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He knew the anguish of the marrow
The ague of the skeleton;
No contact possible to flesh
Allayed the fever of the bone.

-Thomas Steams Eliot
"Whispers of Immortality"

Speaking with the Dead

This chapter examines a most curious class of people - mediums. These rare individuals can break through the barriers finding mortal life and make contact with those who have passed beyond. When battling ghosts, mediums can be valuable sources of information. Those able to coax information from the dead can reveal the weaknesses of particular spirits, the reasons they are unable to find eternal rest in the grave, and the motivation that drives them to roam the lands of the living. With such allies, a ghost hunter is assured of more favorable outcomes in any clash with the undead.

Types of Mediums

The way in which a spiritualist's power manifests itself is very different from the way in which a wizard casts a spell. While the two may attain similar results, the medium's efforts generally take longer and are more draining on the body than the magician's efforts. Over the course of this section, I shall detail the most common types of spiritualists and give a brief overview of their abilities and characteristic traits. Arranged alphabetically for the reader's convenience, the seven types discussed herere include focus, guide, host, regression, sympathetic, and trance mediums. I save the false mediums for last, as they present special problems all around.

Focus Mediums

A focus medium is an unusual breed of person. She is able to make contact with a spirit, then cause that spirit to enter an inanimate object of some type. The fusion of spiritual essence and unliving matter is unstable, but it can be maintained with concentration by the medium.

Once a focus object is inhabited, the medium can present questions to the spirit. The spirit responds by causing some reaction in the object. This reaction can be almost anything and is generally different for each medium. I know of a medium who constructed a special compass for use in her seances. The natural direction of "north" indicated a neutral state. The other directions referred to various emotional states. A number of runes are arranged in a circle, indicating possible sources of the ghost's anger. When she channels a spirit into her compass and asks it questions, the essence of the spirit is able to swing the needle to point at different directions and runes, indicating its emotional state and probable causes for the same.

The nature of the focus that each medium of this type employs varies greatly from individual to individual. Almost all of them select a focus that has some special significance. The woman who built the compass, for instance, had a fascination with loadstones that dated back to her childhood. When she felt her powers stirring within her, it seemed only logical for her to build something that was based upon these bewitching stones.

The means by which a spirit communicates with a focus medium varies with the nature of the object employed. I have encountered many wonderful examples of this in my travels, ranging from a medium who employed a small nonmagical crystalline sphere that changed color in answer to her questions to an elf hermit who could cause spirits to enter the flames of his cooking fire, gesturing or dancing at his command.


Focus mediums are often able to extract highly accurate information from the spirits with whom they deal. While less powerful examples of their order are able to simulate the effects of a speak with dead spell, more powerful focus mediums are able to employ powers akin to contact higher plane or commune spells.

If the medium's focus is damaged or destroyed while it houses a spirit, that spirit becomes trapped in the world of the living. Unable to return to the realm of the dead, it soon becomes a malign force anchored to the scene of its summoning.


Guide Mediums

A guide medium is a unique and powerful individual. This person is actually able to enter the spirit world, the border ethereal, and communicate with a ghost on its home territory. My research indicates this is done in a manner similar to a wizard's astral spell.

Often, the guide medium must craft some manner of portal or gateway through which he will enter the spirit world. Some type of ceremony is held, during which the medium goes through a series of steps designed to open this portal. When all is ready, the mystic (and perhaps a handful of other people) can step through the gate and into the border ethereal.

Once in the spirit world, the medium has a natural understanding of what is encountered there. While I found the entire voyage utterly bewildering and disorienting the one time I traveled with a guide medium, she was never put off by the weird landscape of the spirit realm. When we encountered the spirit that we sought, it was all I could do to offer even the slightest aid to the medium battling it.

Host Mediums

A host medium is similar to trance medium in that she allows her body be used as a conduit through which ghost can communicate with the living. The host medium, however, gives up absolute control of her body to the visiting spirit for the duration of the ghost's stay.

Host mediums are useful when the ghost or spirit to be dealt with has some corporeal need to be met that requires physical body. I was once called upon look into a haunting at a popular Kartakan inn. I discovered that the spirit belonged to a woman who had been slain by wolves in the countryside nearby. Her death occurred on the day of her wedding, as she and her new husband were traveling to the inn for their honeymoon.

The spirit longed to embrace her husband, feel his kiss but once, and know the bliss of his love before she could rest in peace. With a little effort located a host medium who allowed thr woman's spirit to control her body. Thr husband and his wife were briefly reunited, and the ghost was able to rest in peace afterward. Like the trance medium, a host medium runs the risk domination if she is unable to throw of the spirit that possesses her. A host medium must be careful to avoid a sudden shock to her system while a spirit is in control of her body. A major unanticipated circumstance, such as an attack upon the spiritualist, has a chance of allowing the visiting essence to seize permanent control of the medium's body.


This type of medium is able to invoke powers similar to those harnessed in an astral spell. The medium also has an almost infallible sense of direction while traveling in the border ethereal. If the mystic is slain during this transit of the Ethereal Plane all companions who were traveling with the medium are left on their own, trapped in this realm. Finding a safe return to the land of the living can be very lengthy ordeal, as the spirits that linger in the border ethereal may well want to keep these living creatures from their own amusement, or seek to destroy them.

Like the trance medium, a host medium is a valuable source of spiritual information. Generally, a host medium couil provide more information to a ghost hunter than a trance medium, duplicating the effects of legend lore spell.

In the event that a host medium is subjected to a sudden shock while a spirit is in control of her body, there is a 25% chance that a mishap occurs. If the medium is injured by the accidental disturbance, this chance increases by 5% per point of damage sustained. Thus, if a host medium is attacked and suffers 5 points of damage, there is a 50% chance of a mishap occuring. If no mishaps occur, the spiritualist's soul returns to her body and contacts with the spirit world is lost. If a mishap does occur, refer to the table accompanying the later section on trance mediums for the consequences.


