Once the enemies of humans, gargoyles were considered daemons by those they first met. Nothing could have been farther from the truth, as the gargoyles were the keepers of the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom. During the time historians consider the Age of Enlightenment, the Avatar in his quest for the Codex caused the Isle of the Avatar to rise from the ocean depths.

This act was foretold by a gargoyle seer as the beginning of the end for the gargoyle race. The second act was in the rescue of Lord British from his imprisonment by the Shadowlords in the depths. The resulting earthquakes were the next omen.

The third omen foretold the "False Prophet" returning to the depths with a band of warriors to destroy that which is gargoyle. The only way to avert the doom foretold was by the sacrifice of the False Prophet or by something of great value to the Gargoyle race. Only the Codex itself was considered of truly of value, so the Avatar returned it to the Void, there to be viewed by all those in need, human and gargoyle alike.

As the Gargoyle Virtues were based from the knowledge contained within the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom, it is not surprising they match those of Lord British. When the Avatar sent the Codex back into the void, he placed the Gargoyle Lens between the Codex and the Flame of Singularity; then placed the Britannian Lens between the Codex and the Flame of Infinity.

Principle: Control Shrine: Mondain Word of Power: UN	Principle: Passion Shrine: Minax Word of Power: AMO	Principle: Diligence Shrine: Exodus Word of Power: COR

THE VIRTUE OF FEELING Derived from Passion Mantra: SENT	THE VIRTUE OF DIRECTION Derived from Control Mantra: TRAK-TAS
THE VIRTUE OF PRECISION Derived from Control and Diligence Mantra: BEN-IN-TAS	THE VIRTUE OF ORDER Existing outside Control, Passion and Diligence Mantra: ORD
THE VIRTUE OF BALANCE Derived from Control and Passion Mantra: MIS-TAS	THE VIRTUE OF ACHIEVEMENT Derived from Passion and Diligence Mantra: LE-IN-TAS
THE VIRTUE OF SINGULARITY Derived from Control, Passion and Diligence Mantra: PRI-TAS	THE VIRTUE OF PERSISTENCE Derived from Diligence Mantra: TE-PER-TAS

The Gargoyle culture was defined and bound by a series of books written and passed down through the generations.

All begins with the three principles: Control, Passion and Diligence. From Control springs Direction. From Passion springs Feeling. From Diligence springs Persistence. But these three virtues are no more important than the other five: Control combines with Passion to give Balance. Passion combines with Diligence to yield Achievement. And Diligence joins with Control to provide Precision. The absence of Control, Passion and Diligence is Chaos. Thus the absence of the principles points toward the seventh virtue, Order. The three principles unify to form Singularity. This is the eighth virtue, but it is also the first, because within Singularity can be found all the principles, and thus all the virtues. A circle has no end. It continues forever, with all parts equally important in the success of the whole. Our society is the same. It too continues forever, with all members (and all virtues) equal parts of the unified whole.

Heed well as I, Naxatilor, write of how I brought the Codex to our land and thereby ushered in the time of prosperity: With the help of the Lensmaker I crafted the Vortex Lens, by which I could see the Codex where it originally rested. I created the Vortex Cube to focus the power of the Moonstones and draw the Vortex down to the world. Then I used the lens to form an image of the Codex upon the cube. The Vortex touched our plane, the image became solid, and the Codex was brought down to be used properly by our race!

An ancient prophecy tells of the final days. When the end of our world shall come. Three signs will precede the end. Thrice shall a being of great evil come into our land, and by this it shall be known that the end is nigh. This evil one is of another race, who consider the evil one a great prophet. Yet this false prophet follows not the principles of Control, Passion and Diligence. One day the false prophet will come and desecrate our most holy shrine. And the false prophet will steal our most holy artifact, the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom. This shall be the first sign of the end. Then, it is written, the false prophet shall descend deep into the bowels of the earth. And the false prophet will cause the underworld to collapse. This will cause great earthquakes to tear our world asunder, and there will be a time of plague and famine. This shall be the second sign of the end. One last time shall the prophet come. This time, the false prophet will come with a band of warriors. And they will destroy all that remains of the gargoyle race. There is only one way that this prophecy may be averted: That is by the sacrifice of the false prophet.

Long ago, the great seer Naxatilor summoned the Codex into the world. Thus began the great time of prosperity. The Codex was placed within the Temple of Singularity, there to be viewed by those requiring its knowledge. The seers of the land, led by Naxatilor, protected the Codex with a forcefield. Only those upon sacred quests for wisdom are allowed to reach and read the Codex. Within the Codex is written the one right and true answer to any problem. One has but to reach the Codex, read it, and interpret its advice properly. With perfect wisdom and infallible knowledge, all that remains is to have the control, passion and diligence required to follow the proper course. These are the underpinnings of our society, and so our race is able to use the Codex wisely and well. This is the reason why the Codex exists: to lead the gargoyle race to ultimate prosperity.

When a child hatches from his egg, he is born without wings. But even from birth one can tell whether a child will grow up to be a winged or a wingless one. The wingless ones cannot speak, and lack the intelligence of the winged ones. They must be guided. The winged ones are few, but they are entrusted with the intelligence and wisdom of the race. They must guide. Both winged and wingless ones spring from the same eggs, and both belong to the same family. All function as a single whole, to better maintain the struggle for survival in our world.

Deep below the land there is another land. In that land live many strange creatures. The most interesting of these creatures look something like our wingless ones. These daemons, however, are pale and soft. Some say that these daemons from the underworld can speak. And, to be sure, they make sounds that are similar to our language. But as everyone knows, no creature without wings is truly intelligent. Fables of talking daemons must be discredited.

For countless ages, we winged ones have led the wingless ones. This is right and proper. But we must always remember that they are no less valuable than we. A body with no head cannot move. But neither can a body with no legs. All must function in unity if anything is to be achieved. So guide the wingless ones, and keep them from paths of error. But guide them with respect.