Jonathan Stroud - The Creeping Shadow

Nimbus—A ring-shaped aura; a bright but grainy halo of other-lightthat may surround a Sourceor apparition.

Operative—Another name for a psychic investigation agent.

Other-light—An eerie, unnatural light radiating from some apparitions.

Phantasm**—Any Type Two ghostthat maintains an airy, delicate, and see-through form. A Phantasm may be almost invisible, aside from its faint outline and a few wispy details of its face and features. Despite its insubstantial appearance, it is no less aggressive than the more solid-seeming Specter, and all the more dangerous for being harder to see.

Phantom—Another general name for a ghost.

Plasm— See Ectoplasm.

Poltergeist**—A powerful and destructive class of Type Two ghost.Poltergeists release strong bursts of supernatural energy that can lift even heavy objects into the air. They do not form apparitions.

Problem, the—The epidemic of hauntings currently affecting Britain.

Rapier—The official weapon of all psychic investigation agents. The tips of the ironblades are sometimes coated with silver.

Raw-bones**—A rare and unpleasant kind of ghost, which manifests as a bloody, skinless corpse with goggling eyes and grinning teeth. Not popular with agents. Many authorities regard it as a variety of Wraith.

Relic-man/relic-woman—Someone who locates Sourcesand other psychic artifacts and sells them on the black market.

Revenant**—A fortunately rare variety of Type Two ghostin which the apparitioncan temporarily animate its own corpse and cause it to break free of its grave. Though Revenants generate powerful ghost-lockand strong waves of creeping fear, they are easy to deal with because their body is their Source, thus giving an agent plenty of opportunity to encase them in silver. Also, if the corpse is old, it usually falls to pieces before doing too much damage.

Salt—A commonly used defenseagainst Type One ghosts. Less effective than ironand silver, salt is cheaper than both, and used in many household deterrents.

Salt-bomb—A small plastic throwing-globe filled with salt. Shatters on impact, spreading salt in all directions. Used by agents to drive back weaker ghosts. Less effective against stronger entities.

Salt-gun—A device that projects a fine spray of salty water across a wide area. A useful weapon against Type One ghosts. Increasingly employed by larger agencies.

Screaming Spirit**—A feared Type Two ghost, which may or may not display any kind of visual apparition. Screaming Spirits emit terrifying psychic shrieks, the sound of which is sometimes enough to paralyze the listener with fright, and so bring on ghost-lock.

Seal—An object, usually of silveror iron, designed to enclose or cover a Source, and prevent the escape of its ghost.

Sensitive, a—Someone who is born with unusually good psychic Talent. Most Sensitives join agenciesor the night watch; others provide psychic services without actually confronting Visitors.

Shade*—The standard Type One ghost, and possibly the most common kind of Visitor. Shades may appear quite solid, in the manner of Specters, or be insubstantial and wispy, like Phantasms; however, they entirely lack the dangerous intelligence of either. Shades seem unaware of the presence of the living, and are usually bound into a fixed pattern of behavior. They project feelings of grief and loss, but seldom display anger or any stronger emotion. They almost always appear in human form.

Shining Boy**—A deceptively beautiful variety of Type Two ghostthat manifests as a young boy (or, more rarely, girl) walking in the center of cold, blazing other-light.

Sight—The psychic ability to see apparitionsand other ghostly phenomena, such as death-glows. One of the three main varieties of psychic Talent.

Silver—An important and potent defense against ghosts. Worn by many people as wardsin the form of jewelry. Agents use it to coat their rapiers, and as a crucial component of their Seals.

Silver-glass—A special “ghost-proof” glass used to encase Sources.

Snuff-light—A type of small candle used by psychic investigation agenciesto indicate a supernatural presence. They flicker, tremble, and finally snuff out if a ghostdraws near.

Source—The object or place through which a ghostenters the world.

Specter**—The most commonly encountered Type Two ghost. A Specter always forms a clear, detailed apparition, which may in some cases seem almost solid. It is usually an accurate visual echo of the deceased as they were when alive or newly dead. Specters are less nebulous than Phantasmsand less hideous than Wraiths, equally varied in behavior. Many are neutral or benign in their dealings with the living—perhaps returning to reveal a secret, or make right an ancient wrong. Some, however, are actively hostile, and hungry for human contact. These ghosts should be avoided at all costs.

Stalker*—A Type One ghostthat seems drawn to living people, following them at a distance, but never venturing close. Agents who are skilled at Listeningoften detect the slow shuffling of its bony feet, and its desolate sighs and groans.

Stone Knocker*—A desperately uninteresting Type One ghost, which does precious little apart from tap.

Talent—The ability to see, hear or otherwise detect ghosts. Many children, though not all, are born with a degree of psychic Talent. This skill tends to fade towards adulthood, though it still lingers in some grown-ups. Children with better-than-average Talent join the night watch. Exceptionally gifted children usually join the agencies. The three main categories of Talent are Sight, Listening, and Touch.

Tom O’Shadows*—A London term for a Lurkeror Shadethat lingers in doorways, arches, or alleyways. An everyday urban ghost.

Touch—The ability to detect psychic echoes from objects that have been closely associated with a death or haunting. Such echoes take the form of visual images, sounds and other sense impressions. One of the three main varieties of Talent.