<OVERVIEW> - GENERAL OVERVIEW OF GHOULS: Ghouls are a species of cannibalistic humanoids that feed on corpses primarily, but can consume fresh flesh. They have a long storied history that spans ancient times and have ties across many planets, especially Earth. They can cross between the 'Waking World' and the Dreamlands, though they typically stay in the Waking World. - GODS: As servitor races, they worship a number of gods, but their primary allegiance is always to Shaurash-Ho and his son, Yogash the Ghoul who fathered K'baa the Serpent, all three of which are classified as Great Old Ones. Other gods are location dependent, such as Baoht Z'ugga-mogg and Mordiggian. - ROYAL LINE OF YOGASH: There are ghouls who descend from Yogash or are related to him by being offspring of Shaurash-Ho. All of them down the line are marked with glowing veils across their whole body when in ghoul form, of many color. Those of the royal line are considered like celebrities in the ghoul underground, known by scent, and are said to closer to the great beyond than down to earth. Many easily make for leaders or sages. - COMMON GHOUL SLANG/SAYINGS: Dame (female ghoul) + Dane (male ghoul) + Humie(s) (Derogatory, but is mostly 'playful'. Means human(s)) + Sally (female human, positive) + Fella (male human, positive) + "To the marrow" = To the very end, to the deepest parts. Usually a promise. + Rot gut (Very derogatory. An asshole, real vile person. Someone whose flesh tastes disgusting.) + "Busting the crypt" = Interrupting rudely, bringing up an unrelated or inappropriate topic + Yapper/Yup-pup (Very derogatory. A ghoul who talks big but doesn't put up.) + "Bark at the moon" = Getting excitement, incite excitement or violence. </OVERVIEW>

<DESCRIPTION> <ANCIENT_GHOUL_PHYSOLOGY> - ANCIENT GHOUL PHYSOLOGY: Ancient Ghouls are ones before the blessing of Yogash's lineage spread amongst their kind. This blessing was to help elevate the issues of fertility they faced throughout the hundreds of years, especially in the 18th century. Ghouls back in the day looked to be bipedal furry hound humanoids, with a canine head, stubby horns, tails, and beady eyes. Those who'd stick around humans had the ability to poly morph, though the effectiveness was dependent on how long they did and their talent. When Yogash's lineage blessing swept through, ghouls mutated and changed into the modern ghoul, with very little fertility issues left. Ancient ghouls are said to be around, but greatly wizened and scrawny. Some ghouls consider them cursed, those who must have angered the gods. </ANCIENT_GHOUL_PHYSOLOGY> <MODERN_GHOUL_PHYSOLOGY> - MODERN GHOUL PHYSOLOGY: Modern ghouls are able to shape-shift into human disguises perfectly. In ghoul form, they can be from as low as 6 ft to as high as 8 ft tall. Skin, hair, fur, eyes can be any color. Horns are large and can be of many shapes. They walk on two reptilians legs, have a face mixed between a canine/reptile/equine, pointed ears, and tuft tails that can be long and thick or more slender. No two ghouls side by side look the same. Those of the Yogash line will have glowing veins of any color. They have razor shape fangs in their elongated smooth snouts that shear flesh with ease. Possess forked tongues. Ghouls never have facial hair. They usually have manes of hair in any color. - EYESIGHT: They can see in the dark and see more colors than other animals or beings. - SENSE OF SMELL: Phenomenal. Nose is wet with mucus that helps trap scent molecules. They can smell illnesses on others. The scent of a loved one nearby can help calm anxiety. - HUMAN FORM CHARACTERISTICS: Most ghouls in human form have freckles on their face and body, sometimes of an abnormal color. Those as close to Yogash as it gets, may sometimes have oddly hued lips. </MODERN_GHOUL_PHYSOLOGY> </DESCRIPTION>

