GREED: ALL FOR WHAT?

Sure the Sovereigns managed to break off some parts of the ghouls once in a while. But those parts simply warp back to the section where they were detached from. The only consequence is that the ghouls get weaker. But they won't stop their hunt and they will continue to grow stronger the more Vampires they kill.

Ragnarok observed to himself. "I shouldn't have been worried for the ghouls. The Vampires have prospered in the Underdark. It is working against them now."

This tactic of using Familiars to slow down Ghouls is just a preventive tactic. It might have worked when Vampires were few in number when the ghouls were just created. But now the Underdark is full of Vampires. There is too much stimulation for the ghouls. 

The delay tactic of the familiars is not working because there are too many Vampires within the warp range of the Ghouls. The Ghouls will simply ignore everything including physical and spiritual barriers to appear before their target. That will put the Ghouls within warp range of even more Vampires. In some areas full of Vampires, the Ghouls were effectively jumping from one target to another. 

The ghouls become stronger with each kill and each Vampire that they kill also results in the death of all the Familiars bonded to them. So the delay tactic using Familiars fell apart quickly.

Ragnarok shook his head as he watched all of these happen. " The only way to stop their reign of terror is to keep Vampires far away from each other.

But even that isn't going to stop them from still chasing after the Vampires that they have locked on."

He knows the terror of the ghouls so he knows what the Vampires need to do. The Vampires definitely do too but they are too many of them and all of them are running for their lives. It is spreading the blight of ghouls further around the Underdark and making it difficult to put their knowledge into action. 

A vampire might be safe after avoiding every ghoul. But all their effort will be destroyed as long as another Vampire that has been locked onto comes close to the safe Vampire. That will bring the ghouls over. 

Nothing can stop the Ghouls from chasing after any Vampire that they locked on. A single compromised Vampire will doom an entire Cavern of safe Vampires. So the ghouls accumulate more targets in the process of chasing after their current targets. It was a massacre unlike any other. 

Ragnarok saw all these and he couldn't help but chuckle sinisterly. "Burn. Let it all burn. Feel my despair. Feel my pain."

He made sure to stay as far away from the ghouls as possible. It will not do for him to enjoy the suffering of the ghouls only to implicate himself and join in their suffering. But he still put in the effort to disrupt the defenses of the Vampires. 

Thanks to his efforts, the blight of ghouls became a rock rolling down a hill. It kept accumulating momentum as time passed. Soon it would be unstoppable. 

-----+-+++

Somewhere In The Underdark.

A particular Vampire held a Ghoul at arm's length. This Vampire is tall and buff. Her arms are thick like tree trunks. Her body is like that of a titan. She is burly and buff. It is a very odd look for a Vampire. 

Vampires are slim creatures of grace and poise. They don't look like brutes who are all brawn and no brain. This particular Vampire surely has the look of a brute. Her hair is long but scattered over her head. It looks more like a wild bush than hair.

This large space is the territory of this Vampire. This territory has been attacked by a single Ghoul but it is still peaceful. It is because this Vampire is in this territory. Sure the Vampire is strong. But that isn't the reason why the ghoul ignored everyone else familiar and vampires alike to attack this single Vampire. It has something to do with the red halo on her head.

The ghoul warped straight through everything to appear in the Castle where this Vampire was having a meeting with the dukes of its Lineage. The Ghoul appeared directly in front of the throne she was sitting on. The dukes all paled when they saw the Ghoul. Then they relaxed visibly. They are safe as long as they are in the presence of their Primogenitor.

"This is bad news." She said as she toyed with the ghoul.

The rabid ghoul is trying to reach her. It has its hands outstretched trying to grab her. But she is keeping it away from her by pushing it away with her long thick arms. The Ghoul is growling in frustration because of it. Its red eyes stared hatefully at its target while she stared back at it with her red eyes. They both have red eyes which they are using to glare at each other.

Someone standing beside the primogenitor spoke. "It doesn't look so bad. You have things handled by the looks of it."

She snorted. "That's because there's only one of it. I won't be able to fend them off if they are more than 4. They will tear me apart. I won't be able to escape them. It will be a nightmare."

Her eyes glazed over in terror as she spoke. She is speaking from experience. She has seen such an event happen. It is coming to her now and it is bringing with it the terror she felt back then. 

A single Ghoul is trouble enough for normal Vampires. The most frustrating part of Ghouls is the constant pursuit. You can only run from them. You can never hide. Then it will be the end of the road for you when you enter their warp range. Things go downhill from there since you won't be able to run again. The ghouls will stick to Vampires like the black color sticks to coal.