THE GORGER
Race: Unrecognizable, but rumors say he was once a feared crusader of the Holy Empire.
Classification: Ghoul
Appearance:
The Gorger is missing a great deal of his once rugged face. His bloodied teeth are bare with no lips to conceal the terrible fear they bring to those who look upon them. His eyes are often shadowed by his prominent brow, his nose missing, and his cheeks fail to hide his tongue -- constantly whetted with the blood of those who could not stand against him. His hair is haggard and grayed, the longest strands barely reaching between his protruding shoulder blades.
Having feasted on the flesh of many creatures -- men and monsters alike -- The Gorger has grown to a size where he can no longer fit in human armor. Standing straight, he is little over two and a half meters tall, though now he constantly lowers himself as a beast would before the kill. Scraps of metal he collects from his victims are hastily fastened to him, seemingly uncomfortable without his battle wear; it is clear he was once a warrior. The touch of metal seems to comfort him in some small way, even going so far as to wrap rusty chains and shattered shields to his horrific frame.
In order to maintain peace, it has become imperative for the Imperial tamer to keep him hidden in a cloak at all times when outside of combat, even if it comes to wrapping him in whatever cloth may be nearby... The Gorger's appearance has been known to stir trouble.
Personality:
The Gorger is a terrifying being, though he is not what most would make him out to be. While most ghouls will jump at the opportunity to consume the flesh of the living, a handful of witnesses to his feats have claimed that The Gorger simply passes by unarmed villagers. Though few believe the claims, others suspect one of two things: either the ghoul was once an honorable holy man with a will that still remains, or that he has become so powerful that he no longer perceives men as a fit meal... after all, a lion does not cease to hunt when he finds mere insects.
Having once been a man of sound mind, it is only natural that The Gorger seeks his own free will. In his eyes, the Imperial tamers stand in the way of that goal as much as the vampires do, and should he ever be set free, he will make his intentions toward them known.
Abilities:
Feast - If allowed to feast upon flesh, The Gorger's wounds will begin to mend at a rapid rate, and his strength will gradually increase. The more powerful the being he feeds from, the stronger the effects. More bites will enhance the effects further.
Predator - The Gorger is capable of sensing the strength of nearby beings. Whether through his carnivorous hunger guiding his sense to the next meal, or his experience as a warrior, he knows a fighter when he sees -- or smells one.
Hungering Frenzy - The scent of blood unleashes The Gorger's monstrous strength and speed, his undead body desperate for nourishment. Powerful scents induce a stronger effect.
Rot Contagion - The Gorger's claws and teeth are truly disgusting things that inflict rotting wounds to his foes with each strike. This greatly slows down regeneration properties of his opponents.
Abomination - While The Gorger is strong, it is not duels nor quick battles that he excels in. The more a fight drags out, the more blood that is spilled, and the more flesh he feasts upon, the more powerful he becomes. It is under these conditions that he is capable of tapping into his transformation abilities, and both empower and combine the forms of the various creatures he has consumed into an abomination capable of adapting to any scenario. Requires both the benefits of Feast and Hungering Frenzy to activate.
Insatiable Wrath - Once per battle, The Gorger releases a powerful roar that demoralizes nearby foes, and conjures colossal strength to charge with unfathomable velocity toward a single target. This allows him to close the distance gap quickly and through most obstacles, and deliver a single powerful blow. Requires Hungering Frenzy to activate.
Transformations - A ghoul's natural ability to transform into various shapes and forms added to his archive of victims. This allows them to take on certain traits of a given form, or to transform completely into it. Having only been a ghoul for a short time, The Gorger's list is limited, but it is growing quickly...
- Wolf
Equipment:
Chains - Wrapped around his being are various bits and pieces of metal armor, as well as the chains and ragged leather straps and bandages that bind them. Loosely wrapped around his arms as well, The Gorger has been known to use these chains to dismount cavalry, incapacitate escapees, or simply stun a foe before closing the gap.
Armor Scraps - Loosely bound to his body, these bits of armor collected from his fallen foes often falls away as it is struck, leaving him less armored for the remainder of a battle, but allows him to remain mobile even when hit.
Background:
There I stood, dead center in the middle of the very vision of Hell, staring at a knight's crest delivered to me alongside a letter bearing grim news. Bodies were strewn about, not one of them with any flesh or blood to speak of. It was doubtful the man who summoned me here remained, and even should I find his body, it was even less likely I would be able to identify him. With persistence and some luck, however, I did manage to find his journal next to a corpse... whether it belonged to him or not, I still do not know.
