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Quick Reference:
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/ Kuru
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IpothesisLycaon Myth and Literary reference to Degenerative
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and why, Nick and why,
Davide Mana and
whyPro
the Alliance: BEck and
whyMedia Involvement and Possible
StrategiesDG Ghoul Policy Proposal
Ghoul Danger Assesment as a Group
Note: further discussion of Ghoul Genetics can be found in Volume 2, while on the connection between Ghouls and common Lycanthropy you are referred tothe Lycanthropy & Ghouls thread
Date: Thu, 30 Apr 1998 12:02:03 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jose Burgos
I would like to know if there are any rules for how humans can degenerate into Ghouls. In DG:AI it appears that such degeneration's comes about through reading the "Ghoul Manuscripts" (the case of DG agent Jean Qualls); however, the basic rulebook (CoC5) mentions that humans can sometimes degenerate into Ghouls, yet no rules are given. Should this only be treated as a supernatural/magical process or can it be due to a biological process as well? Perhaps this process is detailed in an existing sourcebook. Could someone in A cell (or anyone with certain knowledge) comment?
Date: Thu, 30 Apr 1998 17:47:56 -0400
From: Graeme Price
Interesting. A "Ghoul Virus" perhaps? Some infectious agent or chemical altering the behaviour patterns of it's host towards cannibalism... wait a minute. This almost sounds like BSE (Bovine Spongiform encephalopathy -aka. Mad Cow Disease), although that was/is enforced cannibalism causing transmission of a degenerative neurological change. Kuru might be more appropriate (ritual cannibalism and burial practices causing transmission - again - of degenerative neurological disease and death in the Fore natives of Papua New Guinea). Notice that both BSE and Kuru (and the other transmissible spongiform encephalopathies) are also both fairly inexplicable by mainstream molecular biology (I'm not going to go into this here... trust me. I'm a doctor!).
I suppose that it is not beyond the bounds of possibility (for a CoC/DG setting) that someone/thing has manipulated an infectious agent (prion? maybe using the cookbook?) to trigger a latent degenerative mechanism which results in death unless the victim takes part in Ghoul-type practices (which could enhance the cycle further) or only triggers the transformation into Ghouls in a small proportion of those exposed. The question is who has done the manipulation (MJ-12?), and why (to increase the number of Ghouls as a slave race or as nuclear/biological/chemical resistant troops?)?. Incidentally, linking it into BSE is somewhat cute, as it gives a reason for all those cattle mutilation incidents in the midwest....
I shall have to work on this for a scenario, I think. Now, where did I leave my brain samples?
Date: Thu, 30 Apr 1998 15:27:59 -0700
From: "Aaron"
I think either the CoC volume "At Your Door" or "Secrets " contained a short adventure set in the '90's that contained a person transforming into a Ghoul. Was an interesting adventure. I do not remember the particulars off of the top of my head but it involved the devouring of bad meat and the descent into cannibalism I do believe. There though I do believe that the character was the child of a Ghoul worshipping cult and that one of his parents may have been a Ghoul. If you are interested I will follow up with a more detailed mail later when I can find my copy of the volume.
Yes that would be a good help as I am trying to determine if this process is in any way biological (similar to the Deep One/Human crossbreeding results).
I would imagine that it should go beyond simply eating "bad" meat or otherwise anyone who likes to frequent MacDonalds would be Ghouls by now (Hmm, possibly story idea...)
> Incidentally, linking it into BSE is somewhat cute, as it gives a
reason
> for all those cattle mutilation incidents in the midwest....
Hmm, smells like "el chupacabra" to me...
In the case of Jean Qualls, (human DG agent turned Ghoul) she attributes it (somewhat speculatively) to the possibility of DNA responses triggered by reading certain passages of the "Ghoul Manuscript". Still, I would think that such transformation should have a more scientific or biological basis (Oh no, I'm sounding like Scully here), otherwise this is one book *no one* wants to read!
A small question: is there any nutrient or substance that can be gained only through the ingestion of either human or long dead meat? That could justify the Ghoulish practices. Maybe the transformation could be triggered the first time the Subjects come into contact with that very substance, and as you pointed out, the substance just furthers the degeneration along. Kind of like a drug addiction.