Regression Mediums

Some mediums deal not with the spirit world, but with the inner world of the psyche. They believe that we have all lived before, and that much of the information that we possessed in our previous lives is now buried deep within our minds. By inducing a mesmeric trance in their clients, these talented individuals are able to help people recall the details of their past lives.

(I have never been bold enough to undergo this mesmeric process myself. Something in my inner nature refuses to accept that I was ever more or less than I am now. This is not to say that I do not have faith in the skills and powers of regression mediums Rather, this is an indication of my own destiny for uncertainty. I have no interest in knowing who I might have been in a past life.)

Another talent of the regression medium is the ability to take a person back to previous times in his current life. This I have experienced. I was asked to watch the dancing flame at the heart of a fine crystal lamp while the medium spoke to me in a calm relaxing tone. Before I knew it, I apparently fell into a trance and was under his power. With only his voice a guide, I went back into my own pa to relive an encounter with Desmian L'Strange, a minor vampire in Valachan.

I was convinced the vampire was destroyed in our first encounter, but I recently saw and gave chase to him the city of Levkarest. When I was able to experience the scene again from an objective point of view, I saw the means of the vampire's escape. Further details from the scene made clear a previously undiscovered weakness of the monster, which I then used to destroy him as he feld from me into the woods of Borca.


The first power of a regression medium, that of exploring a person past lives, is similiar to the incarnate awareness presented in PHB The Complete Psionics Handbook. Those not familiar with this product can treat the ability as per a legend lore spell, with one past life (invented by the Dungeon Master) learned per session with the medium.

The second power, that of regression within a given lifetime, or can be treated as instilling a photographic memory in the subject. Every detail about a given past event can be examined carefully and closely. Any emotions experienced the first time (such as fear, anger and love) are sensed, but not experienced. Thus analysis of the past event can be made analytical and logical.

If the medium is interrupted in the session, the client must take a save throw vs. spell (modified by the client's Wisdom adjustment) to avoid becoming trapped in the previous incarnation or being unable to escape from reliving the past events that he or she was experiencing. Such people fall into maddness and can be cured only by magical or psionic means.


"Bow your head, Van Richten, for the goodness of fair Paladine has given me the knowledge you seek. "

"Praise be".

"Do you have the murder weapon here with you?"

"I do, wise one. Here it is. "

"Ah. I see. There is much anger within this dagger. There is a hunger here, too. A crimson thirst that rivers of vital blood could not satiate. "

"Holy one, can you see a face?"

"Indeed - a dark and sinister face that hides from the furious truth of the sun. The killer is not of our realm. He is of the realm of darkness".


Sympathetic Mediums

Among the most common types of spiritualists are those I call sympathetic mediums. These people are not actually able to contact the spirit world or manifest any form of power over the undead. Rather, they sense the psychic vibrations that surround objects and places. In rare cases, these mediums can even sense things about people or other living creatures. Primarily, however, their talent functions with inanimate objects.

Every emotional event that takes place near an object or in a particular place leaves it with a small trace of psychic energy. This energy fades over time, eventually vanishing altogether. The more powerful the emotions involved, the stronger this resonance becomes and the longer it remains. The strongest of emotions can last for centuries and leave a very detailed record in an object.

When a sensitive is exposed to these vibrations, he is able to feel the emotions that linger in a given area. In most cases, this is manifested simply as an awareness of what has occurred.

I once explored a ruined castle with a sensitive named Hildegren. As we moved into the building, she became somewhat nervous and looked about with great anxiety. "Many people have fought and died here", she said. "Death and pain linger in every stone". As we moved deeper into the castle, her trepidation became more and more pronounced. When we finally reached the heart of the keep, which was dominated by a massive obsidian throne, she collapsed. This chamber was the seat of power for an evil creature from another plane of existence that had been trapped in our world. So foul and vile were the acts of this depraved fiend that even I could sense the darkness of the deeds that had been done in this place. For Hildegren, who could read the nature of such vibrations clearly, it was enough to strike her unconscious.

Trance Mediums

This type of medium must achieve a state of absolute serenity in order to employ his powers. In general, this state takes several hours to achieve, often requiring fasting and isolation. Once a trance medium is at peace, he opens his mind to psychic vibrations of the spirit world. If he is successful in his attempt to contact a ghost, the spirit is able to converse with the living, using the body of the spiritualist as a conduit.

My studies of this type of medium indicate that the spiritualist allows the spirit to contact his mind during the trance, granting it access to the medium's senses and control over his voice, though the medium retains his own mind. This is a dangerous practice, for not all apparitions are quick to give up control of a living body when the medium bids them farewell. In extreme cases, the spirit can attempt to usurp control of the body just as if it had used either the dominate victim or inhabit body power both discussed in Chapter Three.

The most fascinating thing about watching a trance medium work is listening to the changes in his voice. Each time a new spirit speaks through the medium, it does so in its own native tongue and with its own speech patterns. I have, for instance, seen a spiritualist who normally spoke with thick Barovian accent suddenly switch to the rolling, flowery prose of the elves when his mind came into contact with the spirit of an ancient elf warrior. I later confirmed the fact that the medium knew, as far as anyone ould recall, not a word of Elvish.


The power of a sensitive can take many shapes. Virtually any of the detect-type divination spells might be available to a sensitive, as might the psionic abilities aura sight, object reading, and sensitivity to psychic Impressions. In most cases, the sensations that the medium receives are only vague feelings. The more intense the emotions involved, however, the more accurate the information received.

A sensitive can be overwhelmed by the power of psychic impressions he reads. If the psychic is subjected to severe emotional trauma, he must make a saving throw vs. spell (adjusted by Wisdom) to avoid being overcome. If the roll is successful, the psychic functions normally. If the roll fails, the medium collapses into a catatonic state and cannot be revived for 1d20 hours after being removed from the presence of the intense resonance.

If the roll is a natural 1, however medium is driven complete mad by emanations. He takes on a person that reflects that suggested by the psychic impressions he received remains insane until magical or psionic means are used to cure him. In the meantime, he acts according to his ew personality.