Journal of Matthias Hilder -
I've begun to evacuate all who are willing to abandon their homes, and I have sent my squire to the capitol to retrieve a tamer; hopefully, my knight's crest should be enough to ensure his words are heard by someone in the Crusade.
I can hear them stirring over the hills, hidden in the dark of the trees. They will wait for nightfall, and strike in force. While it is not my first encounter with ghouls, there is one that is not like the rest... the villagers call it, "The Gorger." Once it tastes flesh, it becomes nigh unstoppable - a juggernaut of claws and teeth. I have encountered it many times now, using various strategies to save what lives I can. However, he becomes increasingly clever, and it saddens me to say that - unless reinforcements arrive soon - this village is damned.
Strangely, I've come to pity the creature. It utilizes many scraps of armor, changing them each encounter... except for one, single piece. His right pauldron. It is that of a crusader, and I am left to wonder if he was once a warrior of the Crusade... a man like myself.
Though the villagers do not see what I see, I dare say his conscience remains! Unlike the other ghouls, he does not harm any man until a weapon is brandished against him, and often leaves immediately for the darkness of the hills, always after a strategic asset is destroyed... could it be? Is it possible that he resists his vampire master? Does he merely do what is commanded to him, and nothing more?
Perhaps I have merely gone mad, and in my darkest hour, seek some semblance of light. However, in this madness, I truly believe that The Gorger... no, this fallen crusader... can yet do a great deal for the forces of light.
The sun is setting now. I can only pray, for the sake of the town, for the sake of the Crusade, and for the sake of that lost soul, that the squire arrives safely to the tamers. They, and only they, will be The Gorger's last hope for redemption.
I shall now conduct what may very well be my final prayer. Godspeed.
As my werewolf companion and I made our way through the hills in search of the vampire's hideout - his keen sense of smell guiding our way - I could not help but to reflect on the journal. What would compel a man to summon me just to collect a single ghoul? He seemed aware of the connection between a vampire and ghouls, yet he did not call for an army to destroy them. Did he truly believe that a mass murdering ghoul was more significant for the forces of light than slaying a vampire lord?
After a moment, I cleared my head. I could not be distracted by such things; I had a vampire to slay, and I cared not what may happen this "Gorger" in the process.
Having finally located the hideout - an ancient crypt hidden in the rocks within the forest - my pet and I cut a swath through the incoming ghoul forces. We bypassed the predictable traps, and made our way through corridor after corridor through the dungeons until finally, we found our target sitting upon a throne, crafted from the various rotten corpses within the crypt.
We wasted no time, and attacked.
Suddenly, my companion let out a howl as a ghoul ambushed him from the darkness above. It was massive, and hideous, drenched in gore... no doubt, it was The Gorger. However, I could not turn to assist him, as the vampire lord was already upon me with his blade. For the time, I simply had to wait for the werewolf to gain the upper hand as he always did, and soon he would be able to come to my aid.
That time never came. Only moments after we engaged, I heard a cry from the werewolf. I turned my head briefly, only to find a ghoul charging toward me on all fours; he was now missing his face, and my pet missing his throat.
It was such a blur, I scarcely remember how it happened, but I managed to fend off the vampire lord if only for a moment. With everything I had left in me, my life hanging in the balance, I made a gamble, and I attempted to wrest The Gorger from its master's control. The vampire was indeed powerful, and equally desperate to claim the ghoul; we had a duel of minds, fighting for dominance of the creature.
Call me mad, but I could have sworn I watched the thing eyeing each of us... as if, weighing his options. I think our battle may have given him a small window of time to regain his own free will, for I did not feel as though I had yet been able to take him.
I suppose the fact that I am here now is proof enough that he indeed did not kill me. No, he grew the fangs of a wolf - no doubt the prize he took from my pet - dug his claws into his former master's shoulders, and removed the vampire's head in an instant.
Though I had won, it was of little comfort. The entire journey back, though I now had control of this creature's will, he was... staring at me. I could constantly feel his eyes on me as I tried to rest... as if I was a piece of meat, a meal... I'm not certain of many things, but I know that if my control of him breaks, he will consume me. If he hadn't saved me... if what Matthias saw in this creature was true... I...
I... I'm finished. I wash my hands of this. Please, take him. I can't... I can't possibly bear it anymore.
