A Ghul (Ghilan) is a bygone creature.
Overview[]
- View yourselves
- In the mirror of self-love.
- — Philip Massinger, “The Parliament of Love”
Legendry[]
And so the ghul said goodbye to its father and left the Darkness to wander the world in search of man-flesh. It kept to the lonely places where man's wrath could not find it, and it ventured out only when the hunger became too much to bear.
In time, this eater-of-dirt came on a traveler skirting the green river-land. The ghul could smell his swear and hear the rumblings of his voice. It followed the scents and sounds and watched from the shadows as the traveler set up his tent. Dressing itself in the raiment of a nubile, perfumed woman, the ghul wept so that the traveler would hear and come out to comfort "her" with caresses and tender words. So perfect was the ghul's disguise that the man did not see its hooves.
Impassioned, the traveler knelt beside the ghul and implored her to cease her tears. The deceiver spoke of dead husbands and lonely, fearful nights. The traveler beseeched God Himself to grant her comfort. At length, the "woman" bent to kiss the man and his heart melted like butter at her caress. As he rose to his feet, the ghul drew the human close in an oaken embrace.
When the ghul returned to its father, there was naught but bones to mark where the traveler had stood.
Description[]
A mortal and his companions went to the Underworld in search of on they had lost. They foolishly trespassed where the living should never go, and the creatures of the Darkness descended on them. Once they had tasted mortal flesh, the ghilan were no longer satisfied with chewing on the souls of the damned. These children of Iblis, Prince of Darkness, went out among men to tempt and feed. At first, these spirit-things wore the skins of the mortals they had slain. In time those disguises rotted, so that ghilan procured other, finer garments. They roved the land on a killing spree that took many lives. Soon the shah sent his warriors to capture the ghilian, thinking they were merely men with dark hearts. The warriors never returned, but the ghilan learned that they must hide their natures and stalk their victims with secretive care.
A ghul knowns that emotions drive men. With cleverness, it changes its form, creating a disguise that lures a victim by preying on his passions. The creature can become anything, though its body mass remains the same, and it can never transform its mule's hooves. The night-beast cleverly hides them with flowing cloth or strapped-on shoes, but cannot change them as it can the rest of its body.
This pestilential thing survives by eating flesh - any kind of flesh. It is the succulent taste of betrayal, however, that makes the grandest meal. To prepare such feasts, the ghul creates a disguise, fosters trust in its victims, then tortures them when they're at their most vulnerable. These connoisseurs of misery seem to enjoy the emotions that seep into the flesh of their victims. A ghul can often be recognized by the distinctive killings associated with its favored "flavor."
A ghul sometimes stalks its victim for weeks or months in advance, breaking into the victim's home and looking through his belongings. A methodical predator, it seeks to learn everything it can about its target in order to perfect its intended disguise. It may steal a picture of the one it plans to emulate - a lost love, a dead relative - and practice until the illusion is perfect. With sadistic pleasure, the ghul chooses the person its victim would most like to see, then begins its dance.
A ghul's patience has no bounds; the creature takes its time, giving its victim glimpses of itself, leaving hints, smells and memories to taunt the victim. Gradually, it spins its betrayer's web, drawing the victim in, making him believe that his beloved has returned. Then one day, the ghul shows itself in its disguise and spins the final stands of the trap. It says all the right words and does all the right things. It has prepared. Once the victim is caught, the ghul toys with him for a while, extending its own anticipation, delaying its satisfaction. In the end, however, the ghul reveals itself for what it is. With bony, pitted claws, the spawn of Iblis turns its web of deceit into a cradle of pain. The longer the dying, the sweeter the feast.
As a creature not of this world, a ghul has special regenerative abilities. The only way to kill one is with a single blow. If the attack takes more than one strike, resistance has come too late. The ghul's powerful connection to the Underworld invests it with new life and the hunt begins again. Only by incinerating the body can the curse of the ghul be denied.
Though originally hailing from the lands of the dead, ghuls have adapted to the demands of survival and expansion in the living world. The foul things procreate by lying with a recently dead woman. In three days, a new ghul emerges from the corpse. Three days after that, the "child" has grown to maturity. Fortunately for the world at large, a single ghul may reproduce only once each century. Allah is merciful indeed.
Future Fate[]
They're still out there, rare but hungry....
Image[]
A ghul's shapechanging ability allows it to take any form, though its hooves - symbols of its demonic origin - never change. In its natural demeanor, a ghul has ruddy skin lined with pulsing veins. From the creature's waist down, thick coppery hair covers the legs of an ass; those limbs end in hooves that shine like razor-sharp obsidian. Whether it be made or female, a ghul's sexual organs stand out, bloated and vulgar, in the midst of all that hair. Even the female of the species has a penis of sorts (though smaller than the male's) that it uses to impregnate dead bodies. Tall, pointed donkey ears frame the creature's sculpted, angular face. Gleaming red eyes, irised like a cat's, see through the darkness and into the hearts of men.
Roleplaying Hints[]
Stolen back from the edges of Hell, you walk the night feeding on the passions that led you to that realm in the first place. You could call it revenge, I suppose, to feed on the bodies of sinners like yourself, but such pathetic rationalizations make for a poor repast. The fact is, your brief stay in the Underworld taught you of the appetizing banquet to be had from human passions. Like any connoisseur, you have learned that the most savory dishes mingle the spices.
Judging by your foul habits and grotesque appearance, a bystander might call you crude. The truth is quite the opposite. Not ghost, demon or man, you take the best and worst attributes of all three. In the beginning, it’s true that you may have been a sewer-rat and a fucker of corpses, but these days you have learned the joys of sophistication. One cannot eat all the time, and the hunt (and its attendant dance steps) has taught you the joys of masquerade. Oh, some of your kind may leap out and gnaw the faces off their dinners, but you have cultivated a sense of human achievement. It’s fascinating what you learn when digging about in the remnants of a human life.
Perhaps the real charm in becoming another person lies in the assumption of identity — in taking on, if only for a little while, the trappings of a new life. Or in submerging your dream-memories of Hell and the horror of your own reflection beneath an endless tide of new faces, stolen passions and fresh, deluded meat.
Character Sheet[]
Trivia[]
- The Ghul is based on the Arabic Ghouls.
- The Ghuls' legendary status and myth are also tied to the ghouls of vampires.
References[]
- WOD: The Bygone Bestiary, p. 32-35