For example, Madame Selya, a noted sensitive, chooses to explore ruins of a vampire's castle. If she comes across the chamber in which the creature satisfied its lust for blood she might be overwhelmed by the that was done here. If she rolls a 1 (when making her saving throw), would take on the evil nature suggested by the vampire's frenzy, She might even come to believe that she herself is a vampire and begin feeding upon the blood of her fellow adventurers.


Prognostics do not always prove
prophecies at least the wisest prophets
make sure of the event first.

- Horace Walpole
Letters


A trance medium is generally able to simulate the effects of the speak with dead, commune, or other informational spells. When in a trance, he claims to speak for the spirit world. In order to do this, he establishes an intimate mental link with a desired spirit. While the spirit does not really enter the body of the spiritualist, as it does with a host medium, it does manage to exert control of the medium's voice and uses his senses.

A trance medium is slow and methodical in reaching his trance state, for the slightest error can result in catastrophic failure in which the medium is destroyed and his body dominated by a restless and possibly evil spirit.

Reaching a trance state requires 2d4 hours. This may be rushed if the medium is willing, but the end result comes less certain when this is done. In order to decrease the time required, a spiritualist must lessen depth of his trance and his ties to spirit world. For every hour that trance is rushed, there is a cumulative 10% chance of a mishap. The time needed to attain a trance never be reduced by more than half. If a mishap occurs, check the following table to determine what actually happens.

Table 19: Trace Medium Mishaps

Roll
2d6
   Mishap
2 Mental collapse. The medium becomes a creature called a broken one, as described in the Monstrous Manual tome.
3-4 Mental trauma. The medium is unable to break free of the trance and becomes comatose for 1d4 weeks.
5-6 Mental shock. The medium is stunned and cannot move or speak for 1 hour. During this time the medium is catatonic. No further trances may be attempted for 48 hours.
7 Trance failure. The medium must rest for 24 hours before attempting any other trances.
8-9 Frenzy. The medium falls under the control of a malevolent spirit and flies into a berserk rage for 1d4 rounds. During this time, the medium attacks the nearest person each round.
10-11 Hysteria. The medium is utterly dominated by an evil spirit. For the next 1d4 days the medium acts in a psychotic manner, sowing destruction and havoc wherever and whenever possible.
12 Hysteria. The medium is utterly dominated by an evil spirit. For the next 1d4 days the medium acts in a psychotic manner, sowing destruction and havoc wherever and whenever possible.


False Mediums

The last type of medium I shall discuss is the foul charlatan - a person who takes on the guise of a medium in an attempt to lure unsuspecting people near so that she can steal from them. I wish I could say that these people were rare, but the truth is that more false mediums are around than real ones.

The type of people who commonly seek out a medium are those who have some need or desire to speak with a deceased friend or relative. A widow abouut to remarry might desire to know her dead husband approves of her new love, for instance. These people are generally so emotionally involved with the issue at hand that their logic, which might enable them to spot a fake, fails them. Thus, the false medium is able to persuade the client to pour much money into his coffers while supplying a string of promises and suggestions that "more will be made apparent at our next meeting".

This individual takes on all of the macabre and mysterious mannerisms that he can imagine. Further, he attempts to drum up business by posting advertisements and distributing handbills that promise incredible services at minimal charge. It is not uncommon for a false medium to hire someone to tell others of his so-called skills and powers.

If one has dealt with such a vile person before, one can generally spot another with greater ease thanks to higher standards of caution. A charlatan uses many tricks in the pursuit of his ill-gotten gains. A careful observer can spot the leading questions, research, false prophecies, stagecraft, and props and devices for what they are: items in the charlatan's miserable bag of tricks.

Leading Questions

One of the most common deceptions employed by false mediums is the asking of leading questions. This tactic is simple enough to identify, but it can still be enormously effective when dealing with the uneducated or unsuspecting. The key here to defeating this tactic is to demand specific information from the medium. If he cannot supply it in any manner, then he is most certainly a fraud.

I present you now with an example of the way in which leading questions are employed.

Medium: I sense that you might be married.

Victim: No, I'm not.

Medium: Ah, yes, but there is a woman of whom you are very fond.

Victim: Yes, there is.

Medium: I sense that she might be well-to-do.

Victim: Well, she's quite poor, actually.

Medium: So she is now, my friend, so she is now - but she will not always be!

As you can see, the charlatan employs leading questions to get the victim to believe that the "medium" knows things he truly does not. In the above example, the charlatan could almost certainly count on his client to believe that the medium sensed the existence of his sweetheart, whom the client might possibly wish to marry, even though the client was tricked into revealing the relationship. Further, the client has been given the hint that this woman will one day come into a fair amount of wealth. Certainly the promise of good fortune will heighten the young man's interest in her, and foster a strong belief in the alleged powers of the wholly shameless "medium".

A quick way to defeat this ploy is to simply lie. When the medium says, "I sense you are married", simply agree. The fantastic lies such a humbug will weave when presented with so profound a deception quickly reveal his true nature - and may be entertaining enough to warrant the coinage paid for the fortune telling.

Research

Just as no ghost hunter can survive without information, so too is the false medium fond of special knowledge. No only does this eliminate the need to use leading questions in dealing with customers, it also supplies the false medium with a solid point from which to exploit the fears, weaknesses, greed, and desires of his victims.

The type of research that a false medium might perform encompasses many possibilities. Among the most common and despicable is the practice of watching the death announcements in a large town, then presenting new widows and widowers with an offer of help in contacting the loved ones they have just lost. The depths to which such a fiend will sink is appalling, for I can think of few things so vile as the abuse of vulnerable persons in mourning.

Another foul research practice of the swindler is the learning of secrets and minor facts that the "medium" claims to have been told by the deceased, with whom the medium is supposedly in contact. If the information the medium has obtained is specific and seems to be authentic, the victim will often believe that there is no way for the fraud to have learned this fact if not to have been privy to a voice from beyond the grave.

