Van Richten's Guide to Ghosts - Investigating a Haunting

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortals ever dared to dream before...

- Edgar Allan Poe
"The Raven"

Investigating a Haunting

During my years as a ghost hunter, I encountered many unnatural and terrifying spirits. In this chapter, I shall relate the details of one of the most unusual hsuntings I have ever come across. In addition, I shall use this story to illustrate the techniques by which a hsunting is typically best investigated. These techniques stress the need for caution and careful preparation when investigating any supernatural accurrence, and I trust the reader will make due note of them.

I have selected the adventure of the Phantom Army for this purpose because it depicts a most horrible phenomenon, mass haunting. It is very rare and happens only when many individuals share a common bond that links them after death as it did in life.

A mass haunting always centers on one individual, a leader. It may be that this person is the only true ghost and that the others are merely reflections of its own curse, dragged into unlife by the power of the central figure. In almost everyy case, the ghost at the core of a mass haunting is of fourth or fifth magnitude.

Any successful investigation follows certain stages ("picking up the scent", "stalking the beast", and "making the kill"), each of which contains a number of steps. To deviate somewhat from this plan is acceptable, even mandatory, for each haunting is unique. But to stray too far from the course I describe in this chapter is to invite death or worse. Before I tell the story of this particular investigation, allow me to relate the origins of the Phantom Army. Bear in mind that I knew only a small part of this story at the start of my investigation, so some of my actions may seem to be, in retrospect, illogical. By learning the background beforehand, the reader will better understand the whole investigation process.

The origin of the Phantom Army dates back less than half a century. A pack of twisted mongrelmen from the dread domain of G'Henna fled from their native land and entered the southern reaches of Darkon. Here, they did their best to hide in the forests and live undisturbed. Although those who lived near the mongrelmen knew of their existence and avoided them, the mongrelmen kept to themselves and did not harass the common folk. The locals feared the mongrelmen, however, and they fabricated stories of the mongrelmen's inhumane treatment of prisoners and of wild, cannibalistic feasts held under the light of the full moon.

In time, the mongrelmen became the masters of their recently claimed land. They came to know every aspect of their wooded refuge and were able to move quickly and quietly through the trees and brush. Some even said they had mastered the power of invisibility for use at will.

Eventually, the dread Kargat, the secret security force of Lord Azalin, took an interest in these intruders. A legion of Darkon's most fearsome warriors journeyed south from II Aluk and came at last to the woods of the mongrelmen. The leader of the legion was a dark and sinister man, a fellow known as Karuk Abjen. His men feared him and trembled at the mention of his name.

Abjen ordered his men forward into the forests. They found no sign of the mongrelmen in the outskirts of the wood, and they pressed inward. They did not know that the mongrelmen watched their every move, waiting to learn what these armored men wanted in the woods the mongrelmen called their own.

As night fell, one of the scouting parties happened upon a lone mongrelman and captured him. The prisoner was brought before Abjen and brutally tortured for information about his kindred and their purpose in Darken. Abjen ranted and accused the pitiful creature of being a spy sent into Darkon to learn the secrets of Lord Azalin's power. In the end, the mongrelman died from the abuse.

At the instant the creature's body stiffened and went slack as the last vestige of life drained from its broken form, a long and terrible howl went up from the woods surrounding the camp. It lasted for many minutes, echoing like the lingering cry of a great, wounded beast. As suddenly as it had begun, the cry stopped. An ominous silence fell across the Kargat legion.

Abjen ordered his men to stand ready for battle. All that night, the dark watchmen waited eagerly in hope of earning favor with their vile commander by being the first to spot the mongrelmen massing for attack. Dawn came, but brought with it no sign of the beastly folk who had made the pitiful howling.

The Kargat commander called his men together and gloated before them. Abjen cried out that it was fear of the Kargat and its great lord Azalin that kept the mongrelmen in check. They would not dare to attack, he shouted, for none who challenged Azalin's powers could survive. Finally, Abjen ordered a company of his men to move into the woods and set it afire. The mongrelmen and the forest they had defiled would be reduced to cinders.

As the troops dispersed, the mongrelmen attacked. They did not charge in sweeping waves filled with horribly twisted creatures; instead, attacked in small, fast, silent strike against individuals. The company of men sent to light the fires vanished never to be seen again by their companions.

