What is the creature on the cover of this WFRP product?
That's a Crypt Ghoul, identifiable by the spiky bits.
I thought spiky bits is how you knew it was Warhammer.
Btw, here are a couple other things from the 'shadows documents that are of interest (could be developed)
GERARD DAHLMER, SERVANT OF MORR (whose picture is on the cover of 'shadows #2)
HERR gavius KLUGGE, Master wizard of grey order
FRAU HILDE KREMER, CELESTIAL WIZARD
Herr Magnarsson AZGARAZ DWARFcornelius scheffler, celestial wizard
Dorithe Grunwald, Druidess (sifting shadows)
Mortimer Grimme, aged priest of morr
Nez-pince spectacles from cathay
jh
RARodger said:
I thought spiky bits is how you knew it was Warhammer.
Warhammer ghouls looked like relatively normal undead cannibals until WFB7/8e, when they added spines to their backs and called them Crypt Ghouls. I prefer to think of these as a sub-species of ghoul. Bonus points to anyone who can think of a creative explanation for why Crypt Ghouls grow spiky bits, while "normal" ghouls don't.
I'll give it a shot. See, the spine, uh er, the vertebral column undergoes some change during the alteration from living to dead to undead tissue. There are three phases:
The first is this effect: A contractile alteration of the nuchal and interspinous ligaments occurs causing bone spurs to begin to grow…
Phase 2 is where it all goes out the window. Some kind of wierd voodoo occurs and the creature goes from dead-dead to dead-not-really-dead.
Phase 3 is when the abominable spikes elongate just to make the creature look scary as hell because that's what necromancy does! Afterall, nothing looks scarier than bone spurs (especially the half-meter kind that grow through the skin and have sharp, spikey nodules growing on them). The ghoul takes on the term "Crypt" ghoul because the spikey growths on the spines of these creatures scrape on the ceilings of crypts and leave bits of flesh and bone behind, dangling, and ready to fall on your shoulder when you look the wrong way for your friends, but for a moment longer than you should. "AH! CRYPT GHOULS" is a common phrase used whenever something falls on you and/or surprises you. This term was first coined in Stirland around 628 years ago. It is amongst the most famous final words that can be uttered..usually before a fatal heart attack takes a person's life, after being scared wholely to death by a fun-loving, but demented friend who has been traveling with you through the halls of Karak Azgul, through an act of ultimate capriciousness sneaks up and say's BOOOOO! to you in the dark (sometimes dropping prop or real skeletal arms on your shoulder at the same time).
Ah! Crypt Ghouls!
jh
Nice one Emirikol. I like how Phase 1 and 2 are "scientific" explanations and then Phase 3 just goes gleefully off the rails. 