The Spook's Bestiary

by Joseph Delaney

  Strigoi and strigoica demons often work in pairs. One animates a living host, guarding and protecting the other during daylight hours. Many live in grand, isolated dwellings and have accumulated wealth acquired from the living hosts they have possessed.

  Once clothed in human form, living or dead, they exist on a diet of human blood, but sometimes eat raw flesh, hearts and livers being considered particular delicacies.

  It is the practice of Romanian spooks to dig up bodies one year after they have been interred. If decomposition is under way, the corpse is considered to be free of possession. However, if it has changed little— and especially if the face is pink or red and the lips swollen—it is deemed to be possessed by vampiric demons and the head is cut off and burned.

  A Strigoi

  There are many ways to deal with strigoi and strigoica, both the living and the dead: They can be decapitated; a stake may be driven through the left eye; or they can be burned. They also can be kept at bay using garlic, roses, and the same method employed against water witches—a salt-filled water moat. Only a demon possessing a dead body can be destroyed by sunlight.

  Minotaurs

  Minotaurs once roamed the southern islands of Greece, particularly Crete. They were carnivorous, terrorizing isolated villages into making human sacrifices to appease them. Each had the body of a very strong and muscular man but the head and horns of a bull. They would let out a tremendous roar, which transfixed their victims to the spot with fear.

  There is a tale of a king who constructed a complex labyrinth and placed a savage minotaur at its center, sending those who displeased him in to meet their death. It is said that a Greek hero called Theseus slayed the terrible demon. He solved the problem of the labyrinth by using a ball of thread, one end of which he tied to a post at the entrance, unraveling the ball as he proceeded. Once he had slain the minotaur, all he had to do was follow the thread back to the entrance.

  As no reports of sightings have been made for at least two centuries, minotaurs are now presumed to be extinct.

  Cyclops

  These demons take the shape of one-eyed carnivorous giants who feed upon sheep and other livestock, considering mountain goats a great delicacy. They are found in the accounts of the early Greek historians and storytellers. It is possible that they are now extinct in that land, but there is some evidence that they have migrated north—there are records of sightings in southern Romania. In my opinion all accounts of “giants” are greatly exaggerated. No doubt there are humans and other creatures in this world that exceed normal dimensions, but the capacity of the human mind to embellish and exaggerate what already is a wonder in itself never ceases to amaze me.

  A Cyclops

  * * *

  1 The main exception to this rule is the demons that pass to and fro from the dark to our world through the fiery portal used by the Ordeen. It is the power of that goddess that makes such a thing possible. —John Gregory

  2 Seconded to Bill Arkwright, I helped hunt down a selkie far to the north of the County. Bill’s poor dog followed it into the water and was seized and drowned. After killing the dog, the selkie escaped. —apprentice Graham Cain

  Working with Bill Arkwright, I was also witness to the hunting of a selkie. The creature was living happily with a fisherman in the shape of a woman, and it seemed cruel and unjust that she should be driven into the sea, leaving him alone. The poor man was distraught. There are some jobs a spook shouldn’t have to do. —Tom Ward

  A Skelt

  Water Beasts

  Water beasts are to be found all over the known world in seas, lakes, rivers, marshes, ponds, and canals. In the County they cause the biggest problems north of Caster. It is my hope that one day I will train an apprentice who will specialize in dealing with such creatures.1

  Scylla

  Scylla are a type of fierce water beast to be found only in freshwater rivers and lakes in Greece. The creatures vary in size, but each of them has seven heads, two tails, and five limbs. Covered in green scales, they often hide in underwater foliage, then scuttle out at great speed to seize their prey—usually fishermen or unwary travelers. The first scylla is said to have been one of the children of the first Lamia. It inherited its mother’s voracious appetite, which has been passed down to her descendants.

  A Scylla

  Skelts2

  Skelts resemble huge insects, with long, thin, multi-jointed legs. Despite their size, they can fold themselves into very narrow spaces. Their segmented bodies are hard and ridged like a crustacean and usually barnacle encrusted. They live close to water, often in caves, and emerge to feed on the warm blood of mammals. They have snouts but are toothless, and their most notable feature is a long, narrow, sharp bone tube, which they insert into their prey in order to suck its blood.

  A Skelt

  A Water Witch Feasting on a Skelt

  The skelt is greatly prized by water witches, who use it in their rituals. They allow it to drink the blood of a sacrificial victim over a period of days. Once the victim is dead, the witches then dismember the skelt alive and eat it raw. This triples the power of the blood magic gained.

  Sirens

  These female creatures use their powerful, enchanting voices to lure sailors to their deaths. In trying to reach the sirens, the mariners either plunge into the sea, where they are drowned, or sail their boats onto the rocks.3 It is believed that sirens feed upon the flesh of the drowned.