At sunset, another ringing cry went up from the mongrelmen. Their echoin howl drifted through the woods, still all conversation and sapping the morale of Abjen's legion. His men were on the verge of panic, but the fiendish Abjen would not let them flee. He took command of a second company and forced them into the woods to discover what had happened to the first company. All night long they moved about, searching for their lost companions. At every step, they were met with flicker shadows, sounds of movement, and lingering traces of the mongrelmen, never did they actually come across.

As the cold glow of sunrise spread across the sky, Abjen and his tired men returned to camp. They had lost not single soldier, but neither had they found one enemy body or seen so much as one of the mongrelman foe. To their horror, they found no sign of the dozens of men they had left behind - the camp was deserted. Abjen chose to believe the mongrelmen had struck again, for he had vowed to kill any man who deserted him.

As Abjen ranted and raved at the dark woods around him, another of mournful cries rolled out through the trees. Morale among Abjen's men collapsed in full. They scattered and ran, hoping to find safe passage through the hidden ranks of mongrelmen. Many died instead. Abjen himself was captured by the mongrelmen he had vowed to destroy. It is said that they tortured him for days before he finally died. Those few who lived near the woods of the mongrelmen reported that his cries of pain and suffering were heard all through the night, and that his sobbling pleas for mercy and death filled the days. None moved to help him. In the years that followed, the mongrelmen grew more protective of their forest home than ever before. Those who ventured in were never seen again. Lord Azalin either lost interest in the pitful creatures or decided that he did not want to lose more valuable soldiers eradicating them. In either case, the Kargat never returned to bother them.

Several months later, a merchant named Corin led her caravan past the edge of the mongrelmen's woods. As the sun set in the west, her party heard tortured, agonized cries coming from the domain of the mongrelmen. Those who were more curious and brave followed Corin to investigate. When they neared a clearing in the wood, they uncovered the bodies of countles mongrelmen. Even their frightening deformities were nothing when compared to the looks of horror and pain on their inhuman faces.

When the merchant and her people turned to retrace their steps and report that they had seen, they discovered their way was blocked. Abjen's slain troops had risen from the grave as fierce ghosts, and the woods were filled with their misty, spectral forms. Each of them was horribly scarred and mutilated from the wounds they had suffered from the mongrels.

Corin and her cohorts were forced to retreat deeper into the forest. Eventually, they came upon a group of mongrelmen who had escaped the ghosts and were fleeing the woods to return to the wilds of G'Henna. Their travel had been slow, however, for the spirits of Abjen's army were combing the woods looking for them. After some initial distrust, Corin and the refugees agreed to work together to escape the haunted woodland.

For nearly a week, they moved through the dark and evil trees. One by one, their numbers dwindled as the ghosts claimed their victims. Finally, with only a handful left alive, the group came to the edge of the haunted forest and the border of G'Henna. A wave of relief washed over them, but it was short lived: A dark and ominous figure stepped before them out of nowhere. Abjen had found them.

Moaning, suffering spirits wholly surrounded the company. Corin, her people, and the mongrelmen pleaded with Abjen to let them pass, but the ghastly general would hear nothing of their entreaties. He announced that they would all be tortured, even as the mongrelmen had tortured him. When only one person remained alive, that one would be released to tell the world that this forest was now Abjen's and that the phantom army would allow none who entered it to leave.

Corin's spirit proved strongest, and she was freed two nights later. Her wounds were horrible and her trauma great, however, and she spent many months on the edge of madness. When she recovered from her ordeal, she did as Abjen had instructed, warning people about the dangers of the cursed forest and its gruesome inhabitants.

Clearly, the first stage in confronting a ghost is to discover that the creature exists. This would seem an elementary deduction, but I list it because of the three crucial steps that comprise this stage.

A ghost hunter often first learns about the presence of a spirit through secondhand accounts or reports. Only twice have I ever begun an investigation because I myself happened upon the ghost first. With this in mind, evaluate those who have seen the spirit as credible sources of information. Remember that the average person is not as intelligent as you might hope. Nine in ten times, a reported ghost proves to be nothing more than a natural creature or phenomenon, the details much exaggerated by the onlooker's panic. If it seems reasonable or even possible that the witness is telling the truth and has an accurate understanding of what was seen, proceed with your study. Keep in mind that, as of yet, you have no solid proof that you are dealing with the supernatural.

