[Lions and Hyenas] Know thy enemy
Jun. 6th, 2007 09:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bluegargantuaHi,
All right, kids, simmer down. I'm Lord Bedevire. Yeah, get the snickering out the way now. You won't think it's so funny after the field exercises.
But for tonight, I'm giving you the rundown on Enemy Number One -- The Ghouls.
Ghouls are the incubators of evil incarnate. They feast on the flesh of the dead. They worship hideous and unspeakable gods. They've devoted their entire wretched existence to shattering our reality and allowing their insane masters free reign over all of us. They will do whatever it takes to destroy humanity and us.
On their own, ghouls aren't too much of a threat. Oh they're a bit tougher than the average human, but even raw recruits like you could probably take one apart on your own. The problem is that you never, ever encounter one ghoul on his own and those ghouls often have magic to back them up.
We'll start with the basics. There are three types of ghouls: Full Ghouls, Deceivers and Changelings. Full Ghouls (or just plain Ghouls) are mishappen monsters with hoofed feet, clawed hands, and a dog-like face. They are lean and feral-looking but quite strong and fast (for a human). They are also a lot smarter than you might think. Full Ghouls sit at the very top of the ghoul pecking order. They run the show and direct their subordinates. They also conduct the more complex rituals and magical work. Although they stick out like a sore thumb, ghouls generally stick to their underground warrens and rarely make a lot of appearances on the surface. When they do, they often disguise themselves with magic.
Changelings are human babies that the ghouls have swiped from hospitals and replaced with one of their own (who become the Deceivers we'll talk about in a minute). The changelings are taken back to the ghouls' warren and raised by them. Changelings are the ghouls' foot soldiers. Those that don't directly work in the warrens are usually sent out to set up small safehouses on the fringes of society, ready to be called in when the ghouls need something done. Changelings are usually pretty well-trained and equipped but what gives changelings the edge is magic. Changelings gain a small measure of magical power from their corruption by the ghouls and the ghouls themselves will sometimes supply them with an amulet or charm for a particular job.
Finally, we have the Deceivers. When the ghouls take a changeling they leave one of their own behind. You might think that mommy and daddy would realize that their precious bundle of joy now has cloven hoofs, but it doesn't quite work that way. Baby ghouls look exactly like a human baby and will grow up to look and act like a normal human child. It takes a specific series of triggers to transform a deceiver into a full ghoul. We're not entirely sure what those triggers are (and they seem to have both supernatural and random elements), but until those triggers are activated, there's no easy way to discern a human and a deceiver.
Decievers act like dandelion seeds. The ghouls disperse these deceivers randomly into the human population. They grow up, drift off and some of them become full ghouls and set up a warren. Some of them are actively located and recruited by local ghouls and some of them just hear a growing whisper of evil in their heads directing them towards their dark fate. Deceivers also have the disturbing tendency to grow into a position of power before their transformation begins which can bring valuable resources under ghoul control.
Lest you think that everyone you meet is a deceiver and that ghouls are swarming right under our feet, I will point out that the total number of ghouls in the world is still pretty small. We have to estimate, of course, but the same restrictions that keep us from creating too many vampires also restricts the ghouls. Uncontrolled breeding would expose them too early and they might exhuast their foodstocks. Also, the ghouls hope to be rewarded for unleashing cosmic evil on the world, but if there are too many of them, there may not be enough reward to go around. So paranoia and in-fighting also helps keep the numbers under control. Still, with their changelings and the human dupes they often control, we are still outnumbered. Quantity has a quality all its own.
Ghouls are organized around warrens. Each warren is usually centered on or near a cemetary and each warren is a separate entity. They do share the same goals and warrens within a city can and do work together, but it's easiest to think of each warren as a mafia family. In a city, all the families are united, but there's always some strain and their unity can often fall apart. A useful fact we always try to take advantage of.
Just as we work tirelessly to promote human advancement, the ghouls are mostly interested in man’s detriment. It’s not just because they need a steady stream of dead bodies. A human society in chaos, ruled by greed and fear, is a society that’s more open and permeable to the dark beings that the ghouls worship. It makes their magic more potent and in the end, the ghouls hope to pierce the walls between this reality and their Master’s. This is not to say that they shun technology and development. It’s clear that man’s eagerness to use new tools before her fully understands their ramifications is one of the great contributors to misery and death around the world. These are not some freakish Luddites, they are quite adaptable.
