Adjuration

The Art of the Adjurator
(edited by Tarot)

Adjurator: Noun. One who performs Adjurations, especially dealing in the banishing and bringing forth of ghosts and spirits. Colloquially known as witches, witch-doctors, ghost-doctors, spirit-guides, black brothers, houngans, shamans, spirit-tamers and corpse-men.

History

As long as people have had to deal with spirits, there have been the Adjurators. Some claim Adjurators were the first necromancers. It is this link, this dealing with the dead that has forced the Adjurators underground in recent patterns; when necromancy became illegal, the inquisitions came hunting for the Adjurators. Because of this, they did what anyone would do in such circumstances: they hid and practised their craft in secret.

With time, the Adjurators have become feared figures. They may end haunting and possession, but it is known that Adjurators have fearful powers and can call down spirits and ghosts to haunt those who did them an ill turn. Because of this reputation, very few are willing to point the finger at an Adjurator. Even so, most Adjurators shun the larger cities, preferring to work in smaller villages where they can keep track of people more easily. Some take to the cities, of course, but they spend most of their time in the poor quarters of the cities, keeping well out of the way of the Church of Faith.

Introduction to the Trade

The first thing one must learn is the difference between a spirit and a ghost. A spirit is a naturally occurring phenomenon; they are creatures in their own right, with their own needs and wants. A ghost is the soul of someone who has died that lingers on, having breached the fabric of the Ethereal plane and gaining the ability to interact with the Material plane. Though the two have similar abilities and substance, they are separate in this.

A spirit is often tied to a place or an object. Sometimes a spirit is the manifestation of an idea, concept or environment. A ghost is often tied to the place they died, or some spot or people that were important to them when they were alive. For the spirit this is not an intermediary stage, but the stage of existence. For a ghost this is just a stage between life and the afterlife and many will want to move either way.

To understand the needs and the wants of spirits and ghosts is inherent to being an Adjurator. Dealing with these beings is the very essence of this craft. Finding out what the spirits need or want to be appeased is as important, if not more important, than appeasing it. Anyone can appease a spirit, but it is given to the very few to communicate with the spirits to find out just how it can be appeased.

An Adjurator often works underground. Although no necromancy is actually used in this trade, the Church of Faith finds that it smacks of it and will often persecute anyone pursuing this trade. This does not stop them from being popular, though. They are often called on, even if it is not in the open, as their work clearly has advantages. Some turn their craft to more evil ends, using spirits to plague neighbors or ghosts to haunt houses at their command. Others spend their time appeasing spirits, casting out ghosts that haunt buildings and curing possessions. What they spend their time doing depends as much on their temperament as anything else.

The Workplace

An Adjurator can work wherever, but most have houses filled with the various paraphernalia of the craft. These are often secured with goat's blood and various other safety measures to keep spirits and ghosts out. It is important that the Adjurator keep his house clean of these things as the amount of items in there would most likely keep a spirit constantly flitting between being aggravated and pleased. This is also a way for an Adjurator to keep other, rival Adjurators at bay, hindering them from sending spirits or ghosts to plague them. If an Adjurator wants to work with spirits, he will often go outside, or in other environments. Usually, any spirits kept in the house will be caged.

The Work

A large part of the work of an Adjurator is determining just what he is working with. Spirits and ghosts both have different ways to be trapped or dealt with. The next part of the work is then working out how to appease or aggravate these, or how to draw them out or in depending on what the Adjurator is hired for or wants to do.

When setting curses on people or raising ghosts, an Adjurator will want to have an atmosphere that suits the work he will be doing. This makes it easier for ghosts to return, and it is the reason why raisings often take place in graveyards with the symbolism of death around.

A few examples of the rites an Adjurator would work will be included here.

• Raising a Ghost
  
  The Adjurator will carefully sprinkle a circle of salt on the ground. Within this circle he must then lay out a triangle with the sides touching the sides of the circle, then he must once more lay out another triangle that runs the opposite way of the first triangle and have this touch the sides of the first triangle. Then finally a small circle is drawn at the tip of the innermost triangle.
  
