B is for Banshee

Thank you for all the comments on yesterday’s entry, A is for Ancile. I continue the A-Z today with;

B is for Banshee

By Gothika248 on DeviantArt

Banshees are the earthbound spirits of powerful sorcerers, and oftentimes necromancers, who after death have remained on earth as wraiths, carrying with them death. The sorcerers are usually able to return from death as a banshee when their bodies haven’t been properly disposed of after death – i.e. through decapitation and burning of the corpse. 

Banshees are often drawn together, and form groups known as Shrieks. The Shriek, ranging anywhere from three to ten banshees, then seek sources of prenatural power to feed from; including ley lines and ritual sites.

As the banshee grows in power so do their abilities, enabling them to spread death and destruction wherever they go. The area around them will decay, as plants wither and animals grow feeble. Eventually banshees gain the power to wound and kill mortals with their screams.

Banshees can only be defeated by decapitation with a Reverard (alloy of silver and obsidian) blade, and then their bodies burnt and their ashes disposed of in running water. 

The following is from the record book of Ancile Suppressor Bernard Austin, detailing the neutralisation of a banshee. 

Narrated by: Bernard Austin, West Midlands Unit Suppressor, August 17^th, 2010.

Transcribed by: Wynnifred Mayweather, West Midlands Unit Scholar, August 17^th, 2010.

It was meant to be a regular neutralisation mission. A shriek of banshees had been sighted in a local park land; the area’s ranger had contacted me. It was no surprise, as underneath the park ran a ley line – a source of ancient prenatural power.

The team and I dispersed. 

What I hadn’t counted on was that the leader of the shriek had once been a powerful necromancer; our records spoke of her in detail – Lynessa Payne, who’d terrorised the area in the eighteenth century before being defeated by the Order. It now appeared Payne had found a way to return from the grave.

Feeding off the energy of the ley line, Payne and her shriek were growing in strength, turning the forest around them to dust. Destruction and decay followed in their path, as plants withered and animals grew feeble. Soon they’d have the power to cause death to mortals with their screams alone. 

Luckily for us, banshees often rested during the day. The team and I surrounded the banshee’s lair, and positioned ourselves ready to attack. But as we advanced, Payne was waiting for us; somehow sensing we were there. She awakened the others, and then me and my team of three were facing off against an angry seven banshees, all of whom were now able to call death with their screams.

We fought as best we could, slicing through the banshees and making sure they were decapitated, as is the only way to ensure they stay dead. However, as we progressed, one of the team was killed and another unconscious. It was now a battle of two against five. 

As Payne advanced, I thought all hope was lost. Until, overhead, a crossbow bolt came whizzing by. It struck Payne right in the centre of her forehead, between her two eyes. Though the weapon was not made of the Ancile’s special alloy, Reverard, which has unique properties to harm prenatural entities, the shot offered enough of a distraction that I was able to charge forwards and cut off Payne’s head with my two-handed battle-axe. With their leader taken out, the remaining four banshees were easy to deal with. 

When the fight was over, I turned to thank the crossbow wielding saviour, and discovered it to be the park ranger – Mike Tully.

Curious to know what exactly he’d help extinguish, Mike began studying with the Order, and soon joined our ranks, replacing the solider that was lost on that day. Since then he has become an invaluable member of the team.

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Check back tomorrow for C is for Chimera, and if you're interested please check out my personal blog's second entry B is for Black Queen.

The full A-Z of Prenatural Entities can be found here.