Next, determine the general nature of the haunting. If the witness who brought the spirit to your attention seems credible, listen carefully to that person's story and ask for clarification about details that are unclear. Once you have finished with this witness, move on to the next. Although this may seem repetitive, particularly if a number of witnesses were present, the truth at the core of each person's story provides a solid base from which to begin a successful investigation.

If, in the course of this study, you are unable to find a firsthand witness, you are probably on a false trail. If you cannot find a credible person who can present you with a personal account of a meeting with the ghost in question, drop the investigation. You will find nothing more fiendish than fear and superstition.

I first heard of the Phantom Army while traveling southwest through Darken toward Falkovnia. I stopped at a small inn for a bit of supper and a warm bed, for the night outside was growing cold. I told the hostlers of my plans to cross through the woods on the morrow. I could not help but notice the unease of the innkeeper, a quiet, older man named Talid, and his wife, a silent, watchful woman named Corin.

I inquired about their distress, offering my services as a physician if needed. The woman simply turned away from me and said nothing. Her husband sat before me, thanked me for the offer, then told me a tale that made my blood run cold.

The tale was one of terror, for it was the story of Corin's escape from the Phantom Army through the very woods I proposed to cross. Although much of it was disjointed, no doubt from the trauma Corin's mind had suffered, the fear behind the words seemed genuine.

When the innkeeper finished, I voiced my own horror at the thought of those woods being filled with such fiendish spirits. But I had heard terrifying tale before that had turned out to be but stories, and so I asked the pair how reliable was their warning.

Corin did not immediately answer, lowered her head. Talid put his hand on her shoulder, and she seemed to drawn strength from his touch. She nodded once, swiftly, and Talid gently eased her blouse of f her shoulders and showed me his wife's back. Her skin was still livid with the horrid scars Abjen had left upon her those dark nights so long ago. I turned away, shocked and outraged that anyone, let alone a woman, should be so brutally tortured.

The last step in the first stage of an investigation is perhaps the most crucial of the initial inquiry. Once you have gathered enough evidence to wholly convince yourself that you are, indeed the presence of the supernatural, you must decide whether you have the dedication necessary to continue the quest to destroy this unnatural creature.

Do not answer rashly. The road down which I have traveled has been a long and difficult one. I have seen many beloved friends hideously slain or been forced to destroy them myself after the unwillingly became things of darkness cannot promise you success or even a sense of accomplishment for your efforts. Indeed, you should expect only misery and hardship.

If you are like me, however, you will find yourself unable to halt once you have stepped upon this path. The desire for knowledge will be too great, the call of vengeance too compelling, and the longing to rid the world of these creatures beyond resistance. If you fell as I do, you will not stop until you or your enemy is dead. I pray it is the latter.

When I announced to Corin and her husband that I planned to look deeper into this matter, they were shocked. I explained to them the work that now occupied my life and the measure of success I had achieved. Hesitantly, then eagerly, they agreed to help me. I must admit that at first I doubted their resolve. But the memory of Corin's wounds was more than enough to convince me that she would stand by me in even the gravest of situations, and her husband I would stand by her.

During the second stage of an investigation into the supernatural, there are five important steps to take. Others may employ a slightly different approach, but I believe that the elements outlined below are crucial to any prudent hunt.

Begin your hunt with pure, analytical sought and careful research. Learn all what you can about the ghost before you. Uncover its past and relive its life. Find out the cause of its death, for therein lies the tale of its origin, its desires, and its powers. The more information you amass now, the better your chances later of removing it.

Once you have completed your interviews with witnesses, researched the ghost's past, and learned as much possible on your own, take time to draw or speculate on some conclusions. Consider the ghost's origin and try to decide if any weaknesses or powers are suggested. It is typically impossible to examine a large pool of evidence such you have presumably collected at this point without one or two clear facts presenting themselves.

Now is the time to classify the ghost according to the categories delineated Chapter One. At this step, you will want to make a guess at its magnitude and possible origins. You should be able determine whether it is an anchored or a triggered spirit.

I spent the next day pouring over the information that Corin and her husband had given me. I decided that the phantom army had no obvious weaknesses, based on Corin's account, although the nature of the torture to which Abjen was subjected at the hands and claws of the mongrelmen suggested a possible allergen.