Date: Thu, 30 Apr 1998 19:56:44 -0400 (EDT)
From:
Michael S Beck
The decision to eat human or rotting flesh may be a cultural choice rather than a biological necessity.
Indeed it could, but if someone turning to a Ghoul feels the inclination, no matter their background, it would be a physical need. Also, since we were looking into medical possibilities, it sounded like an interesting idea.
Sorry if I intrude, armed only with my palaeonthological background, into this learned medical dissertation, but there are a few options that, in my opinion, need to be covered.
Let's please consider a Ghoul's means of reproduction.
Apparently, the Ghoul as species can reproduce in three different ways, that I'll call (for want of better terms):
- - standard sexual reproduction - - crossbreeding - - contagion We might have overlooked the fact that the three processes do not produce the same kind of Ghoul, but I'll expand on this later.
So far, the discussion has covered chiefly reproduction-by-contagion, or "how to become a Ghoul". Interestingly enough, the main text giving us proof on the sexual reproduction of Ghouls, an account fictionally published under the title of "Pickman's Model" (I trust that you are all familiar with this item), might shed some light on the contagion angle, too.
The "Pickman" paper details the Ghoulish practice of planting "changelings" in human communities.
A child of the Ghoul is placed in the cradle of a new-born human child, and the child is taken to the Ghoul community. The stolen child is raised by the Ghouls to become a Ghoul himself.
The little Ghoul is raised by humans and passes for human without difficulty until something triggers the morphological change.
The reason for placing a Ghoul among humans might be traced to the documented possibility of human-Ghoul crossbreeding. Recent practices of "ethnic policy" in various regions of the world - probably one of the most sinister and hateful forms of human cultural degeneration - show us that systematically violating and impregnating the enemy's women is not such an unheard of practice. All of the above might also be taken to show that the Ghoul's attitude towards the Humans is not so neutral as some moderate members of our group seem to think.
Let's go back to the question of how the three Ghouls produced by the three breeding practices differ.
The Ghoul produced by sexual intercourse between two Ghouls is the less problematic; he shares his parent's gene-pool completely and is a Ghoul proper. The recently proposed taxonomical definition of "Greater Ghoul" might fit this sub-species, but further study is needed.
The human-Ghoul hybrid shares only part of the genetic set of his Ghoul parent, but this might turn out to be the dominant one in the long run. The taxonomic definition of "Hu-Ghouls" has been proposed and seems completely acceptable at least as a working terminological convention. The humans raised as Ghouls are problematic; they do not share any genetic material with their foster parents (or do they?), and while feeding on human meat seems to be a required practice. Leading to the perfectly justified postulation of a physical trigger for the change (cf. the earlier posts), a growing number of reliable data are also showing that simple exposure to the Ghoul cultural structure can activate the change (see the Jean Qualls instance).
It seems reasonable to postulate at this point that the change from human to Ghoul might be psychological in the first instance and only later assume a physical meaning, and so that humans turn into Ghouls by a psychosomatic process.
Incidentally, this perfectly fits the assessment made by the Providence Gentleman (an untrained but highly informed student of the Subject), when he emphasised moral corruption as a preferential means of physical degeneration.
The ingestion of human flesh is, from this point of view, much more a psychological/cultural "statement" than a real physical component of the change.
A psychological trigger seems to work also in the cases of Ghoul changelings reverting back to type (cf. the Pickman data).
Does this mean that a psychological/cultural component is _always_ needed to achieve the completion of the maturation process?
Or it simply means that little Hu-Ghoul hybrids are systematically used as changelings because of their higher mimetic capacity?
The process is not well understood at the moment.
Agent Qualls was both in the best position to observe the phenomenon and in the worst to clinically assess it, but her opinion about DNA triggering might not be so far fetched.
Please consider: if the practice of planting Ghoul changelings in our communities has been going on for long enough, we do not know how much of our gene-pool is tainted by the Ghoul DNA.