False Prophesies

The making of predictions has long been a cornerstone of the false medium business. In order to appear gifted and clairvoyant, the medium makes some prediction about coming events. This can be done in one of two ways.

The most common of these tactics is to make a prediction so vague that it will "come true" no matter what happens. For example, the customer might be told to carry a silver coin in his hand whenever he goes about in public, or a horrible fate will befall him. If the advice is followed and no great trauma occurs, the mystic takes credit for the customer's safety. If a calamity does befall the customer, however, the medium can almost always explain it away by blaming other dark forces, perhaps then urging the gullible victim to carry two silver coins from that point on for better luck.

The other means by which a prediction can be made to appear true is more difficult but far more convincing. This tactic relies upon the medium making a very specific prediction about an upcoming event, then making sure that the event comes to pass. For example, the mystic might warn of a robbery in the victim's future, men hire a thug to rob the client, splitting the take with the medium. In some cases, this can become quite an elaborate hoax, for some swindlers are truly artists at their vulgar profession.

Stagecraft

Another very convincing process by which customers can be lured away from their cash and into the clutches of the false medium is by simple acting ability. A false mystic who makes a living at his craft must be a masterful actor, capable of lying with absolute conviction and gaining the confidence, friendship, and even love of those he cheats. Often the false medium could earn an honest wage on the stage, performing in plays, but he is, for whatever reason, loath to give up the criminal life.

Props and Devices

In addition to his researching and acting abilities, the false medium can build a number of mechanical devices that enable him to mimic the powers of a true mystic. Any number of mechanisms can be employed to deceive the unsuspecting.

For example, the false medium might craft a hollow glass ball that he can cause to fill with swirling vapors "when the spirits are present". Another common tactic is the use of stage magic to cause a table or some other object to rise into the air or jump and bang about. Strange noises (often produced by a compatriot) are another common tactic.

Another common trick is the employment of smoke and vapors, created when powders, herbs, or alchemical fluids are mixed or tossed onto a fire. I know of one such individual who always insisted that he and his client drink from the same glass of wine before each session. The wine was drugged with a narcotic to which the medium had built up a tolerance. Under its influence, the victim of this deceit would experience realistic hallucinations prompted by the medium. When all was done, the victim was only too ready to believe that he or she had been in the presence of the supernatural.


The section on false mediums is particularly useful when the finding of a medium is a primary part of an adventure. The Dungeon Master can roleplay the part of a false medium for all it is worth, leading the unsuspecting group of adventurers on a merry path leading who knows where. The swindler kit from The Complete Thief's Handbook (TSR #2111) and the charlatan kit from The Complete Bard's Handbook (TSR #2127) should provide inspiration.

Locating and Hiring a Medium

Tracking down a real medium can be a difficult and demanding task. True, in some places they openly practice their art, drawing customers just as any other merchant would. More frequently, however, they are forced to practice their profession in secret because of local prejudices or government restriction. This section will discuss finding a medium through recommendation, by reputation, through advertising, and by sensing.

Please note that many people liken contact with spirits and the dead with evil and dark magic. I do not share this belief, but I have seen enough people corrupted by contact with the powers of necromancy to understand this common fear and suspicion.

A medium will assist a group of adventurers out of sympathy for their cause or out of a desire for their gold. In the former case, the charge for services rendered might be a minimal amount or even free. In the latter case, however, the price demanded may be staggering. If the spiritualist believes her services are vital to the success of a client's mission and that no other avenue of recourse exists for the client, the medium's prices may reflect a moderate increase. I have heard tell of ruthless mediums demanding veritable treasure troves from wealthy clients.

It is sometimes possible to haggle with a spiritualist when money is not available to meet a stated price. The best thing to offer the medium then is a period of service. A medium frequently has a need for investigative work, for even her powers are not unlimited.

Through Recomendation

Perhaps the most reliable way to locate a qualified spiritualist is through the recommendation of a trusted friend, In my own profession, I have established contacts with many adventurers and ghost hunters over the years. If I am in a certain domain, I need only contact someone in that area who knows me, then tell him or her what services I require. As this person is invariably more familiar than I am with the resources locally available, this works quite well for finding mediums.

To those who lack such a solid network of support, I can offer only limited advice. If an organization can be found to which you might make a claim of membership) - a thieves' guild or school of wizards, for example - then much can be gained there. It has been my experience that groups such as these can be of great service to their members and allies in locating special help. Care must be taken, however, in deciding how much trust one can place in any group of strangers.

If no manner of professional or fraternal ties can be found, there is always the clergy to consider. It is often possible to locate a church that, although not of the same faith one follows, will be sympathetic to the cause for which one is fighting. If this relationship can be forged, trustworthy advice is often forthcoming.

I have had occasion to deal with some of the priests who devote themselves to the gods of Har'Akir. While my own faith is different from theirs, we nevertheless quickly found common belief in justice and the sanctity of the tomb that bridged the gap between our cultures.

I am delighted to say that a long and true friendship arose between several local holy men and myself. Indeed, on at least three separate occasions, the actions of these wonderful companions saved my life. Without them, I should not be able to write this missive.


"Can you give a name to the vile creature?"

"To the creature itself? No. But to the mortal form it has assumed, yes. It calls itself Dominique I'Mortain. "

"What? Holy one, are you certain? Lady Dominique is well known and respected hereabouts. I cannot take action against her without absolute cause!"

"Paladine does not deceive, Van Richten. "

"No, I suppose not. But can I rely upon your interpretations of all that you sense to be accurate?"

"Would you have come to me if you harbored any doubt?"

- Transcript of a meeting
between Dr. Van Richten
and a medium in Sithicus


Acquiring the services of a medium can usually be dealt with in the same manner as hiring a nonplayer-character spellcaster. Table 69: NPC Spell Costs, in Chapter 12 of the Dungeon Master Guide, provides a listing of costs that might reasonably be demanded for the use of a medium's powers.