Still, the cornerstone of the ghouls’ power is their magic. They are capable of creating amulets and talismans that grant the bearer some supernatural power. They are also capable of summoning monstrous creatures and setting them loose, although this requires a great deal of effort and the monsters unleashed are often as dangerous to their creators as they are to us.
One of the most aggravating spells that ghouls can cast is a Ward. Normally cast on their warren, the Ward prevents Vampires from entering an area. Luckily, the size of the Ward appears to be rather limited. It seems to be most effective in places of death and suffering. And even then, a Ward may only cover a few rooms. The larger cemeteries in the city have quite extensive wards, but it’s still possible for a very brave or very foolish Vampire to get quite deep inside the warren. Still, it’s something important to be aware of.
So how do you take them out? Like I said, one on one, you’re more than a match for any ghoul. The changelings are just regular humans, and the deceivers are effectively regular humans in a fight until they become full ghouls. The ghouls themselves are significantly tougher, but it mostly comes down to being stronger and more resilient than humans. Most Vampires are stronger and tougher still and any number of vampiric powers can give you a big edge in combat. We’ll be getting into combat training later on, but basically you’ll do fine.
The problem, of course, is that you’re never fighting them one on one. Most of the time, ghouls will be pretty heavily armed. You can shrug off a gunshot or two, but if a small gang of ghouls opens up on you, you’re in big trouble. Ghouls will also happily sacrifice a few stooges to get you to give yourself away and build up a profile on you. Sure, it may be lots of fun moving in a blur and ripping gangbangers to shreds, but rest assured that the ghouls will take note of the fact that a very fast, very strong vampire is in the neighborhood and you’ll soon run up against tougher foes who have amulets to counter your speed and strength. In fact, as older Vampires become more well known to the ghouls, they lose a great deal of effectiveness. We often rotate elders to different places or put them under into torpor in order to throw the ghouls off. Sometimes this works...and sometimes it doesn’t and we need a new batch of recruits in a hurry.
Now. For the single most important thing you need to know about ghouls. You must never drink their blood. This isn’t some bullshit “we’re too good for them” crap. This is serious stuff. If you ever drink the blood of a ghoul, you will become tainted by their blood. The blood will curse you with a hideous, repulsive appearance. We call such vampires Nosferatu. So far as we can tell, the physical deformations are the full extent of drinking tainted blood. But honestly, no one’s really sure. Nosferatu continue to play a role as shepherds of humanity, but they are always eyed with some measure of suspicion. So don’t drink ghoul blood.
You’ll note I didn’t mention the changelings. Their blood doesn’t change you, it just makes you very ill. It also causes you to expel the blood you currently have and starves you. This means you’re more likely to go into a frenzy and attack and feed without thinking -– which may make you susceptible to feeding off a ghoul. It’s a hellish experience.
And deceivers? They’re the worst. Their blood won’t twist your body or send you into a feeding frenzy. Their blood is addictive. You can’t get enough of it. And when the deceiver finally becomes a full ghoul? You’ll drink their blood one last time and become a Nosferatu. On the plus side, it breaks the addiction. On the minus side, you’re a Nosferatu and you’re probably in a world of shit. The double whammy here is that just because you really love the taste of someone’s lifeblood it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re a deceiver. Over the course of your immortal life there you will become involved with a number of mortals whose blood you find singularly potent. It’s a little bit like falling in love. One minute, you grabbing a quick bite behind the club and before you know it, they’re a regular snack and eventually you always keep them near to hand. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, it’s not a big deal. Your favored one is simply a regular human whose blood chemistry really gets you going. But that one hundredth time...
But we fight deceiver addiction the same way we fight hordes of ghouls. You don’t go all lone wolf, you work with your fellow Vampires and you look out for one another. If you’ve got a friend who’s getting in too deep with some mortal, it’s up to you to keep an eye on them and pull their fat out of the fire if you have to. They won’t appreciate it. But every Nosferatu you meet will tell you how much they wished someone had stepped in before it was too late.