In this sense, Humans turning into Ghouls as a result of contagion might be a relatively recent phenomenon, either purposefully engineered by the Ghouls or simply an accidental result of crossbreeding that the Ghouls are just too happy to exploit.
Is it possible for a "pure", untainted human to turn into a Ghoul as a consequence of psychological degeneration or cultural pressure?
The Providence Gentleman seemed to think so.
This might force us to distinguish two forms of Ghoul reproduction by contagion:
- primary; the moral corruption and degeneration of otherwise
normal humans
- secondary; the reversion to type of already tainted
individuals
In the end, primary contagion might be just a thing of the past, or a purely theoretical possibility.
The next question, in fact, is: are there any untainted humans?
This probably depends on how long the "changeling planting practice" has been going on, and how pervasive it has been. At this point, keeping an eye on the results of the Human Genome Mapping Program might be a good policy for DG operatives.
Even if we might not like said results at all.
Here I close my preliminary treatment of the Ghoul/Human Reversion Mechanics.
Thanks for your attention.
Well, isn't the "Ghoul Manuscript" supposed to be bound in human flesh?
If that was the case, than perhaps the infectious element (I would also think it to be a prion) is able to survive in the cover of the manuscript.
As you read more and more and have greater exposure to the protein, you speed your transformation.
Incidentally, "prions" are supposedly infectious _protein_ agents. Most viruses are either DNA or RNA based; RNA and DNA are the "traditional" genetic material. Prions, on the other hand, are supposedly proteins capable of creating a heritable difference in your genetic material. As (I think it was Graeme?) said, the functioning of prions are somewhat of a mystery still. Several rather uncommon human diseases are believed to be spread through a prion mechanism. The only problem with this hypothesis is that the prion-based diseases seem to have a long latency period, whereas the "Ghoul transformation" is rather rapid.
What's all of this mean? Well, maybe you don't have to actually _read_ the book to become a Ghoul. Maybe lots of contact with it would do the trick. Maybe it is an especially pernicious disease, this "Ghoul transformation" agent. That seems just a little more than cruel to most investigators, however.
One interesting site on Prions, and specifically Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (a human spongiform encephalopathy), see:
http://members.aol.com/crjakob/brochure.html
Note that it is sometimes difficult to incorporate "science" into mythos campaigns, because the Mythos behaves so differently from the way we would _expect_ things to behave given or limited understanding of nature. The fact that prions are still so poorly understood reflects that there is still a lot we don't know about nature. (Though, if anyone is interested, I could give a bunch of references on this line of research)
I think the interesting thing about the mythos is (well, one interesting thing anyway) that 'magic' isn't what we normally think of as being magic - rather an incredibly advanced alien science. Elements of 'real' science can quite easily be blended into it. For instance; spoken spells could work in a similar fashion to 'the butterfly effect' of chaos theory - their intoning into the complex system that is the universe triggers certain natural processes that eventually results in a hunting horror showing up; or something. in this way 'magic' in the mythos universe is simply a science that truly understands the nature of reality.
So; ghouls - the transformation process is probably some kind of magical flip-side to the science of genetics. This should give keepers a fairly free-hand in tying together the scientific information they know (or have received from this list) with the more supernatural elements that appear in stories and sourcebooks.
Good point, and one which hasn't been satisfactorily answered even in the real world (viz. what do prions taste like?). It could be possible that the ingestion of human tissue could have a more subtle effect. If there was some form of neuro-degeneration in ghouls, this could affect memory (perhaps resulting in amnesia... damn, what was I going to say next?) Oh yes. Now if memories are essential for the efficient functioning of humans/ghouls, even on a subconscious level, there would be a biological imperative for retaining them. If this is blocked due to brain damage from the "ghoul-prion" accumulating in the brain, then new memories would be needed.
This may be provided by the ghoul ability/spell/whatever (my rulebook is 9 1/2 thousand miles away at the moment, so I can't look it up!) to consume memories via ingestion of human tissue. Theoretical, but hey! By the way, is this starting to sound like Bladerunner yet?
> perhaps the infectious is able to survive in the cover of the manuscript.
