On the Spirits of the Dead

"7 We walked between them, as they waited on their dead horses, and as we
passed each man, I saw that each had on his breastplate the thing that had
killed him: 8 this one had died of hunger, and had lain in a gutter; 9 this one
had given himself to wine and had ruined his body, and had died in his
own effluent; this one was killed in fire; 10 this one clutched his head one
day and died; this one had died of tumors in his chest." - Eschaton 12:7-10

Under the guidance of the angel, Vahishtael, Longinus walks among the spirits of the dead in a vision. The above section of the Book of Eschaton tells of witnessing the sleeping cavalry, those knights who await the final days for their resurrection. This time among the dead proves to be a mistake, as is recorded in Eschaton 12:21 "And one turned and saw me standing in their midst, and he recognized me for what I was, and as one the sleeping cavalry now awakened, reared their dead horses, and rounded on me, and began to pierce me with spears, and Vahishtael was not anywhere."

Trafficking with ghosts is a dangerous matter. Far more precarious is entering the realm of Purgatory. Commonly referred to as the Underworld, Purgatory is a vast and varied place. Some who die have their souls immediately travel on to their ultimate reward. Others linger in the realm of Purgatory for a time. Some even manage to cling inappropriately to this world for a time.

What is clear is that the longer the spirit of a person lingers, the more dangerous they become. True monsters are born of the dead who do not understand that this world is not theirs. It is but a brief stop for the living, but Creation is theirs. It belongs to no others. The proper ordering of the world requires that all understand their place in God's Creation. What place we kindred have is not among the dead, but among the living, assuring that their souls are set upon their proper course and not diverted. Time among the spirits of those who once lived is at best a distraction from our proper calling. The only dealing with a spirit of the dead should be in exorcising it from this world.

Simon Patterson Gloveli
Inquisitor Generalis de Lacus Magni