I note that some Mediums remain conscious during spiritual Possession, while others enter a somnambulic or unconscious State. I name the former category TRANCE MEDIUMS and the latter RESTIVE MEDIUMS. However, this seems to depend on the Medium’s particular Constitution, and their Ability to resist the overpowering Sensations caused by Possession, rather than the Type of Mediumship they display. Some Mediums may have a violent Seizure, become disorientated, experience a Migraine, or vomit uncontrollably after the Spirit releases them from its Hold. Most Mediums will have one particular Spirit with which they commune closely, and will allow this Spirit to control them on a regular basis, causing less Distress with each Possession. This Spirit Companion is usually referred to as a MUSE.
ART MEDIUM, OR AUTOMATISTE, which I have named after the artistic Technique of Automatism. A most fascinating and beautiful Type of Mediumship, with visually stunning Results. The Automatiste is possessed by the Spirit of an Artist and channels his or her Work, allowing the Spirit to control their Hands and Tools. They may sometimes produce a perfect Replica of a known Masterpiece, or create an entirely new one in the style of their Muse. Discussion with these Mediums suggests that their Precision and Eyesight is greatly improved by the use of purple Aster directly before or during a Possession, although this can cause serious Addiction and affect the Medium’s general Capacity for Art.
PHYSICAL MEDIUM,16 sometimes called MARIONETTE in a derogatory Sense. A dangerous Gift to possess. These Mediums are extremely vulnerable to both benevolent and malignant Forces in the Æther, having Dreamscapes that are not only permeable, but give off a Signal to passing Spirits that an acquiescent Body is nearby. If the Medium is conscious during the Experience, it is markedly less pleasant, for their Limbs move without their Permission. Unlike other Mediums, there is usually no specific Purpose to their Possessions, and they are unlikely to develop a close Link with any particular Spirit. They are simply used as Vessels for a Spirit desperate to wander the physical World. Occasionally, however, a Physical Medium will encourage a Spirit to possess them to augment their Skills in Combat.
16 The Names of some Types of MEDIUM, including PHYSICAL MEDIUM, originate from the writings of Allen Kardec (the Pseudonym of one Hippolyte Léon Denizard Rivail), whose prohibited ‘LIVRE DES MÉDIUMS’, published in 1861, is one of the more accurate and excellent blacklisted Texts on Clairvoyance. Although my Definitions of each Type are rather different from Kardec’s, I have elected to preserve these Names out of Respect for his sensible and meticulous Work. It is a Pity that the Majority of his Writings, like those of my other Sources, have since been destroyed.
PSYCHOGRAPHER. These conscientious Clairvoyants are compelled to write, often at length and at great Speed, when they are possessed by a Spirit, most often that of a Writer or Poet. This most often occurs during the Night, and is rumoured to be aided by the Consumption of large Quantities of Absinthe and Coffee. The famous Clairvoyant of Switzerland, Hélène Smith, was renowned for this Skill, and it is rumoured that she possesses many Psychographers to encourage them in their Work.17 The best-known Community of Psychographers exists in Grub Street, with the most esteemed Inhabitants forming the Spiritus Club, who have kindly published this Pamphlet. It is through Grub Street that a great many Pieces of clairvoyant Literature have been salvaged from Scion’s various Biblioclasms since the 1980s.
17 It should be noted that Smith believed herself to be speaking to Martians, rather than to Spirits, so this Claim is perhaps best taken with a Pinch of Salt, as they say.
SPEAKING MEDIUM. This differs from the POLYGLOT, from the next Order (see SENSORS). The Speaking Medium is a Mouthpiece for the spirit World, but they cannot speak the true Language of Spirits. Instead a Spirit will manipulate their Voicebox to produce a Message in what was once their native Language in Life. These Messages are typically fragmented and difficult to decipher, as the Spirit is attempting to speak in a Language that is no longer its own.
THE
The Sensors are often confused with the Mediums, as the two Gifts are sometimes considered, by the Ignorant, to be one and the same. However, I make the Distinction that a Medium is subject to Possession and Control by a Spirit, while a Sensor is privy to the intimate Workings of their World. The Art of SENSORY is a delicate one, a Secret kept buried by its Practitioners, who are often mistakenly diagnosed as psychotic by amaurotic Quack Doctors if they dare to speak aloud the Things they sense around them. They sense the Æther as if it is entirely open to the physical World. It is a precious and sophisticated Gift, clouded by Misunderstanding, and I extend my deepest Sympathies to those Sensors that have faced Persecution.
SNIFFER. A colloquial Name for what was previously called the OLFACTOMANCER by the esteemed Mister Didion Waite, who published a Pamphlet on the Subject entitled ‘BRING FORTH THE SMELLING SALTS; OR, HOW I SNIFFED OUT SARAH METYARD’. I refute this Label most ardently, as the Suffix –mancer strongly suggests Soothsaying or Augury.18 The Sniffer is neither Soothsayer nor Augur. They are able to detect spiritual Activity through a keen Sense of Smell. They may detect an Aroma indicative of what the Spirit wore or enjoyed in Life, such as a favoured Perfume. They are also able to detect Aura through a particular Scent, which could not be described by Sniffers interviewed in the Course of my Studies. Should only be taken seriously if absolutely no other Smells are present.
18 The honourable Mister Waite is cordially invited to respond to this Refutation publicly if he so desires.
POLYGLOT, sometimes called JULKER or, archaically, SPIRIT-SINGER. This is perhaps the most fascinating of all clairvoyant Abilities. The Polyglot experiences spasmodic Bursts of Language, at random Intervals, but the Language they speak is unknown to any Linguist. It has long been recognised as the Art of ‘speaking in Tongues’. Speaking this Language has a notable Impact upon the Æther, and appears to draw in nearby Spirits. I firmly believe that this is the pure Language of Spirits, a Language beyond our Comprehension until such Time that we meet Death. Polyglots are too often dismissed as insane, as their Outbursts are typically accompanied by Fitting and Vomiting. It might be persuasively argued that the Polyglot is similar to a SPEAKING MEDIUM, as these Fits are generally uncontrollable. However, my Observations have yielded no Evidence that the Polyglot is actually controlled by a Spirit during their enchanting Eruptions of Language, but rather that they are calling out to the spirit World, attempting to connect with it through Speech, as if Language itself is their Numen.
GUSTANTS. These Sensors experience a sudden Flavour when Spirits are nearby. The Gustants I have cross-examined usually report a metallic or earthen Taste, one that sickens the Gut and burns the Tongue. The Taste will be more bitter if the Spirits nearby are malignant. Not a particularly useful Gift, by all Accounts.
WHISPERER. I classified this hypothetical Sensor only three Years ago, but have not yet come across one for Analysis, despite my persistent Search. I propose that a Whisperer may hear, but possibly not speak or even understand, the pure Language of Spirits. This would result in the Whisperer hearing a constant Stream of Voices, unheard by all but other Whisperers. It is likely that many Whisperers are held in secure Facilities such as the HOSPITAL OF UNFORTUNATES, as there is a certain Stigma attached to hearing Voices. It is possible that they might be able to channel the spirit-Language in ways that do not involve Speech, for example, the dexterous Manipulation of musical Instruments through an ethereal Touch. Until a Whisperer emerges in the Citadel, we can never know.
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The 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.
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The 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.
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Risking 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.