Ghoul (White Wolf)

Ghouls are creatures which appear in White Wolf Publishing’s World of Darkness setting.

Description
Ghouls come in many different shapes and sizes, but one thing that they hold in common is the fact that they are all at their core living creatures. Created by the Kindred to be their servants, ghouls possess to a lesser degree some of the magical powers of the blood which are usually similar to those of the vampire which created them, but suffer none of the traditional weaknesses of vampires, such as vulnerability to sunlight. On the outside, most ghouls appear to be normal examples of whatever species they were created from, and this allows them to act as the eyes and ears of a vampire in places where he should not be, or as agents during the daytime, when the vampire is usually deep in slumber.

Creation
A vampire may create a ghoul from either a human or animal, but the process is identical for either. The first step is to feed the prospective ghoul a little of the vampire’s own blood (or vitae as it is known): this is sometimes done by mentally commanding the creature to obey his wishes, but can also be a forcible act, or simply done by trickery, i.e. telling the victim that what they are consuming is nothing more than a glass of red wine or other liquid which has been laced with vitae. At this point, the creature is now a ghoul, and may employ limited forms of the vampiric powers referred to as Disciplines (See main article: Vampire (World of Darkness)), but most vampires prefer to go a little further to ensure the ghoul’s loyalty. Making a ghoul drink three times from the same vampire creates a magical link between the two known as the Blood Bond, which makes the ghoul unable to do anything against its new master’s wishes, and usually engenders a desire to serve the vampire, and/or a deep physical attraction to him.

A ghoul who regularly ingests vampiric blood will never age, but as they are unable to produce vitae themselves must be careful with the usage of their Disciplines, as only vitae can be used to power these magics. In addition, a ghoul who has been consuming this blood for so long that they have passed their natural lifespan will quickly age and turn to dust if their supply is withheld or cut off.

Usage
Vampires use ghouls in many different ways, from acting as influencers of corporations or government agencies which the vampire wishes to control, to bodyguard duties (especially during the daytime), to a simple herd from which the vampire might feed upon without fear of his prey alerting others to his existence.

Tzimisce Ghouls
It is worth noting the ghouls of the Tzimisce at this point, as this Clan of vampires possesses a mastery of fleshcrafting magic which makes many of their ghouls markedly different from those of other Clans. Whilst many still appear to be normal, the Tzimisce have been known to employ two highly-specialised types of ghoul which are clearly no longer fit the human norm (See main article: Tzimisce).
 * Szlachta: Humans and animals enhanced with properties such as bony carapaces, heightened senses and inbuilt weaponry, szlachta are used as bodyguards and front-line shock troops in places where they will not be seen by mortals.


 * Vozhd: A nightmarish melding of several ghouls into one voracious creature, Vozhd are powerful creatures yet rarely encountered in modern nights: after all, which sensible vampire would want to draw such attention to themselves by setting loose what amounts to a biological tank in the streets of his city?

The Revenant Families
A type of ghoul almost (but not entirely) exclusive to Clan Tzimisce are the Revenants. These ghouls are creatures which have been selectively bred by their masters over many generations so that now they are able to breed, and to produce their own limited form of vampiric blood with which to power their Disciplines.

These families are extremely inbred, but still find a place in the World of Darkness for those Kindred who have access to their talents.

(See main article: Revenant (World of Darkness))

Outcast Ghouls
Despite the best efforts of the various vampiric sects to exterminate these creatures, there do exist a small number of ghouls who, unwilling or unable to give up the power of the blood, eke out an existence on the fringes of supernatural society. These wretches are usually those who have been “orphaned” through the loss of their master, or who have summoned enough willpower to break free from the Blood Bond.

Whilst most of these ghouls don’t last long out on their own, there are a small faction who have been fortunate enough to find each other and now operate as a global network whose sole purpose is to track down and kill vampires for the express purpose of feeding their habit. Needless to say, virtually every vampiric group has made the capture or killing of these creatures a very high priority indeed.