Grays

**Grays**, also known as ghosts, are spirits of the dead. While most spirits exist in the afterlives or in the borderlands of life and death, a number of Grays exist in the mortal word hidden by layers of the Veil. These Grays are able to be perceived by those humans aided with Orozcerio, as well as the few individuals equipped with the ability to see beyond the Veil.

While usually docile, living persons are advised to avoid the formation of a connection between them and a Gray. There are many defensive measures to be made against spirits, some of which include death words and protective wardings.

## Overview

### Origins

While there are many, there are few Grays roaming the mortal world compared to the vast number of the dead. No one knows why magic and Grays in particular are more active in New Haven, though Lethe members posit that it is because the Veil in New Haven is thinner. There are Grays in New Haven that predate the university and the Houses of the Veil.

### Nature

Grays are drawn to reminders of life, including strong emotions (fear, happiness, lust) and blood. They love to be near sugar, human sweat and tears. They have an innate sense of where 'reminders of living' are present and have an urge to go there. Older Grays are less active at reminders of life and thus interfere less.

While funerals might draw some attention, as Grays love the feelings and flowers of mourners, graveyards and cemeteries are the least haunted places in the world. This is because Grays are repelled by reminders of death, which allow for protections against them. However, few Grays are interactive with the living and fewer still are malevolent.

### Behavior

Because of their nature, Grays stay near places brimming with life, school cafeterias, college campuses during the school year, etc. They are also drawn to sites that have significant meaning to them in their past life, such as the site of their death or a place they frequented often in life.

It takes a lot of energy for Grays to pass through the Veil and take form in the mortal world. Grays retain their memories from when they are alive and are able to process the living world around them. It is difficult, but possible for Grays to pass through the final Veil and become physical, however, few Grays ever become capable of touch. Grays that can make their presence felt by moving objects in their vicinity are considered haunters.

## Physical Description

Grays are gray in color, hence their name. They always take the form of human individuals at the moment of their death. For violent deaths, this often results in their fatal injuries being apparent in their appearance.

## Abilities

* **Invisibility**: Grays are invisible to the mortal eye.
* **Levitation:** Grays fly or hover off the ground.
* **Intangibility**: Can move through solid objects.
* **Tangibility and telekinesis**: With enough energy, a Gray will be able to influence their surroundings and interact with objects around them. However, this is very difficult for most Grays and very rarely occurs.
* **Magical Interference:** Grays have a significant influence on magic rites; if interfered with by a Gray's presence, the ritual in question would be disrupted, resulting in stray magic and potential death.
* **Bonding:** It is easy for Grays to form a bond and attach itself to a person. Once a connection is deepened, Grays have an easier time interacting with the living person, which can include communicating using the element of water.
* **Possession:** Grays have the ability to possess humans for a short amount of time. Gray can't simply seize someone’s body in any permanent way as the flesh would wither and die.

## Protective Measures

### Ignore their Existence

In encountering Grays, one must avoid the formation of a connection with them. The best non-confrontational measure of protection against Grays is to ignore their existence—no eye contact, no engagement. This includes knowing details about their past life and even their name. Having this knowledge of a Gray while interacting with them, even while in the banishment of them, can deepen the bond between the living person and the Gray in question.

### Death Words

Main article: Death words
The actual banishment of Grays is easy. Death words—lamentations, dirges, poems about grief or loss, even a well-worded mortuary ad—could be used to dismiss or evict grays from a person's space.

### Wardings

Bone dust, crematory ash, grave yard dirt can be used to ward against grays. Various forms of memento mori, reminders of death, can also be used as wardings. Darlington gives the example of Holbein pieces, whose work famously depicts Death's victims. When no death words come to mind, one could quite literally throw grave yard dirt at Grays to cast them out.

Certain species of plants can also serve as protective warding measures, such as mint and marjoram.

### Lethe House

In order to protect a ritual from interference, Lethe House draws signs of protection in a circle perimeter around the floor of rite in question. These signs, usually done with chalk made of compressed crematory ashes for precise markings, need to be drawn in perfect proportion of charcoal and bone. Grays cannot enter this perimeter unless the circle markings become corrupted or smudged.

Some rituals require that the channels with the Veil remain open. In that case, the warding circle is drawn with openings specifically left at each compass point (north, south, east, west). Lethe delegates must ensure that the Grays do not enter the circle through these points and that no more openings are created.

Other solutions Lethe delegates use that are not wholly explained include basic protection incantations, putting salt in one's pockets for general protection and caramels being used for distraction.

## Communication with the Living

### With Magical Aid

There are a few ways a living person can communicate with a Gray. Lethe delegates have to ingest Orozcerio, also known as Hiram's Bullet, to be able to see Grays. Orozcerio doesn't give the Gray the ability to freely communicate with a living person, however.

Another way is for a person to essentially travel to a borderland between life and death, essentially requiring the person to temporarily experience death. Alex Stern uses the the river in Wolf's Head's tomb to travel to the Egyptian borderland and talk to the Bridegroom ghost.

Another way for Gray to communicate requires a person to deepen the bond between themselves and a Gray. This involves directly interacting with each other and most importantly, exchanging their true names and referring to them by their name. By doing so, Grays are most easily able to communicate with the living person through a body of water, such as a plugged sink, as water is the element of translation.

### Wheelwalkers

Main article: Wheelwalker

Wheelwalkers are humans who have the innate ability to see Grays and, when in contact with them, are able see their memories. A Wheelwalker with further realization of her powers is able to harness the strength of a Gray and hear them speak without the use of water. Regular humans who have tied their strength to Grays tend to slip into a catatonic state afterwards.

In turn, Grays are naturally drawn to Wheelwalkers. Although most are docile and harmless in behavior, Grays tend to become tangible in the presence of Wheelwalkers.

## Named Grays

There are many Grays that haunt New Haven and many more that Alex Stern had encountered. Below are a list of named Grays.

* Frederic Prokosch
* Bertram Boyce North
* Gladys O'Donaghue
* Hellie Watson
* Daniel Tabor Arlington III
* Sophie Mishkan
* Colina Tillman
* Zuzanna Mazurski
* Paoletta DeLauro
* Effie White
* Derrick

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 *Ninth House* Chapter 2 (Last Fall)
2. ↑ *Ninth House* Chapter 1 (Winter)
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 *Ninth House* Chapter 6 (Last Fall)
4. ↑ *Ninth House* Chapter 31 (Early Spring)
5. ↑ *Ninth House* Chapter 12 (Winter)
6. ↑ Ninth House Chapter 19 (Last Summer)
7. ↑ Ninth House Chapter 18 (Last Fall)