An energy trace left at the exact spot where a death took place. The more violent the death, the brighter the glow. Strong glows may persist for many years.
Defences against ghosts
The three principal defences, in order of effectiveness, are silver , iron and salt . Lavender also affords some protection, as do bright light and running water .
DEPRAC
The Department of Psychical Research and Control. A government organization devoted to tackling the Problem . DEPRAC investigates the nature of ghosts , seeks to destroy the most dangerous ones, and monitors the activities of the many competing agencies .
Ectoplasm
A strange, variable substance from which ghosts are formed. In its concentrated state, ectoplasm is very harmful to the living. See also ichor .
A rare and unnerving class of ghost that appears in the shape of a living person, usually someone known to the onlooker. Fetches are seldom aggressive, but the fear and disorientation they evoke is so strong that most experts classify them as Type Two spirits, to be treated with extreme caution.
Fittes Manual
A famous book of instruction for ghost-hunters written by Marissa Fittes, the founder of Britain’s first psychical agency .
A female Type One ghost , a variety of Cold Maiden . Floating Brides are generally headless, or missing another part of their anatomy. Some search for their missing extremity; others cradle it or hold it mournfully aloft. Named after the ghosts of two royal brides, beheaded at Hampton Court Palace.
Gallows mark
A stone used to support a gallows post. Often this stone remains at the execution site long after the wooden frame has rotted away.
A malignant subtype of Wraith , found at former places of execution. ‘Old Crack-neck’, which killed three agents in Tyburn Fields, is the most famous gallows Wraith of all.
Ghost
The spirit of a dead person. Ghosts have existed throughout history, but – for unclear reasons – are now increasingly common. There are many varieties; broadly speaking, however, they can be organized into three main groups (see Type One , Type Two , Type Three ). Ghosts always linger near a Source , which is often the place of their death. They are at their strongest after dark, and most particularly between the hours of midnight and two a.m. Most are unaware or uninterested in the living. A few are actively hostile.
Ghost cult
A group of people who, for a variety of reasons, share an unhealthy interest in the returning dead.
Ghost-fog
A thin, greenish-white mist, occasionally produced during a manifestation . Possibly formed of ectoplasm , it is cold and unpleasant, but not itself dangerous to the touch.
Ghost-jar
A silver-glass receptacle used to constrain an active Source .
Ghost-lamp
An electrically powered street-light that sends out beams of strong white light to discourage ghosts . Most ghost-lamps have shutters fixed over their glass lenses; these snap on and off at intervals throughout the night.
Ghost-lock
A dangerous power displayed by Type Two ghosts , possibly an extension of malaise . Victims are sapped of their willpower, and overcome by a feeling of terrible despair. Their muscles seem as heavy as lead, and they can no longer think or move freely. In most cases they end up transfixed, waiting helplessly as the hungry ghost glides closer and closer . . .
Ghost-touch
The effect of bodily contact with an apparition , and the most deadly power of an aggressive ghost . Beginning with a sensation of sharp, overwhelming cold, ghost-touch swiftly spreads an icy numbness around the body. One after another, vital organs fail; soon the body turns bluish and starts to swell. Without swift medical intervention, ghost-touch is usually fatal.
The faintest perceptible Type One ghost. Glimmers manifest only as flecks of other-light flitting through the air. They can be touched or walked through without harm.
Greek Fire
Another name for magnesium flares . Early weapons of this kind were apparently used against ghosts during the days of the Byzantine (or Greek) Empire, a thousand years ago.
Ectoplasm in its thickest, most concentrated form. It burns many materials, and is safely constrained only by silver-glass .
Iron
An ancient and important protection against ghosts of all kinds. Ordinary people fortify their homes with iron decorations, and carry it on their persons in the form of wards . Agents carry iron rapiers and chains, and so rely on it for both attack and defence.
