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
.
Shade
fn1
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.
Shining Boy
fn2
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
.
Sight
The psychic ability to see
apparitions
and other ghostly phenomena, such as
death-glows
. One of the three main varieties of psychic
Talent
.
Silver
An important and potent
defence
against
ghosts
. Worn by many people as
wards
in the form of jewellery. Agents use it to coat their
rapiers
, and as a crucial component of their
seals
.
Silver-glass
A special ‘ghost-proof’ glass used to encase
Sources
.
Source
The object or place through which a
ghost
enters the world.
Spectre
fn2
The most commonly encountered
Type Two ghost
. A Spectre always forms a clear, detailed
apparition
, which may in some cases seem almost solid. It is usually an accurate visual echo of the deceased as they were when alive or newly dead. Spectres are less nebulous than
Phantasms
and less hideous than
Wraiths
, but equally varied in behaviour. Many are neutral or benign in their dealings with the living – perhaps returning to reveal a secret, or make right an ancient wrong. Some, however, are actively hostile, and hungry for human contact. These ghosts should be avoided at all costs.
Stalker
fn1
A
Type One ghost
that seems drawn to living people, following them at a distance, but never venturing close. Agents who are skilled at
Listening
often detect the slow shuffling of its bony feet, and its desolate sighs and groans.
Stone Knocker
fn1
A desperately uninteresting
Type One ghost
, which does precious little apart from tap.
Talent
The ability to see, hear or otherwise detect
ghosts
. Many children, though not all, are born with a degree of psychic Talent. This skill tends to fade towards adulthood, though it still lingers in some grown-ups. Children with better-than-average Talent join the
night watch
. Exceptionally gifted children usually join the
agencies
. The three main categories of Talent are
Sight
,
Listening
and
Touch
.
Tom O’Shadows
fn1
A London term for a
Lurker
or
Shade
that lingers in doorways, arches or alleyways. An everyday, urban
ghost
.
Touch
The ability to detect psychic echoes from objects that have been closely associated with a death or a supernatural
manifestation
. Such echoes take the form of visual images, sounds and other sense impressions. One of the three main varieties of
Talent
.
Type One
The weakest, most common, and least dangerous grade of
ghost
. Type Ones are scarcely aware of their surroundings, and often locked into a single, repetitious pattern of behaviour. Commonly encountered examples include:
Shades
,
Lurkers
and
Stalkers
. See also
Cold Maiden
,
Floating Bride
,
Glimmer, Pale Stench, Stone Knocker
and
Tom O’Shadows
.
Type Two
The most dangerous commonly occurring grade of
ghost
. Type Twos are stronger than
Type Ones
, and possess some kind of residual intelligence. They are aware of the living, and may attempt to do them harm. The most common Type Twos, in order, are:
Spectres
,
Phantasms
and
Wraiths
. See also
Dark Spectre
,
Fetch
,
Limbless
,
Poltergeist
,
Raw-bones
and
Shining Boy