Bestiary

The following is a short list of creatures/entities that appear on Gloom MUX — it is by no means complete, and there is always some degree of flexibility if storytellers want to deviate from the information here and desire to +request something else for their plots.

Demon

Demon is a catch-all term for malevolent entities that originate from the Gloom and are not easily classified as a specific type of Other (ghouls, gremlins, etc.). Although they are capable of taking human shape, their alternate forms vary wildly if corporeal, and their preferred method of interaction with humanity is through possession. Because demons come from the Gloom, they are not associated with any one particular religious creed; some, however, may adopt names from religious faiths if it suits their purpose, which is increasing the Gloom's influence on our world through human suffering.

Contrary to popular belief, powerful demons cannot be exorcised; instead, they have to be convinced to leave, or the host killed, making them one of the most difficult adversaries that the Watch comes into contact with. Less powerful demons can be exorcised, but only by those who possess true faith (pastors, rabbis, etcetera).

Ghost

Ghoul

Ghouls are a type of Other that feed on human corpses, abduct young children to eat, and lure unwary people to abandoned places where the Gloom can absorb them. They are most commonly found in graveyards and cemeteries where they take the form of the person they last consumed; their true shape is that of a hunched, emaciated corpse-like creature with leathery skin stretched over bony limbs, which appear too long to belong to a human being.

Ghouls are solitary and can be destroyed by normal means.

Gremlin

Touched

See: The Gloom.

Tulpa

Vampire

Vampires do not typically come from the Gloom, but are human beings who have been affected by it in some way, whether they are Touched or otherwise. They are similar to the undead found in popular fiction (and are probably the source of most of the folklore surrounding them) in that they require either human blood (most common) or (psychic energy) for nourishment. Although not all beings that the Watch categorizes as vampires are the same, the organization has documented that most possess the following traits:

  1. Aversion to sunlight (usually fatal).
  2. Susceptible to fire, decapitation, stakes through the heart (ash, hawthorne or oak preferred).
  3. Arithmomania.
  4. Will not set foot on consecrated ground.
  5. Only affected by holy water/holy symbols when wielded by someone with true faith.
  6. Sexually sterile, reproduce via bite; can also be created when a corpse is not given a proper burial, or when the deceased is a suicide or murder victim, targeted after death by the Gloom's influence.
  7. Gaunt and tired-looking — do possess (horrifying) reflections that can be seen by other paranormal entities (including the Touched).

A group of vampires living together is called a nest. They typically form small units and do not have any kind of hierarchy outside of them; each unit establishes its own territory inside an urban area from which it takes its prey, causing them to come into conflict with one another in areas where territories overlap.

Vampires are usually hostile toward the Watch, with a few exceptions.

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