The Way of Flesh

Dispersed cohort of mystics who believe the way to truth,
understanding, and immortality is through the consumption of human
flesh and organ. Often mistaken (or coinciding!) for rumoured cults of
true ghuls that lurk beneath the oldest cities the the Rhiat.

The Becoming: There are two doors to the Way of the Flesh: being born
again and communion. Those that are born again are termed the
anpiscis. The rebirth is the process of death. When one dies from
ghuls feeding, it is likely they will be born again. It is a painful
and traumatic process. It is never desired by the victim, and rarely
intended by the Ghul. The process takes seven days after the victims
death, the victim becomes cognizent, but can not act, move, or speak.
Thus the new anpiscis will often awaken in a morgue, during funerary
preparation, or during the funeral. The most traumatic can be when the
awakening comes after the burial. Many anpisci lose their sanity from
the awakening and claw or chew themselves to oblivion, even before
their second life begins.
The path of communion is less traumatic, but more depraved. It is the
creation of true ghouls, or their proper term ghul. It results from a
steady, continuous diet on solely human flesh and blood. Many of the
grotesque and repellant characterisitics of the ghul occur from
frequent flesh consumption, as in the case of cannibals and deranged
serial killers.

Why flesh and blood? It is traditional, and written in the holy books,
that flesh and blood are essential to eternal life. But the flesh must
be infused with prana or the omnessence of the empyreal realm, which
is what sustains the body for eternity. For this same, reason,
spiritual people and mystics are preferred food sources.

The hermetic ideas of correspondence apply to the Ghul. Effects are
obtained through consumptia the act of eating particular body parts.
The eyes bring memories, the brain knowledge, the muscles and sinews
strength and resistence, the genetalia passion and virility.