Aquarian Age: Ghosts

[Steve]

Following the infusion of Glamour into the world with the arrival of the Fae, certain phenomena became more widely reported and common.

 

Other than encountering one of the Fae, ghost hauntings and sightings are experiences brought on by accumulations of Glamour. Traditionally haunted places that predate the arrival of the Fae in the 1960s are some of the most active paranormal spots now, especially those near one of the old Fae Gates. Trickles of Glamour still sleeping into the world from the gates empower ghosts, which some now believe to be sentient manifestations of Glamour. Most such hauntings are merely reenactments of past events, imprinted on the Glamour accumulated in a place, and the ghosts in such cases won't even react to attempts at interacting.

 

Other hauntings are more self-aware, able to respond to stimuli. It can be dangerous to provoke a ghost though, so care must be taken. Some ghosts appear to be manifestations of Unseelie Glamour, and such Specters can be very dangerous.

 

This is part of what makes the Unseelie-controlled regions of the world hazardous. Not only are there goblins haunting the woods and rural regions, but Specters can also be found terrorizing the unwary. Their powers are able to terrify individuals to death, and the strongest are able to manifest physical attacks.

[BlueCloud2k2]

So Ghosts are not undead? Interesting. Very similar to who those who run in neo-pagan groups believe; "Ghosts" and such are just echoes. The souls have already moved on.

[Steve]

In this world, ghosts (especially specters) are more like sentient illusions. They are imprints of a person into the accumulated Glamour of a place, not the person themselves. That said, they can range from wispy images that float around and cold spots up to terrifying phantasms able to throw things around and do other effects with telekinesis.

[BlueCloud2k2]

Will this tie into Ley Lines?

 

As in, the more Fey power in an area, the stronger the Haunt?

 

Cuz from a wiccan POV, it is a matter of Ley Lines and how traumatic the death (tragic and/or violent deaths or deaths of psychotics create strong specific haunts on their own; multiple deaths on a site where Line cross can generate a generic haunt - and when a violent/psychotic dies where multiple Ley Lines meet you wind up with events that inspire Horror films; I've personally see people spontaneously start bleeding from cuts and doors violently slam shut on their own and refuse to open).

[Steve]

That's pretty much how I was viewing it. The stronger the accumulated Glamour in a place, either due to it being a confluence point for Ley Lines or a natural sinkhole where such energy gathers, the more powerful ghosts will be. There are ghost hunters who can come in and dispel the energies, either with weird tech or spellcasting abilities, but some ghosts will simply reform when Glamor re-accumulates. In a sense, it is like a Summon effect tied to a place.

 

Some hauntings are especially powerful, able to harness the local store of Glamour to reshape reality to a degree. There are also haunted places that can be malevolent all by themselves, and the ghosts there are a symptom, not the cause.

[BlueCloud2k2]

How would you explain Eidolons (semi-physical haunts as seen in The Ring, The Grudge, etc)? Or are you planning on ignoring them?

[BlueCloud2k2]

Was digging through some old issues of Dragon. Issue 336 has some good information on haunts and haunted houses.