Lockwood & Co.: The Screaming Staircase

carry iron rapiers and chains, and so rely on it for both attack and defence.
    Lavender
    The strong sweet smell of this plant is thought to discourage evil spirits. As a result, many people wear dried sprigs of lavender, or burn it to release the pungent smoke. Agents sometimes carry vials of lavender water to use against weak Type Ones .
    Listening
    One of the three main categories of psychic Talent . Sensitives with this ability are able to hear the voices of the dead, echoes of past events, and other unnatural sounds associated with hauntings .
    Lurker *
    A variety of Type One ghost that hangs back in the shadows, rarely moving, never approaching the living, but spreading strong feelings of anxiety and creeping fear .
    Magnesium flare
    A metal canister with a breakable glass seal, containing magnesium, iron , salt , gunpowder and an igniting device.
An important agency weapon against aggressive ghosts .
    Malaise
    A feeling of despondent lethargy often experienced when a ghost is approaching. In extreme cases this can deepen into dangerous ghost-lock .
    Manifestation
    A ghostly occurrence. May involve all kinds of supernatural phenomena, including sounds, smells, odd sensations, moving objects, drops in temperature and the glimpse of apparitions .
    Miasma
    An unpleasant atmosphere, often including disagreeable tastes and smells, experienced in the run-up to a manifestation .
Regularly accompanied by creeping fear , malaise and chill .
    Night watch
    Groups of children, usually working for large companies and local government councils, who guard factories, offices and public areas after dark. Though not allowed to use rapiers , night-watch children have long iron -tipped spears to keep apparitions at bay.
    Other-light
    An eerie, unnatural light radiating from some apparitions .
    Phantasm **
    Any Type Two ghost that 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 Spectre , 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 psychical investigation agents. The tips of the iron blades 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 .
    Salt
    A commonly used defence against Type One ghosts . Less effective than iron and 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.
    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 paralyse the listener with fright, and so bring on ghost-lock .
    Seal
    An object, usually of silver or 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 .
    Shade *
    The standard Type One ghost , and possibly the most common kind of Visitor . Shades may appear quite solid, in the manner of Spectres , 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 behaviour. They project feelings of grief and loss, but seldom display anger or any stronger emotion. They almost always appear in human form.
    Sight
    The psychic ability to see apparitions and other ghostly phenomena, such as death-glows . One of the three main varieties of psychic Talent .
    Silver
    An important and potent defence against ghosts . Worn by many people as wards in the form of jewellery. Agents use it to coat their rapiers , and as a crucial