Paranormal Investigator

Study/Degree in Investigation: Many begin with formal training in criminology, law, or investigative methods, though not all can afford academies.

Paranormal Studies: Knowledge of folklore, Ghost-lore, Vampyre traditions, and rituals. Texts are scarce, often obtained illegally or through underground channels.

Mentorship (Optional): Apprenticeships under established investigators are valuable but rare; most prefer independence.

Field Trial Work: Demonstrated ability in real investigations is often the deciding factor for reputation and employment.

Independent Start: Those with enough wealth or backing can establish a personal practice immediately, like Whitesmith Investigations.

Agency Route: Larger cities, like Sadapintal, have investigative agencies. Recruits begin with menial work (research, office duties, handling frightened clients) before progressing to supervised fieldwork, then full investigator status.

Reputation System: Word of mouth, client satisfaction, and documented results determine long-term success. Reputation can make or break an investigator, especially in small towns.

• Primary payments are in Gold and Silver coinage.
• Some rural clients barter with goods, land favors, or services.
• Noble patrons may offer retainers or permanent employment in exchange for discretion.

• Independence and the ability to choose clients.
• Access to unique knowledge and forbidden lore.
• Social connections with both commoners and nobility, depending on cases.
• A sense of purpose for those haunted by their own supernatural pasts.

Paranormal Investigators serve as intermediaries between the living and the dead, separating frauds from real threats. Their purpose is threefold:

• Investigation: Determine if a haunting or claim is real.
• Resolution: Remove, banish, or mitigate threats when possible.
• Documentation: Record findings for posterity, clients, or historical archives.

Mixed Reputation: Some view them as vital defenders against the unknown; others see them as con artists exploiting fear.

Distrusted by the Vatican: Officially, only Vatican-approved hunters should deal with ghosts and vampyres. Independent investigators are branded as reckless, dangerous, or heretical.

Among Commoners: Often respected, especially if they solve cases others won’t touch.

Most investigators are from middle or lower classes, driven by necessity or personal encounters with the supernatural.

Some nobles dabble in the field for prestige or hidden family reasons.

Gender distribution is fairly balanced; supernatural callings don’t discriminate.

Informal ghost-hunters have existed for centuries, usually priests, witches, or village wise-folk.

The formal profession of Paranormal Investigator began within the last 150 years, as urbanization spread and supernatural cases grew more visible.

In Tacia, investigators rose as an alternative to the Vatican, appealing to those mistrustful of its authority.

Whitesmith Investigations is one of the newer, independent firms, emblematic of this secular wave.

Basic: Lanterns, chalk, iron nails, salt, rosaries, ritual knives.

Specialized: Spirit boards, binding runes, blessed chains, recording tomes for spectral impressions.

Personal: Each investigator adapts tools to their methods; Lyra relies on Ghost Sight supported by Sarah’s research.

• Holy water, Silver, and consecrated soil.
• Binding inks and papers for wards.
• Protective charms (often personal, sometimes fraudulent).

Offices vary from single-room setups (like Whitesmith Investigations in Taveton) to established bureaus in cities. Fieldwork often takes place in ruins, estates, cemeteries, and sites of historical violence.

• Confirming or disproving hauntings.
• Identifying supernatural threats (ghosts, vampyres, cursed objects).
• Performing rituals of cleansing or containment.
• Advising nobles or townsfolk on preventive protections.
• In some cases, documenting supernatural events for legal disputes or Vatican inquiries.

• Exposure to hostile entities (malevolent ghosts, vampyres).
• Physical risk from collapsing ruins, crypts, or panicked clients.
• Social/legal risk of Vatican persecution.
• Psychological toll of prolonged exposure to death and fear.