On the Merits of Unnaturalness (5 page)

THE
 

T
he Guardians, one of the three High Orders, are
endowed with the extremely commendable Ability to exercise a much greater Degree
of Control over Spirits than other Clairvoyants. They are an Order that may
subjugate even the most violent of Spirits, placing them in a far superior
Category to both the Sensors and the Mediums. There are only two known Groups of
Guardians, but I have no Doubt that many more will emerge (see
EXORCIST
and
NECROMANCER
).

 

BINDER.
19
The Binder is the greatest of the Guardians, and
one of the greatest Clairvoyants of all. Like the
HAEMATOMANCER
(see
VILE AUGURS
), they use Blood in their Work, but never the
Blood of a Victim or Querent. The Blood is always their own, and used in small
Quantities. The Binder is able to forge a physical Tie between themselves and a
Spirit. To do this, they must know the Name of the Spirit (see
EXORCIST
) and write that Name in their own Blood upon
their Skin. This compels most Spirits to remain within a certain Proximity of
the Binder. Once the Blood has washed away, the Binder's Hold on a Spirit will
weaken. However, a Binder may scar his or her Body with the Name to make an
irrevocable Blood Bond, which may be broken only by the Death of the Binder or
the Banishment of the Spirit.

19
A most important and
heartfelt Note to the Reader. Despite the Use of Blood, the Binder is not a
VILE AUGUR
and should not, under any Circumstances
whatsoever, be treated as such. The
GUARDIANS
are defined as those who exercise rigid Methods
of Control over Spirits. The Binder fits this Category far more neatly than it
fits that of the
VILE
AUGURS
, as the Intention is to Bind
and Control, not to Scry or to cause Harm. The Aura of a Binder is also a vivid
Orange, rather than the Blue of Augury. So, in Conclusion, there is no sound
Argument that the Binder could ever be placed into the Category of Vile Augury.

 

EXORCIST.
20
A hypothetical Strain of Guardian, as yet
undiscovered, but heralded in many Documents within the Library of the Spiritus
Club. I note first that all Clairvoyants have the ability to banish a Spirit by
articulating the
THRENODY
, adhering to the following
Mode of Address: ‘[Name], be gone into the Æther. All is settled. All Debts are
paid. You need not dwell among the Living now.' However, this Method of
Banishment has two Weaknesses. First, the Clairvoyant must have Knowledge of the
Spirit's complete Name. Second, the Threnody will not send any Spirit to its
final Death in the Heart of the Æther. It will merely send it, temporarily,
beyond the Reach of Clairvoyants. A Spirit may find its way back again if it is
able to resist the Urge to meet the final Death. I propose that there exists a
powerful Guardian, which I have named
EXORCIST
, and that this Exorcist may permanently banish a
Spirit, perhaps without any Knowledge of its Name.

20
I stress that the
Exorcist
and the
Necromancer
are entirely hypothetical, based on what I see
as distinct Patterns of Evolution.

 

NECROMANCER.
This is another hypothetical Type that
Amaurotics firmly believe in, one who can call the Spirits of the Dead and
infuse them into physical Bodies. The Necromancer is the ultimate Fear for the
Amaurotic, the dreaded Figure who will bring about a Kind of Hell on Earth. I do
not see that this is within the power of any Clairvoyant living, as empty Bodies
have no Blood with which to bind (see
BINDERS
) and, except in the
case of an extremely fresh and undamaged Cadaver, no working Dreamscape in which
a Spirit may Reside.

 

SUMMONER.
The Summoner is the most common of the
Guardians, though still a rare Jewel in the clairvoyant Community as a whole.
They are able to call Spirits from great Distances simply by speaking their
Birth Name, a useful Talent when a particularly violent or sympathetic Spirit is
required. The Summoner may build up a Cache of Spirits upon which to call in
times of Crisis; therefore, they almost always pose a formidable Threat in
Combat. Other Clairvoyants can call Spirits only when they are within reach of
their Aura. The greater the Summoner, the greater the Ability to assert Control
over those Spirits that have been summoned.

 

THE

T
he Furies are a largely theoretical sixth Order
that I believe would appear between the Guardians and the Jumpers (see
JUMPERS
). I have decided on their Existence because of
their frequent Appearances in Legend. Their Connection to the Æther manifests as
a Change within the Dreamscape, which leads to a different State of Being and a
Shift in the Awareness of the Æther. This does not, however, amount to full
Possession (see
MEDIUMS
). In their altered State, the Furies may make
prophetic Judgements or lose all physical Sensations, leaving them free to focus
on the Æther over and above the physical World. This is a Field that requires a
great deal more Attention, and I would welcome any Insight from Clairvoyants who
feel they may fit into this mysterious and illustrious Order.
21

21
You may contact me through
the Spiritus Club via their Dead Drop in Brackley Street, London. Send a short
Autobiography in a brown Envelope, marked for the Attention of Mister
Alfred
, who will forward it to my Lodgings. Be sure to
include an Address so that I may write back to you. Your Contribution to this
Research would be unpaid, given the abject Poverty of this Writer, but greatly
appreciated.

