Ghoul

Ghouls are mutated humans or animals affected by the phenomenon of ghoulification. The phenomenon has been observed in humans, gorillas, and American black bears. In the case of humans, ghouls are sometimes referred to as necrotic post-humans in the Capital Wasteland, but this term does not seem to have been adopted outside of it. Despite their zombie-like appearance, the flesh of ghouls is not actually rotten. Intense and prolonged radiation has ravaged their skin, much of their flesh, and in some cases many of their ligaments. Despite their infertility and in some cases mental deterioration, they have greatly extended overall lifespans and are immune to (and sometimes even healed by) background radiation and/or nuclear fallout.

History
The history of ghouls is a mixture of suffering and plight. The bulk of ghouls emerged as a result of the Great War, although there are a cases of some men using controlled exposure of radiation to ghoulify themselves and ride out the upcoming war. There was also an experimental radiation drug being tested somewhere in the Commonwealth. It's known side effects were why Hancock sought out the last remaining dosage.

New California
In California, ghouls were the first group of survivors to begin rebuilding civilization – the inhabitants of Vault 12 beneath Bakersfield founded the Necropolis in the summer of 2083. Less than a year later, in 2084, Set wrestled control of the settlement from the original Overseer and instituted his own reign, characterized by delusions of grandeur. The city would eventually decline, starting with the attack by Unity in 2157, who expected to find an unopened Vault in the ruins of the city. After many ghouls were killed in the assault, Set negotiated peace with the super mutants, after explaining that the ghouls are indeed the vault dwellers. The recovery operation failed, but Unity established a stronghold in the town to ensure Set's cooperation and watch for humans.

It would finally be destroyed and most of its population killed in a retaliatory expedition by the super mutants, sent to the city after the Vault Dweller raided the Vault and recovered the water chip, eliminating the super mutant garrison in the process. This has led to a Great Migration and the eventual founding of a number of ghoul and ghoul-friendly settlements, including Broken Hills in 2185, the NCR state of Dayglow around 2189, Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide Collector's Edition p.41: "New California Republic ''The New California Republic was born from the remnants of the survivors of Vault 15 and the small walled community they founded, Shady Sands. Under the leadership of Aradesh, and with the assistance of the Vault Dweller (who saved Tandi, Aradesh's daughter and a future president of the NCR), the community prospered. Trade routes with other settlements allowed cultural exchange, and a movement to form a national entity gradually took root and won popular acceptance. In 2186, the town of Shady Sands changed its name to "New California Republic" and formed a trial council government to draft a constitution. Four more settlements joined the council, and in 2189 the NCR was voted into existence as a sprawling federation of five states: Shady Sands, Los Angeles, Maxson, Hub, and Dayglow.'' ''By post-apocalyptic standards, the NCR is a paragon of economic success and good ethical character: political enfranchisement, rule of law, a reasonable degree of physical security, and a standard of living better than mere subsistence are daily realities for it's 700,000+ citizens. Currently, the NCR in a state of transition, with rapid economic growth and a sea change in political leadership endangering its grand humanitarian ideals. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Mojave, where the occupation of Hoover Dam has improved access to electricity and water, but at the cost of straining its budget and embroiling its armed forces in a morally corrosive imperialist project.'' ''The NCR government's aim is to annex New Vegas as the republic's sixth state. While it already controls Hoover Dam, its treaty with Mr. House and the three families compels it to allot one-fifth of the dam's electrical and water production to local use free of charge. Adding injury to insult, the NCR is locked into protecting New Vegas from invasion by Caesar's legion even as it receives not one cap in tax revenue from the Strip's highly lucrative resort operations. NCR citizens in the Mojave have largely come here for economic reasons, whether as paid citizen soldiers or as prospectors and fortune-seekers."'' (Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide faction profiles) and Gecko in 2235. Though problems with equality continue, ghouls are increasingly seen as equal members of society, though their numbers steadily dwindle. Sometime in 2242 marked the end for both Broken Hills and Gecko as they relied on the selling of and using of uranium mined.

