On the Merits of Unnaturalness

  CONTENTS

  Introduction

  A Foreword on Clairvoyance

  The Soothsayers

  The Augurs

  The Mediums

  The Sensors

  The Guardians

  The Furies

  The Jumpers

  An Afterword

  A Note from Samantha Shannon

  Copyright

  TODAY, my good People, I put to you the new Edict of our beloved Government. Today, the WESTMINSTER ARCHON has declared outright War upon our oppressed and wretched Population. The NIGHT VIGILANCE DIVISION, Bane of our beleaguered People, has now employed Officials with the SPIRIT SIGHT within the Network of the London Underground, previously one of the safer Means by which we could traverse this Citadel. These new Agents, known as UNDERGUARDS, will have the Power to carry out visual Checks on Individuals to deduce whether or not an AURA is present; to arrest and hold suspected Unnaturals without trial, and to use whatever physical or ethereal Clout they please to manhandle their Captives towards Inquisitorial Justice. It is one of the many new Fetters by which GRAND INQUISITOR Zettler is removing our natural Rights as Denizens and Human Beings, forcing us to cower in our own Homes or risk Detection, Incarceration, and eventual Execution. It is not only our Right to travel that is under Threat, my Friends, but our very Right to exist.

  Of course, this will not be News to you, dear Reader. UNNATURALNESS is the Anathema and the Scapegoat of our miserable Society. One hundred and two Years have passed since the great Tyrant, FIRST INQUISITOR James Ramsay MacDonald, established this Citadel in 1929. Since then, AMAUROSIS, the Plague of Normality, has sterilised the Streets. Its Sufferers fear the Touch of Death, and the Power that we ‘Unnaturals’ bear within us. They are right to fear. They are wise to oppress. For are we not vastly superior to them, we Unnaturals? For though we pick the Bones of Society, though we crawl in Gutters and beg for our Keep, we are living Conduits to the World Beyond. We are Proof of an auxiliary Existence. We channel the ultimate Energy, the eternal ÆTHER. We harness Death itself. We unhorse the Reaper. With its Blacklists and general Suppression of the Arts, Scion has robbed us of the Insight of our clairvoyant Ancestors. We have learned our ancestral Stories by Word of Mouth, but still, there is no single Document that claims to tell our Story. And so, my good People, I present to you a modern Story of Clairvoyance by means of the written Word. I, an Obscure Writer, who have clawed my way from Ignorance.

  This Pamphlet is for the Eyes of all Clairvoyants. It is on this Paper that I present to you the Outcome of my Research, carried out over the last Decade with the utmost Diligence and Enthusiasm. My Aim has been to compile a proper Index of both known and supposed Forms of Clairvoyance, and to rank them in terms of their Utility and Purity.1

  1 I here acknowledge the Wisdom of the Golden Baroness, First UNDERQUEEN of the Scion Citadel of London, who noted in early 1980 that Clairvoyants with Auras of the same Colour tended to share Gifts with similar Qualities. A perceptive Lady indeed. It is a great Tragedy that she was murdered that same Year.

  By Purity, dear Reader, I refer to the Crux of my Theory: the hitherto unheard of Notion that some Types of Clairvoyance are superior to others because they achieve a more perfect form of Harmony with the Æther. To make a Judgement upon each Gift and its respective Qualities, and consequently its Ranking within this unprecedented System, I have conducted Research in the six Cohorts of London and within the Pages of a number of forbidden Texts, gleaned from the Black Market of Covent Garden and the most prestigious Library of the SPIRITUS CLUB, wherein many such Documents have been stored.

  Be aware, my good Reader, that this Pamphlet, no matter how controversial its Content, must never fall into enemy Hands. It details all known Types of Unnaturalness, divides them into seven Orders, and details the Merits of each. The Types are listed in such a way as to express their Rarity, with the first Order containing the most common Types of Clairvoyance. To my Knowledge, there has been no previous Attempt to categorise the Gift in this Manner, resulting in great Uncertainty about what each and every one of us can do, and how we should organise ourselves to achieve maximum Efficiency within our Syndicate.2 I believe that many more Types are yet to be discovered, and will categorise them in a later Pamphlet should they reveal themselves.

