Freestian Ghouls
| Freestian Ghouls | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Division: | |
| Class: | |
| Order: | Primates
|
| Family: | Hominidae
|
| Genus: | Hominini
|
| Species: | Freestian Ghoul
|
| Binomial name | |
| Homo Genutyrannos De Ruyter, 1865 (SC)
| |
Freestian Ghouls are the unusual but increasingly common crossbreeds of humans and Freestian Vampires that make up the bulk of the non-human population in The Freethinker Commonwealth. As of the last census, they make up just over a quarter of the Freestian population. There are also significant minority populations around the known world, notably in the Greater Kingdom, The Ctan, and Menelmacar.
Ghouls are generally considered abhumans, due to their basic human physiology complemented by the addition of their vampiric heritage, as such due to the differing levels of DNA absorption by the human primary genetic makeup the actual appearence and capabilities of these hybrids varies significantly.
Indeed, because of these varied advantages, ghouls tend to dominate in many vocations requiring high physical strength and stamina, and have a particular prevailance in the armed forces, where their superior strength and endurance have significantly raised the baseline infantry capabilities of the Freethinker land forces, even matching with little physical equipment the abilities of augmented or power-armoured human soldiers. This is generally matched by their appearence too, and large ghoul males up to 230cm are not uncommon, especially in extended ghoul families. They are noticably visible as residents of the harsh and uncompromising Freestian Outback.
Physiology
As mentioned, Ghouls maintain a similar appearance of a humanform Freestian vampire,though there is a distinctly greater variety of body types and shapes. As Ghoul physiology does not have to deal with the strain of shape transformation, more variation of muscle tone and body size can be seen in comparison to humanform vampires and incorporating more similarities from the human side of their ancestry. Ghouls tend to be slightly taller and naturally bulkier than humans, averaging around 201 centimetres in height for males and 185 centimetres for females, but there is as noted significant differences and variation across the population dependent upon both genetics and environmental factors. The Herne rating, the system of ghoul classification expanded on below, is partially configured along size lines alongside other factors.
Reproduction generally follows human reproductive cycles, with a slightly elongated gestation period of around 47 to 48 weeks (around 10 1/2 months), with twins and other multiple births rarer than in equivelant human populations but not unheard of.
Herne Rating
The Herne Rating is the primary system of registering the differing levels of genetic differences within the Ghoul community, with strength, size and other attributes changin vastly with the variance of vampire genes in the genome structure. Originally based around ancestry and the proportion of vampiric ancestors in one's bloodline (hence the eighth-based rating system) which was originally thought to determine the general size and capabilities of ghouls, this scale has been expanded significantly in criteria.
| Herne Rating | "Broadbent" Class | Average/Maximum Height (metres, male)* | Average/Maximum Mass (kg, male)* | Muscle Strength | Bone fibruous content | Distinguishing physical markers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| H0 | Human | ||||||
| H1 | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example |
| H2 | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example |
| H3 | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example |
| H4 | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example |
| H5 | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example |
| H6 | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example |
| H7 | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example |
| H8 | Freestian Vampire |
- With standard ranges/excluding medically obese individuals
Origins
Although there were several pre-colonisations cultures of Freestian vampires on the Mainland, it is unrecorded in any written remains if any Ghouls were born into or raised within these. Testimonials of survivors of the Cidran civilisation, the largets and most advance such nation, indicate that although there was human contact within the period, the nature of this interaction and the 'rules and mores' of drake culture would have rendered any such offspring extremely unlikely.
It is posited that a trapped or marooned vampire may have been encountered by the Angelis civilisation, and from this individual either genetic engineering or crossbreeding was involved in transferring a number of desired traits to descendent Angelis peoples.
The first human/vampire crossbreeds in the Midlonian era were recorded in 1710 (SC) in Navarre, in the earliest verifiable records, although some accounts of 'deformed' or 'devil-cursed' children had been noted as far back as the 1690's. The formal integration of the vampires and the discovery of the humanform adaption and the quarrels and riots over this seem to have all played major factors in the delay of human/vampire relations, and even today some religiously inclined groups still see such unions as mere perverted beastiality.
Because of the egg laying nature of female Freestian Vampires, all original ghouls from human/vampire couplings generally had a male vampire sire up until very recently. It is not unheard of with regards to female vampire parentage, but this requires a lot of external help including a willing human surrogate to carry a child to term. Nowadays most ghouls are born from ghoul/ghoul or ghoul/human unions, the former often producing stronger, higher Herne Rated children than the original human/vampire offspring.
Culture
Ghouls in Freethinker Society
Ghouls have generally been treated far better than most minorities have at various time periods and there was never, despite some significant opposition and proposals, any effective widespread discrimination against ghouls officially, with the vampires also taking a firm and supportive line with their hybrid offspring. Although most overt racism has died away (and indeed replaced by martial respect given the importance of ghoulish soldiers to the survival of the Commonwealth) there are still lingering stereotypes that are all too often reinforced by both humans and ghouls themselves.
Negative stereotypes of ghouls consider them aggressive, quick to anger, bestial in terms of manner, bloodthirsty and crude. These arose in part of general prejudices and based upon both popular, established stereotypes of their vampire forebears and the somewhat unsettling nature of their birth to the more religious members of society. The success of ghouls in environments like the Outback where occupations generally require isolation and an aggressive, tough attitude to survive has also reinforced in part these stereotypes.
Ghouls in Midlonian Society
The largest group of Ghouls outside of The Freestian Commonwealth is the estimated 200 million within the Greater Kingdom of Midlonia. Generally they are treated with respect due to many of their disciplined military careers in spite of the sterotypes carried across the oceans with them.
Those who have served for prolongued periods in the Mainland Corp, a tithed regiment of Ghouls in service to the Midlonian Crown, are often rewarded "Loyalty Estates". These small pockets of land of are typically between 400-4,000 acres [dependant on service record, rank, conduct, medals issued etc.] Most of these estates are in the Akuman Continent, typically in the more rural Northern Provinces, leading to the term "Sahib-Gool" or Owner/Master Ghoul caste. The estates ensure a strong local landowner is present in various areas and has enabled those areas to remain relatively pacified since the enacting of the system around 60 years ago.