In the Mojave Wasteland, they can be found in small amounts throughout the region, but no town is completely dedicated to them. There are usually a few ghouls living among humans in various communities performing jobs in order to survive, such as the guard Beatrix Russell and the comedian Hadrian, both of which are in Freeside. The only known community of ghouls in the region is the Bright Brotherhood, a religious faction located in the REPCONN test site, founded and led by an intelligent glowing one named Jason Bright, who wants to leave Earth and go into space to find a "new world," a promised land foretold by Bright himself. There are also several ghoul rangers occupying Ranger station Echo, implying some level of acceptance of ghouls serving in the NCR.

One of the most terrifying developments in ghoul history took place in 2277, at the Divide, where the nuclear warheads triggered by the Courier's delivery of an automated nuclear launch device exploded and triggered rapid ghoulification of the Legion and NCR forces engaged in battle there. Worse yet, the terrifying storms of the Divide flayed them alive, causing them to become dead men walking – marked for death, sustained only by the intense radiation that permeates the Divide. As they never appear outside the Divide, due to the necessity of staying near radiation sources to remain alive, the marked men became a legend in the wasteland, like the Sierra Madre, the Burned Man, or the Big Empty.

East Coast
The densely urbanized East had a great concentration of American population and was strongly affected by the nuclear fallout. People who took shelter in areas affected by it experienced radiation poisoning; those who did not die became ghouls. Within a year, the first ghouls began to appear and with them, the first fledgling settlements, like Underworld in Washington, D.C., which existed as late as 2277. Although in areas like Appalachia, ghouls were quickly sought out and exterminated, no matter what relation they may have had with others before they became Ghouls. Another population of ghouls, transformed Chinese operatives stranded on American soil, chose to sequester themselves from the wasteland. The Chinese Remnant remained stuck in the United States for over two centuries.

In other areas, like the Commonwealth, ghouls cohabited with humans. The most noticeable example was Diamond City. Ghouls were a part of the city's population from its foundation in the 2130s to the 2282 election. Diamond City was gripped by a wave of racism, thanks to a candidate by the name of McDonough. He ran for the city's mayor on the Mankind for McDonough platform and won the election thanks to the votes of the Upper Stands citizens. The anti-ghoul decree of 2282 was enacted in his inaugural speech, leading to a pogrom of ghoulish citizens. Entire families were thrown out of the City by their human neighbors, straight into the surrounding ruins to perish without a cap to their name.The Sole Survivor: "Thanks. You're not so bad yourself." Hancock: "I never get many complaints. It's just real rare these days, find someone who's not just willing to take things the way they're handed to them. Too many good folks not willing to get their hands dirty and too many assholes taking advantage of it. Look at what happened to Diamond City. Before McDonough took over, it was a half-decent place to live. A little stricter than I usually go for, but not terrible. I thought he and I had a pretty happy childhood. But then he decides he's gonna try and get elected with his anti-Ghoul crusade - "Mankind for McDonough." Before ya know it, you got families with kids lining up to drag folks they called "neighbor" out of their homes and throw 'em to the ruins." The Sole Survivor: "How could they do something like that?" Hancock: "There'd always been a pretty big gulf between the folks living in the stands and folks down on the field. McDonough ran on it because he thought enough of those Upper Stands assholes would vote for him. Guess he was right." The Sole Survivor: "It could have gone worse. At least they left with their lives." Hancock: ''"And how long do you think those folks lasted in the ruins? The city condemned those Ghouls to die. Cowards just got someone else to pull the trigger. I remember storming into his office above the stands after the inauguration speech. He was just standing there, staring out the window, watching as the city turned on the Ghouls. He didn't even look at me, just said: "I did it, John. It's finally mine." Should have killed him right there, but I don't think it would have changed anything. Instead I pleaded with him, begged him to call it off. He said he couldn't. He had nothing against the Ghouls. He was just carrying out the will of the people. And he couldn't betray the voters. And then he smiled. That hideous, fucking mile-long smile. He never smiled like that when we were kids. I didn't even recognize him."'' (Hancock's dialogue)

Most of them perished, killed by raiders, Commonwealth wildlife, or Goodneighbor warlords. The minority that survived scattered across the region. In one notable instance, a refugee called Wiseman founded the Slog, the foremost tarberry farm in the Commonwealth.

