Ghouls

Ghouls are flesh-eating monstrosities that lurk in the dark, waiting for food to present itself. Created by Bo-Rak in the later stages of his divine experimentation, ghouls were designed for one purpose: to feast upon the dead and thrive in the aftermath of violence. They are apex scavengers — tireless, grotesque, and nightmarishly efficient.

Appearance

Ghouls are large, hunched creatures with leathery, grey skin and an unsettlingly humanoid shape. They move on all fours, using elongated limbs equipped with sinewy muscles and hooked claws. Their fingers and toes are long and narrow, built for digging and rending.

Their faces resemble a distorted blend of man and beast: flat-nosed with wide nostrils, recessed eyes, and an oversized mouth packed with serrated teeth. Some have remnants of hair along the spine or scalp, though most are entirely bald. Their scent is described as a mix of wet soil and rot.

Behavior and Lifestyle

Ghouls are largely solitary, though they will gather when drawn to the same food source. Mating is infrequent and purely instinctual — partners meet briefly, then part without social bond or recognition. Males do not remain after mating, and females abandon their offspring early, leaving them to fend for themselves.
They often have many at once, since most will not survive until adulthood. Juveniles survive off the remains of other predators' meals, as well as small prey animals, until they become big enough to venture into lands inhabited by sentients.

During the cold months, ghouls hibernate underground. They dig themselves into the ground, covering themselves in a thick layer of soil, so they remain far away from the frost, awakening only when someone digs them up, or if spring arrives.

Diet

Ghouls are scavengers with a powerful preference for rotting meat. Their sense of smell is exceptional, capable of detecting decay from kilometers away. They will consume every part of a corpse — flesh, sinew, and bone — and are even able to digest highly decayed or disease-ridden remains.
Their stomach acid is among the most potent in the natural world, allowing them to break down toxic material without harm. This immunity to disease even allows them to devour cursed or infected flesh without repercussions.
Though carrion is preferred, ghouls are not above hunting the living. When desperate, or when prey is convenient, they will attack animals and humans alike, quickly and brutally. Their sheer size, speed, and tenacity make them some of the most feared predators among mortal races.

Habitat and Influence

Ghouls are drawn to graveyards, ruins, and former battlefields — any place rich with death. They are also known to follow armies at a distance, scavenging in the aftermath. This has led to the widespread practice of placing cemeteries far outside village limits.
Entire ghoul territories have been documented in places where war was long and unrelenting. There are many accounts of ghoul herds thriving during the blood wars.