  2 Previously, as the Reader will no doubt be aware, we have attempted to organise ourselves by various clumsy and nonsensical Means, such as the Luminosity of our Auras (or, as suggested in 1986 by the Mollisher named the Fool of Farringdon, by the Sizes of our Shoes) but these forms of Categorisation lack Nuance and should, in this Writer’s humble Opinion, be abandoned forthwith.

  I could write a short Essay on each of these Gifts, but for the Sake of Brevity, I have simply included an educational Outline. For the Merits of Unnaturalness are many, and ought to be known throughout our Underworld, from the Devil’s Acre and the Chapel to the brave Stronghold of I Cohort. With the greatest Humility, I believe that this is a Piece of Literature of the utmost Importance, and I propose that it be read by all who possess a clairvoyant Gift. Every Mime-Lord, Mime-Queen and Mollisher, every Busker and Courtier, every Séance-Master and Nightwalker ought to read this Pamphlet. For we will not be bound together merely by mutual Suffering, but by mutual Knowledge of the many Variations of our Gift.

  A FOREWORD ON

  I would first like to dedicate a small Section of this Pamphlet to describing what our beloved Government has deemed UNNATURALNESS, and what we have long since called CLAIRVOYANCE. The latter Word comes from the French, clair meaning ‘clear’ and voyance, ‘Vision’. It is unclear as to how many Individuals possess the Gift. The Name alludes to the Ability of the Majority of us to see Spirits with our own Eyes. They appear to us in a Variety of different Guises. Some report Spirits appearing as Orbs, while others perceive luminous Streaks of Colour. Others still see some Type of Scotoma or visual Obstruction. These Impressions are always amorphous and bear no Resemblance to a living Person. The Accuracy of the Word CLAIRVOYANCE is the subject of a lively Debate, as not all of us possess this second Sight. It is said that only the Fullsighted, who are plagued by the Sight of Spirits at all Hours, or the Halfsighted, who may choose when to see them, should properly be called Clairvoyant.3 Nonetheless, it is a Word so deeply entrenched in our Consciousness that it is unlikely to change in this Century. Consequently, even the Unsighted are colloquially described as Clairvoyant. What brings us together as a Minority is not our ‘clear Vision’, but our Ability to control Spirits through the Phenomenon of Aura.

  3 My Research has reliably informed me that the Fullsighted often have shorter Attention Spans than the Halfsighted and Unsighted as they must concentrate on both the Sights of this World and the Æther simultaneously. It would be interesting to discuss this in greater Detail, but it seems to me that the Subject of the Spirit Sight belongs in a Pamphlet of its own.

  Any Person who possesses an Aura has the Right to be called Clairvoyant, even if they do not possess the Sight. Aura is our individual Link to the Æther, that most arcane World inhabited by Spirits. It is the Belief of Amaurotics that this World does not exist, or that, if it does, it should not be used or acknowledged by the Living. What they fail to understand is that there must always be a Channel for the most ancient Wisdom known to Mankind to flow into the World from the Darkness of the Æther. It is through Spirits that we have recorded vast swathes of History, some of which lay obscured for Centuries until a Clairvoyant appeared to enlighten the befuddled Scholars. Now that we are persecuted, it is through Spirits that we survive, selling their Knowledge and Skills on the Streets.4 Aura attracts m
ost Spirits, endearing them to us, and allows us to sense their Presence. It is a Reflection of the Colours and Shapes aggregated within the DREAMSCAPE, that is, the Scenery and Interior of an individual Mind. Some Clairvoyants are more attuned to the Æther than others, a Gift which typically entails a brighter Aura.

  4 A general Reminder to the uninitiated Reader that this is why our Leaders in the Syndicate are known by the name Mime-Lord or Mime-Queen. From Thomas Ebon Merrit’s original Declaration to the Unnatural Assembly (1964): ‘I have raised you to Roles of great Importance, so you shall be called the Lords and Queens of these wretched Folk; yet see that I have humbled you anew with a prefix, MIME. For though you are a Monarch, remember that you are only a Mimic. The Spirits of the Dead have granted us their Knowledge so that we may whore it on the Streets for Coin, sacrificing their Secrets for the sake of our continued Existence. You, the Unnatural, can only ever imitate their Greatness.’ Much as I respect the memory of our first Underlord, I note that he was rather a Curmudgeon.