Elsewhere
Ghouls from other regions most likely originated from opportune or home-made shelters. Such shelters were not adequate to fully protect against all the effects of nuclear fallout. Radiation levels in some areas were such that they were low enough not to kill people but high enough not to leave them unscathed. There are ghouls in the Midwest, most notably a nuclear weapon-worshiping cult in Kansas City. Both Quincy and Springfield also have at least some ghoul occupants. In Texas, many of the former residents of Los Ybanez (known as Los after the Great War) became ghouls, probably when blocked at the entrance of the Secret Vault. Later, in the same city, the Church of the Lost was created by former vault-dwellers that had become ghouls.

Biology
Ghouls were "created" in the Great War of 2077, with the exception of at least one pre-War ghoul, Edward Winter. Ghouls are still alive during Fallout (2161), Fallout 2 (2241), Fallout 3 (2277), Fallout: New Vegas (2281) and Fallout 4 (2287). All ghouls live considerably longer than normal humans, though they are sterile. The reason for this longevity has to do with differences on the cellular level, and the ability of ghoul DNA to regenerate at a rate unmatched by normal human nucleic acids. Occasionally, additional genetic material is added as a result of the mutation. The unnaturally long lifespan of a ghoul is also due to a mutation within the autonomic nervous system of certain individuals following exposure to specific combinations of ionizing radiation with wavelengths below ten picometers. Radiation that has such a short wavelength, is known as gamma radiation and is normally lethal to healthy humans in even moderate doses. The mutation in response to gamma radiation that produces ghouls disrupts the normal process of decay in the neurotransmitters along the spinal cord.

Ghouls were not an immediate phenomenon. The process took months or years for some. After a few weeks, their skin slowly started to flake off and crack, as well as partial or complete hair loss. In Fallout 3, Carol explains that even after the War it took a while for the ghouls to start looking like they do now. However, there have been occasions when ghouls are made instantly by large doses of radiation. For example, Camp Searchlight, where an entire base of NCR soldiers was transformed into feral ghouls (except Private Edwards) when radioactive waste containers were opened by members of Caesar's Legion, the ghoulification of Moira Brown after the atomic bomb in Megaton was detonated by the Lone Wanderer (if the player character chose to do so) and Hancock turning into a ghoul via a chem in Fallout 4.

Although often lacking strength due to decayed tissue, ghouls have heightened senses, making them more perceptive and lucky than other wasteland humanoids. As a result, chems like Jet barely affect them. Dr. Barrows, when healing the player character, bemoans the fact that "You humans are so fragile."

Specifically, the neurotransmitters affected in a ghoul's mutation are those responsible for cardiac and respiratory function in a healthy human being. These transmitters are continually regenerated at a greatly accelerated rate after the mutation sets in, carrying sufficient oxygen to sustain the life of the subject while being insufficient to retain dermal elasticity and avoid the resulting necrosis, the result of which is the decaying, corpse-like appearance of post-mutation humans. Old ghouls may also still suffer from some of the debilitating effects of old age, however, as some of the two-century-old ghouls like Raul Tejada and Dean Domino complain of knee problems when made to crouch (and both of them were far from elderly when they became ghouls). Raul also mentions how he's no longer as swift and agile as he used to be in his youth, though this might be psychosomatic and/or fed by Raul's continuous doubts about his age and place in the world. Still, these may indicate that their regenerative abilities' problems with skin could extend to other soft tissues of their joints. Considering that ghouls are missing their noses, the pinna of the ear, and some complain of knee pain, it may be that the process of ghoulification also damages the cartilage in the human body.