  A Siren

  A Wight

  Wights

  A wight is another creature created and used by witches, usually as the watery guardian of some secret place.4 Wights are created using dark magic. A drowned sailor’s soul is bound to his body, which then does not decay but becomes bloated and extremely strong. Although blind, their eyes having been devoured by fishes, wights have keen hearing and can locate their victims while still submerged. A victim may be totally unaware that a wight lies in wait in nearby water. The attack, when it comes, is swift. The wight seizes its prey and drags it down into deep water, where it drowns while being slowly dismembered.

  Wights, like the witches who create them, can be repulsed and hurt by a staff of rowan wood. With a silver chain, they can also be dragged out of the water and finished off with salt and iron.

  A Wight

  Wormes

  Wormes5 are dangerous creatures that range in size from that of a small dog to something as big as a house. Some have legs, most have tails, and all are vicious and bad tempered. Their bodies are sinuous and eel-like, but covered with tough green scales that are very difficult to penetrate with a blade. They have long jaws with a mouth full of fangs that can bite off a head or an arm in the twinkling of an eye. When on land, they can also spit a deadly poison that is quickly absorbed through the victim’s skin, with fatal results. Some wormes have short stubby wings, and because steam often erupts from their jaws, they are sometimes mistakenly believed to be fire-breathing dragons.

  Wormes

  They are mainly water dwellers, and although they prefer deep lakes, they occasionally make do with a marsh or river. Wormes are rare in the County but are to be found in its most northerly regions, ranging from the lakes down almost as far as Caster.

  When they catch humans, they invariably squeeze their prey to death before eating them, bones and all, leaving hardly a trace. Sometimes they even swallow the clothes and shoes. But with animals such as cattle, they just bite deeply and drain them of blood.

  Wormes are dangerous creatures to approach and are best dealt with by two people attacking the creature simultaneously.6

  * * *

  1 At last I have trained an apprentice from that northern region of the County who wishes to return there and deal with things that come out of the water. His name is Bill Arkwright. —John Gregory

  2 Skelts are extremely rare. One day I hope to see one! —apprentice Bill Arkwright

  Bill Arkwright got his wish! He had one trapped in a water pit below the mill. When it escaped, it attacked me
and started draining my blood. Bill saved me, killing it with a rock. When he was a prisoner of water witches, they used a skelt to drink his blood. Once he was dead, the creature would have been ritually slain. —Tom Ward

  3 On the Greek coast, the crew of our ship, the Celeste, suddenly found themselves in thrall to sirens who waited on a headland of jagged rocks. These creatures, because of the power of their song, appeared as great beauties. However, their true form was hideous, with huge fangs and swollen lips. As spooks, Tom Ward and I had some immunity to their allure, but only by pressing wax into the ears of the helmsman could we free him from their spell so that the ship could be steered to safety. —John Gregory

  4 A wight was used to guard the secret tunnel that led to Malkin Tower. It was slain by a lamia, which tore it to pieces. —Tom Ward

  5 The word worme is spelled with an e to distinguish it from the common earthworm. —apprentice George Eccles

  6 I faced a dangerous worme with Bill Arkwright. I helped to attract its attention while he stabbed it with his staff, then finished it off with his knife. Bill also demonstrated how a candle flame could be used to distract it .—Tom Ward

  A Dragon

  Elemental Spirits

  As the name suggests, elemental spirits emerge from earth, water, air, or fire over a long period of time. The elements give birth to them, but they move only very slowly toward consciousness. It is in the early stage of their development that novice witches can use them to exert power; the older the spirit, the more aware it is. Once they have interacted with a fully fledged malevolent witch, their development is complete.

  One plausible theory is that elemental spirits eventually evolve first into demons, then finally into gods. There is no hard evidence for this, but it does seem likely. Thus the Old Gods are the result of a long developing process, the final catalyst being their worship by humans.1

  Barghests

  Barghests are earth spirits that take the form of a huge black dog with fiery eyes and enormous fangs. Usually artificially bound to a certain location, they draw their strength from human fear, something they have in common with ghasts and boggarts. They are used and controlled by some witches to guard their homes, or places where covens gather. A spook can deal with them using salt and iron, but they can be a great danger to ordinary folk, projecting waves of fear that can stop a heart or drive the susceptible insane.

  A Barghest

  Boogles

  Boogles are elemental spirits of earth that frequent caves and tunnels. Most are harmless, but they naturally make miners very nervous. They take the form of grotesque shadows that move extremely slowly. Occasionally they whisper or sigh. (Tappers are a much greater threat.)

  Dragons

  Dragons are mistakenly believed by many to be fire breathers with wings and talons. True dragons are very different. They are elemental spirits of the air, some so large they can coil themselves right round a big hill. They often sleep for centuries like that, covering it from foot to summit. They are invisible, so most people aren’t even aware of them. The more sensitive may just shiver suddenly on a hot summer’s day and think they’re coming down with a cold. Big dragons are sluggish things. They don’t move much, but if they do, it happens very slowly.

