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
4A 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
5The word worme is spelled with an e to distinguish it from the common earthworm. —apprentice George Eccles
6I 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