Ghouls
Zombis are often abandoned: left for dead, sent on one way missions, given
orders and forgotten. Other outlast their creators, or were created purely
out of spite. Most of these zombis wander aimlessly until destroyed. A
handful, driven by Obsessions or Hatreds, form small communities which exist
as mockeries of the living. These zombis are known as Ghouls.
Ghouls are simply zombis which have their own society. Ghouls hunt as packs,
seeking humans to devour. Ghouls only eat the part of the body which their
Need requires; the remainder of the corpse is dumped in a public place. Most
mortals assume that this is done to terrify them; in fact, the goal is to
attract other zombis with different Needs. A zombi who Needs the same
substance as an existing pack member will not be welcomed into the pack
(unless a corpse can provide sufficient substance for two {e.g., kidneys} or
more {e.g., blood} Ghouls) - the pack will devour the zombi the way they would
any other victim.
The pack's goals are determined by it's leaders Obsession/Hatred. Note that
the leader is unlikely to be able to motivate the pack with Fast-Talk or
Emote; their Will-less nature means that only the most skilled can do so.
Status in a Ghoul pack is normally dependant on the Savoir-Faire (Ghoul)
skill;this skill revolts the living but is essential among zombis.
Additionally a leader will need to be skilled in Tactics and will pander to
the weaknesses of the other ghouls - many have secret Fears, which can be
exploited; or Lust for the living. Those who are Angry or Murderous rarely
need persuasion to wreak havoc on the leaders enemies.
If a Ghoul pack survives (and once they have learned to hunt as a pack, they
can survive for centuries) they swiftly grow powerful as they learn each
others skills and Songs. Having high Corporeal Forces, Ghouls often become
skilled at Stealth & Throwing; they all have at least one Numinous Corpus;
an old Ghoul is often a Virtuoso, knowing several NC at level 6. Some packs
know other Songs. Ghouls are surprisingly skilled dancers - it is a useful
skill for their Songs, and on of the few social skills they can possess. A
successful pack may feed at sunset and then spend the next 24 hours dancing
together in preparation for their Songs, ready for the next hunt. This is
how the legend of the Danse Macabre began.
The Risen
Rumoured to be the first of the undead, the Risen are zombis animated by the
ghost of the corpse. A ghost who chooses his corpse as an anchor may make a
Will roll at a penalty equal to his Total Forces; success animates the
corpse and creates a telepathic bond between the two minds (which invariably
drives both insane, but hey!). The zombi isn't, strictly speaking, under the
control of the ghost; however the fact that they have identical minds makes
control unnecessary.
Destroyinging a Risen can be achieved in a number of ways. The simplest is
for someone to animate the body as a zombi - this disrupts the ghost's link
and forces it to find a different anchor, or abandon the Corporeal plane.
The Animate Zombi ritual does not need to be successful; the Last Rites of
many churches are actually stripped down versions of the Create Zombi
ritual, used to prevent the corpse returning as either Risen or Zombi.
Destroying the zombi, by combat or Exorcism, will also destroy the Risen.
However, doing so completely destroys the ghost, whose Forces were
interlinked with the Forces of the Zombi.
Finally the Risen can be destroyed by persuading the ghost to abandon the
Corporeal plane. If the ghost choses to accept their final reward, the zombi
takes a Body Hit of damage for every day it has been active; if it is not
destroyed by this it is treated as an ordinary zombi, acquiring it's Need/3.
(Other than not having that Need, the body of a Risen is treated the same as
a zombi; the ghost is a standard ghost).
The Guardians
Zombis kept the Disadvantages they possessed in life (excepting Addictions,
which they cannot feed, and so must forcibly withdraw from). So occasionally
a Necromancer finds themselves with a Selfless, Merciful or Pitying Zombi.
These are normally destroyed as useless, but some survive and their
Disadvantages drive them to help their 'fellows'. The living rarely tolerate
their existence, and never their presence; however a zombi which takes up
residence in a cemetery or necropolis can fulfill a useful and appreciated
role as a tomb guardian. Even if unwilling/unable to kill, these zombis can
usually chase off robbers; in regions where offerings are made to the dead
the zombi may have it's Need provided daily. These zombis are rarely
powerful, having been abandoned soon after creation. The exceptions are the
zombis created from the corpses of Soldiers of God, who (in addition to
having six Forces) often know useful Songs, including Healing and Thunder.
Many tombs have become the sites of pilgrimage after becoming the homes of
Guardians who use their Songs of Healing on the mortal guardians of the
tomb.
Back to the INC Mainpage.
Back to the Resources page.
Send mail to the Curator