Exton

Mortuis gestures to Sweeney and Mole. "Gentlemen, you have the floor."

The pair come to the front of the room, looking uncomfortable but undaunted. Karloff's long-lost voice fills the room as Sweeney begins. "I wish I could say I am pleased to be able to speak to you today; but the circumstances that bring us together are not conducive to such a state of affairs.

We are here today to talk about ghouls. For some of you, like the good doctor, this will be merely a repetition of what you already know. For many of you, it will, I believe, be a revelation. And so, to business.

The term 'ghoul' is much misused in modern society, being a rather generic term for anything considered gruesome or frightening. In point of fact, ghouls share many similarities with vampires. Both are considered 'undead', both reproduce by infection, and their strengths and weaknesses are roughly similar. Ghouls possess superhuman strength, speed, agility, endurance and stamina - which seems to be par for the course for most supernaturals. We also have limited shapeshifting abilities. Besides our human appearance, we can also become animals of the carrion-eating variety; the specific kind seems to depend on one's place of origin. The classic mideastern ghoul, for instance, can become a hyena or a vulture; here in the Americas, the land animal tends to be a coyote and the bird could be anything from a crow to a buzzard.

The greatest defining characteristic of ghouls, of course, is that we eat the dead.

How can you know that you are dealing with a ghoul and not some other creature? We're about to show you." He raises his voice slightly. "Nicholas? If you would come up, please?"

Near the back of the room, Nick stands and makes his way to the front. Sweeney smiles. "Thank you. May I ask you to assume your predatory form?"

A scant second later, Nick's skin is paper-white, his eyes pupilless and red as a stop light and his mouth is full of fangs. Sweeney nods, satisfied. "Thank you, sir. Mr. Mole?" Mole's eyes go a vivid yellow-green and his pupils completely disappear. "Some of the differences are quite obvious, aren't they? Now, I should point out that there is more than one kind of vampire; not all of them turn white when they hunt. The eyes, and to a lesser extent, the fangs are the tipoff. A vampire's eyes turn red; they may or may not possess pupils. In contrast, a ghoul's eyes will be green, likewise with or without pupils.

Nicholas has true fangs. All his front teeth are pointed and somewhat elongated... but the upper and lower canines are easily twice the length of the rest. A ghoul's teeth are all the same length, with something of the appearance of a saw. Too, they interlock, much like a bear trap. Mr. Mole...?" Mole smiles toothily, just for a second. That's all anyone needs to see. "Our teeth can bite through the long bones of the thigh - quite easily - and suffer no damage. Our nails are similarly tough." He smiles. "Thank you for your assistance, gentlemen." Nick reverts to his human seeming and returns to his seat.

"Our weaknesses are similar to a vampire's as well, with this exception.... So long as we wear our human appearance, we are proof against the sun. In our natural form, sunlight produces severe and painful burns which take a long time to heal. For the rest, treat us as you would a vampire. A stake through the heart, fire... a weapon that is enchanted or blessed can harm us as well." His eyes roam through the crowd. "A very little more remains to be said and then I will entertain questions.

Ghouls are traditionally scavengers, not predators. There have, of course, been exceptions. Some of us believe the Sawney Beane clan of Scotland may have been ghouls.

Now, let us speak frankly about the eating of flesh. If there are sensitive souls here tonight, you may wish to absent yourself during this part of my presentation.

Ghouls - eat - people. This is nothing less or more than fact. However, what you may not know is that - like vampires - ghouls are not restricted to eating people exclusively. We may eat anything that is warm-blooded, preferably mammalian. If you have ever noticed how remarkably free from roadkill the roads of Exton are - well, I can promise you, it's not because Exton has better drivers.

The species we use for nourishment is unimportant. What is important is that our food must be dead; the common picture of a ghoul biting chunks off a living victim is totally wrong - and that our food must be eaten - forgive me - raw." He smiles, but without the glowing eyes and the bear trap dentures. "This is not to say that we cannot apply a tangy dill sauce or another complementary condiment… even ketchup." Uneasy laughter wafts through the room. "So - are there any questions?"

A young shifter raises a hand. "So the missing people are dead?"

"While I cannot speak with absolute certainty, I very much fear so."

Another, looking frightened, yet defiant, speaks without raising a hand. "So what makes you different from the things that are killing our friends?"

Mortuis' voice cracks like a whiplash. "I vouch for these men. Are there any who would care to challenge my judgment in this matter?"

"Doctor, if you please." Sweeney looks completely unruffled. "It is an obvious question, and one I had anticipated." He fixes the young shifter with a stern look. "I would point out, young sir, that Mr. Mole and I have lived here in Exton longer than you have, and none have ever found cause to reproach us. Further, the Doctor here does not permit supernatural predators to prey upon humans in this town. His means of enforcing this stricture tends to be somewhat permanent.

Lastly - as I said, ghouls are scavengers, not predators. We take that which is already dead. We do not create cadavers; we merely feed upon them."

The shifter has the grace to look abashed and merely nods, fading back into the crowd. Another steps forward, hand raised.

"Yes, young man?"

"How can we defend ourselves?"

"Ghouls are active largely during the hours of darkness. If you must be abroad after dark, the phrase 'safety in numbers' applies. Blessed or ensorcelled weapons being somewhat rare, I would recommend that you carry a simple wooden stake, a good hardwood. I have spoken to Master Stone, and he has agreed to make up quantities of these on his lathe. I believe Master Traeger has been crafting weapons as well. You may wish to speak to either of these gentlemen before you leave tonight." He gestures expansively. "Gentlemen? If you'd stand, please, so you may be recognized?"

Jack stands with an self-deprecating grin, and Traeger stands forth beside Pandora and Ob, with Rowan by his side.