Medium, Ghoul, Undead, Unholy
Excerpt from “Treatise on the Undying: Vol. II – Devourers and Disciples”
By Lorekeeper Toveth Allenir, Archivist of the College of the Bound Sigil
On the Nature of Ghouls
Of all the lesser undead, few inspire such simultaneous revulsion and fascination as the ghoul. Though categorised by most arcane authorities as corporeal undead, ghouls possess far more complexity than the shuffling corpses they are often mistaken for.
Tradition holds that ghouls arise from humanoids who perish in the throes of hunger, vengeance, or spiritual rot. These beings are not created by necromantic design, but are born of despair and desecration — a natural consequence of violent death and unquiet spirits. Their condition is, however, contagious. Victims bitten or clawed by a ghoul often fall prey to the dreaded affliction known as Ghoul Fever, a wasting sickness that, left untreated, leads to death and undeath in a matter of days.
It is a common misconception that ghouls are mindless carrion-eaters. While some degenerate to this state, others retain fragments of identity, intellect, and even faith. These ghouls walk, speak, and reason, maintaining shrines and rituals in their lairs.
Ghouls often exhibit the following features:
- Claws imbued with paralysis, rendering their prey helpless.
- Bites that transmit ghoul fever, leading to painful transformation.
- Resistance to pain, fear, and the limits of the living body.
- Strong organisational tendencies when aligned to higher powers.
Where necromancers control skeletons and zombies, ghouls follow by choice. They are not bound by summoning circles, but by ideology, hunger, and purpose.
It would be folly to approach them as mindless threats. The wise treat with caution any creature that remembers death—and chooses to remain.
The party has experienced the dangers of Ghouls first-hand, when Glock was bitten.
The wound festered quickly. He grew pale, his strength began to fail, and he could feel something unnatural pressing against his mind and body. Through a mix of skill, alchemy, and will, Caligo cured Glock of Ghoul Fever before the disease could take root fully.
One ghoul the party encountered early, Augrael, is deeply tied to the Gauntlight’s history. She was able to shed some light on the cult and it’s members who follow Belcorra — “the Ghost Queen” — with a zealousness that borders on fanaticism.
The party also witnessed the ghouls’ disturbing appetite, especially their fascination with “blueblister” flesh — a particularly virulent rot. Augrael showed visible excitement at the idea of consuming flesh afflicted by the fungus.