Kal
Whispers
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
None can say for sure how the first Ghoul formed; perhaps they are a natural consequence of the Force's multifaceted nature, the result of Rakatan tampering, or the byproduct of the sorceries practised by the primordial Sith. Whatever the case, individual Ghouls (or groups) are born from battle and tragedy, bloodshed and despair. Most of the time, they are confined to the Netherworld unless conjured by Sorcerers... but times change.
The Netherworld Crisis and the recent events in Oblivion have weakened the veil between worlds, allowing more and more ghouls to slip through the cracks. Efforts by the Shadows and their servants to cull these foul creatures have unintentionally pushed even more towards Realspace.
Still, they remain a relative rarity - abominations lurking around battlegrounds and in unlit alleys, easily confused for a kind of zombie.
- Intent: Another kind of Not!Zombie for future threads and submissions.
- Image Credit: Eidolon – Death – Ghoul and Ghoul by Antonio J. Manzanedo
- Canon: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
- Links: Rakghoul, Blackwing, and Hollow Hungerers. Ghouls.
- Name: Nether Ghouls
- Designation: Semi-Sentient
- Origins: Netherworld of the Force
- Average Lifespan: Years or decades, on average.
- Nether Ghouls are creatures of destructive entropy; from the moment they force themselves into existent to their violent demise (or more rarely, death by starvation) they must feed to survive. The longer they live the more powerful they grow - and in turn, more is needed to keep them sustained. The select few that have survived a century are terrifying beings of truly bottomless hunger.
- Estimated Population: Scattered; spawn from battlefields and violent tragedies.
- Description: Nether Ghouls are brutish, ever-hungry spirits that possess corpses and the occasional living being/beast. It is easy to think them a kind of zombie, but such misimpressions are quickly dispelled if killed, for the greasy smoke that emerges from slain Ghouls are the Ghouls themselves. Unless destroyed (typically with blasters, lightsabers, or fire) they will seek out new hosts to possess.
- Breathes: N/A
- Average Height of Adults: Host dependent.
- Average Length of Adults: Host dependent.
- Skin Colour: Host dependent; often greyish or pallid.
- Hair Colour: Host dependent; hair loss is commonplace.
- Distinctions: The true form of a ghoul is a cloud of thick, greasy smoke that often contains shapes reminiscent of teeth, claws, and snarling faces. They can do little more than suffocate the odd organic in Realspace and so typically possess corpses or more rarely living beings. Their preference in host and how they shape them to suit their preferences and inclinations is a major characteristic elaborated upon below.
- The common Ghoul, or Pallidi Generis, is the most common breed by far. They usually possess humanoid corpses and rarely make any drastic alterations, claws, teeth, and the odd spike notwithstanding. While deadly in their own right, they have no unique adaptations.
- Bone Ghouls, depicted above to the right, are an odd but not uncommon breed known to have an appetite for bones and metals. This raw material is used to form surprisingly durable exoskeletons - Bone Ghouls that have possessed a body for an extended period are widely considered one of if not the hardiest type of Ghoul. Their other feeding habits still more or less follow those listed under Races.
- Mistfiends are Ghoul/Smoke Demon hybrids that retain the ability to shift through walls even while possessing a body. Their bodies are enshrouded by a deathly miasma that obscures vision and strangles the life from unprepared organics. Fortunately, they are very rare.
- Carrion Ghouls are the least of the Ghouls, pathetic creatures that possess second-rate bodies, lack the raw strengths of their kin, and rarely manage to feed on the recently deceased - thus the name. They typically operate in packs and often lives in sewers and the like.
- Flesh Ghouls are amorphous abominations that shape their bodies into unnatural boneless masses that still retain impressive strength. Regeneration is commonplace, especially if they have sufficient biomass available to patch any wounds they might have incurred.
- Berserker Ghouls are unique in that they prefer to possess the living - typically cannibals, serial killers, and the occasional soldier sworn to a Sorcerer's service - and that they cohabitate rather than suborn. As a result, they can rely on the cunning and intellect of a sort of sane sentient. Many of their kind have learned how to sustain themselves off of bloodshed without needing to consume the flesh itself.
