being Nimue and Morgana le Fay; the three of them afterwards taught the London gargoyles the riddling rhyme that would help King Arthur and Griff recover Excalibur.]

When King Arthur and Griff were brought to New York on their quest for Excalibur, they, accompanied by the trio and Hudson, encountered the Lady of the Lake in a lake in Central Park. She told Arthur that he must prove himself worthy of Excalibur once again, and tested him by pitting him against a water elemental, which he finally vanquished with the help of the gargoyles. Afterwards, she showed him where the sword lay, in the dragon statue in the center of the maze in the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, and then disappeared.

The Lady of the Lake looks like a beautiful silver-haired woman in a gown of white samite. Her magic is strongly focused on water.

<The Lady of the Lake was the keeper of the sword Excalibur in Arthurian legend. According to Sir Thomas Malory, after King Arthur broke his original sword in battle against King Pellinor, Merlin brought him to the Lake of Avalon, where the Lady of the Lake appeared. She agreed to give Arthur Excalibur for his new sword, and he bore it from then on. Presumably she received it back after Sir Bedivere returned it to the lake. In the Vulgate Cycle, she also served as the foster-mother to Sir Lancelot, raising him in her home after Benwick, the kingdom of his father Ban, was conquered by King Claudas, and sending him to Arthur's court when he was of age. (According to Mr. Weisman, this last did not happen in the Gargoyles Universe, however).

The Lady of the Lake is often identified - or confused - with Nimue, the sorceress whom Merlin fell in love with and who magically imprisoned him; even Malory did this. In the Gargoyles Universe, however, they are separate figures. Malory's own account of the Lady of the Lake had her slain by Sir Balin of Northumberland, one of Arthur's knights, who claimed that she was an evil sorceress who had murdered his mother; obviously this did not take place in the Gargoyles Universe (unless the Lady of the Lake underwent a temporary death, similar to that of the Banshee and Anansi).

"Gargoyles" interprets the Lady of the Lake as one of the faerie-folk; however, Malory and the Vulgate Cycle seem to have interpreted her as a human sorceress; the Vulgate even claimed that her "enchanted lake" was really a splendid human city concealed by an illusionary lake from outward eyes. This interpretation was clearly not used by "Gargoyles", however.>

[LANCELOT]

[The youngest of Broadway and Angela's three children, and brother to Artus and Gwynevere. He will be hatched in the year 2058.

<Lancelot is named after Sir Lancelot du Lac, King Arthur's best knight and - unfortunately - the lover of Queen Guinevere; it was their love affair that helped destroy Arthur's kingdom. (According to Greg Weisman, Lancelot and Guinevere's affair did indeed exist in the Gargoyles Universe.) His name, together with that of Artus and Gwynevere, is a sign of Broadway and Angela's strong interest in the Arthurian legend.>]

LEO

A gargoyle in the London clan. Leo and his mate Una currently run the "Into the Mystic" shop, a position that they have held at least since 1940.

At the beginning of World War II, Leo and Una shared the running of "Into the Mystic" with Griff. When the Battle of Britain began, Griff felt it his duty to help defend London from the Germans, but Leo and Una viewed the war as a "human problem", and chose to simply continue running the shop and let the humans fight the war. When Goliath arrived in 1940 via the Phoenix Gate, he chose to join with Griff, and accompanied him on his last engagement in the Battle of Britain, before both vanished (due to Goliath's taking Griff forward in time to 1995).

Leo and Una believed that Griff had been killed in the fighting, and blamed Goliath for it - partly because of buried guilt; they knew, deep down inside, that they should have helped protect London alongside Griff. In the over fifty years that followed, during which time they became mates, they continued to view the shop alone as their protectorate, turning a blind eye to the street crime in their neighborhood, which they viewed as somebody else's problem.

When Goliath and his companions arrived in London on the Avalon World Tour, Leo and Una angrily accused him of being responsible for Griff, and sought revenge by capturing Elisa, Angela, and Bronx and chaining them up in the shop's basement. Goliath realized that the only way that he could save his friends was by going back in time to 1940 to discover what had happened to Griff, and used the Phoenix Gate to return there.

After his departure, Leo realized, and convinced Una of this as well, that the real reason for their anger was their buried guilt, and freed Goliath's companions. When Goliath returned with Griff to 1995, Leo and Una forgave him, and afterwards expanded their protectorate to cover London rather than just the shop, protecting the innocent from those who would prey upon them.

Leo looks very much like a winged lion; hence his name.