A reasonable hypothesis: Prions are able to resist practically everything you can throw at them (you can hit them with huge amounts of alpha, beta or gamma radiation, and all they do is glow in the dark a bit. They are resistant to proteases and oxidising agents. And bleach. And UV-light. And heat [up to complete incineration]. You can bury them in the ground for a year and they are still infectious!) and they are present at up to 10^10 infectious units per gram of spinal cord (can't remember the reference, but this figure is perfectly kosher). One lab working on prions I know of routinely cleans it's benches in 6 molar NaOH, and they still don't know for sure that this neutralises the little buggers!
> The only problem with this hypothesis is that the prion-based diseases
seem
> to have a long latency period, whereas the "ghoul transformation"
is rather rapid.
Not necessarily. It takes about a year for mice to go down with scrapie (albeit after intra-cerebral inoculation), and no one knows what the incubation period of "new variant" CJD is (for people living in the UK this is somewhat important - if the incubation period is very short [2-5 years] we are pretty much in the clear. If on the other hand it is 15-20 years then there could be tens to hundreds of thousands of cases over the next two decades - assuming that nvCJD is contracted by eating contaminated beef, that is). Genetic susceptibility could play a huge role here. Those who are going to become ghouls transform quickly; those who aren't susceptible either live completely normal lives, or drop dead from CJD 20 years later (or possibly the change just takes longer - remember this is degeneration into a ghoulish state, and so must take some time by the definition of degeneration... Almost instantaneous ghoulish transformation may occur in hyper-susceptible individuals though, but this could be by completely different means).
>What's all of this mean? Well, maybe you don't
have to actually
_read_
>the book to become a ghoul. Maybe lots of contact with it would
do
>the trick. Maybe it is an especially pernicious disease, this
"ghoul
>transformation" agent. That seems just a little more than cruel
to most
>investigators, however.
On the contrary. There is a strong argument that it should teach them to be more careful. After all, they ought to be handling such dubious forensic evidence with rubber gloves to prevent them from cross-contaminating it! :)
> Prions are able to resist practically everything you can throw at
them Yep. Nasty business.
> is somewhat important - if the incubation
period is very short [2-5 years]
> we are pretty much in the clear....
if on the other hand it is 15-20 years
I had heard there was still some debate about this. > beef, that is). Genetic susceptibility could play a huge role here
You bring up a good point: possible genetic susceptibility to the ghoul state. Interesting idea.
> After all, they ought to be handling such dubious forensic
>
evidence with rubber gloves to prevent them from cross-contaminating it!
:)
One would hope that they would have picked this up already, but... maybe you start to forget the little things when you think aliens are at the door.
Date: Fri, 8 May 1998 17:27:20 -0700
From: Neil
Laughlin
Here's a question I hope someone on the list can answer: what's the origin of the ghoul god Mordiggian? The last time I looked, he didn't appear in the Encyclopedia Cthulhiana [sp?] (which I might add is an incredible jewel of research, since I thought I saw the author around here). Is he a Pagan Pubs creation?
Anybody else out there, correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe Mordiggian was originally created by our good ol' pal CAS, in one of his Zothique tales, I believe (BTW, looking at an old atlas th'other day I discovered a town in Quebec called St.-Zotique or something). I was surprised the Encyclopedia glossed over Mordiggian, myself. It does mention Thasaidon, another Zothique-god. As a side-note, I seem to recall reading that the lizard-monster Hagarg Ryonis, from the "Dreamlands" book, appeared in a story by CAS. True?
Mordiggian does figure prominently in the story "The Charnel God" by Clark Ashton Smith. This story along with others by CAS can be found in the anthology Tales of Zothique put out by Necronomicon Press. Mordiggian dwells within a temple in the city of Zul-Bha-Sair, and is served by a cult of ghoul priests.
<Spoiler>
Informers at Pagan Publishing inform me that their campaign "The Realm of Shadows" deals heavily with this cult.
Much as I would love to attribute Mordiggian to Pagan Publishing, they didn't make it up. Mordiggian turned up first in Clark Ashton Smith's short story "The Charnel God", which you can find in Necronomicon Press' _Zothique_ book.