- Races: Spiritual in origin, the differences between ghouls are more behavioural than 'biological'. The clearest divisions are found in how and why they possess a host as noted above and what they prefer to eat as noted below. As there is no ghoul 'society', it must be sort of innate.
- ur'Ghuul or Flesh-Eaters are savage, primitive, and relatively plentiful. The overwhelming majority of Ghouls falls into this category. They usually possess corpses and have a ravenous appetite for the flesh of the living; sentients are particularly appetising.
- ard'Ghuul or Mind-Eaters are a more evolved breed of Ghouls that have developed an appetite for brains - by consuming the brains of sentient beings they gain some of their cunning, intellect, and memories. Of all the breeds they are the most likely to be sentient.
- arash'Ghuul or Soul-Eaters are the worst of the Ghouls, horrid beings that have somehow learned how to feast upon the very soul of their victims. Many of their kind are Force Sensitive, but even those who are not are able to drain the life from their foes.
- zash'Ghuul or Blood-Drinkers are an obscure breed believed to be created intentionally or not by the Bloodcallers of the Sangnir of old. They are stronger and faster than average and often developed long fangs or jagged tongues with which to feast on the blood of their victims; doing so further strengthens them, allowing them to achieve feats of remarkable strength or recover from lethal wounds.
- Force Sensitivity: Low; Ghouls are virtually never 'born' Sensitive, but can become Sensitive by eating Force Sensitives, living in or near a Force Nexus for extended periods of time, or being 'enhanced' by the workings of a Sorcerer.
- Pestilent Might: Nether Ghouls are able to metamorphose the bodies they possess into vessels of primal might; muscle expands hideously, claws sharpen and develop vile diseases and paralytic venom, and skin hardens to offer moderate protection from blasters. It is common for a Nether Ghoul to take a dozen bolts from a standard blaster pistol until finally going down - heavy weapons or flamethrowers are preferable.
- Of Darkness Born: Nether Ghouls are spawned from and strengthened by bloodshed and the Dark - conversely, the Light weakens them.
- Endless Hunger: Nether Ghouls are almost single-minded in their desire for carnage and feasting - even smart ones use simple tactics.
- Greasy Smoke: The true form of a Nether Ghoul can do little more than attempt to suffocate the living - blasters kill them just fine.
- Diet: Carnivore; may develop more exotic tastes, see Races. Ghouls subsist on lesser spirits or ambient energy while in the Netherworld, but are driven to seek out Realspace and the fleshy delights within by a near-irresistible hunger - as a result, they are easily summoned.
- Communication: Howls, yowls, and snarling. 'Social' groups are generally ruled by whoever is strongest and hungriest.
- Technology Level: Nonexistent, most Ghouls can barely figure out how to open a door without breaking it.
- Religion & Beliefs: Ghouls respect strength; Sith Sorcerers and Hadeans often bind them to their will.
- General Behaviour: Ghouls exist to consume, to simplify complex systems through destruction. They prefer to hunt sentients over animals and semi-sentient animals over simpler lifeforms; they seem unable to derive sustenance from plant life, but have been observed destroying it for no obvious reason. Their lairs are fetid, bone-strewn places from which they emerge to hunt at night - or in overwhelming numbers.
None can say for sure how the first Ghoul formed; perhaps they are a natural consequence of the Force's multifaceted nature, the result of Rakatan tampering, or the byproduct of the sorceries practised by the primordial Sith. Whatever the case, individual Ghouls (or groups) are born from battle and tragedy, bloodshed and despair. Most of the time, they are confined to the Netherworld unless conjured by Sorcerers... but times change.
The Netherworld Crisis and the recent events in Oblivion have weakened the veil between worlds, allowing more and more ghouls to slip through the cracks. Efforts by the Shadows and their servants to cull these foul creatures have unintentionally pushed even more towards Realspace.
Still, they remain a relative rarity - abominations lurking around battlegrounds and in unlit alleys, easily confused for a kind of zombie.