Lavender
The strong sweet smell of this plant is thought to discourage evil spirits. As a result, many people wear dried sprigs of lavender, or burn it to release the pungent smoke. Agents sometimes carry vials of lavender water to use against weak Type Ones .
A swollen, misshapen variety of Type Two ghost , with a generally human head and torso, but lacking recognisable arms and legs. With Wraiths and Raw-bones , one of the least pleasing apparitions . Often accompanied by strong sensations of miasma and creeping fear .
Listening
One of the three main categories of psychic Talent . Sensitives with this ability are able to hear the voices of the dead, echoes of past events, and other unnatural sounds associated with manifestations .
A variety of Type One ghost that hangs back in the shadows, rarely moving, never approaching the living, but spreading strong feelings of anxiety and creeping fear .
Magnesium flare
A metal canister with a breakable glass seal, containing magnesium, iron, salt, gunpowder and an igniting device. An important agency weapon against aggressive ghosts .
Malaise
A feeling of despondent lethargy often experienced when a ghost is approaching. In extreme cases this can deepen into dangerous ghost-lock .
Manifestation
A ghostly occurrence. May involve all kinds of supernatural phenomena, including sounds, smells, odd sensations, moving objects, drops in temperature and the glimpse of apparitions .
Miasma
An unpleasant atmosphere, often including disagreeable tastes and smells, experienced in the run-up to a manifestation . Regularly accompanied by creeping fear , malaise and chill .
Night watch
Groups of children, usually working for large companies and local government councils, who guard factories, offices and public areas after dark. Though not allowed to use rapiers , night-watch children have long iron -tipped spears to keep apparitions at bay.
Operative
Another name for a psychical investigation agent.
Other-light
An eerie, unnatural light radiating from some apparitions .
Any Type Two ghost that maintains an airy, delicate and see-through form. A Phantasm may be almost invisible, aside from its faint outline and a few wispy details of its face and features. Despite its insubstantial appearance, it is no less aggressive than the more solid-seeming Spectre , and all the more dangerous for being harder to see.
A powerful and destructive class of Type Two ghost . Poltergeists release strong bursts of supernatural energy that can lift even heavy objects into the air. They do not form apparitions .
Problem, the
The epidemic of hauntings currently affecting Britain.
Rapier
The official weapon of all psychical investigation agents. The tips of the iron blades are sometimes coated with silver .
A rare and unpleasant kind of ghost , which manifests as a bloody, skinless corpse with goggling eyes and grinning teeth. Not popular with agents. Many authorities regard it as a variety of Wraith .
Relic-man/relic-woman
Someone who locates Sources and other psychic artefacts and sells them on the black market.
Salt
A commonly used defence against Type One ghosts . Less effective than iron and silver , salt is cheaper than both, and used in many household deterrents.
Salt bomb
A small plastic throwing-globe filled with salt . Shatters on impact, spreading salt in all directions. Used by agents to drive back weaker ghosts . Less effective against stronger entities.
Salt gun
A device that projects a fine spray of salty water across a wide area. A useful weapon against Type One ghosts . Increasingly employed by larger agencies .
Sanatorium
A hospital for patients with chronic illnesses.
Seal
An object, usually of silver or iron , designed to enclose or cover a Source , and prevent the escape of its ghost .
Sensitive, a
Someone who is born with unusually good psychic Talent . Most Sensitives join agencies or the night watch ; others provide psychic services without actually confronting Visitors .
The standard Type One ghost , and possibly the most common kind of Visitor . Shades may appear quite solid, in the manner of Spectres , or be insubstantial and wispy, like Phantasms ; however, they entirely lack the dangerous intelligence of either. Shades seem unaware of the presence of the living, and are usually bound into a fixed pattern of behaviour. They project feelings of grief and loss, but seldom display anger or any stronger emotion. They almost always appear in human form.
A deceptively beautiful variety of Type Two ghost that manifests as a young boy (or, more rarely, girl), walking in the centre of cold, blazing other-light .