(And in case you were wondering, I didn't include ol' M. in the first edition because he didn't seem to overlap at all with the Cthulhu Mythos. Now that he's gained in popularity, he's definitely in the second edition.)
Date: Sat, 09 May 1998 11:19:54 -0400
From: Daniel Harms
> Mordiggian was originally created by our good ol' pal CAS, in one
of his Zothique
> tales, I believe Yep. "The Charnel God".
>
I was surprised the Encyclopedia glossed over Mordiggian, myself.
This was actually due to personal preference, something which often creeps into supposedly standard reference works. I think I took him out in the second edition.
>As a side-note, I seem to recall reading that the lizard-monster
Hagarg
>Ryonis, from the "Dreamlands" book, appeared in a story by
CAS. True?
As best I can tell, it's a 100% Chaosium creation.
I have a theory about _ghoulish degeneration_ that I would like to share with everyone. A person's language (whether it is French, German, or whatever) shapes how they view the world. What if the ghoul's language (gibberings and meepings) shapes how the world views you? So the greater an individual's skill in the ghoul language, the higher the chance of that individual undergoing a _ghoulish degeneration_. What do you think?
In the same vein, maybe ghasts (coughing gutterals) are neanderthals that have learned this language (to their detriment).
Are languages viral or is the ghoul language a telepathic virus?
It's something to think about when you're picking _Other Languages_.
Yeah; I like this idea. I try to do this a lot in my scenarios - linking the haziest areas of science and liberal quantities of philosophy to explain mythos related magic.
I believe that, even if a language partly shapes how you view the world since you have to have acquired a certain set of concepts and channels of thought to understand that language, it's also a matter of the environment where you grow and not only the language you're taught.
Then again, let's say that ghoulish language everything is pointed out in terms of rotten meat and grave digging (like the Inuit with their words for snow), it would certainly shape your mind that way after awhile. :) Even if I don't think that fully understanding the language is enough to transform a person into a ghoul, it would be interesting to see if it would be enough to *trigger* the degeneration if you're one of the changelings.
Date: Mon, 4 May 1998 20:06:42 -0400 (EDT)
From:
"Andrew D. Gable"
I had long been toying with the idea that the Greek legend of Lycaon was based on a ghoul metamorphosis. For anyone who's not familiar with the legend, Lycaon was a Greek king supposedly turned into a wolf for becoming a cannibal and trying to feed human flesh to Zeus.
I liked the discussion of medical precedents for neurological degeneration associated with cannibalism. Kind of throws a whole new light on some of the werewolf trials of medieval Europe (particular Garnier & Peter Stubb), not to mention a possible tie-in with the wendigo psychosis. And Sergeant Bertrand, 'The Vampire of Montparnasse,' for that matter. Another thing I've considered as a scenario idea (in fact, one I'm working on now) takes the whole discussion about the Elephant Man and relates it to CoC. Briefly, for those who don't know, science right now is basically baffled as to what the Elephant Man had -- money was on neurofibromatosis for a while, but that theory fell through. Money now is on something called Proteus Syndrome (I'm not really sure what this is). Interesting thing was, he displayed no deformities until about the age of two.
I'm not sure how this could fit into CoC/DG, but I'd suggest some connection with the lloigor or possibly the mi-go. It's just too good an anomaly to resist.
Date: Wed, 6 May 1998 12:18:20 -0500 (CDT)
From:
"G. Wyckoff"
> Are there any articles reasonably suited to a reasonably well-read
> generalist that would lay out the current state of the research? You
might want to check out the following if you have access to a good library:
<snip>
Authors
Prusiner SB. Scott MR.
Institution
Department of Neurology, University of California, San
Francisco 94143, USA.
Title
Genetics of prions. [Review] [219 refs]
Source
Annual Review of Genetics. 31:139-75, 1997.
Also, a web search on "Prion" might turn up some good, useful hits, particularly those dedicated to supporting people affected by some Prion diseases.
