Ghoul Nest Dressing One-Pager
The ghoul is a creature of nightmare. From the packs of mindless, carrion-eating undead to the ancient civilisations deep underground, screaming adulation to their sheep-headed god Orcus, all ghouls have one thing in common: an eternal, gnawing hunger that no amount of flesh can sate.
You can download this material for free as a .pdf and .txt file by hitting the button at the bottom of this post. You do not need to give us your email or set up an account.
Outside the Lair
Bones cracked for marrow litter the floor, making approaching the ghoul’s nest difficult.
Several sets of skulls are piled in rows like some form of shrine or altar.
The stench of rotting meat is almost overpowering
A decomposing body looks like it has been extensively gnawed upon. Trails of blood lead to the lair.
What’s Going On?
The ghoul holds a skull up to its face and peers intently into its hollow eyes.
Crooning to itself, the ghoul taps idly on the rock wall with a long bone.
The ghoul picks its teeth with a shard of rib.
Clawing at the ground the ghoul attempts to bury a skull whilst muttering to itself.
Major Lair Features
Bone piles litter the area making progress difficult and dangerous. (Careless explorers discover the sharp bones puncture their boots like caltrops).
Viscera-smattered burial shrouds and bones lie tangled across the floor. Various mouldering, half-eaten body parts lie scattered about.
A child’s skull, placed on a rock, shows signs of gnawing.
Discarded weapons and armour are thrown around the room. Many are broken or blunted.
Minor Lair Features
A disgusting scum of coagulated blood and rotten meat floats on the surface of a stagnant, putrid pool. The pool’s depth is impossible to gauge, merely by sight.
A shattered skull missing its teeth rests next to a congealed pool of blood and viscera.
A rotting human hand missing three fingers is wedged into a crack in the wall.
A cracked femur with a sharp tooth embedded in it lies next to a pile of rocks.
Ghoul’s Appearance
The ghoul grasps a skull-topped branch in its hand. It wields the club like a weapon and delights in bashing in its enemies’ skulls.
Faded tattoos of once intricate and beautiful design, inked long ago while the individual yet lived, cover the ghoul’s rotting and scarred skin.
Black blood and yellow pus ooze from an open wound, in the ghoul’s chest.
The ghoul stinks of rot and decay. The creature’s bloated stomach distends down to its thighs and wobbles and roils horribly as the creature moves about.
Treasure
Ceremonial raiment still bears its jewels and other finery lies amongst cracked skulls and bones.
A sheep’s skull embedded with crushed yellow and red gems forms the head of a crude mace.
This wickedly serrated dagger has a blood red gem set in its pommel.
Two-dozen finger bones and teeth fill a pouch. (A careful search reveals several gold teeth).
Trinkets & Trash
A bent pewter cup holds several teeth and a tiny wooden spoon.
A thick rope made from intestines and sinew is coiled in the corner. (It looks and feels disgusting but is functional and strong—at least until it dries out).
Bowls painted with thick blue glaze are stacked in a small alcove away from the blood and bones.
The ghoul wears finely embroidered, yet ragged and now hopeless worn, riding boots.
Credit
This is a short system-neutral extract from Monstrous Lair #08: Ghoul Nest by Steve Hood.
Get the Free Download
Download this post by hitting the button below—you’ll get a zip file containing a lightweight one-page PDF and a superlight text file for your digital GM’s folder or virtual tabletop (VTT).
If you’ve found this resource useful, please let me know by leaving a comment. And also leave a comment if you have a suggestion to make this kind of post better.