  Next, the Adjurator will carefully place himself within the innermost triangle. The Adjurator should note carefully not to break any of the lines in the Circle as this renders it useless. Pieces of the the person who is to be summoned, or pieces of their belongings, are carefully placed in the innermost circle. The Adjurator must then take a rooster, white or black depending on the need, and slice the head off. The blood must drip into the inner circle. Then, the Adjurator will invoke the ghost by performing an invocation that will usually include its name. An example would be “Aeric Smethe, I call you from the Place where no sun shines. I command you to pick up the burden once more. Appear before me in a form that is pleasing to the eye, by the names of Ioannes and Jalat.”
  
  Once this has been done, the Raising is complete. The Adjurator will proceed to command the ghost to do his bidding. It should be noted that, once the Adjurator is out of the circle, he had best be sure that the ghost he raised is the right one. If any of his information, such as the name, proves faulty, the ghost may be rather distressed at being awakened and assault the Adjurator.

• Laying a Ghost
  
  Laying a Ghost is somewhat complicated. It is generally only done if a house is haunted, or if there is a ghost there that will not go away. It will not be effective against spirits. The Adjurator will set up a simple salt circle around a table. He will then sit there and wait for night to come. Most Adjurators will bring candles, and Ambrosia. When the ghost can no longer resist the scent of the Ambrosia it will appear on the outskirts of the circle. Ghosts will generally react differently. Some will wander around the circle trying to scare the Adjurator, others will plead with him, others again will make it seem as if some calamity is taking place and that he had better step out of the circle post haste. The important thing is that the Adjurator must stay in the circle no matter what.
  
  When the ghost has quieted down it may ask the Adjurator for permission to enter the circle. It is now that the Adjurator should query it on why it lingers behind, and if it answers the Adjurator may scuff out a part of the circle so that it becomes open and the ghost can enter, after having ensured a promise from it that it will not hurt the Adjurator. The next steps then is essentially running errands for the ghost righting those wrongs that the Ghosts thinks needs righting for it to pass on.
  
  Once this has been done, the Adjurator returns to the house and repeats the act of making the circle, sitting within it waiting for night. When the ghost returns, the Adjurator will tell it that its business has been concluded and that it may now go on to the afterlife. If the ghost resists, the Adjurator may resort to other methods. It should be noted that this will not work on spirits: while the Ambrosia is likely to draw them, too, one cannot lay a spirit as it has no afterlife to go to. This is one of the reasons it is important to make sure what kind of creature one is dealing with.

• Trapping a Spirit or Ghost
  
  An alternative method of getting rid of a ghost is to entrap it. This requires one to use more trickery, but the method of it is more or less the same as that of laying a ghost. An Adjurator sits waiting for the spirit or ghost to come in a simple circle of salt with Ambrosia handy. The trick is to have the Ambrosia in a barrel, or a bottle or some other container. An opening is important, though, so that the smell of the Ambrosia can escape. The Adjurator should also have a small supply of goat's blood handy and a brush.
  
  When the ghost or spirit appears at the borders of the circle the Adjurator must wait for it to calm down. Once it has done so, it must promise not to hurt the Adjurator before he opens the circle. Once the spirit or ghost has moved into the bottle or barrel to claim the Ambrosia, the Adjurator seals it shut, first by applying the lid or top, then by drawing triangles and circles on the surface of the container with the goat's blood, thus ensuring that the ghost or spirit cannot escape. The container is then often taken far out to sea or put into a lake and sunk. It should be noted that if the container is broken the spirit or ghost will be free to escape.

• Securing a House
  
  This is a technique that is usually only used on houses that have just been built, in order to prevent an infestation of spirits or ghosts. A live cat or similar animal is taken and bricked into the foundation of the house. The Adjurator will snip off a small piece of this animal and, when they have ascertained that it has died, he will raise it.
  
  Using this piece of the animal, the Adjurator is able to both raise it and command it, often binding it to the task of protecting the house for a certain period of time. It should be noted that it must not be set to do so indefinitely. It must always be for a certain amount of time; sometimes this can be a period of eras, though setting it at over a hundred patterns is generally seen as unwise. Sometimes, it can be set to other conditions, for example as long as a certain tree lives, or a certain person.
  
  This technique can also be used later on in houses, to rid it of haunting by making a more powerful ghost chase out any other ghosts or spirits that spend their time here. It is however limited to houses and is much less effective in protecting spaces that are not enclosed.