  For the Sighted, Aura is perceived as a Spectrum. Though they possess Dreamscapes, Amaurotics do not have Aura, as their Dreamscapes are wholly colourless and give no friendly Signal to Spirits. Those Clairvoyants who feature at the start of this Pamphlet generally have Auras of Violet or Blue, moving into Green, Yellow, Orange, a reddish Orange or Coral, and finally Red. This secret Spectrum is invisible to Amaurotics. The Unsighted report that instead of perceiving Colour, they receive a unique sensory Indicator from each Aura, allowing them to make an Estimation of what Type of Clairvoyance is being displayed. Thus, without further Ado, let us learn and examine the seven Orders of Clairvoyance.

  THE

  By far the most common Type of Unnatural, the Soothsayers are entirely reliant upon certain Objects to commune with the Dead. These Objects are now called NUMA, but were originally known as Numina in the first Days of our Syndicate’s Existence.5 I have detected no clear Reason as to why and how certain Objects become Numa. Soothsayers of one Type will always be able to handle and use Numa; for example, a skilled Cartomancer may use all sorts of Cards to touch the Æther. Over Time, however, a Soothsayer may become particularly attached to one Numen, one that provides them with the strongest Connection to the spirit World. This I will call the Soothsayer’s chosen or primary Numen.

  5 A linguistic Point of Interest: according to Grub Street’s early Records, these words originate from the Latin, Numen, alluding to some hidden spiritual Power within the Object. This forms the etymological Root of the Adjective numinous. Numen forms the Singular of Numa.

  Numa may be passed down through Generations of Clairvoyants in the Guise of family Heirlooms. If a chosen Numen is destroyed, the Soothsayer attached to it will suffer a SPIRIT SHOCK, upon which I intend to write extensively in the near Future. This Dependence upon an inanimate Object is a grave Weakness in this Order of Clairvoyance, as Separation may cause permanent Disconnection from the Æther, and an undesirable Descent into Amaurosis. It is therefore of the utmost Importance that each Soothsayer guards his or her chosen Numen with their Life.6

  6 I have observed with great Interest that if a Voyant of a different Type attempts to handle an old Numen that has long been bereft of an Owner, it will result in a devastating Shock to the Dreamscape that may seriously affect the unfortunate Individual’s Sanity. Therefore, do not attempt to steal a Numen, particularly an abandoned Numen, under any Circumstances.

  The Soothsayers are the largest Order of all, and are most likely to have Auras of an attractive purple Hue, ranging from Lavender to a vivid Amethyst. Due to their rampant Overpopulation, I have taken the Liberty of dividing the Soothsayers into two simple Categories, the SEERS and the COMMON SOOTHSAYERS. Their Reliance upon Numa is a clear Disadvantage, and displays a low Level of Clairvoyance. Nonetheless, their History is intriguing, and worth including in this encyclopaedic Document.

  SEERS

  These Soothsayers are reliant upon the use of Reflective Objects, including Liquids, to connect with the Æther. In the reflective Surface they are privy to Flashes of ethereal Insight. This Practice is known as Scrying.

  CATOPTROMANCER, also CAPTROMANCER or, archaically, MIRROR-READER. The Catoptromancer, the Master of Mirrors, is the most revered of the Seers, and perhaps of the Soothsayers overall. There is a long and distinguished History of Catoptromancy as a Practice. Instances are recorded as far back as in the Ancient Greek Era; also in ‘GARGANTUA AND PANTAGRUEL’ by François Rabelais, and in the Desire of certain young Women in the Twentieth Century to seek their future Husband in a Mirror. The Mirror, the Numen, is used to capture Light from the Moon, or is looked upon for many Hours at a Time, until a Revelation is experienced. The Superstition of the broken Mirror is likely to come from the story of a Catoptromancer after breaking his or her own Numen, which would bring about a long Period of Anguish. A Catoptromancer likes nothing better than to sit in a Psychomanteum, or House of Mirrors, and stare into the Glass. It brings about a Sense that he or she is actually within the Æther.

  COTTABOMANCER. A strange Gift, one that is becoming increasingly difficult to practise, thanks to the unhappy Restriction of Alcohol imposed by Inquisitor Zettler last Year. The Cottabomancer pours Wine into a brass Bowl and uses the dark Surface as a Scrying Pool. The Name appears to originate from the Greek drinking Game Kottabos, during which Lees of Wine would be thrown. The Darkness and Sweetness of the Wine calls forth Visions from the Æther, and allows for Connection with those Spirits that inhabit the darkest Realms. Drinking the Wine after Scrying causes a deep Trance, during which the Cottabomancer will be caught in their Dreamscape for a long Period of Time.

