Rookery
A rookery is a protected area where gargoyle clans keep their eggs until they hatch. In a broader sense, gargoyles use the term 'rookery' to refer to their entire home and protectorate, not just the place where the eggs are placed. [1]
Contents
Rookery Generations
Gargoyle eggs hatch in the rookery every twenty years (those years ending in 18, 38, 58, 78, and 98). [2][3][4][5] Each rookery generation is raised together by the clan. The closest biological relation between two gargoyles in a rookery generation is first cousins. Although none of the gargoyles are biological siblings, they view each other as rookery brothers and sisters. For instance, all the gargoyles hatched in the Wyvern rookery in 938 (including Goliath, Demona, "Hyppolyta", Brooksbro, "Othello", "Desdemona", and "Iago") are rookery siblings, though none of them are closely related. [6][7] The clan raises each generation together, unconcerned with and usually unaware of biological parentage.
Gargoyles tend to choose mates from among their rookery brothers or sisters, though this is not always the case (See Broadway and Angela or Yama and Sora). [8]
The following chart breaks down the respective generation each gargoyle whose egg is known to have been laid and hatched, regardless of specific clan. Note that clones like Thailog and the rest of the Labyrinth Clan originated from artificial means (and thus would not have an associated generation) while "Lefty" of the Wyvern Clan and Fu-Dog of the Manhattan Clan do not have a known generation. Also note that "The Eggs" would have normally hatched in 998, but they were taken to Avalon in 995 and thus were delayed in hatching until 1058.
| Spring Equinox Laid |
Spring Equinox Hatched |
Rookery Generation |
| 9th Century | ||
| 868 | 878 | Hudson, "Verity" |
| 888 | 898 | "Chaw", "Chomp" |
| 10th Century | ||
| 908 | 918 | "Sacrifice", "Second" |
| 928 | 938 | "Brooksbro", Coldfire, Coldsteel, Coldstone, Demona, Goliath, "Hyppolyta" |
| 948 | 958 | Antiope, Broadway, Brooklyn, Lexington, "Schnozz" |
| 968 | 978 | Bronx, "Kermit", "True" |
| 988 | 998 | "Rook", (Also, "The Eggs" were intended to hatch this year) |
| 11th Century | ||
| 1008 | 1018 | Skade |
| 1028 | 1038 | "Lioness" |
| 1048 | 1058 | "The Eggs" laid in 988 hatch on Avalon (Angela, Azrael, Archangel, Boudicca, Gabriel, Michael, Ophelia, Raphael, Uriel, and 27 more) |
| 1068 | 1078 | Angelika, Magni, Modi |
| 13th Century | ||
| 1248 | 1258 | Katana |
| 18th Century | ||
| 1788 | 1798 | Pog |
| 19th Century | ||
| 1888 | 1898 | Griff, Kai, Leo, Una |
| 20th Century | ||
| 1908 | 1918 | Obsidiana, Zafiro |
| 1928 | 1938 | Jade, Turquesa, Yama |
| 1948 | 1958 | Constance, Sora, Staghart |
| 1968 | 1978 | Gnash, Lunette |
| 1988 | 1998 | Egwardo |
| 21st Century | ||
| 2008 | 2018 | Artus, One Beast egg of the Avalon Clan |
| 2028 | 2038 | Gwenyvere |
| 2048 | 2058 | Lancelot |
| 22nd Century | ||
| 2148 | 2158 | Delilah, Samson, Zafiro |
| 2188 | 2198 | Liberty Clan eggs |
The Wyvern Rookery
The rookery of the Wyvern Clan was a cave inside Wyvern Hill with at least one entrance that led into Castle Wyvern's Courtyard. There may have been more entrances. The rookery contained several "nests" (see picture to the right) that held the actual eggs. There was also faint illumination provided by a sort of mold growing on the walls and pillars of the cave; this implies that the rookery may have been quite damp. The rookery was very old, and Castle Wyvern had actually been built on top of it, as was often done in gargoyle/human alliances. By 1996, due to time and the rookery's removal as part of the Castle's foundations, the original location of the Wyvern rookery was little more than an excavated, rocky pit. ("Shadows of the Past")
Among the Wyvern Clan at least, a common punishment for hatchlings that have caused trouble is to be sent to the rookery. The Trio was particularly embarrassed when they were sent to the rookery by Goliath as young adults in 994, though this action ended up saving their lives. At the time, Broadway commented that he had not been in the rookery since he hatched, which suggests he was either being sarcastic, forgetful, or, most likely, had managed to stay out of trouble throughout his childhood. ("Awakening: Part One")
The Northumbria Rookery
The Northumbria Clan kept their rookery in a cave beneath Brada Hill. There seems to have been one dedicated entrance and multiple other small tunnels that could access the rookery from near the ruins on the hill above. The rookery glowed with a pale green light. In 1093, Canmore and his kin destroyed the Northumbria Clan and smashed all of the eggs in the rookery. When Demona returned to Brada Hill to discover the massacre, she heard crying from the rookery and discovered Angelika, who had slept in the small tunnels, mourning the loss of her clan among the shattered eggs. ("Fools Rush In...")
The Manhattan Rookery
At Demona's insistence, David Xanatos preserved the Wyvern rookery when he transported the Castle from Scotland to Manhattan; she had planned to eventually take the Castle from Xanatos to use as a base to make war on humanity and wanted the rookery in place for future eggs. In 1997, after the Manhattan Clan moved back into the Eyrie Building, the rookery was again put to use for Brooklyn and Katana's egg, Egwardo. ("Idyll or Nightmare")
Additional Rookeries
Though no other rookeries have yet been seen, it is assumed that they too are generally underground in a natural cave of some sort. Knight's Spur, the Mayan Pyramid and the Temple of Ishimura probably all have rookeries beneath them.