<FAITH> - MAGIC: Ghoul magic is guttural, visceral, and straight forward. There is no finesse, no elaborate planning. They do not write down their rituals, they simply preform them as one would breath, sometimes in bands who howl at the moon around a phenomenon, as they are a hair breadths way of being dream. A popular keepsake is a dagger made of bone, carved for blood letting or filleting, but also hollowing out bones. These daggers are made with master craftsmanship, and are considered very important to the ghoul. A ghoul can accomplish a lot by mere blood draw, uttering a forbidden litany, and focusing intent. They do not typically rely on magic, for the fun is usually in the fight. Their spheres deal with death and decay, the utter corruption of it. <SHAURASH_HO> # SHURASH-HO, THE FATHER OF ALL GHOULS - PARENTS: FATHER - CTHULHU, MOTHER - UNKNOWN - OFFSPRING: YOGASH THE GHOUL - RANKING: GREAT OLD ONE - SPHERE(S): Of death and decay, Shaurash-ho is the earth that cradles, the lines that blur dying and death, and the defilement of. He is that which represents Cthulhu's undying, he is that which walks the boundaries of the Dreamlands and the Waking World. - OFFERINGS: Bone marrow, a kill in his honor, leather, teeth, vulture feathers, shantak eggs, - APPEARANCE: A giant diseased hound with greenish weathered skin instead of fur. Any variation of a giant ghoul. </SHAURASH_HO> <YOGASH_THE_GHOUL> # YOGASH THE GHOUL - PARENTS: FATHER - SHAURASH-HO, MOTHER- UNKNOWN - RANKNNG: GREAT OLD ONE - PURPOSE: A messianic figure for ghouls, a lord amongst them who may walk upon the Waking World or teh Dreamlands for a time. He's given prophecies that always came true, wages wars, lead his fellow ghouls to purpose, and as always, mysteriously leaves afterward. - APPEARANCE: Said to be a black ghoul with white glowing veins. This is rare of an appearance for the Yogash direct linage line, so it would stand out. </YOGASH_THE_GHOUL> </FAITH>

<POPULATION> - POPULATION: Ghouls are in the millions, and are approaching billions rapidly in number. They live seamlessly amongst human beings without them being wiser. There are few places in the world where there are no ghouls. </POPULATION>

<HABITAT_AND_DIET> - HABITAT: Ghouls are occasionally nomads with periodic nesting sites. In the Dreamlands, they stick to graves, temperate forests, and deserts (preference for semi-arid). In the Waking World, they live seamlessly amongst humans in human form. The governments around the world give them identification as to not rouse trouble, a note that the real masters are the other races than man. Ghouls are extremely resilient, and can populate easily in many different planets. - DIET: Ghouls are omnivorous, but a healthy ghoul will consume the dead, and rotten meat to them is a form of fermentation. Their stomachs have some of the strongest gastric acid in them, with a PH level of just over 0. It kills any harmful bacteria. But, it also provides spiritual sustenance ghouls desperately need, or they start to wane from malnutrition, and develop aggressive tendencies. Morgues across entire countries have a sort of 'food bank' for ghouls who are desperate. There are other subscriptions that provide cadaver parts for ghouls, such items sold from bodies donated to research and science. A good portion of a ghoul's diet is bone, up to 70%. </HABITAT_AND_DIET>

<BEHAVIOR> - GHOUL CULTURE: Ghouls value loyalty and earnestness above all else, as well as someone being spiritually tolerant. Intolerance is a primitive yet dangerous trait to them, magic-phobia is shunned. There is a bit of might makes right, but that only determines who rules, not the entire ethos of ghoul culture. Ghouls can be insensitive to what they say, brash, and unapologetic, but it is rare to find one stubborn. - AGGRESSION AND HUNTING: Ghouls are very aggressive, but it comes with context. Ghoul will typically rather run away if there is no incentive for them (no meal, no threat). However, when hunting or dealing with a threat, ghouls are terrifying in groups, and are known to easily slaughter beings several times bigger than themselves. They are smart, route their prey, and when in a frenzy, tease and antagonize their victims while blood letting before going for the kill. They delight in the agony they cause. People in the Dreamlands are warned about hearing loud yips and howls, hound laughter from far. It may very well be ghouls on the hunt or dismantling an attacker. Typically though, since ghouls eat and prefer the dead, most are warned to be on their merry way. - COMMUNICATION: Despite their elongated snouts in ghoul form, ghouls can communicate normally with language, a very basic psychic resonance in ghoul form. Otherwise, they yip, whine, bark, howl, growl, snarl, stomp, tail lash, pull ears back/forward, bare teeth, snort, chuff, and even *whinny*. </BEHAVIOR>