  HYDROMANCER.7 Those Soothsayers that use Water are said to practise Hydromancy. This is another ancient and extremely well-documented Gift, for Water has always been of great Importance as an Element and a Source of Life. It is listed as one of the seven forbidden Arts in Johannes Hartlieb’s ‘DAS PUCH ALLER VERPOTEN KUNST, UNGELAUBENS UND DER ZAUBREY’, published at some point in the mid-Fifteenth Century.8 The Hydromancer may study the Patterns of Ripples or the Clarity of Water to enter a Trance, scatter Water to summon Spirits, or throw an Object into Water and watch what becomes of it (this may be called LECANOMANCY, especially if a Basin is used). Drinking Water may also have more of an Effect on a Hydromancer than it would on other Clairvoyants, who merely find themselves refreshed. More often than not, a Body of Water is simply used as a Scrying Pool, through which lucid images of the Æther may be projected. Hydromancers are the most powerful of those Unnaturals that use any form of Liquid, and can often scry with Wine, Ice and Blood as well as Water.

  7 I concede that the Hydromancer and Cryomancer may be associated with AUGURY, as Water is one of the best-known Elements and always associated with the natural World. The same applies to the Margaritomancer, as Pearls come from the living Mollusk. However, I also note that all Objects, and therefore all Numa, were originally forged from natural Materials; thus, categorisation depends on certain Qualities that each Material possesses. Reflective Matter belongs in the Category of Seeing; Objects shaped or adulterated by Humankind are used in Common Soothsaying, while unprocessed organic Matter is best suited to Augury. However, there may be some exceptions to each Rule, which my Research will always support. Rest assured that all Choices have been made with Care.

  8 Regrettably, most Copies of this Document were lost in the many Book-Burnings organised by our barbaric Government over the Decades, and this poor Writer was only able to barter two small, untranslated Fragments of the little-known Text from a literary Smuggler. Still more regrettably, given that several Flasks of Absinthe and the best of my Shirts were lost in this Exchange, it is clear that Hartlieb, noting only seven forbidden Arts, was no great Genius.

  CRYOMANCER. A form of Hydromancy, the Cryomancer’s penchant is for Ice. The Cryomancer waits for the deep Winter for his or her Gift to emerge. The frozen Water becomes a natural Mirror through which the Cryomancer may scry.
The Cryomancers I have studied claim to scry Visions of a cold ‘Shadow World’, which may only be seen in certain frozen Areas. This is a Theme I will explore in a later Pamphlet, as it almost certainly warrants further Investigation.

  CRYSTALIST, also CRYSTALLOMANCER. It is in these famous Seers that the Amaurotics find their stereotypical Image of a Clairvoyant, the pensive Woman with her Hands clasped around a Crystal Ball. Crystalists use any reflective spherical Object to scry, most commonly crystal or glass Balls and the less expensive Shew-Stones. The Gift appears to work best with a flawless quartz Sphere. The famous Elizabethans Edward Kelley and DOCTOR John Dee used such Items in their fruitless Pursuit of Angels. A less common Type of Crystalist is the MARGARITOMANCER, the gazer of iridescent Pearls, in which tiny Flashes of the Æther may be seen.

  COMMON SOOTHSAYERS

  These Soothsayers do not use reflective Objects. Their images of the Æther come instead by means of Direction and Chance, or through sudden Hallucinations caused by touching their particular Numen. The vast majority of these Gifts are weak, erratic and often disturbing in their Inaccuracy.

  AXINOMANCER, once called AXE-DIVINER. An extremely ancient Art with few modern Practitioners. The Numen of these Soothsayers is an Axe or Hatchet. Ephraim Chambers noted in ‘CYCLOPÆDIA: OR, AN UNIVERSAL DICTIONARY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES’, that at some point in History, Axinomancy was carried out by placing an agate Stone upon a red-hot Hatchet and, presumably, watching to see what became of it.9 This Ability is virtually useless in detecting the Future, but may provide Hints as to the Presence of Poltergeists or Archangels, which cause the Blade to tremble as they pass. It can be assumed that, being intimately familiar with Axes in general, the Axinomancer possesses great Skill with an Axe in Combat. An Axinomancer famously murdered the great Underqueen, the Golden Baroness, in 1980.