 

BERSERKER.
I first came across the
Berserker whilst reading a translated Document on the ancient Warriors of the
same Name. These Fighters became consumed by Wrath during Battles, resulting in
a battle-Trance that transformed them so tremendously that they would fight with
a Rage that was almost bestial in Nature
.
I propose that there are Clairvoyants living
now, perhaps the Descendants of these Warriors, who undergo similar Attacks of
Frenzy. However, I add that these Fits would not be caused by excessive Rage, or
by any Enchantment, but by a deluge of Spirits in the Vicinity of the Berserker.
Sadly, I have found no Evidence of such People living today. It is quite
possible that they died out during the Age in which they were most famous.

 

SIBYL.
Hypothetical, but with
strong historical Evidence to suggest their Existence. The Sibyl is a Kind of
Hybrid, lying somewhere between the Berserker and the Oracle (see
JUMPERS
). In Mythology they are holy Women from whose
Lips burst forth agitated Prophecies. I confess I am uncertain as to how this
Clairvoyance would show itself, especially if and how the Sibyl would differ
from the Oracle and the Berserker. I can only propose that the Gift is more
likely to appear in Women than it is in Men.

 

UNREADABLE.
This is a particularly
distinctive and disquieting Type of Clairvoyance, one I have placed tentatively
into the Order of the Furies. The Unreadable is a secondary Type of
Clairvoyance, the only known Example of a clairvoyant being able to move from
one Order to another. An Unreadable is created when a traumatic Event forces a
clairvoyant Individual's
Dreamscape
into total Collapse. This is a similar phenomenon to Spirit Shock, although
there are several subtle Differences.
22
Once the Dreamscape has Collapsed, it
regenerates with a thick Armour that no Spirit can
penetrate. The Clairvoyant becomes invulnerable
to both spiritual Attack and Possession, but at the expense of his or her
previous Abilities. However, as an Aura remains, they may still use spiritual
Combat and sense Spirits. The Unreadable has been classified as a Fury because
their ‘Power' involves a Transformation, much like the Powers of the Sibyls and
Berserkers.

22
Spirit Shock, a Condition arising from a
sudden Inability to connect with the
Æther,
is a much more
dangerous Sickness than the Process of becoming Unreadable. Unreadability is
related to the Dreamscape, while Spirit Shock, as the Name suggests, directly
affects the Spirit. The most undesirable Outcome of Spirit Shock is total Loss
of Aura, leading to Amaurosis or even Death, as opposed to the Growth of an
armoured Dreamscape, which characterises an Unreadable and may be considered an
Asset.

THE
 

R
isking an undesirable Association with the
woollen Garment, I have named the seventh Order the
JUMPERS
. The Jumpers are the highest and greatest of my
Seven Orders of Clairvoyance, for they have no dependence whatsoever on Spirits
or on Numa, and are not subject to any permanent internal Change. Instead they
have the unique Ability to affect, or even enter, the Æther as they see fit. As
I have never encountered a Jumper on my travels through the Citadel, I can only
assume that they are the rarest of us all. Alas, all promising Cases have been
marched to the Gallows by
Zettler
, and consequently, I have been unable to study
them in Detail. Consequently, this final Section is largely based upon
Conjecture.

 

DREAMWALKER,
23
also called the
SPIRIT WALKER
. A superlative Gift, difficult to compare with
any other. According to my Theory, the Dreamwalker has the Power to leave his or
her Dreamscape (this Act might be called
Dislocation
) and take on a
pure spirit Form, allowing them to wander in the Æther and in other Dreamscapes.
This is a Feat unheard of in clairvoyant Society, as all other Clairvoyants
would be driven mad by attempting to step away
from the Centre of the Dreamscape. The
Dreamwalker may be able to possess the Bodies of other People; perhaps even the
Bodies of Animals. I propose, however, that the Gift may also cause some Degree
of Damage to the Dreamwalker, as their physical Body would be left unguarded
during these spiritual Escapades.

23
See the first Footnote for the
FURIES
if you suspect you may
be a Dreamwalker. It is imperative that you align yourself with a clairvoyant
Group as soon as possible, for Safety's sake. But be sure to write first!
Recording the Details of your Gift is of paramount Importance for future
Reference.

 

ORACLE.
Well documented, but
extremely rare. Of similar Merit to the Dreamwalker, but without the Capacity to
possess another Individual. I suggest that the Oracle would possess a Variety of
subtle but potent Abilities, primarily the Ability to send visual or aural
Messages through the Æther. Provided they have encountered their Aura before,
they may be able to send a Message to any Clairvoyant, no matter where they are.
The Oracle may also gain Flashes of Insight from the Past, Present and Future in
a similar Fashion to the Methods used by
SOOTHSAYERS
, but without the use of a Numen. This lack of
Dependence on an Object makes the Oracle far superior to any other Type of
Clairvoyant with Precognition.