In general, the spells available from a spipiritualist include augury, clairvoyance, commune (500 gp), contact other plane, divination, ESP, legend lore, speak with dead, and true seeing. More potent spells, including gate and plane shift, might be available from extremely powerful mediums at whatever price can be negotiated. For those campaigns using PHBR5 The Complete Psionics Handbook, the following powers might be available from psionic mediums (with the costs associated with their use): object reading (200 gp), precognition (200 gp), sensitivity to psychic impressions (100 gp), danger sense (250 gp), spirit sense (300 gp), probability travel (7.300 gp + 1,000 per "passenger"), summon planar creature (25,000 gp), astral projection (1,000 gp), and incarnation awareness (1,000 gp).

These abilities are not, as a rule, cast or used in the same manner that a priest, wizard, or psionicist would invoke a spell or power. Rather, the same effect is created by means of a complex ritual or seance. Furthermore, not all of these powers are available from every medium. As a rule, each medium is capable of employing only 1d4 of the above spells or psionic abilities. When designing an adventure and creating a nonplayer-character medium, Dungeon Masters should carefully select the medium's powers for their dramatic effect and importance to the story, instead of randomly selecting the powers.

Dungeon Masters can play up the unusual nature of these nonplayer characters and their powers by making them unusual eccentrics who have memorable personalities and traits. An encounter with a medium is a wonderful roleplaying opportunity to add dramatic or comic mood and atmosphere.


By Reputation

A less reliable means of locating a medium is by the medium's reputation. An individual who is talented in the art of communication and who chooses not to practice his or her skills in secrecy will eventually become known. In some cases, this reputation can spread far and wide, crossing even the borders of a domain.

A word of caution is vital here, however. In my years of travel, I have encountered many fraudulent spiritualists whose claims far outweighed their purported mystical abilities. In almost every case, these individuals had amassed reputations built around stories of past successes they themselves had invented. Tracking down a medium by reputation alone lends itself to this kind of deception more than any other method.

Through Advertisement

It is possible to seek out a medium by posting handbills and hiring street criers to express one's desire to employ a such a person. This has the distinct disadvantage of alerting all those interested in fraud and deceit to the presence of a possible victim for their trickery. Even if a genuine medium responds to the advertisement, he might be overlooked in favor of a talented faker with greater charm.

I have been forced to resort to this avenue of hiring only once in my life. To my surprise, the first applicant for the position arrived even as the first of my notices was being posted. After a brief interview, I learned she had been aware that a stranger had come into town who was, she sensed, "in need of guidance". She kept a careful watch on the notice board in the center of town and responded instantly upon seeing my leaflet.

I suspect she would have found me even if I had not posted my notices, but I cannot be certain of this. Over the course of the next few days, as she provided me with all of the information I needed to solve the matter at hand, I was faced with a constant trickle of pretenders and charlatans who claimed to be the genuine article. Doubtless one or two of them might have had some minor gift for prognostication, but most were simply talented actors trying to land a profitable role - one that might have cost me more than mere gold.

By Sensitivity

I have heard tell that some people can actually sense the presence of a spiritualist in a given locality. Whether the phenomenon is magical, psychic, or divine, I cannot say, but I have seen evidence to indicate that one might attribute such a power to each of these three sources. Allow me to present an example. I was traveling with a pair of companions through the strange, distant domain of Sanguinia. My comrades were a fierce desert warrior, a foreigner name Arametrius, and the stern and mysterious ranger, George Weathermay, whose reputation is widely known hereabouts.

Arametrius was a man of secrets, to be sure. That his native land was one of deserts and hot sun was obvious, for his skin was tanned, and the chilling winds of Sanguinia were almost more than he could bear. He was unfamiliar with the metal objects we used in our daily life. As he did not speak any language I knew, I was never able to understand the wonder with which he beheld such simple things as iron tools or steel weapons. I believe the root of his attitude to be religious in nature - perhaps his people used metal only in the fashioning of holy objects.

Arametrius was also sensitive to the presence of the undead or persons connected with them. On three occasions, he awoke in the dead of night with cries of fear, grabbing for the bone ax he kept always by his side. Without exception, such nightmares were soon followed by an encounter with the undead. I was convinced that his was a valuable gift.

When it became obvious that our company would require the services someone capable of communicating with the spirit world, the task fell to Arametrius. He set his powerful mind to work on the matter and, within a few minutes, was able to sense the presence of a supernatural influence. We sought outthe woman whom he had sensed a charming young lady named Claudia DeShanes - and asked for her help. To our surprise, we found Claudia had no idea what we were talking about. Indeed, she was certain Arametrius was mistaken, for she swore she was not a mystic. I persuaded her to attempt some simple experiments under my guidance, and her powers quickly manifested themselves. We learned her mother had been sensitive to the vibrations of the spirit world, as had her grandmother. Claudia was not only gifted, she was among the most accurate and powerful spiritualists with whom I have ever worked. After our adventure in Sanguinia ended, Claudia joined me in my battle against the forces of evil. We traveled together for little more than a year before herr death in the dread land of Lamordia.

Sources of a Medium's Power

In this section I shall discuss the ways in which a medium might acquire his powers. It is important to me, as a man of learning, that these distinctions be drawn, for they help quantify that which is otherwise mysterious and unknown. Spiritualists seem to come in two broad groups. The first represents all those who deliberately set out to master their mystical abilities. The second group seems to come upon the mystic calling in a more haphazard, unplanned fashion. I call these groups studied and incidental.

Studied Abilities

Mediums in this group spend years in the pursuit of knowledge and power, so that they might contact and control the spirit world. In the eyes of many adventurers, these individuals are the easiest with which to deal, for they are often kindred spirits who seek to lay the dead to rest. These mediums derive their power by magical, divine, or psionic means.