In physical appearance, a ghoul's flesh is constantly rotting off, appearing very raw and discolored from necrosis (although, in the case of non-feral ghouls seen in Fallout 4, the physical appearance of their flesh is more consistent with severe burn scars than necrosis). Lips and eyelids are sometimes absent, and noses are in almost every case completely rotted off. Feral ghouls are typically heavily emaciated and hunched over (possibly due to malnutrition and lack of sunlight), while non-ferals typically have a healthier, more human-like build and posture. Another major difference between ferals and non-ferals is how they dress. While non-ferals usually dress like normal humans, feral ghouls wear little clothing other than tattered pants or sections of old armor, having long ago lost the mental capacity to mend or replace their clothes.

Ghouls, at least the non-feral ones, are generally as intelligent as normal humans. However, their intelligence has in some cases decreased at varying rates as a result of the radiation rotting their brains. This degradation may continue until their ability to reason has gone completely, and they become feral. Their physical repulsiveness makes the life of a ghoul difficult at best - only the most tolerant human communities accept them as anything more than monsters. Some ghouls eventually go mad, and it remains unclear exactly what precipitates this change in neurobiology and psychology, but anecdotal evidence seems to indicate that non-social ghouls, or those in isolation, are more prone to the condition. It is known that ghouls can turn feral when exposed to excessive levels of radiation. In the only known case of a ghoulified child, Billy Peabody survived for 210 years locked inside of a refrigerator subsisting on nothing but radiation and whatever meager contents that his prison still contained. Ghouls that succumb to insanity are called "feral ghouls." They are mindlessly aggressive and, having lost their ability to reason, driven entirely by their instincts. These feral ghouls strongly resemble zombies like those depicted in old horror films, and this misconception succeeds in alienating non-feral ghouls even more from humans. The term "zombie" has become an offensive racial slur to ghouls and "smoothskin" is a derogatory term for humans often used by ghouls.

Ghouls are immune to most forms of radiation that still remain in the wasteland. Radiation poisoning cannot get worse for the ghouls, though it can hasten the process of decay and lead to their decline into the feral state as described above. However, many ghouls report feeling healthier when exposed to low-level radiation and thus make their homes near locations with acute background radiation. The ghouls known as "glowing ones" actually enjoy large amounts of radiation, which they describe as being "comfortably warm." They are even healed by it.

One of the most common side effects of ghoulification is sporadic or even complete hair loss. Few ghouls retain enough hair on their heads to actually maintain a haircut, and ghouls with facial hair are even rarer. Another is vocal degradation, as ghouls with clear voices are very uncommon, most having a raspy rattle to theirs. Desmond Lockheart from Point Lookout and Raul Tejada from Fallout: New Vegas are two of the few examples of ghouls with facial hair, and Plik from Point Lookout and Jason Bright from Fallout: New Vegas are two examples of ghouls with an exceptionally clear voice. While the exact cause of the typical "voice damage" is unknown, it is more than likely partial decay of the vocal cords. In the case of Billy Peabody, the only known child ghoul, his normal speaking voice was retained while his parents' voices were severely distorted.

People who purposefully turned themselves into ghouls, such as Desmond Lockhart and Eddie Winter, escape some of the side effects of ghoulification, keeping most of their hair and having little vocal chord damage, but still suffer from the necrosis of their bodies like other ghouls.

According to M.A.R.Go.T., the "unidentified persons" (feral ghouls) in the Presidential metro area "possess no internal body heat and emit lethal levels of radiation."