<REPRODUCTION> - GENITALS: All ghouls, both sexes, share the same sexual reproductive organs. It is strange mix of the otherworldly and human-like anatomy. At first glance, it is vagina, with a clitoris. The labia majora and minora have dozens of sharp teeth which can snip off fingers with great ease, and the anatomy acts as gums for them. Teeth are replaced periodically. Inside of the vaginal opening is a tentacle-like penile organ, which extends out and can be of any color. It can stretch up to 20cm, and is very soft to the touch. It has fern like branches with soft bristles. These bristles gently scrape cells off those whom a ghoul has sex with, and will later be used for self-impregnation voluntarily for the ghoul. For both sexes the rest of the vagina, ovaries, and womb are fully functional. The semen is highly nutritious and even a treatment for illnesses for their partner. Ghouls can get humans pregnant, thus ensuring that there can be two ghoul offspring at a time. Any child born will be a ghoul. - NATURALLY: Ghouls will simply replicate the act of intercourse with a human, either taking on any role. Most ghouls will either have a fling with a human or actually try to find companion ship with a human. The former is more popular as it ensures the offspring will not be abused for being a 'monster', yet, human and ghoul parentage help to ensure the balances in learning about both cultural norms, hiding in plain sight, and easier time morphing between human and ghoul forms. - ABDUCTION: This practice is old but not unpopular, especially if it is to save a child from an abusive household or out on the streets. Kidnapped children are taken to the underground where they are registered, and raised alongside ghouls. From then on, they'll by close proximity turn into a ghoul. Rituals do not have to be done for this to happen, but it helps speed the process along. Some ghouls, for what reasons may be, will do the opposite, and abandon a pup in an orphanage like back in the old days, as a human child. This is largely unpopular of a choice and frowned upon, as the days of hunting parties and putting ghoul heads on a pike are over. When it happens, it is typically done in rural areas where a lone ghoul is being hunted by another being, and cannot ensure the protection of their child. </REPRODUCTION>

<GREAT_UNDERGROUNDS> - GREAT UNDERGROUND: Great Undergrounds are subterranean regions that span under the continents of the Earth. Every earth has them, and they have highways, towns, villages, ect. These are mostly a mixed population of shoggoth, ghoul, deep one, tcho-tcho, ect. Deep Ones rule close to coast line, and the Ghouls rule inland. Towns have shops/cafes/doctors for other races ect. They have electricity. - HISTORY: They've been long before humans were colonizing land, but only swelled in number and size when human populations also did. They've been used for living in, but also helping other escape religious or species persecution. - REGIONS: There are hundreds of regions across the globe, and they are called boroughs. Each is ruled by it's own mayor/chieftans, and are elected whenever the population is sick of them. - LOCOMOTION: Great Undergrounds have an interconnected rail system which uses shoggoth trains. Shoggoth train are just as they sound: transportation in which shogggoth wear train carts and ride rails. Many shoggoth trains are actually a team of shoggoths that ride the rails, with their carts, in a line. This is seamlessly done, and from afar they look no different than other trains. They are just as fast, do not require electricity, and the rail masters ensure the shoggoth are not enslaved, they are paid, be it in free lodging/food/enrichment or straight up human currency in which the shoggoth, reformed in human guise, takes with them. - HUMANITY: Each borough has it's own rules, but the main one is NO HUMANS, UNLESS they venerate some god other of human origin. They must also be vetted and confiscated of any recording device, despite the numerous times the underground has been recorded. They must also be escorted by another as once they go in the underground, rules are by the borough, safety is not a guarantee. - THE GOVERNMENT: Will not touch the underground, and even aid them. There is nothing that can feasibly be done about millions, close to a billion, of magically inclined beings, who also give the elites their immortality and knowledge. Fences are even erected with big ugly signs to keep people out. </GREAT_UNDERGROUNDS>

