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History

The Ghouls -- also known as "Devils of the Mist" -- are subterranean creatures of unknown origin. There are two variants to their race, their differing sizes telling them apart.

According to one account, they have been on the Earth's surface as early as 2060 BC, when they attacked an undisclosed location near ancient Greece. They were forced to retreat back underground, however not before capturing at least one woman who would be their prisoner for many centuries, her life enduring due to some unknown age retarding properties of their underground kingdom. Beneath the surface, they conquered a city, possibly connected to Netherworld, where they lived the next four thousand years.[1]

Thomas Halloway (Earth-616) from Marvel Mystery Comics Vol 1 10 0001

Angel attacking a smaller Ghoul

In 1940, an opening between the surface and the realm of the Ghouls opened in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The race of smaller ghouls surfaced and began capturing human women for the purposes of sacrificing them to the volcano that have let them on ground. These abductions caused the people in the area to organize a group of hunters to track down the monsters. The Ghouls's activities also attracted the attention of the costumed hero known as the Angel. He saved a young girl from one of the creatures and tracked them back to their cave. There, the Angel was overpowered and captured by the creatures and tied up along with the previously captured women. However, when volcano started to erupt in the cavern, it frightened the creatures. The Ghouls tried to get underground through the crevices in the cave, but lava caught them. The Angel freed himself and with the aid of the hunters got women to safety. However, a rock fall knocked the Angel back down into the pit where he narrowly avoided landing in lava himself.[2]

The Angel was captured and imprisoned by the larger species of the Ghouls in their underground city. There, he was revived by the Grecian woman captured centuries earlier. She gave him the Cape of Mercury to use in escape from the city through a hole in their cavern, before ending her life by exposing herself to sunlight. The Angel stopped the bigger Ghouls from reaching the surface, but their battle caused an earthquake. He was able to fly past the creatures and escape just as the earthquake buried the creatures under tons of rock.[3]

If any of the Ghouls (of either variety) survived remains to be seen.

Powers and Abilities

Powers

It is possible that the Ghouls are extremely long lived or immortal due to some age retarding property found in the caverns of their dwelling, as this was the case of the lone human who was their prisoner for thousands of years. However, this possibility remains unconfirmed. However, given that this form of immortality would cause those exposed to sunlight to age rapidly and die, it would seem likely that Ghouls who have came to the surface world have only come out at night.

Abilities

The smaller variety of Ghouls would melt into a liquid form upon death. If the larger species of Ghouls shared this same trait remains to be revealed.

Average Strength Level

Above human

Weaknesses

The larger Ghouls would become immobilized for a few hours following excessive movements. It does not appear that the smaller species has this same weakness.

Habitat

Habitat

Subterranean

Gravity

Earth like

Atmosphere

Earth like

Population

Unknown

Miscellaneous

Type of Government

Unknown.

Level of Technology

Primitive

Cultural Traits

The smaller species of Ghouls worship lava as some kind of god, offering it sacrifices. They have been seen sacrificing human beings. If they would sacrifice themselves in lieu of other victims remains unrevealed. They were fearful of volcanic eruptions and viewed it an expression of anger from their god(s).

Notes

While their origins remain unrevealed, the Ghouls might possibly be one of the many creatures genetically engineered by the Deviants and might have a distant relation to such other subterranean dwellers such as the Moloids and Tyrannoids.

See Also

Links and References

References

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