Beliefs

The Haunters' first duty has always been to reward the deserving with the the Gift of their Goddess, Mania. They recognize that mankind is restrained by reason, and held back by the chains of sanity. Those who dare to go beyond those iron walls, and seek to dream unfettered and free, should be allowed this favor, and given the divine insight they desire.

The Haunters also recognize that mankind is corrupt and weak - possessed of a fragile moral fiber, and given to severe ethical lapses. Without leaders they fall into barbarism, and without laws they turn on one another like starving dogs. Only the fear of punishment for disobeying their leaders and laws keeps the masses of humanity in check, and even then just barely.

Therefore, the Haunters have taken on a second duty: to keep the mortals in line. They do this by providing constant reminders of what happens to those who defy the will of the Gods, or break their rules.

They believe that all Wraiths should be engaged in this activity, as they are one step "closer" to the Gods by dint of being dead and aware. They despise The Order - and, to a degree, the Believers - for seeking to halt this, and respect the Messengers for being bold enough to take a hand. {That doesn't make a Messenger any less of an Outsider, though.}

 

* All Must Heed the Will of the Gods

This goes without saying, but it should be emphasized that the Haunters apply this to themselves as well. They expect total and complete obedience to the Grandmother - and, through her, Mania - from all members of an Alliance. Those who start to backslide or openly doubt are counseled or invited to leave, and those who do not do what they're told can expect to be severely punished for their transgressions.

Divine Punishment

Those who fail are chastised by their friends. Those who speak out or against are silenced by the group. And those who disobey - in thought, word or deed - are punished.

Being forced to give up all stored fears and nightmares to the group, and having to re-assemble one's personal collection all over again, is a common penalty for small infractions. Having Anchors damaged or removed entirely is the next step up, sometimes followed by being Shaped into something one personally fears, or locked in a traumatic memory/nightmare loop.

But those who persist in open and constant disobedience will most likely become a Shaped object, and be used to decorate the Domain. In fact, the Calling believes the best material for the likeness of Mania comes from someone who knew of Her laws, and yet disobeyed them.

And they always need new masks in Her image.

 

* Some Must Suffer That Others May Learn

This sweeping proclamation is what gives the Haunters their mandate to frighten, maim, hurt and kill the living. They feel it is much better to make a few, extreme examples, so that the majority can see the penalty for their crimes, than be "merciful" and encourage lawbreaking.

 

* No One Is Innocent, All May Suffer

The Haunters must be ready to derange or murder anyone they must in order to perform their duties. There is no room for mercy, kindness or sympathy - there is only duty, and it must be done. So while they might drive a rapist to suicide through the apparitions of his long-dead victims, one day, they might have to take the head from his one, living victim and stick it on a weathervane the very next day for some other infraction.

 

* The Brave Deserve Her Favors

This is also self-explanatory, though it should be pointed out that the divine madness of Mania is not the same madness the Haunters bestow upon lawbreakers. The deserving are filled with amazing visions and vast vistas of possibility, to the point where their minds are literally somewhere else - someplace the rational mind can neither see nor fathom. Those who earn their ire, however, are broken under the weight of their guilt, phobias or bad memories, and left white-haired and gibbering.

 

* One is All and All is One

Haunters take the notion of being allies with one another very, very seriously, which is why they call themselves an "Alliance." They are too small to be divided by fractures, and what they do is too important to allow personal disagreements to spoil it.

So while they may have disagreements, they do not allow petty problems to divide them. There is no more room for open dissension amongst the group than there is for gross disobedience. And while they are often harsh and uncompromising with their newer members, they can never punish them without reason, nor harm them without cause.

The other side of this belief is that Haunters will always stand with, and alongside, one another: if you pick a fight with one member of the Alliance, you have picked a fight with all of them. And even if defending one Haunter from a Ferryman fully-girded for war is likely to get them all killed, they will still rush right for the enemy to protect that one Haunter.

 

* The Concord Must Be Defied

By "The Concord," they mean The Order, which was synonymous with Concord when Mania gave Her final orders. Any who are following their Injunction are following the words of Charun, the liar, and not the words of all Gods. And if they are listening to the words of the Ferrymen - however advisory - then they are hearing His voice from afar, and still following lies.

So they do not pay any heed to The Order, its rules and rituals, or its cursed Injunction. And they do not hew to the words of the Ferrymen, though they know that there is little chance of any of them - or indeed all of them - besting such a creature in open combat. They must do what they were bade to do by their Goddess, and any who would stand against them must either be avoided, or punished.

Note that Mania, in Her maddened wisdom, said "defied" and not "deposed," or "destroyed." She knew that The Order would always have greater numbers, and that the Ferrymen would always be with it. So She bade Her servants to stay apart from its sheeplike masses, disobey its rules and keep its adherents far, far from their sight.

And if any of those adherents should be foolish enough to come calling... well, there's other things that need Shaping besides Her image.

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