Date: Fri, 17 Apr 1998 17:18:12 -0400 (EDT)
From: The Man in Black
Things I would like to see discussed on this mailing list:
Artificial Intelligence - Threat or Menace?
Retconned Alien Technologies (MJ-12 & otherwise)
Aliens besides the Mi-Go, and how they interact with the Mi-Go
Possible future histories for DG (GURPS Cthulhupunk anyone?)
and for you WAG's who ask, why I don't post more about the above: I'm thinkin' about it still!
Here's a thought -- what if the *real* Greys show up and are annoyed at the Mi-Go for using their likeness as a cover for nefarious deeds...?
Date: Sun, 19 Apr 98 23:20:24 UT
From: "John Gallant"
<rjury@classic.msn.com>
< what if the *real* Greys show up >
This has some real potential. Toss this in after your players have seen the Mi-Go greys. Now they respond differently and they look somewhat different. What will it take to have the investigators catch on? "Ya know Bob, something's funny here. These ones went straight to the rectal probe rather than trying to saw open his skull..."
Lots of confusion and David Lynch-style weirdness is in order as the two groups scout each other out, probably using the DG agents as pawns.
And, if such a situation escalated, what alliances might be made against whichever race is more powerful? Would the US/the PCs/the people of Earth ally with (or at least turn their attention from) the Mi-Go or the Greys? Both or neither?
What I can see is some kind of deal between Delta Green and the ghouls. The ghouls sould give DG their knowledge of the Mythos, and in return DG would cover up the ghouls' ... indiscretions.
Something along these lines appears in a story in DELTA GREEN: ALIEN INTELLIGENCE. The boys at Pagan also plan to have substantial coverage of the ghouls of New York City in their DELTA GREEN: COUNTDOWN project, I believe.
Date: Tue, 21 Apr 1998 22:48:49 -0400 (EDT)
From:
The Man in Black
As always, I must state my associates' objections to complicity with *any* supernatural force. It is dangerous to humanity to provide aid and comfort to the enemy.
Date: Tue, 21 Apr 1998 23:39:12 -0400
From: "Michael
BEck"
I must object. In no known case have the creatures labelled "ghouls" harmed living humans unless directly threatened. If we can produce a quid pro quo that benefits both sides, I believe we should do so. However, we must also be careful not to fall into the same trap MJ-12 has.
> I must object. In no known case have the creatures labelled "ghouls"
harmed
> living humans unless directly threatened.
The case of Pickman, the sorry state of Agent Nancy, the disturbing trend of the neophyte ghoul faction, the ghouls' reckless behaviour during the French Revolution, the list goes on and on.
A temporary alliance with more traditional ghouls, perhaps, but remember, the ghouls serve Mordiggian, and what that entity wants is definitely not in the interests of humanity.
Regarding the ongoing discussion about possible alliance between DG and the 'ghoul nation'.
Anyone whose had to blow the vile bastards away in any great quantity over the years will agree its a dubious proposition at best. They are of course, a useful font of information (preferably extracted through torture rather than barter), and it's worth bearing in mind that in the context of some kind of power struggle its definitely in our interests (short term at least) for the 'traditional' camp to win it, but ultimately I believe it's in our interests to eliminate the entire race rather than let them prosper. Long term plans to this effect will be quite welcome.
Nick said
<<...ultimately i believe it's in our interests to eliminate the entire race rather than let them prosper. Long term plans to this effect will be quite welcome. >>
Ya know, any plans for complete extermination eventually end up on 20/20. Then you've got Barbara interviewing ghouls claiming to be Russo/Mongol/American goat herds being singled out for an "ethnic cleansing." Since no one in the western world has any idea what a Russo/Mongol/American person is much less what he or she would look like, people would go along with it. The big N word gets bandied about along with the two 20th century H words that get dragged out by everyone trying to make an issue.
Then you get Ted Koppel asking someone claiming to be an insider. The guy whines about higher ups and Koppel asks why they're so darned evil. Ghouls become a cause celebre and one (more) gets elected to the senate. Then you get people screaming for equal rights for the Russo/Mongol/Americans in the way of a big cash settlement for past grievances. Then you have a fund-raiser where kids all get together and sing "We are the Russo/Mongol/Americans" and Willie Nelson founds what DG will label, "Ghoul-Aid," where stars will get together and make an album to benefit the poor R/M/As.