  Their thought processes also seem slow, but that’s because they experience time differently: A day seems of no more duration than a second. Thus to them humans are no more than tiny insects and they are hardly aware of our existence. In ancient times, spooks could communicate with such beings, but that art has been lost.

  Some mages try to use the energy of a dragon—with mixed results. There is great danger in such attempts. The mage is sometimes trapped within the aura of the dragon and falls into a deep sleep from which he never awakes, the most famous example being Merlin (under Mages) who, it is said, still sleeps within a dragon’s lair and will do so until the end of the world.

  Fire Elementals

  Fire elementals are not found in the County because of its wet climate and prevailing westerly winds from the sea.2 In hot lands, however, they can be very dangerous, often taking the form of glowing orbs, some of which are translucent, others opaque. At noon they are usually to be found on rocks, from which they draw heat and power. Additionally, they may frequent ruined or abandoned buildings.

  As a general rule, the opaque ones are hotter and more dangerous than translucent ones. Indoors these often float close to the ceiling but can move very suddenly, which makes them almost impossible to dodge. Contact with such a sphere can result in severe burns and a painful death. In more extreme cases, such elementals can reduce their victims to ashes almost instantly.

  Other fire elementals called asteri are similar in shape to a starfish, with five fiery arms. These elementals cling to the surface of walls or ceilings and drop onto the heads of unsuspecting victims.

  The most dangerous fire elemental of all is the salamander, a large lizard that basks in the heat of intense flames. These can spit streaks of fire or scalding steam.

  A Salamander

  Fire elementals are notoriously difficult to defend against, but a metal alloy blade with the correct percentage of silver can sometimes cause one to implode. A spook’s staff is particularly useful for this purpose.3 Failing that, water can seriously weaken a fire elemental and cause it to hibernate until drier conditions prevail.4 Water also offers a refuge when under attack.

  Moroi

  These are vampiric elemental spirits found in Romania. They are sometimes controlled by the strigoi and strigoica, but even when operating alone are a considerable threat to travelers. In their disembodied form, they inhabit hollow trees and clumps of holly. However, they often possess bears, which crush and lacerate their human victims before dragging them back to their lair. Sunlight destroys them, and they are only at large after dark.

  Moroi have one significant weakness: They are compulsive in their behavior and often linger close to their lair, counting holly berries, seeds, twigs, or even blades of grass, wasting the hours that would otherwise have been used to hunt human prey. By the time they have finished counting, it’s usually almost dawn—which can be the most dangerous time of all for unwary humans, because the creatures are desperate to drink blood before the sun rises.

  This weakness is exploited by Romanian spooks, who always have a pocketful of seeds or berries. Threatened by the moroi, they cast these toward it. Rather than attack, it is forced to begin counting again.

  Tappers

  Tappers, distant cousins to the boggarts that plague the County, live deep within rock clefts and sometimes cause tunnels to collapse. County miners fear them more than anything else.

  Tappers try to drive humans away from territory they have claimed as their own. First of all, they use fear—hence the mysterious and unnerving rhythmical tapping sounds that are typical signs of their presence. But if fear doesn’t work, they bring down rocks and try to crush those they consider to be interlopers.

  In an abandoned mine, huge numbers may gather unchecked over time, endangering the lives of any humans who venture there. Even many of them working together cannot cause a tunnel to collapse unless there is an existing fault line. However, if they do find a serious crack in the structure of the rock above, they can easily bring the ceiling down, either crushing or sealing victims underground so they perish from lack of air or water.5

  Water Elementals

  Water elementals are mostly found in the north of the County, where the bogs, lakes, and coast are inhabited by other denizens of the dark, such as water witches. There is a dangerous type called a wisp, which appears as a spiral of light over dangerous marshes and lures travelers off the path to their doom. These are usually too elusive to be dealt with unless there is a severe drought (a rare thing in the County). Then a spook can bind one in a pit using the same method as he would for a boggart.

  A Wisp

  Then there are banshees (also known as bean sidhe), which are female water spirits that warn of death. Mostly they
are invisible: All you hear is a wailing cry, uttered just three times each night. If they are heard close to a house three nights running, it is said someone inside will die at the very moment the final wail is heard.

  Sometimes banshees can be glimpsed apparently washing a burial shroud. If there is blood either on the shroud or in the water, then a violent death is predicted.6 They are not solid and do not leave footprints or any other evidence of their presence.

  A spook has no means of dealing with banshees, but they react to future events rather than bringing them about, so are not in themselves dangerous.7

  A Banshee

  * * *

  1 There is some recent evidence to support this view. The Bane was once one of the Old Gods, worshipped by the Little People. At the time of its unfortunate liberation from the catacombs under Priestown Cathedral, where it had little human contact, it had the strength of a demon. Gradually it then began to grow in power. I’m convinced that, using terror, it would eventually have forced people to worship it in great numbers. It would have become a god once more. It was destroyed by my apprentice, Tom Ward, just in time. —John Gregory