LEXINGTON

One of the gargoyles in the Wyvern clan, and a member of the trio. [Like his rookery brothers Brooklyn and Broadway, Lexington was hatched in the year 958.] He and they became close friends during their childhood, thus forming the trio. They and Bronx survived the Wyvern Massacre of 994 thanks to their having been confined to the rookery for getting into a fight with some of the humans, and so were not found and shattered by the Vikings. Lexington and the others, however, were afterwards turned to stone by the Magus, and remained in stone sleep for a thousand years, finally awakened when Xanatos moved Castle Wyvern to the top of the Eyrie Building.

Lexington was fascinated by the modern world, and particularly its technology, and remains so still. [Even before his long sleep, he was intrigued by complex mechanical devices, such as the catapults that Hakon and his Vikings used to attack Castle Wyvern.] Upon his awakening, he eagerly investigated the technological devices of New York in the 1990's, such as Vinnie's motorcycle (with disastrous consequences for both the motorcycle and Vinnie). He also learned how to build his own, constructing a motorcycle for Brooklyn out of spare parts and rebuilding the Pack's helicopter to make it more effective. Lexington has since become the clan's technical expert, who works out how to disarm advanced security systems, access information from computers, and so on, whenever the clan needs his help with such things.

Alongside Lexington's passion for things mechanical, he holds also a deep grudge against the Pack. Shortly after the clan awoke in New York, Lexington (alongside Brooklyn and Broadway) became fascinated with the Pack, and believed them to genuinely be the valiant heroes that they played on television. He therefore sought them out, hoping that they could become new friends and allies to the gargoyles. The Pack pretended to accept his friendship, however, in order to lure him and Goliath into a trap for the fun of hunting them. Lexington was crushed at the discovery of how they had betrayed them, and hated them with a vengeance ever since. Indeed, his grudge against them has been so bitter that it has led him to occasionally forget his priorities, and endanger himself or his fellow clan members.

Lexington's feud with Fox has ended, however, thanks to a third keystone in his life; his close friendship with Alexander Xanatos. Lexington and Alex first developed their rapport when Alex temporarily possessed him in order to use his body and vocal organs to cast "soul transference" spells involving the Coldtrio; Lexington warmed to Alex as a result and this process deepened further after the clan moved back into the castle. For Alex's sake, therefore, Lexington has made peace with Fox. His current attitude towards Dingo is unknown, although it is safe to assume that he still dislikes Jackal, Hyena, and Wolf, the three unreformed members left of the original Pack.

[At some point in the future, Lexington will go into business with Xanatos, founding the Lexington-Xanatos Corporation. The details for this are as yet unknown, however - beyond the fact that the LXM robots, which this corporation will be manufacturing by 2198, are modelled after him in appearance.]

Lexington is the smallest of the trio, and because of this and his large eyes, looks younger than he really is. His most distinguishing feature is his wings, which are attached to his arms in a web-like structure, evocative of the wings of a flying squirrel. [His wings are pierced, which allows him to wear a loincloth.] He has khaki-colored skin, and a hairless head.

Lexington received his name in 1994, soon after his awakening in New York, naming himself after Lexington Avenue.

[Although Lexington pursued Angela, alongside Broadway and Brooklyn, when she first came to New York, he is actually gay (he had not realized it at the time).]

[LEXINGTON-XANATOS CORPORATION]

[The revised name for Xanatos Enterprises after Xanatos and Lexington go into partnership. By 2198, it will still be intact, and Owen will secretly make use of its assets to assist Samson's resistance cell. One of its leading products is the LXM robot line.]

[LIBERTY CLAN]

[A gargoyle clan to be founded on Queen Florence Island in 2188, for the purpose of helping the cause of gargoyle unity. Eggs from every clan at that time are brought there to be raised together. Unfortunately, on March 21, 2198, just as the eggs are hatching, the Space-Spawn arrive and abduct the eggs that form the Liberty Clan, alongside the human and gargoyle leaders present, an event that initiates the Space-Spawn occupation of Earth. The hatchlings of this clan are kept by the Space-Spawn; further information concerning them is as yet unknown. Whether they receive this name before or after their kidnapping is also unknown as yet.]

[LISCOO]

[The home village of Rory Dugan in Ireland.]

LOCH NESS

A famous loch in Inverness, Scotland, home of the Loch Ness Monster. Loch Ness is roughly 24 miles long, at least one mile wide, and as much as 754 feet deep. Its murky waters have been explored many times in search of the Loch Ness Monster, but with no official success as yet.