Anyway, that’s enough for now. We’ll take a short break and then we’ll talk a bit more about how we’re set up to fight the ghouls.
later
Tom
All right, kids, simmer down. I'm Lord Bedevire. Yeah, get the snickering out the way now. You won't think it's so funny after the field exercises.
But for tonight, I'm giving you the rundown on Enemy Number One -- The Ghouls.
Ghouls are the incubators of evil incarnate. They feast on the flesh of the dead. They worship hideous and unspeakable gods. They've devoted their entire wretched existence to shattering our reality and allowing their insane masters free reign over all of us. They will do whatever it takes to destroy humanity and us.
On their own, ghouls aren't too much of a threat. Oh they're a bit tougher than the average human, but even raw recruits like you could probably take one apart on your own. The problem is that you never, ever encounter one ghoul on his own and those ghouls often have magic to back them up.
We'll start with the basics. There are three types of ghouls: Full Ghouls, Deceivers and Changelings. Full Ghouls (or just plain Ghouls) are mishappen monsters with hoofed feet, clawed hands, and a dog-like face. They are lean and feral-looking but quite strong and fast (for a human). They are also a lot smarter than you might think. Full Ghouls sit at the very top of the ghoul pecking order. They run the show and direct their subordinates. They also conduct the more complex rituals and magical work. Although they stick out like a sore thumb, ghouls generally stick to their underground warrens and rarely make a lot of appearances on the surface. When they do, they often disguise themselves with magic.
Changelings are human babies that the ghouls have swiped from hospitals and replaced with one of their own (who become the Deceivers we'll talk about in a minute). The changelings are taken back to the ghouls' warren and raised by them. Changelings are the ghouls' foot soldiers. Those that don't directly work in the warrens are usually sent out to set up small safehouses on the fringes of society, ready to be called in when the ghouls need something done. Changelings are usually pretty well-trained and equipped but what gives changelings the edge is magic. Changelings gain a small measure of magical power from their corruption by the ghouls and the ghouls themselves will sometimes supply them with an amulet or charm for a particular job.
Finally, we have the Deceivers. When the ghouls take a changeling they leave one of their own behind. You might think that mommy and daddy would realize that their precious bundle of joy now has cloven hoofs, but it doesn't quite work that way. Baby ghouls look exactly like a human baby and will grow up to look and act like a normal human child. It takes a specific series of triggers to transform a deceiver into a full ghoul. We're not entirely sure what those triggers are (and they seem to have both supernatural and random elements), but until those triggers are activated, there's no easy way to discern a human and a deceiver.
Decievers act like dandelion seeds. The ghouls disperse these deceivers randomly into the human population. They grow up, drift off and some of them become full ghouls and set up a warren. Some of them are actively located and recruited by local ghouls and some of them just hear a growing whisper of evil in their heads directing them towards their dark fate. Deceivers also have the disturbing tendency to grow into a position of power before their transformation begins which can bring valuable resources under ghoul control.
Lest you think that everyone you meet is a deceiver and that ghouls are swarming right under our feet, I will point out that the total number of ghouls in the world is still pretty small. We have to estimate, of course, but the same restrictions that keep us from creating too many vampires also restricts the ghouls. Uncontrolled breeding would expose them too early and they might exhuast their foodstocks. Also, the ghouls hope to be rewarded for unleashing cosmic evil on the world, but if there are too many of them, there may not be enough reward to go around. So paranoia and in-fighting also helps keep the numbers under control. Still, with their changelings and the human dupes they often control, we are still outnumbered. Quantity has a quality all its own.
Ghouls are organized around warrens. Each warren is usually centered on or near a cemetary and each warren is a separate entity. They do share the same goals and warrens within a city can and do work together, but it's easiest to think of each warren as a mafia family. In a city, all the families are united, but there's always some strain and their unity can often fall apart. A useful fact we always try to take advantage of.
Just as we work tirelessly to promote human advancement, the ghouls are mostly interested in man’s detriment. It’s not just because they need a steady stream of dead bodies. A human society in chaos, ruled by greed and fear, is a society that’s more open and permeable to the dark beings that the ghouls worship. It makes their magic more potent and in the end, the ghouls hope to pierce the walls between this reality and their Master’s. This is not to say that they shun technology and development. It’s clear that man’s eagerness to use new tools before her fully understands their ramifications is one of the great contributors to misery and death around the world. These are not some freakish Luddites, they are quite adaptable.