Corin and her comrades (the latter now all dead) had suffered from daggers heated by fire, then pressed against their flesh like branding irons. It seemed logical that Abjen's ghost would have tortured the mongrelmen the same way they had abused him in life, so I decided to act on that assumption.

Over the course of the next few days, I gathered the equipment I thought would need and, in the company of Corin and her husband, headed into the woods.

When you have acquired a solid basis of facts and a supply of ready theories, it is time to view the ghost for yourself. Of course, only a fool would rush into such an encounter without taking precautions. If you have theories about the ghost's vulnerabilities or weaknesses, make sure you can act upon them!

Your mission in this first sighting is not to battle the ghost, but to observe it. If possible, arrange to see the ghost so that it is unaware of your existence. All too soon you will stand before the creature and try to destroy it before it destroys you. Don't let this confrontation happen until you are ready for it.

Watch the ghost's behavior. Does it show weaknesses or vulnerabilities that you might be able to act upon later? What sorts of special powers does it appear to have? Is it angry and violent, or passive?

In the end, try to further classify the ghost according to the categories noted in Chapter One. Perhaps you will still have to guess at its magnitude, but you will almost certainly be able to note its physical appearance and consistency by viewing it.

If possible, make several observations of the ghost. On each occasion, ask yourself the same questions you did the first time you saw it. As you progress, you might wish to place suspected allergens at places where the ghost is likely to appear. By observing its reaction to these items, you can often discover a valuable weapon to use in later combat.

We had traveled deep into the forest when we came upon a clearing and set up our camp. Although Abjen was said to appear only at night, we constantly caught sight of his spectral army as we tried to pass the time until nightfall. We kept a bright fire burning - a fire in which our blades rested until they were red hot.

After you have observed the ghost, noting its patterns of behavior and its abilities, it is time to test your skills against it. It is seldom wise to move in for the kill right away, as too much remains unknown about the abilities of I the spirit. Rather, set up a series of sparring encounters. Have a quick escape in mind, then challenge the ghost with an allergen or the like the might hold it at bay or harm it.

After each of these preliminary skirmishes, examine what you have learned. In all likelihood, you can find classifying the ghost according to the categories noted in Chapter One. Further, the means by which you will finally destroy the ghost are likely to be revealed during these skirmishes.

When darkness fell, Abjen appeared before us. He recognized Corin instantly and was enraged at her return to the forest. In fact, so great was his wrath that he all but ignore Talid and me. As Abjen moved toward Corin to punish her insolence, I slipped on a thick gauntlet and took my sword from the fire.

The blade glowed white-orange from the heat of the blaze, and it left a trail steam behind it in the damp woodland air. The ghost saw the blade before he struck, and he let out a cry of alarm. I had thought, the heated weapon affected the ghost as if he were as mortal as I.

Abjen cried out in pain when the blade struck his semicorporeal form, and he fled into the woods. I feared we would next be attacked by the minions of Abjen's ghoulish army, but the injury to their leader seemed to have left the Phantom Army without the will to move.

Uncertain as to how long a reprieve we had, Corin, her husband, and I hastily retreated to the inn. I now knew the means by which I could destroy Abjen, but I needed more help. I sent a runner with an urgent message to a former traveling companion who now lived in the town of Zhukar in G'Henna.

Until this time, the third stage, you might be frustrated by the slowness of the investigation. You might long to face this nightmare creature in combat and see it destroyed. Righteous anger burns within you, waiting for release. Everything that is good and holy in you has been restrained, held back for the proper moment. Take care, for the time of reckoning is at hand!

Everything you have done up to this moment has taught you how to devise a remarkable plan for the destruction of the ghost. As a cautionary note, remember the spirit's special abilities and have some means of countering them at hand. Keep in mind the ghost's psychology. If you know what attracts and repels it, you are that much closer to ultimate triumph.

Perhaps the most important thing to consider when drawing up your plan for hunting the spirit is teamwork. Make sure each member of your party understands what he or she must do in the heat of battle. Everyone must be able to count on all others to perform appointed tasks.

In many cases, the ghost determines the time of your encounter. If a spirit appears each night when the clock strikes one and vanishes when it chimes two, you have only that hour in which to make your attack.

If the ghost's appearance is erratic, you may be able to arrange this to your advantage. If it is uncomfortable in bright light, then attack during the day. If it spends the night howling and weeping, then attack while it is so engaged, in poss that it is caught off guard.

