Search the Community

The Morghuul (Ghouldom - Revised: Written by Swgrclan) In light of the rejection of prior submitted Morghuul (or simply renewed ghoul) lore, it has been determined a player-based change would be necessary; straying from the original lore and instead applying the guidelines and dictums of this document to current and future ghoul players. First, it must be noted the nature of this change. Old ghoul lore has been recognized as flimsy and drab; and while it did bring people to fulfill it’s purpose of putting them in temporary, Necromancer-aligned roles, old ghoul lore did not fulfill what truly mattered - roleplay. To play as an old ghoul was to roam around as an ugly rotter, find people, kill them, and then eat their marred corpses. This is a simple, antagonistic process that on it’s own is not compatible with “normal” roleplay that would often involve character development and not so much of a mindless, one-sided group of individuals. That being said, these unofficial Morghuul revisions aim to fix what is broken without submitting new lore, which allows a new structure and concept to be formed without going through the process of implementing and validifying all the details that the lengthier Morghuul lore presented. The most prominent change here is the removal of mindlessness - in coordination with Zarsies’ lore: The Morghuul, again, similarly to soul shadow-bearing spectrals, are something of a “second-second chance”; they are the shell left behind either after death or the transcendence of the soul that once inhabited the body. For example - if a process transpires where a Necromancer or Mystic become a Wraith or Wight, or that when a knight becomes a Dreadknight, that the body is left behind through said process, and is therein preserved, the player has two chances to continue their character -- they already take one by cheating death through these godless mediums, but when that accursed life perishes and the true soul ascends to the Soul Stream, the body is left behind. The body can be raised as Morghuul - soulless, nameless beings whom walk as corpses; phantoms of their past lives. That which enables their flawed mindfulness, the soul shadows, are not truly souls, so they are incapable of the feats actual souls may achieve, such as casting or practicing magic. Therefore, Morghuul must resort to alchemy to satiate their magical curiosities, and for those whom practiced heavier martial arts, they must resort to lighter armaments. The pros, cons and other misc details of the Morghuul are listed as thus; Pros Akin to spectrals, Morghuul act as a final chance for a character - to return as remnants of what they once were, but soulless and undead. Morghuul feed upon lifeforce; it is what satiates their decayed forms and stabilizes their soul shadows, keeping their minds intact. Without lifeforce, the visage of the Morghuul will erode, and their soul shadows will dwindle, and they shall suffer dementia until they go insane - becoming little more than beasts without minds. Therefore, as undead, they do not need to eat food or drink water. Morghuul are soulless undead, but they may roam indefinitely, in theory, if their yearning for lifeforce is consistently succumbed to; allowing Morghuul to simply exist forever. Morghuul, as beings without souls, do not depend on the Monks to return to life -- instead, they full well know the nature of their undeath, and are not subject the fears that it may bring for them -- for when they are cut down, they come back to life a time later, with no discernable reason as to how their revival transpired. This is considered a double-edged sword; both a curse and a blessing. Their revival does not permit the retaining of memory alluding to their deaths, however, and Morghuul are therefore forced to forget what felled them. The usual traumas of mortals are not for the Morghuul to share, for when they are arisen by whatever means, they are arisen quite literally as corpses; thus, they hold a greater tolerance to pain, and do not succumb to some wounds like normal mortal beings. This is not to be taken for granted, however -- a Morghuul may survive the severing of his arms, but not decapitation or the splitting of his body in two; and he may suffer intense heat or cold, but he cannot survive being charred by flame or drowning in water. Morghuul have a greater threshold of endurance, but moreso in the manner where they do not perceive exhaustion like mortal folk do. Morghuul are frailer beings, but combat will tire them little, as well as other acts of physical expenditure. Cons Morghuul are remnants, but they are simply that - remnants. They may seek the pursuits of their past lives, but they are forever a hollow shell; their flame of life has eroded to cinders. Thus, Morghuul may suffer lapses in thought, an emptiness in personality, and an ever-worsening mental condition as per their life-hungering affliction. Failure to feed upon lifeforce will send Morghuul into a bout of madness and physical degradation until they satiate their cravings. Primarily, this is by devouring living beings; by gnawing on fresh flesh to passively absorb the remaining lifeforce within these carcasses. Alternatively, a Morghuul may lower themselves to that of a Necromancers’ servant if they so dearly pine for the relief of lifeforce. To exist forever under the premise of devouring the essence of life - either by devouring others, or being gifted it - without the sweet release of death is the truest curse of them all. Morghuul simply cannot die: they may fall from the highest cliff, and then awaken intact at it’s bottom. They may burn, succumb and die in the hottest fire, but will awaken away from it unscathed. They may drown in the deepest of oceans, but will awaken on it’s shores. Ultimate destruction only comes when they commit themselves to the erosion of their soul shadow, meaning they must go on months without satiation until they go mad; subsequently allowing them to go permanently killed, for there is no going back after their soul shadows are shattered by this process. Morghuul may tolerate pain, the severing of a limb or two and may have a greater threshold of endurance, but these half-strengths are collectively diluted by the presence of their literal weakness. Morghuul are lethargic, dejective beings, and while they may be a threat in combat, the decayed status of their unliving forms prevents them from arming themselves heavily. They are forced to become the rogue, the swordsman, the alchemist; for the roles of the knight, the heavy warrior and the strongman are unable to be tolerated by the frail form of the Morghuul. At most, they may adorn chainmail-oriented armaments, and wield a heavy longsword; but they cannot heft greatswords or massive axes, they cannot wear plate armor, and they cannot achieve greater feats of mortal strength. In truth, Morghuul are equal to other mortal folk, but in different mannerisms that make them better, but make them lesser. As a result of their weakness, Morghuul may only wear chainmail armor and wield iron weapons. Gold acts as a lesser bane against the Morghuul; while it isn’t able to destroy them outright, the wounds that gold weaponry inflicts brings them a great deal of pain - much unlike that of usual weaponry, which is dulled by their undeath. Gold makes dispatching Morghuul an easier feat. Holy magic acts as the primary bane of the Morghuul; and in it’s presence (Paladinism, Clercism, and Ascended, in specific), the Morghuul’s likeliness of defeat becomes high. Therefore, it is logical to these beings of false life to flee, lest they be decimated by the wrath of gods. As soulless beings, Morghuul cannot cast magic. Finer Details It is unknown what causes Morghuul to simply revive after being killed. One common belief is that their mind remains locked in a status of deathly slumber, while the broken body drags itself away after a time, to a secluded place, to be pieced back together from the presence of life in these areas; but this is merely speculation, and thus it is open for interpretation.