2025 Jul 16: Ghouls Pt 2. Ghoul Kingdoms

 In the deserts to the south-east lay the ruins of forgotten city-states inhabited by ghouls. They watched as the deserts slowly devoured their lands, just as people devoured each other. But ghouls aren't that bothered by this, after all they are always hungry. Occasionally a lost caravan finds these ruins, and ghouls fall upon them, regaining some of their former intellect, and civilisation starts again, until inevitably food runs out, and the inhabitants of the city return to hungry predators, then just ravenous bodies lying in wait once more. Like mayflies, the ghouls race against time to finish their projects as their memories return for a short while. A civilisation that lives in bursts. Of course the deeper a city is into the desert, the fewer people end up there, and the less frequent these periods of activity are.

On the other hand, cities that are close to active trade routes, or just places where mortals live in general, are much more active. The city of Yttir-Gham for example almost presents itself as a normal city-state, complete with its own Sorcerer-King, temples, armies and a workforce composed mostly of living mortals. Ghouls that fall too far from sentience are quickly locked up, citing a "mysterious madness" or "old family curse", as their relatives try to gather enough food for them to rejoin polite society.

Until recently such places could reasonably pretend that  there was nothing wrong, however as commerce dwindles as a result of earthquakes, droughts, invasions and plagues, it is harder and harder to keep the mask on, and even on the streets of Yttir-Gham, almost-feral ghouls stalk the streets at night, and even the aristocrats' welcoming smiles as they try to entice traders into their city become more and more like the grind of hungry predators as they months go by.