I think the best plan is just to label ghouls as Neo-Nazis for Gun Control/Minority Extermination. That way the Conservatives and Liberals have reason to work against them. They send in the ATF and FBI to botch the job and the ghouls get exterminated but other groups get shamed for it.
> Anyone whose had to blow the vile bastards away in any great quantity
> over the years will agree its a dubious proposition at best.
Amen.
I'd like to remind to all field agents and case officers out there that the Mythos has many subtle ways to come and get you.
You can't do commerce with the devil and get out of it clean.
Perhaps you have noticed a split, a division in the ranks, a subtle disagreement. On one side we have a pack of bleeding heart liberals who want to make nice and "respect" the "alternative" culture of the Ghoul nation. On the other side, we have a mob of genocidal racists who would enjoy nothing more than to take the new explosive pellet flame-throwers to every cemetery in the nation, and burn 'em all.
My personal feelings in this matter support the position that will cause the most property damage and more importantly, the maximum possible body count. As always Karnage is King. This solidly rational viewpoint may not be shared by more squeamish agents who lack the appropriate firepower.
In any event we cannot have rogue "lone-wolf" agents violating agreements made by DG in good faith with those untrustworthy, no-good cannibal ghouls. It just wouldn't look good. It might also lead to a covert war that DG cannot win.
The point is, DG must come up with a coherent policy toward ghouls. Obviously overt hostile actions are unwarranted and counter-productive. The resources to pursue an active program of elimination are simply not available to DG.
I propose the following:
1) Ghouls are to be handled on an individual basis. Some may serve as friendlies, but never as agents (sorry Nancy, but you are *so* fired).
2) Ghouls that violate laws not related to their diet are to be handled in the most extreme manner possible, as an example to others. This policy is to be made known to ghouls in contact with DG.
3) All contact with ghouls is to be documented and authorised by A-cell.
4) DG Agents that violate this policy will be subjected to "administrative action."
This policy is essentially a "watch and wait" strategy that will maximise the effectiveness of our minimal resources. If good relations are maintained with the ghouls, we can stop renegade ghouls before they act by obtaining intelligence as to their actions.
Some will note that this policy resembles racial control actions taken in Nazi Germany in order to subjugate the Jews. This is deliberate. By implementing this policy DG will be engaging in a program of racial control. Hopefully the lessons of the Karotechia and the Third Reich will prevent any rash acts of genocide or blatant racist attitudes.
I'm telling you guys, shelve this discussion and wait for DG: Countdown, it'll all be covered....
Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 21:08:56 -0400
From: Daniel
Harms
> Regarding the ongoing discussion about possible alliance between
DG and
> the 'ghoul nation'.
Perhaps in the long term... say, planning for the next century when DG can get a huge chunk of federal funding... but this remains a difficult plan at best. This is what DG knows about ghouls so far (based on the sourcebook and _Alien Intelligence_):
- -- They've probably been around for centuries;
- -- They appear world-wide, and possibly live in another dimension entirely;
- -- They're as intelligent as humans;
- -- They've kept their existence from humanity for centuries;
- -- They can take on the memories and/or appearance of those who they devour.
All in all, not a group of beings one decides to take on lightly. Even though we may object to them in principle, I would strongly advise against any sort of murder, torture, mutilation, or other interference in the affairs of these beings unless it proves to be necessary for the success of a mission. This may be against our mission in principle, but the fact remains that DG can't afford another enemy at this time.
Further, I would advise that anyone who encounters such a being undergo a medical examination as soon thereafter as possible, and that any offer of physical goods (but not information) be refused.
<<<You can't do commerce with the devil and get out of it clean.> > >
This is where I disagree. As a certified representative of Big Man, or Old Nick as he's called around the office, I can safely say that right now you too can make the deal of a lifetime, regardless of past credit history. It's as clean a deal as you're gonna find. :-)