Magical Powers

Persons who draw power from a magical source include necromancers, diviners, and others who depend upon the weaving of spells for communication with the undead or spirit world. Several spells have been created expressly for obtaining information from and about the dead. Among the most common and useful of these spells are detect undead, legend lore, sending, demand, and foresight. Magical means of communicating with the dead are quite reliable, but are not typically found among the general public. As a rule, individuals with these powers are few and far between. If a group of adventurers has no ability among them to cast these spells, their only access to these abilities is through a hired wizard. Knowing these mysterious and powerful beings as I do, I can state that finding such an individual and convincing him to give aid can be a long, hazardous, and frequently expensive process.

Divine Powers

If I had to select the spiritualists for whom I have the greatest respect, it would be those persons who draw power from the worship of deities. As a rule, these individuals have access to highly effective and reliable spells that enable them to draw forth such information and to exercise a level of control over the undead that no magician can match.

The drawback to this group is that sometimes these individuals are in the service of dark powers. As such, they are among the most dangerous and formidable foes an adventurer is likely to face. Their abilities to communicate with the spirit world, coupled with their control over the undead, can be channeled into a mighty weapon, the likes of which few ghost hunters will survive.

Earlier, I wrote about my trip to Har'Akir and my fondness for several members of the local clergy. There is more to that story, which I shall use to illustrate the above point. One of the first people I met in that land of sun and desert was a tall, slender woman with skin the color of polished ebony. She was a priest of some sort, although her faith was unknown to me then. She extended to me what I thought was the hand of friendship, and, being alone in a domain I did not know, I accepted. For several days, all seemed well. She fed me fine foods, kept an ample supply of water and wine available for me, and made a great effort to learn my language. She expressed interest in my works and seemed eager to help me in defeating a withered spirit that had pursued me across the dunes. Before long, however, I discovered that this kindness was nothing but a charade.

I learned that this priestess, Kharafek, served a power of darkness and evil. Her only purpose in treating me well was to acquire information about the spirit I had been battling, It was her desire to control this ancient evil being and use it as a pawn in her effort to crush the local temples of just and righteous gods. I learned of her plans too late, after she had already seized control of the withered shade. I was forced to flee from her temple in the dead of night.

As I ran, Kharafek bent her will against me. Spirits rose from the sand to lash at my body. I dare say I would have been horribly mauled or even slain by the nightmares that she drew forth from the spirit world if I had not stumbled upon a small party of local clerics, led by a powerful cleric of their own faith. Seeing my peril, they can to my aid. We soon found our common ground and joined forces against the dread Kharafek.

Psionic Powers

Some people can draw upon their own mental powers to establish contact with the spirit world. Such individuals are very rare but often quite powerful, Among the powers at their disposal are such useful talents as object reading, precognition, sensitivity to psychic impressions, danger sense, spirit sense, and incarnation awareness.

Some of the informational powers employed by this type of person are truly wonderful. The first time I saw someone employ the incarnation awareness ability, for example, I was stunned. The information we received was accurate, concise, and decisive in the resolutiono of a most challenging case.

For some reason, however, psychic spiritualists are almost unheard of in the lands I call home. Those few that I have encountered have almost always been outsiders who traveled here over great distances from unheard-of places Curiously, these psychics say their powers are far less reliable here than in their homelands. I can only assume that some aspect of our land warps these powers, although I cannot provide any manner of explanation for I unusual phenomenon.

Incidental Abilities

In rare cases, an individual with no redisposition for mystic powers has them granted to or forced upon him. Without question, these powers (be they accidentally created, hereditary, or partificially induced) are more potent than those forged out of dedicated study. This may not seem fair, particularly to someone who has spent years in the study of arcane lore and mystical incantations. While incidental powers are generally more effective in their specific roles than those that are earned, an individual gifted with incidental abilities rarely has more than one or two of them. Thus, such mediums are typically specialists with only one avenue of highly restricted expertise, as opposed to those who have studied multiple abilities.

Accidental Powers

Some spiritualists have only the hand of fate to thank for their powers. They did not seek out a special ability through study or similar means, and they have no hereditary claim to such gifts. Although powers of this type can spontaneously awaken in a person, it is far more likely that they are triggered through an accident or period of great stress.

I have met one individual, a dwarf who now travels under the name of Koal Shadowforge, whose powers can be traced to an accidental origin. Like many of his race, Koal spent years aboring in the mines that surround the city in which he lived. One day, an explosion occurred in the tunnels, causing a collapse. The shower of rocks that fell around Koal knocked him unconscious and left him pinned beneath a heavy layer of stone. When Koal awoke, he found himself in the company of three of his fellow miner. Like him, they had been trapped in the collapse and were unable to move. Thus, the quartet was forced to wait until help arrived. They passed the time in conversation and, as dwarves are wont to do, complaining about their problems.

Two days later, help arrived. Koal was freed; luckily, his injuries proved to be minor. To his surprise, however, he found that his companions had all been killed in the initial collapse. His time trapped in the mine had been spent in the company of three ghosts.

From that point on, Koal found himself able to converse freely with the spirits of the recently dead. With the help of a magician in my native Darkon, I was able to test Koal's ability. Our conclusion was that he was effectively able to employ the spell holy men call speak with dead at any time. He had no need for rituals or incantations, his race's natural resistance to magic did not hinder him, and he made no conscious effort to employ his power. He was simply able to converse with them as you or I might chat with a traveling companion.

In some cases, power acquired in this way can be fleeting in nature. On one of my own adventures, I encountered a small child whose father had been beheaded for a crime he did not commit. When the wronged man's spirit returned to exact vengeance on the people who had falsely accused him, the daughter was able to freely converse with the apparition.

No one else was able to do this without the aid of powerful spells. Further, when the ghost had completed its task and returned to a peaceful rest in the grave, the girl was unable to communicate with other spirits. To the best of my knowledge, she now lives as happy and normal a life as anyone in Darkon.

Hereditary Powers

The most powerful spiritualists are those who descended from long lines of similarly gifted persons. Most Vistani mediums are of this type, for the powerful magic of the waking dream (explained later) runs strongly in family lines, passing almost without exception from mother to daughter.