The place at which you will confront the ghost is often not a matter of your own choosing, either. If the clock tower ghost mentioned earlier never strays from the park in front of the tower, you must confront it there.

While there is some validity to the belief this places you on the ghost's soil and gives it an advantage, this is seldom an important consideration. In most cases, knowing exactly where you will fight the battle gives you an important advantage because it allows you to prepare that area ahead of time.

If the ghost tends to roam or wander, it may be hard to pin it down for battle. In these cases, you must do the best you can to "herd" the ghost toward an area that will give you an advantage over it. Do not depend upon chance to gain such an advantage - make liberal use of the creature's affinities and allergens to force its hand.

Never go into combat against a ghost unless you are fully confident of the powers of your weapons. The purpose behind the preliminary encounters you staged was to test your weapons. If the enchantment on your magical sword wasn't strong enough to harm the ghost during those duels, you should obtain a more powerful blade in the interim.

Every item that you employ against the ghost, from holy water to spells and weapons, must have already been tested against the ghost. Never use a weapon against the ghost for the first time during this final encounter. It is folly to do so, for if the weapon does not function as you anticipate, you will be killed.

Any sensible ghost hunter has an escape ready before confronting the spirit. So many things can go wrong in the war against the supernatural that nothing can be taken for granted. If you are ready to flee from the scene when the battle turns against you, use the information you gain from the abortive attack to make plans for a later assault. Do not mislead yourself into believing that retreat is a cowardly act; on the contrary, your wariness and discretion will keep you alive to continue your fight against the undead. That alone requires almost a daily act of bravery.

Perhaps the most important piece of advice I can offer you about your conflict with a ghost is this: Everything in your plan must proceed as swiftly as possible once you have attacked the spirit. Any delay between a failed attack and the next assault increases the chance of failure on your part, for it gives the ghost time to adjust to your tactics and weapons. Remember: While you have been studying the ghost, it has been studying you.

Now, I do not mean to say that you should rush headlong into the fray. Far from it. If some element of your attack causes a delay or pause, do not charge forward. Do not move at an imprudent pace, but do not waste any time either. I have seen many fellows slain when they paused too long - out of fear, out of mercy, or (foolishly enough) out of a desire to gloat - before they delivered the deathblow.

Within three days, my old friend, Emilion Lacousto, arrived in response to the summons I had sent to the town of Zhukar. I told him of the Phantom Army and asked that he join Corin, her husband, and me for our return venture to the haunted woods. After some discussion, Emilion agreed, and we set out the next morning.

Corin suggested we make camp in the same place as before. We knew that Abjen might linger there, and he would recognize us immediately. I feared the spirit would not approach us if he saw we had taken precautions similar to those that had driven him off before, so we lit no fire.

At dusk, the foul apparition returned. Abjen saw us and vowed our deaths would be slow and painful. The spirit did not draw near us, instead ordering his legion to attack. Fearing we would have no better chance to strike, I called to my companions, instructing them to put our plan into action.

Corin responded quickly, for she wished to avenge herself. We opened several vials of holy water and hurled the contents on the spirits between Abjen and us. The water had the desired effect, and the shades quickly drew back.

Seeing his opening, Emilion sprang into action. He charged forward, sword drawn, and uttered a word of power. Instantly, the blade of his weapon was sheathed in flame - the metal turned white hot. In a single leap, he bridged the gap between himself and the vile Abjen.

With a great effort, Emilion swung the heavy blade in a wide arch and struck the villain in the neck, instantly beheading him. As the ghostly head landed on the ground, his mouth opened and a cry of absolute suffering emerged - then Abjen's spirit disappeared forever.

With the loss of its master, the Phantom Army was no more. Each spirit dissolved into vapor. A chill breath swept the clearing and carried the vapor away.

Our work was done. Corin had avenged herself and her fallen comrades, and we had defeated the evil in the woods.

When the shouting is over and the wounded have been tended, one last task must be completed before you can claim victory: verifying the kill.

Often, a physical phenomenon is associated with a ghost - a portrait that weeps or the like. Examine this object for signs that it is no longer under the influence of the ghost. If the ghost was anchored or triggered, be ready for its next few appearances. If it does not appear, your task is, at long last, complete.