SP06: Grief

SP06 or the Grieving Ghoul is a creature that preys upon tourists and religious folk who travel to the worldtree in order to leave vigils and honour their dead loved ones.

It is a shapeshifting mimic that will be able to prey off the high levels of emotion a person exhibits and use that energy to transform themselves into the visage of the person's sorrow.

Hunting Methods

It is strongly believed that the Grieving Ghoul can smell or sense a person's extreme sadness or sorrow and is attracted towards it in order to prey on it. It is not considered to be controlled by the worldtree although it will offer the bodies to the worldtree much like other creatures of the same ilk.

It will usually prey upon people when it senses they are alone, as it's main course of hunting relies upon nobody else being around to witness it and break the spell. Usually it will attempt to indicate it's body language towards trying to soothe or calm the other person, and once they are close enough to it, it will consume them.

Mitigation & Avoidance

It's heavily advised that grieving people do not travel to the worldtree, even though many religions have the pilgrimage as a core way to find oneself and answers.

It is advised that if one simply must travel to the worldtree that under no circumstances must they go alone, and they ideally should go in a party of at least 8 or 9 people with a close person with them at all times.