Spirits and Ghosts

While it is easy to divide these two into these two categories, most Adjurators do not stop there. Both spirits and ghosts are divided into several sub categories. Most of these categories are fairly wide but are necessary for proper use.

Spirits are divided into nature spirits and planar spirits. Nature spirits are native to the Material Plane and can be found almost everywhere; they are rarely directly hostile, though if they are annoyed they will show it. They are often the protectors of natural environments, but are sometimes born from the emotions of sentient beings. Forest spirits, animal spirits, darkness spirits are all examples of nature spirits.

Planar spirits are usually much more powerful than nature spirits; they are cast out from another plane and stranded in a place they do not understand. These will often be hostile and have strange powers. Among the more powerful varieties of these are the Nemesis Spirit. Planar spirits are often hard to appease and need to be chased away or trapped.

Ghosts can be broadly divided into specters and apparitions. Apparitions are friendly, or neutral: ghosts that offer no harm. These often (but not always) want to move on from being a ghost and guiding them to the afterlife is part of the job of an Adjurator. specters are hostile, however, and often want to hurt or otherwise cause distress to those who are alive. specters can usually be appeased, or at worst chased away or trapped.

Protective Circles

There are many kinds of protective circles. Some Adjurators make their own, others are a standard across the board. It should be noted that, even though they are called Circles, they need not be circular. Circles will usually be drawn in either salt or goat's blood depending on the use it is to be put to. Goat's blood is permanent, so it is not always the best thing to use.

• Simple Circle
  
  The Simple Circle is just that, a circle drawn in salt or goat's blood. It keeps things out. It is the one that is most often used, but it is only safe as long as the Adjurator does not cross it. Putting a foot over will annul it so it has to be made from the inside.

• Raising Circle
  
  The circle most often used for Raising Ghosts. It is a Circle with a triangle inside that touches the sides of the circle, then another triangle inside that that runs the opposite way of the first triangle. Inside there again is made a small circle at the tip of the innermost triangle. This is where the ghosts are raised. It is generally considered safer than the Simple Circle and can be modified to keep spirits or ghosts out rather than in by eliminating the innermost circle. It does not lose its effectiveness if the Adjurator steps out of it, though one is not safe on the outside of it.

• Sacred Circle
  
  This is a Circle that is usually only used when dealing with powerful ghosts. It is a set of two circles, one inside the other, with three triangles placed in between the two circles. Each of these triangles should have at least one religious item in it, such as a part of a priests clothing, a triangle pendant and similar objects.

Chants and Invocations

There is really no such thing as a standard Chant or Invocation. Most Adjurators will have their own Chants. The difference between the two is that a Chant is a protective charm of a sort, used to keep nearby ghosts and spirits at bay, whereas an Invocation calls on a ghost or spirit to appear and/or do their bidding. There are however general rules that are applied to these Chants and Invocations.

• Chants
  
  Chants generally start by using the name of the spirit or ghost and then identifying the problem that they need to deal with, or cease to take part in. Then the Chant will generally make use of the names of whatever God the Adjurator feels is appropriate: most tend to include either Ioannes, Jalat or both when dealing with ghosts, though spirits may call for Carmelya or something similar depending on their nature. Chants are generally used to call on already present spirits or ghosts to either protect the Adjurator or to cease and desist in what they are doing.

• Invocations
  
  An Invocation starts much the same as Chant, with the name of the spirit or ghost. Next the task that is set before this creature is given and the names of the gods are used. Invocations are often used for raisings or for summoning entities to do tasks that the Adjurators need doing.

Tools of the Trade

Available to the Adjurator is a range of tools needed in his craft. Each performs a specific function, but it is in combination that the tools truly shine. In addition to these, the Adjurator uses a number of more mundane tools to prepare some of their specialistic tools.

• Vision Water
  Brings a novice Adjurator or a non-practitioner into the trance needed to see and talk to spirits and ghosts. A powerful liquor distilled from the eyes of a raven and sugar.

• Ambrosia
  Food made to appease the spirits or the ghosts. The scent of this food is especially important as this is what draws them to the food.

• Spirit Water
  Ale, wine or liquor, made especially for the occasion. Made to appease the ghost or spirit, it is not as pleasing as Ambrosia but easier to carry around. It is thrown onto the fire, or floor or ground if appropriate.