Discrimination
The attitude towards ghouls in the wasteland varies from acceptance, through apathy, to outright hostility. This is predicated on a variety of factors – for example, in New California of the mid-22nd century, ghouls were almost legendary creatures, as their population had isolated itself within Necropolis, leading to the rise of rumors about terrifying zombies living within its borders. The fact that patrols that entered the city rarely returned alive (as was the case with two patrols Killian Darkwater sent into it) did not help. Of course, some daring souls (like Keri Lee of Crimson Caravan) managed to make inroads and secure lucrative trade relationships with the ghouls of the city (or skags, as the Hubbers referred to them).

Vault City is a textbook example of racial prejudice at work. Since the atomic reactor in Gecko did not operate properly, waste from the power plant started leaking into the local groundwater around 2239 and it eventually led to serious poisoning of the whole reservoir. Harold learned that a hydroelectric magnetosphere regulator was needed for the repair job, but no such part could be found in Gecko, so attempts were made to contact Vault City but the messengers were shot on sight by the Vault City Guard, marking the beginning of an official policy to shoot all ghouls on sight. The situation became worse, when Vault City residents started to believe that the ghouls had deliberately poisoned the groundwater, accusing them of terrorism against Vault City and demanding that they should be punished. The First Citizen of Vault City, Joanne Lynette, even tried to hire someone who was willing to help stopping the Gecko problem by any means necessary.

In regions away from New California, ghouls likewise experience a variety of attitudes. For example, in the Mojave Wasteland, ghouls are generally seen as equals and share both the misery of poverty and the prominence of the stage on equal terms with humans. Of course, not everyone is as egalitarian as the people of Freeside and New Vegas. The New Vegas Strip doesn't permit the entrance of ghouls or other mutants unless under the supervision of a human visitor, or with permission from a higher-up. The Bright Brotherhood is a cult centered around Jason Bright, formed in response to suffering its members experienced at the hands of humans. In some areas, ghoul lynchings also happen, while in others ghouls are considered a possible threat and are fired upon – like in Washington, D.C., where Lyons' Brotherhood of Steel members will routinely open fire on ghouls sighted in the city.

A lot of anti-ghoul sentiment is caused by inexperience and ignorance. For example, some believe ghouls to be carriers of disease, without ever having examined one, while others believe that all ghouls are inevitably bound to become feral and pose a threat to people around them, a sentiment with a lot of truth to it. This was the basis for the Anti-ghoul decree of 2282 in Diamond City, that saw their ejection from the city based on prejudice.

Sometimes, the situation is not helped by the ghouls themselves. Of particular note was the cause of Roy Phillips, a disgruntled ghoul from the Capital Wasteland, obsessed about seizing Tenpenny Tower for himself. His increasingly threatening behavior, when refused entry by Chief Gustavo, led to suspicions that he might attack the Tower directly, only confirming the security chief's belief that all ghouls are walking ticking bombs.

That said, misconceptions and prejudice are not unique to humans. Apart from the hateful Roy Phillips, even the seemingly tolerant inhabitants of the Underworld have shown a racist side when some of them threatened Doctor Barrows over his research into ghoulification and its causes, claiming that "ghouls are ghouls and humans are humans." Fortunately, not all ghouls are like that and many long for their pre-mutation life and seek ways to reverse the changes, no matter how unlikely the means.

Legal protection
Some polities take steps to protect ghouls and other mutants, like the New California Republic, which extended legal protection to them in 2205 (though enforcement of these laws is notoriously spotty) and allowed a significant number of ghouls of both genders to serve in the ranks of the New California Republic Rangers, with the bulk of them being accorded veteran status due to their resilience and experience in combat.

Feral ghoul


Feral ghouls are among the more unfortunate mutants whose minds have deteriorated from prolonged radiation poisoning, becoming instinct-driven savages, attacking anyone and anything relentlessly, save for other ghouls, although this is rather tenuous and they are known to attack intelligent ghouls. Wearing the ghoul mask in Fallout 3 makes all feral ghouls ignore the player character unless directly assaulted. Despite what Roy Phillips says, no matter how close one gets to a feral ghoul when wearing the ghoul mask, they will not "sniff you out," and become hostile.

