Banshees

**Banshees** are a species of Fae, renowned for their high-pitched screams. Banshees sense death before it occurs, and have a near constant sound of voices in their heads -- the voices of other banshees. Like most Fae, there is an evolved variety of Banshee and a devolved version, for those who failed their Dawning.

## Evolved Banshees

These banshees primarily serve to announce deaths through their piercing screams. Banshees in Fae society often learn to control their abilities, and only scream to warn of the upcoming death of a Fae noble. Unless the person who will die is emotionally close to the banshee, the name and details of the death will be locked within the banshees subconscious and can only be drawn out by a certain ritual, which involves drinking a pureed liver -- heavy in iron, which banshees are allergic to. As they access their subconscious, their eyes will turn completely white.

Because of their close connection to death, and the stream of whispers in their minds, banshees can also be overly aware of those who have died in the past. Banshees can be subconsciously drawn to the scenes of murders and deaths. If they are in a place where lots of deaths have previously taken place, or if in close proximity to even a piece of someone of who has died, the banshee can hear whispers from the deceased as well.

The power of the scream can be harnessed into a weapon, by channeling the sound waves into kinetic force or by shattering bones and glass. This is much more commonly seen with devolved banshees, but evolved banshees are still capable of learning to do this.

Although full control of abilities is truly only possible within Fae society, with the aid of other banshees, a handful of banshees live among humans -- many unaware of their true nature. This is because banshees are always female, and must mate with men of other species, oftentimes humans. However, if the banshee bears a son from this mating, the banshee genes will be dormant until, farther down the family line, a daughter is born.

## Devolved Banshees

Banshees who do not pass their Dawning, become something of a monster. They are dark haired, ghost like women who use their screams to murder prey. Natural witches can also be turned into devolved banshees, if they hear the scream while going through intense emotional turmoil -- though these banshees will be notable for their long white hair.

Devolved banshees are typically drawn to heartbroken people as their victims, though not always. They will scream until the victim dies -- either from going mad and killing themselves, or from bursting blood vessels in their bodies. At that point, the banshee will feed from their frontal lobe. A witch's transformation into a banshee can be reversed provided the fledgling banshee has not killed or fed.

## Powers & Abilities

* Sonic Scream - a high pitched scream, used to announce an imminent death or as a weapon.
* Invulnerability - banshees are immune to many supernatural effects, such as kanima venom.
* Superhuman Strength - devolved banshees are stronger than most humans.
* Superhuman Agility - banshees are more dexterous than most humans.
* Flight - banshees can levitate, hover, and even fly to a limited extent.
* Power Granting - devolved banshees can imbue a witch with their power.
* Tongue - devolved banshees have a long tongue used to feed on the brains of their deceased victims.
* Camouflage - devolved banshees are able to blend in with their surroundings, and can travel unseen in mist.
* Invulnerability - devolved banshees are invulnerable to most weapons. Even evolved banshees are highly resistant to harm.
* Electromagnetic Inteference - the presence of a banshee can cause electric lights to flicker.
* Telekinesis - by manipulating sound waves, banshees can throw objects without touching them. Though this is not true telekinesis, it often gives the appearance of it.

## Weaknesses

* Iron - banshees are weak to iron, and allergic to ingesting it.
* Magic - while banshees are immune to many supernatural effects, they are not immune to magic. The powers of natural witches can be used against them.
	+ Banshee Banishing Spell - this spell can a banish a banshee from a specific place, but will not kill them.
	+ Celtic Blood Trapping Spell - this spell can trap in one place.
* Dogs - with their heightened hearing, canines are capable of tracking banshees.
* Gold - banshees are particularly vulnerable to gold, and can be killed by gold weaponry.

## Lore

### Halliwell Book of Shadows

The Halliwell Book of Shadows contains the following entry on banshees:

> "A banshee is a **D**emon who wanders the earth feeding on souls in great pain. **H**unting only at night, this **D**emon uses her voice as a high pitched **C**all to locate a victim, by hearing the inner cry.
>
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> **S**he does this by zeroing in on the waves of pain that emanate from the stricken.
>
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> A **B**anshee then elevates her **C**all into a **S**cream, so powerful it kills those she targets."
>
>

The book also contains the spell To Track a Banshee.

## Sources

* Charmed
* Lost Girl
* Supernatural
* Teen Wolf