Sevarius came here to capture the Loch Ness Monster and use its genetic material for various unscrupulous breeding projects. Fortunately, Goliath, Elisa, Angela, and Bronx were also brought here on the Avalon World Tour, and foiled his scheme.

[A gargoyle clan has existed at Loch Ness since at least the 10th century, and most likely long before that time. It keeps itself well hidden, however, and had no contact with Goliath and his companions during their visit] - although Sevarius initially believed Angela to be a member of it. [Its existence may account for Griff's having automatically recognized Goliath in 1940 as being of "Scottish stock". These gargoyles are particularly unusual in having become almost amphibious, presumably as an adaptation to their current habitat.]

LOCH NESS MONSTER

A famous plesiosaur-like creature living in Loch Ness. The Loch Ness Monster is actually a family of several such animals, rather than a single creature.

Dr. Sevarius captured a young Loch Ness Monster when he visited the Loch, and planned to use it as bait for the alpha-male member of the family, "Big Daddy"; he had plans to use the "Nessies'" genetic material to create various unusual monsters. Fortunately, Goliath, Elisa, Angela, and Bronx both rescued the young Nessie (whom Angela had befriended) and prevented Sevarius from kidnapping "Big Daddy".

LOEW, MAX

A modern-day descendant of Rabbi Loew. He was guided in a dream to re-awaken the Golem that his ancestor had made, so that it could protect the people of Prague from Tomas Brod and others like him. He now serves as the Golem's guardian and instructor, helping it stay on the correct path of defending the city.

LOEW, RABBI

A rabbi who lived in Prague in the late 16th century. To protect the Jewish community there from pogroms, in 1580 he created the Golem and brought it to life, then instructed it in its purpose. He is an ancestor of Max Loew.

LOIS

Art's wife; the two of them run a restaurant in New York City. They were among Tony Dracon's targets in his protection racket; he blew up their restaurant when they refused to pay him.

LONDON

The capital of Great Britain. [A secret country estate lies very close to London, where the last clan of English gargoyles, which Leo, Una, and Griff are members of, lives. They are supported in part by the "Into the Mystic" shop,] which Leo and Una run in London itself.

In 1940, London was attacked by the Germans during the Battle of Britain, but protected not only by the Royal Air Force, but also by Griff and a time-travelling Goliath. Today, a memorial stands in the city commemmorating Griff and Goliath's heroic defense of the city during World War II.

LOUIE

The gangster villain of a detective movie that Broadway is particularly fond of.

LUACH

The son of Gruoch [by either Gillecomgain or Macbeth; nobody is certain as to who Luach's father was.] He was born around 1032, and raised by Macbeth as though he were his own son. Luach (ironically, if he was indeed Gillecomgain's son) was fiercely loyal to Demona and her clan, and supported them in 1057 after they had helped to valiantly fight Canmore and his forces.

After Macbeth was "slain" by Canmore, Bodhe declared Luach the new King of Scotland. He fought against Canmore and his English allies, but was at last slain in battle the following year.

<Luach, more often known in real-world history as Lulach, was indeed a real person, the son of Gruoch by her first marriage to Gillecomgain. He was known as Lulach the Simple, although how deserved this title was, we do not know. He briefly became King of Scotland following Macbeth's death in 1057, but was slain fighting against Malcolm Canmore the following year. A grandson of his, named Angus, attempted unsuccessfully to win back the Scottish throne in 1120.>

LUNA

One of the Weird Sisters. She can be distinguished from the others by her white hair. Luna is the most mystical of the three.

<"Luna" is the Latin word for "moon", and also the name for the goddess of the moon in Roman mythology.>

[LXM]

[A line of robots manufactured by the Lexington-Xanatos Corporation; the name stands for "Lexington-Xanatos-Matrix". These chrome robots are shaped like Lexington, and by 2198, have become extremely popular with the leaders of society. Each LXM is linked up with the Master Matrix in Antarctica, allowing it to draw upon its information files when needed, making them very useful.

After the Space-Spawn stole the Master Matrix in 2198, however, the LXM robots were left on their own. Each one still possessed a powerful computerized brain with crude artificial intelligence and long-term adaptive programming; however, they could now only call upon the knowledge that they had at hand and must learn through experience.

Two particular LXM robots, LXM-994 and LXM-1057, are to play key roles in Samson's resistance against the Space-Spawn.]

[LXM-994]

[An LXM robot. It will become part of Samson's resistance movement in 2198, remaining with Samson on Earth to battle the Space-Spawn.]

[LXM-1057}

[An LXM robot. It will become part of Samson's resistance movement in 2198, and accompany Nokkar and his party into outer space.]

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