Glowing one
These ghouls have absorbed so much radiation they glow a ghastly green color in the dark. They are known as "glowing ones," and are often considered outsiders even by other ghouls. The glowing ones can sustain a lot more damage than other ghouls, second only to reavers. They also emit radiation from their whole body, and can even release a devastating blast of energy from their bodies at will, healing nearby ghouls and harming unlucky attackers caught in the blast radius.

People have seen on more than one occasion a feral glowing one fighting or being chased by "normal" feral ghouls. Although very rare, it is possible for a glowing one to retain their intelligence and cognitive functions, such as Jason Bright, Oswald the Outrageous, and several unnamed ghouls in Necropolis and most of the technicians at the Gecko power plant.

Intelligent ghoul


Intelligent ghouls have suffered little to no mental degradation from their condition and retain their full faculties from before their transformation. These ghouls possess the ability to talk, and they normally wear clothing, as well as carrying and using weapons. Some may have hair on their head, but not a lot. Some male ghouls, such as Raul Tejada, may even be lucky enough to retain some semblance of facial hair, similar to Desmond in the Fallout 3 add-on Point Lookout, with hair on both his head and face. They normally have a low, gravely, and rather raspy voice, most likely due to damage to their vocal cords from a combination of radiation and necrosis. Jason Bright, an intelligent glowing one, from Fallout: New Vegas has a normal voice, although it has an odd echoing quality to it. If Megaton is destroyed in Fallout 3, Moira Brown has a similar, but notably different voice effect. Regular ghouls walk normally, unlike ferals, which hunch over. The majority of them are not hostile and will not attack without provocation. Ghouls often refer to humans as "smoothskins." These ghouls also find terms such as "shuffler" and "zombie" to be offensive. Hostile intelligent ghouls, violent even without provocation, do exist, the most noteworthy being the Chinese remnants, Chinese spies, soldiers, and special forces units trapped in the United States following the Great War. Remnant forces are wholly unaware (or perhaps in denial) of the worldwide nuclear destruction that has occurred and believe that they are still in a state of war, continuing to follow old objectives sent to them pre-War by the People's Liberation Army. Remnant forces have retained much of their intelligence and training, and attack all those they encounter without hesitation.

Marked men


Skinned alive by the winds of the Divide (via a failed Big MT experiment), and turned into ghouls by the radiation of the exploded underground missiles, marked men suffer from a unique form of ghoulification only seen in the Divide. The injuries they suffer from would mean the death of an ordinary ghoul, and the radiation of the Divide is believed to be the only thing keeping them alive. Despite still being cognitive enough to carry weapons and utilize advanced tactics such as constructing outposts and utilizing guard towers, they are still immediately hostile to any and all outsiders that venture near.

Endless walker


Ghouls exposed to the harsh conditions of the American Southwest for too long will become what is known as an endless walker. Years of the desert sun has cooked their brain, destroying the cerebrum and turning any normal ghouls that undergo the process feral. They are cursed to endlessly walk, forever searching for something to quiet their insatiable appetite. Their skin has hardened into a natural leather, making them more resilient.

Born ghoul


Through cruel experimentation on humans by Dr. Sebastian at the Reservation, born ghouls were created. They are ghouls who have not mutated from humans, but who were actually born into ghoul-dom. There are only three known born ghouls.

Appearances
Ghouls appear in every Fallout game to date.

Behind the scenes

 * A ghoul is described as "Bloodman" in an old Fallout concept art piece.
 * In folklore, a ghoul is a monster or spirit that is associated with graveyards and consuming human flesh.

Controversy over origins
There is some disagreement, even among the makers of Fallout games, about the origins of ghouls. While Tim Cain said explicitly that ghouls are only a result of radiation, consistent with an understanding of the science of radiation as it stood during the 1950s, Chris Taylor said that a mix of both radiation and FEV was involved. While Chris Avellone initially supported the latter view in his Fallout Bible, he was later convinced to support the radiation-only version.