Still, the cornerstone of the ghouls’ power is their magic. They are capable of creating amulets and talismans that grant the bearer some supernatural power. They are also capable of summoning monstrous creatures and setting them loose, although this requires a great deal of effort and the monsters unleashed are often as dangerous to their creators as they are to us.
One of the most aggravating spells that ghouls can cast is a Ward. Normally cast on their warren, the Ward prevents Vampires from entering an area. Luckily, the size of the Ward appears to be rather limited. It seems to be most effective in places of death and suffering. And even then, a Ward may only cover a few rooms. The larger cemeteries in the city have quite extensive wards, but it’s still possible for a very brave or very foolish Vampire to get quite deep inside the warren. Still, it’s something important to be aware of.
So how do you take them out? Like I said, one on one, you’re more than a match for any ghoul. The changelings are just regular humans, and the deceivers are effectively regular humans in a fight until they become full ghouls. The ghouls themselves are significantly tougher, but it mostly comes down to being stronger and more resilient than humans. Most Vampires are stronger and tougher still and any number of vampiric powers can give you a big edge in combat. We’ll be getting into combat training later on, but basically you’ll do fine.
The problem, of course, is that you’re never fighting them one on one. Most of the time, ghouls will be pretty heavily armed. You can shrug off a gunshot or two, but if a small gang of ghouls opens up on you, you’re in big trouble. Ghouls will also happily sacrifice a few stooges to get you to give yourself away and build up a profile on you. Sure, it may be lots of fun moving in a blur and ripping gangbangers to shreds, but rest assured that the ghouls will take note of the fact that a very fast, very strong vampire is in the neighborhood and you’ll soon run up against tougher foes who have amulets to counter your speed and strength. In fact, as older Vampires become more well known to the ghouls, they lose a great deal of effectiveness. We often rotate elders to different places or put them under into torpor in order to throw the ghouls off. Sometimes this works...and sometimes it doesn’t and we need a new batch of recruits in a hurry.
Now. For the single most important thing you need to know about ghouls. You must never drink their blood. This isn’t some bullshit “we’re too good for them” crap. This is serious stuff. If you ever drink the blood of a ghoul, you will become tainted by their blood. The blood will curse you with a hideous, repulsive appearance. We call such vampires Nosferatu. So far as we can tell, the physical deformations are the full extent of drinking tainted blood. But honestly, no one’s really sure. Nosferatu continue to play a role as shepherds of humanity, but they are always eyed with some measure of suspicion. So don’t drink ghoul blood.
You’ll note I didn’t mention the changelings. Their blood doesn’t change you, it just makes you very ill. It also causes you to expel the blood you currently have and starves you. This means you’re more likely to go into a frenzy and attack and feed without thinking -– which may make you susceptible to feeding off a ghoul. It’s a hellish experience.
And deceivers? They’re the worst. Their blood won’t twist your body or send you into a feeding frenzy. Their blood is addictive. You can’t get enough of it. And when the deceiver finally becomes a full ghoul? You’ll drink their blood one last time and become a Nosferatu. On the plus side, it breaks the addiction. On the minus side, you’re a Nosferatu and you’re probably in a world of shit. The double whammy here is that just because you really love the taste of someone’s lifeblood it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re a deceiver. Over the course of your immortal life there you will become involved with a number of mortals whose blood you find singularly potent. It’s a little bit like falling in love. One minute, you grabbing a quick bite behind the club and before you know it, they’re a regular snack and eventually you always keep them near to hand. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, it’s not a big deal. Your favored one is simply a regular human whose blood chemistry really gets you going. But that one hundredth time...
But we fight deceiver addiction the same way we fight hordes of ghouls. You don’t go all lone wolf, you work with your fellow Vampires and you look out for one another. If you’ve got a friend who’s getting in too deep with some mortal, it’s up to you to keep an eye on them and pull their fat out of the fire if you have to. They won’t appreciate it. But every Nosferatu you meet will tell you how much they wished someone had stepped in before it was too late.
Anyway, that’s enough for now. We’ll take a short break and then we’ll talk a bit more about how we’re set up to fight the ghouls.
later
Tom
