Sandy petersens cthulhu mythos (1) 31

ghouls create a parasitic form of culture that suits

energies gives the meat a sort of “spice” or “texture”

them well and keeps them sated and happy. They treat

(ghouls have a hard time explaining how necromancy

ancient tools and discarded objects with reverence and

flavors flesh to those who lack their interests). At times,

respect, and can typically eke out several more uses of

lingering necromantic magic seems to have an almost

objects other cultures have discarded as ruined.

narcotic effect on those who overindulge, which some

Regardless of the nature of the society whose culture

ghouls particularly enjoy. It’s not unusual to encounter

they’ve appropriated, ghouls usually form into relatively

ghoul societies that keep zombies as guardians and

small groups known as clans for a very practical

livestock simultaneously.

purpose. A ghoul clan is limited in size by the dead,

Sentient undead are a different matter. While

and if they deplete a graveyard or feed so quickly that

ghouls enjoy the flavor of intelligent undead more than

their host society notices the depredations visited upon

any others, these undead typically understand that

their deceased, they often find themselves forced out

ghouls make poor allies, despite many shared tastes.

of their homes or pushed into violent confrontations.

Of particular note, though, is the curious fact that

A ghoul clan’s preferred lair consists of extensive

while undead ghouls seem eager to feed upon Mythos

warrens dug by tool and claw into the earth below a

ghouls, Mythos ghouls tend to find undead ghoul flesh

graveyard, but they also have been known to settle in

to be unpleasant, describing it as “overripe” or “rancid”

abandoned necropolises or ruined cities. Anywhere

in flavor.

where there’s a large or steady source of meat to feed
upon can serve a ghoul as a home—specifically dead
meat, as they do not hunt living creatures for food save
for in times of famine. A ghoul prefers flesh properly
aged, at least by a few days and, if possible, for much
longer. Mummified flesh is considered a delicacy
to a ghoul. When a ghoul encounters a particularly
delicious corpse (often the remains of a philosopher,
wizard, alchemist, poet, or other great thinker), they
keep the remains handy in storage. Ghouls keep entire
“cellars,” with walls lined with open coffins displaying
their grisly contents, in a macabre parody of human
wine cellars. Here, they keep their favorite bodies in
storage, nibbling only now and then on these finely
aged bones and preserved bits of flesh when the urge
to celebrate strikes.
Undead often dwell in and around locales that
ghouls favor, and for their part, ghouls do not abhor
undead themselves. Indeed, most ghouls find the taste
of undead flesh to be delicious, as the necromantic

24

Relations
Ghouls have a complex relationship with humanoids.
They depend on humanoids for food and base their
societies and very culture on those they live near.
When ghouls and humanoids meet, however, the result
is almost always violent. Most humanoids are quick
to interpret the discovery of bestial-looking parodies
of their own shape dwelling in their graveyards and
eating their dead as unsettling at best and downright
blasphemous at worst.
The typical ghoul is more than a match for an
average humanoid, and even though such humanoids
are usually the ones to start confrontations when ghouls
are discovered, ghouls are usually the ones to escalate
or finish the fight. Conflict with a group of humanoids
never ends well for a ghoul clan in the long run, though
the results vary. They might be wiped out simply by
being overwhelmed by superior numbers or could be
forced to move on to find a new feeding ground where
the local populace is dead and available for eating.