Vistani who have this power are often trained to use their talents by their parents. They are extremely reliable when called upon to undertake spiritual tasks, and they have a good understanding of their abilities, their limitations, and the risks involved in any endeavor.

It is very rare that someone who has hereditary powers does not receive training from an ancestor or a mentor. If this does not happen, a perilous focus is created. A hereditary medium cannot help but see into the spirit world. His karmic aura is in tune with all that transpires nearby, and this can be most dangerous. With all of this spiritual energy swirling about, an untrained medium acts as a lodestone to pull ghosts, shades, and spirits into the world around him.

Often this infuses these mediums with a feeling of dread and paranoia. They sense the looming energies about them and panic. For some, this oppressive karmic weight is too much to bear and they succumb to death. In stronger minds, psychosis grows. They feel hunted and pursued by the ghosts around them. They flee, perhaps seeking isolation in the wilderness to become hermits who dwell at the heart of some haunted, dire forest.

More frequently, however, this medium never settles down. Rather, the medium becomes a mystical plague carrier who travels from town to town in an effort to stay ahead of the spectral forces that gather around him. Even the medium encounters runs the risk exposure to supernatural presences. not uncommon for a dozen or more hauntings to spring up following the passage of such a tragic figure.

With the proper training, however, these people can be a great boon to those who battle the ranks of the evry undead. While the way in which such medium's power manifest itself varied from individual to individual, one can almost always count on a hereditary medium to be a powerful and reliable source of information. If cooperative, can prove to be a valuable weapon in one's endeavors.

Induced Powers

Some mediums, particularly those from less advanced cultures, require an outside stimulus to awaken their mystical powers. Generally, the stimulus takes the form of a ritual ceremony that surrounds the imbibing of a magical concoction. The potion must be drunk each time that spiritual powers are to be used.

The information one receives from such an individual is usually reliable, but a bit random in nature. Although induced medium can put a general question to the spirits, the contacted spirits seldom feel it is more than a suggestion. An answer might be given that is wholly accurate and correct or, more frequently, of a puzzling or only partly useful nature.

I do not mean to discount the usefulness of this kind of medium. If the only type of mystic around is someone who depends upon a magical tincture poultice to make contact with an apparition, by all means, seek out this person and make use of this gift. I am saying only that some degree of cautious is warranted in the wording of question and in the interpretation of answers.

If one thinks in broad terms when putting questions to induced mediums the reader will generally be safe enough. Ask about the origins of a spirit, or its wants and desires. If one attempts to pin down specific points, however, disappointment or disinformation is certain.

Lifestyles of Mediums

The life of a medium is seldom similar to that of a normal person. The medium receives the mortal world differently than you or I do, often sensing things that we cannot. This section discusses six personalities toward which mediums seem naturally gravitate: aloof, calculated, morbid, nomadic, reclusive, and unworthy. This information might be useful when attempting to find a medium.

Aloof

Some mediums choose to remain among humanity, but they retain a sensee of alienation that marks the nomadic and reclusive spiritualists. In order to remain among the living and only in one place, they adopt an understandable philosophy: a belief in their absolute superiority over those who have no supernatural powers.

I know of one woman, for example, who claimed to see the world exactly as it wass. When I asserted my belief that I could do the same, she laughed. I soon found that she was correct in her claims. Her power was in her sight. She saw the shifting winds themselves, not symply their effects upon trees. Nothing could hide from her keen senses - not those items under a magical shroud of invisibility, for she saw such things normally. Illusions and phantasms were instantly obvious to her, and she could tell if someone was telling the truth or lying merely by the aura surrounding him. She was an amazing woman.

Such keen senses, however, made it impossible for her to live as we do. She could tell at a glance the innermost secrets of everyone she met. Even the famed detective Alanik Ray, whom I have worked with on two occasions, could not match her perception and skill at deduction. She knew that all those around her feared her power. They could not stand to be near her, for she knew all their personal secrets, both benign and wicked. I consider myself fair and understanding, but even I was taken aback by her powers when we first met.

Individuals who have the aloof personality are seldom wholly good or evil. Rather, they are opportunistic individuals who place their own well being and comfort above that of anyone else. They desire only the best and insist that those around them, the lesser ranks of humanity, provide it for them.

Calculated

Some mediums adopt the same mannerisms one might expect from master craftsmen. They make no attempt to hide their powers or disguise them in any way. In fact, they often advertise their abilities and let their past accomplishments be known. They may open shops or offices, to make their living telling fortunes and answering questions about the unknown for local citizens and ghost hunters.

Such calculating mediums generally take no notice of the feelings others have toward their abilities. They are what they are and seldom regret the powers that fate put in their hands. These mediums tend to form a close circle of trusted friends around themselves, and this becomes the whole of their social life. They are often perceived as cold and caring for only what might profit them. I believe they foster this notion as a defense against those who do not understand them.

Morbid

Perhaps the most disturbing lifestyle commonly found among mediums is that which I term morbid. These individuals feel a strong kinship with the dead because of their powers. As time goes by, these ties grow stronger. The mediums begin to find things relating to death and the dead aesthetically pleasing. In most cases, these individuals live in homes that begin to look much like tombs or mausoleums.

Individuals with this outlook have a fatalistic view of the world. They see the living, themselves included, as transient things, dust motes in the vast scope of the cosmos. I have listened to their views and found them strangely compelling but disturbing. It may be that all living beings have a trace of this morbid fascination (as I hypothesized in Chapter Three regarding the power of some ghosts to entrance victims), or it may be that my own encounters with death and the undead have left me particularly vulnerable to this fatalistic outlook.

In an extreme case, a morbid spiritualist might believe that he or she is actually undead, trapped in a living body through some magic or curse. Strangely, this mirrors the mentality of many undead creatures that believe themselves actually alive but cursed with death.