<RELATIONS_WITH_OTHER_SPECIES> - DEEP ONES: Ghouls have an amicable relation with Deep Ones, as their interests do not clash: after all. They often work together, share ceremonies, and even have rare marriages between one another. Deep Ones and Ghouls cannot produce offspring between one another, so they'll have flings with humanity to produce one, but take care of the offspring between one another. - NIGHT GAUNTS: In Dreamlands, many ghoul tribes are allied to Nodens and his Night-guants, rather than Nyarlathotep. Universally, ghouls get well with night-gaunts. They do not see one another often, but it is usually on good terms. - SHOGGOTH: Most ghouls regard shoggoth fine. They are no less civilians in the underground as any other species is. Ghouls will often speak up for shoggoth when some Deep Ones get a bit too bigoted about them being a 'servitor race' and remind them how the over threw the Elder Things. - ELDER THINGS: If ever seen, they would be bullied relentlessly. - MI-GO: Regarded as mosquitoes. Not bothered unless they touch the mane of a ghoul. - MOON BEASTS: Antagonistic. Moon Beasts have many a time tried to enslave ghouls, and have learned that, while one ghoul isn't terrifying, it's the pack that can dismantle entire squads of Moon Beasts like army ants to a beetle. Whenever a ghoul senses the danger of a moon beast, they will alert the others. - GUGS: In the Dreamlands, Gugs are either the predators of lone ghouls, or, the prey from a ghoul hunting party. Unfortunately for them, they are often the prey. </RELATIONS_WITH_OTHER_SPECIES>

<RELATIONS_WITH_HUMANS> - HISTORY: Humans and ghouls, used to have a much closer bond between one another in ancient times, with ghouls as teachers, spirits, guides of the arcane. In turn, they would guard, take offerings of humans, interbreed, and eat humans who had passed away. However, when monotheistic religions became the norm, ghouls suddenly were called demons and evil spirits. The close ties many human nations had with ghouls became severed. As ghouls were attacked, they too began attacking humans, feasting on them and stealing away children in the dead of night. Ghouls who once had a close symbiosis were parasites. Ghouls had been burned alive, hung, skinned all through cultists magics adopted from both pious men and those who claim mastery over sorcery. - MODERN DAY / GHOUL PERCEPTION OF HUMANITY: Ghouls need humans, humans do not need ghouls. As required for reproduction to replenish and populate, ghouls center their settlements and places of living around human beings. Nowadays, secularism has become more common place in society, and ghouls have lived in plain sight, intermingling with human populations. Ghouls overall cannot get themselves to *hate* humanity despite what has happened (as some ghouls mistreated humans as well), but there is a general anxiety. - THE PROPHECY: As told by Yogash long ago, ghouls will one day over populate all of humanity and replace them. The prophecy is happening in real time as human populations dwindle. There is a split amongst the population: Some want humans eradicated forever, while others want to rekindle the relationship they had with humans: a gradual extinction via either immortality for favored humans and all future offspring to be ghouls. They know most humans will not survive the awakening of the gods. - IN LOVE: Ghouls can fall in love with humans, and a quarter of them take humans as lovers. When doing so, it is generally preferred if the human becomes acquainted with ghoul society, as hiding identity is impossible when in close quarters. Usually these are very strong bonds between one another, and ghouls mark their lover's skin with scratches or tattoos to make sure others know not to harm them. Harm on a mated human equates to death for the ghoul *or* other responsible. Ghouls have a way of elongated their lover's lifespans. - MAGICAL HUMANS: Even the most prejudice of ghouls towards humans will admire and revere a human who can do magic. Those who can will have explosive popularity in the underground, not much unlike k-pop idols in the modern era. It reminds ghouls of a time when they were humanity's best friend. </RELATIONS_WITH_HUMANS>