• Poppy Seeds
  A temporary measure used to stall spirits or ghosts. The Adjurator dips them in goat or crow's blood, and that forces spirits and ghosts to stop to count the seeds if they are sprinkled on the ground in front of them. This is often a tool that can buy one those precious few minutes that is needed to ready other, more permanent tools.

• Salt
  Can be used to make Circles, though stronger ghosts and spirits will be able to break through eventually. The line of salt needs to be unbroken for this to work. It is usually a temporary solution, but enough to keep the weaker ghosts and spirits at bay.

• Goat's Blood
  Used to keep stronger varieties of spirits or ghosts out or in. Often painted in triangles or other symbols on the walls and especially doors and windows. When an even stronger effect is desired, some Adjurators will resort to using their own blood.

• Incense
  Makes a smell that ghosts dislike. Burning enough incense in a room will usually cause a ghost to leave it.

• Names
  One of the most powerful tools in the repertoire of an Adjurator. An Adjurator will often keep a book filled with the names of ghosts and spirits he has met or raised. An extremely proficient Adjurator may also learn the secret names of the gods that are only whispered of in Adjurator circles. These will usually make Chants and Invocations all but impossible to resist. When in written form they may also be used to strengthen Circles. These names are only taught to the most adept of Adjurators and are very rarely used as the gods do not take lightly to such names being used in vain.

• Cadeau
  A gift to appease the spirits or ghosts. Can take any shape or form depending on what they want. It is usually presented in a circle of candles.

• Rooster
  Used as sacrifice to make ghosts appear. For such simple things as talking to the ghost, a white rooster is needed. For stronger ghosts that stay permanently to appear, a black rooster is needed.

• Brass Bell
  These aggravate ghosts by their very presence: even more so if rung, but their presence is all that is needed.

• Aggravator
  Also called Hagstone, it is a stone with a circular hole. These aggravate spirits to no end.

• Spirit Cage
  A small cage coated in salt, it is used to trap small spirits. Allows spirits to be caged and possibly released at a later stage. Stronger cages are coated in Goats blood. Spirits (and ghosts) can also be tied to more normal-looking items following the same rules.

• Ghost Cage
  A ghost cage is often made out of a skull. An Adjurator tricks a ghost into entering through one of the eye holes, then boarding it shut by painting goat's blood around the hole to keep the ghost in.

• Dead person's belongings
  Used to make specific ghosts temporarily appear for communication purposes.

• Pieces of a dead person
  These work like a dead person's belongings, but allow the raising to be permanent so that the ghost can perform useful tasks.

• Pieces of the body of a living person
  Used to send ghosts or spirits after this particular person or to have this person possessed by ghosts. This is usually such things as a piece of hair, a shed scale or a nail clipping. To give more power to the raising such things as a finger may be used instead of the more normal droppings of a body.

• The Lyre
  The Adjurator lyre is a fairly normal one, but Adjurators do not play them for the sound they make. To them there are two ways of playing it: the right way and the wrong way. The right way means any spirits flock to the Adjurator, the wrong way means that they scatter away from the place where an Adjurator is. The Lyre will need to be tuned for each such use. The wrong way uses notes of discord, while notes of concord are used when playing it the right way.

• The Jish
  A leather pouch used to keep the various instruments away from spirits when they are being carried someplace. A Jish will be treated with salt or goat's blood. More skilled Adjurators may even use the Jish to trap spirits or ghosts. The string on a Jish must be made from the hair of a dead person.

• Hand of Glory
  A candle created from the hand of a hanged man. The hand has been dipped in wax and wicks have been applied to the fingers. It keeps ghosts from attacking or hurting the person holding it while it is lit.

• Athame
  A glass knife made only to perform the Glossalia Blessing, must be destroyed after it has completed its task. Athames are usually not made by Adjurators.

Techniques

• Communicate with Spirit/Ghost
  Talking with a spirit or ghost, listening to its annoyances and wants. Finding out what a spirit wants is vital to either moving it or getting it to work for you. This technique requires Vision Water or having undergone Glossalia.