Nomadic

Believing that they have no place in mortal society, nomadic mediums travel from place to place. Generally, they devote their lives to the study of the supernatural and seek to master their inner gifts. From time to time, these mediums become traveling ghost hunters who uses their abilities for the betterment of humanity without actually taking a personal interest in any given town or individual.

Just as often, however, these individuals become drifting minions evil. Their powers and resentment of the living guide them down paths of darkness from which few have the goodness or willpower to return. The wicked spiritualists can become roving adversaries as deadly as any ghost vampire.

Reclusive

Many people with the gift of spiritual powers quickly become convinced that they have no place in the land of the living. While they do not develop an affinity for dead things, they do become detached from and resentful of living society. These mediums often leave behind civilized lands and seek patch of wilderness to call their own, such dark glades or twisting caverns, when they become secluded.

I have heard of cases where would be hermits sought and obtained admission into monastic orders, granting them the solitude they desire while allowing them to remain (a bit) in the company of other humans. With strangers and visitors being rare, the mystics are free to explore the limits their powers and establish rapport with the inhabitants and minions of the spirit world.

There is a major advantage this way of life. Recluses spend so much their time in contemplation and inner study that they are able to harness every last fraction of their mystical abilities. They learn the subtle nuances of their talents and become as knowledgeable in following the paths of the undead as any ranger is in the tracking of game. As a rule, recluses are in much better control of their powers than any other type of medium.

The drawback to all of this is fairly obvious. Recluses sever almost every contact with the outside world. They often despise the people they have behind and may actually become violent if forced into meetings with old acquaintances.

It is always a good idea to approach such mediums cautiously, for they can be dangerous. In addition, they often palce traps or other wards around their lairs. The most powerful among them might actually call upon the spirits of the dead to watch over their isolation.

Unworthy

Some mediums find the weight of their powers greater than the strength of their will. They begin to feel a sense of depression and anxiety over their studies.

Such individuals see their gift as a burdensome responsibility and rapidly come to believe they are not worthy of it. They become more depressed and comprehensive as time goes by. As a rule, the greater their power, the more rapid the pace of their mental collapse. In the end, these mediums are often overcome by depression and sink into inescapable mental disintegration of insanity or complete despair. Those who into the latter category are found in their comatose or catatonic states, will no will to live. As might be expected, they often succumb utterly to their mental weakness and die. In rare cases, under the care of a talented hand, they may be nursed back to sanity to adopt a more stable demeanor in the future.

Those who cross over the line into lunacy can be terrible and frightening. For some reason that I have not yet been able to discern, so-called unworthy mediums often become more powerful upon reaching madness. My speculation is that these people find the ability to draw upon their full reserves of power once they abandon their feelings of inadequacy, but I cannot prove this to the case.

Insane mediums become tools of power of death and darkness. They have much in common with those who morbid, but they are devoid of compassion for the living. They regard life as a foul aberration and do all in their power to end it. As one might expect, so vile a mentality is dangerous beyond words; when linked with the power of a skilled medium, a terrific enemy is created.

The Vistani

I have no love for the gypsies who travel our land. It was their treachery that saw my son taken from me and made into a night-stalking vampire. Because of them, both my beloved child and my dear wife are now dead. My advice in dealing with the Vistani is simple: These wild people are not to be trusted at any time.

Still, my discussion of contacting the undead would not be complete without some mention of the Vistani. These nomadic people have long been an enigma to me. Though I have tried to study them and learn something of their ways, I remain mystified by them.

Vistani women are gifted with at least traces of mystical power, I believe. They sense things that normal folk cannot, and they live as if they were in constant possession of a sense I cannot define. Some folk say the Vistani are more than mortal, but I have seen them die as might any other person.

The Vistani have a word for their unusual sensitivity to the supernatural: karatakasta. This translates into my own language as the waking dream, and it describes all manner of extrasensory perceptions and supernatural senses. To the Vistani, these mysterious talents are so commonplace as to be taken for granted.

The "Vistani Plan"

Some say the Vistani work toward a greater purpose, that all the things these gypsies do are carefully plotted and have an ultimate aim that we cannot fathom. Perhaps this is true, although I cannot support the idea. The belief that an entire race of people could undertake a project demanding absolute secrecy and subtlety on the part of all its members seems absurd (and, at the very least, highly unlikely).

If this was the case, then I must believe that the great chaos into which my life was hurled following the death of my wife and son was a part of some grandiose gypsy scheme. I have tried to examine this hypothesis with a cool and calculating mind, but I found nothing in it to make me believe that it could be true. I must put this entire idea down as wishful thinking on the part of those who would find a romantic side to these chaotic wanderers.

I admit, however, that the idea of a grand Vistani plan is appealing, even to me. I would like to think that the death of my son served some greater purpose. True, it did set my feet on the path of vampire hunting and lead, in the long run, to my writing the book you now read. My efforts at battling the undead have been, I hope, beneficial to all humanity.

Does this show that the Vistani planned this from the start? I think Rather, I think that the company of gypsies who stole my family from me and who so altered my life did so instead out of a love for the gold promised them by the foul vampire Baron Metus. There was no greater or purpose to it.

Aid to Adventurers

From time to time, the Vistani actually interested in helping adventurers. Even I must credit the with saving my life on no fewer that three occasions. In reflection, however, find no steady and reliable method which their help might be obtained. In cases where the Vistani have worked with me, they contacted me first; I do not seek them. Thus, I believe the help of a gypsy is not generally available the asking. If they desire one's help, they will seek out that person and the person alone.

Still, it is possible to hire a Vistani medium for brief periods of time, though few do it. As a rule, the medium provides one or two card readings or similar prophetic sessions for a person before ending all contact. When a Vistana does agree to help, her karatakasta is an incredible tool for gathering information about the present past, and future.

I must again repeat my warnings, however. I do not trust the Vistani. They are too mysterious and secretive for my tastes. If they do have some master plan according to which they live, we have no assurance that it is a scheme for the good. Might it not just as easy be for evil?

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