• Glossalia Blessing
  A sacred rite wherein the tongue of the Adjurator is split with an Athame. After the tongue has been split it must be ensured that it does not grow back together. It is a painful process but it enables the speaker to easily speak the spirit tongue and see both ghosts and spirits without the aid of drink. The spirit tongue is the native language of many spirits and it is known to many ghosts, as well. The language has a written form, a serpentine script that is used in Adjuration rituals.

• Commune with the Dead
  By gathering pieces of belongings, or alternately parts of a dead person the Adjurator can summon this dead person into being as a ghost and ask them questions. Those with an evil bent may use this to find things to blackmail families with. Others may use it to find things the dead person hid or other things.

• Raise Ghost
  Raising the ghost of a dead person for a specific purpose. This may be to haunt the house of someone the Adjurator does not like, or to get rid of a previous haunting.

• Possess Person
  Sends a ghost to possess or otherwise attack or curse a person. This requires some part of the body of the one who is to be possessed and a part of the ghost's mortal body. Possession is a rather broad term, encompassing the traditional meaning of entities taking over the victim, as well as more exotic curses of a more lethal nature.

• Raising the Vengeful Ghost
  Raising the ghost of a person to avenge themselves on the ones who killed them. Only requires a piece of the deceased person.

• Exorcism
  Driving a ghost or spirit out of a victim's body. There are several rituals for doing this, depending on the nature of the possession. This is a dangerous activity for both the Adjurator and the possessed victim.

• Raise Spirit
  Brings forth a planar spirit from another domain. Doing so requires the spirit's name, which is usually learned from other spirits and ghosts, or from ancient documents. Nemesis spirits are an example of this.

• Nemesis Curse
  One of the most powerful curses of the Adjurators, it brings forth a spirit which feeds off the memories of the person the curse is placed on; it absorbs their memories and skills and becomes an exact replicate of that person in almost every regard, except that it knows that it is a spirit and must kill the other person. Nemesis Curses do not go away till either the Nemesis is destroyed or the person who has been cursed is dead. This technique requires a piece of the person the curse is directed at.

Skill Tree

It should be noted that most serious Adjurators will have at least some training in playing the Lyre and cooking. Without these skills the lyre an Adjurator uses will become less effective and the Ambrosia will become less desirable to the spirits and ghosts.

NOVICE The beginner Adjurator learns how to prepare some of the less advanced tools of the craft. He does little but follow his teacher around, learning a few tricks of the trade as he goes along. Skills taught: The use of Spirit Water Making Ambrosia Using Poppy Seeds Using Salt Making a Simple Circle

APPRENTICE At this level the Adjurator learns to talk to spirits, and how to deal with them. Communication with spirits is learned through simple interactions with nature spirits and similar. The Adjurator usually spends most of his time performing simple tasks such as telling farmers or gardeners how to best appease the local nature spirits, or getting rid of small haunting cases. It is at this point that the Glossalia Blessing is worked on the Adjurator. Skills taught: Making Vision Water Using Goat's Blood Using Incense Communicating with Spirits and Ghosts The importance of names How to use Chants and Invocations

JOURNEYMAN At this point the Adjurator learns how to keep the spirits out of houses by spreading salt or goat's blood over all openings, or alternately to trap them inside objects and environments. practitioners spend their time contacting the dead, and dealing with them, however this is conjuring souls for conversation, not actually raising them to perform tasks. Skills taught: Making Ghost and Spirit Cages Communing with the Dead Using the Adjurator's own Blood Learning the written form of the spirit tongue Performing the Glossalia Blessing Presenting a Cadeau Using an Aggravator and Brass Bells Drawing a Raising Circle

MASTER The Adjurator learns how to fight fire with fire. Here he discovers how to raise ghosts by offering consolatory gifts to the ones dead. These ghosts can be used to do anything, including assault living creatures, places or other ghosts. Some Adjurators will prefer to raise powerful ghosts to get rid of lesser spirits or ghosts. Skills taught: Raising Ghosts Possession Exorcism Using the Lyre Making a Jish Making a Hand of Glory Drawing a Sacred Circle Creating new Circles

GRANDMASTER A legendary Adjurator commands the instant respect of any spirits around the place. He can sing a song to make them leave, or keep them there if he so wishes. The spirits will protect him and he often hires spirits to watch over him. Skills taught: Secret names of the Gods Raising Spirits The Nemesis Curse Trapping Spirits or Ghosts in a Jish Being able to create new tools and skills