Chapter Text
From the Master Compendium of Misconceived Monsters (D. Mahs)
Vitries Vitae
Discovered, and believed to have originated, in Europe, the Vitries Vitae are spirits and patrons of reckoning, not to be confused with vengeful spirits, although they share certain qualities. Like ghosts or spirits, Vitries Vitae are formed by those whose essences are not released from this plane upon death. They are tied to their manners or circumstances of death, becoming patrons to those wronged in the same way.
Unlike ghosts or spirits, Vitries Vitae retain greater clarity and more of their original personalities over time. Rather than mindlessly repeating the circumstances of their deaths, they only strike when summoned by one within their domain. Their name, Vitries Vitae, is derived from their translucent appearance and the medieval alchemical belief that “oil of vitriol” – in reality a potent acid called sulfuric acid – was a metaphorical representation of one’s true, distilled self. The term vitriol also came to be associated with scorn or strong negative emotions, an appropriate association for these revengers.
Vitries Vitae appear to be regional but not bound to one specific location. Although the exact radius is unknown and may be tied to how powerful the individual spirit is, Vitries Vitae seem to have territories extending out from their places of death. Vitries Vitae may share territories if they protect different domains – or share domains if they protect different territories. There has never been a known case of two Vitries Vitae avenging the same cause in the same location.
Historic Cases
There are only two confirmed historical cases involving Vitries Vitae, although many more are presumed or believed to be linked. Some apparitions dispelled as ‘ghosts’ may, in fact, have been Vitries Vitae and thus, may still linger.
Anna Leon
Anna Leon is the first recorded Vitria Vitae. At the time of her death, Anna was a 27-year-old woman living in a small town in southern England. She was unable to bear children, and her husband left her, destitute and propertyless, for another woman.
In 1507, an estimated three years after her death, Anna was reportedly spotted in town again just before the deaths of two brothers who had been competing for the affections of a young widow. It was discovered after their deaths that the two were con-artists who repeatedly used sham marriages to get obtain property from women on their own.
There were a few subsequent sitings in the following years, coming in clusters when the story resurfaced, until in 1521, two women who summoned Anna were convicted of witchcraft and a priest attempted to consecrate the area and clear her spirit.
There are no specific records of what the priest did or how successful it was, nor are there any confirmed sitings of Anna after this date.
Franchesca of Sicily
In the 1700s, a young girl from Sicily named Franchesca was killed by her father when she refused to accept his chosen suitor for her. Even before her death, there were rumours of abuse, and the engagement had caused some recrimination due to the difference in age between the girl and her would-be groom.
Franchesca’s body was examined after her death, and her father was convicted of the murder. He was hanged, but his body disappeared before it could be buried.
Although Franchesca was 13 when she died, she was most commonly reported to appear as a 9-year-old to those who summoned her. The most notable case dates from the 1800s, when she was called on by a group of orphans who were being mistreated at a local poorhouse. When all four of the nuns responsible for the poorhouse – including one reputed to be the children’s favourite -- choked to death on their own stomach bile, the children came forward. Although apparently “unrepentant” for the deaths of three of the nuns, they cooperated in reinvoking Franchesca out of guilt over the fourth nun, who they maintained was uninvolved in the abuses.
With the children’s help, the Vitria Vitae was supposedly dispelled. The children were moved to another town where their identities were unknown.
Rites of the Vitries Vitae
Because the Vitries Vitae can only be summoned by those within their territory and protective domain, the information on Vitries Vitae is limited. In addition to the restricted circumstances under which a Vitria Vitae may be summoned, a Vitria Vitae must hunt once invoked, which has discouraged curious hunters and researchers from invoking one for the purpose of gathering further information. It is unknown what would happen if an invoked Vitria Vitae is not given a target, but a rash of unconfirmed Vitria Vitae kills in the mid-1600s has led some to speculate that, without a target, Vitries Vitae can devolve into a state similar to that of a vengeful spirit.
(It should be noted that there are currently no viable theories as to why some become vengeful spirits after death and others become Vitries Vitae.)
What information is known is often fiercely protected by those who do have access to it, as the majority of those who summon the Vitries Vitae show strong loyalty to them. What is recounted below is gathered from the limited extant lore, the firsthand testimonies of the few summoners willing to come forward, victims where any survived, or third-party witnesses, as well as from examinations of known summoning locations.
More concerning is the question surrounding how the information is passed down to new petitioners. It’s possible it is a result of the oral tradition around their revenge stories. The trend of summonings occurring in waves or spreading from one incident supports this conclusion. On the other hand, what happens to the Vitries Vitae between summonings is unknown. While a Vitria Vitae only hunts when invoked, there are some rumours suggesting it is possible for them to manifest of their own volition and regardless of the circumstances, which may indicate that the Vitries Vitae themselves are able to pass ritual information on to potential summoners or even incite them to vengeance.
Summoning Rites
The summoning rites of the Vitries Vitae appear to be flexible – tailorable to both the individual patron and petitioner. There are, however, commonalities to be found in all known successful summonings.
Each summoning includes a sigil drawn on the floor, almost always the alchemical symbol for vitriol, though in rare occasions, summoners have substituted other symbols of revenge or justice – such as scales or the sigil of Nemesis -- in its place. One summoner claims great success using oil of vitriol (sulfuric acid) itself to create the sigil, although most summonings seem to bypass this in favour of more traditional options like carving, chalk, or paint. The summonings also require candles, tokens of the individual spirit -- such as leaves or flowers local to the area where the patron Vitria Vitae died or representative of their domain, magnesium powder, and candles – typically black, red, purple, or another colour associated with danger and revenge.
Once everything is in place, the candles are lit, and the summoner brings the final ingredient: their petition, which must include both the experiences that brought them to the Vitria Vitae and the intended target of their evocation.
No Vitries Vitae have ever been summoned by a petitioner known to be lying about their circumstances, and some summonings fail for unknown reasons – presumed to be due to a mismatch with the patron’s domain or a lack of true intent.
Dispelling a Vitria Vitae
The actual process of dispelling a Vitria Vitae is relatively simple, compared to the circumstances necessary to accomplish it. Vitries Vitae may only be dispelled by the last person to summon them. The petitioner must return to the site of their first invocation and repeat the steps to summon them, replacing the original petition with a recantation of their intention and (or) a condemnation of the outcome.
As with summonings, intention seems to play a key role. In one purported incident in the 1700s following the Franchesca of Sicily case, a set of witch-hunters attempted to force a young man to “banish the influences of the devil” (presumed in actuality to be one of the Vitries Vitae by later researchers due to the lack of demonic omens and the reports of a ghost-like figure) from their town. No specifics are known, and the young man in question was the only one present who survived the attempt. It is assumed that the Vitria Vitae executed the witch-hunters.
Related Readings
Those potentially facing one of the Vitries Vitae in the field or considering conducting research on them are advised to refer to sources on vengeful spirits and on equalizing, justice, and vengeance deities (such as Nemesis and Forsetti) to avoid ambiguity.
When evaluating a potential summoning site, it may also be useful to research alchemical notation, various symbols of revenge, local legends, and native flora.
Note: The brief paragraph provided on “Vitri Vita” (a misspelling of Vitries Vitae) in Everhaft’s Encyclopedia of European Extra-Humans is both woefully lacking and wildly inaccurate. It should not be trusted as a source.
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Note attached by Sam Winchester:
July 28th, 2016 Greencastle, PA
Molly Lakemont’s Summoning Rite for the Vitria Vitae of Pearl Grant
Ingredients:
- Vitriol Symbol
- Swamp Milkweed
- Mountain Laurel
- Magnesium Powder
- 3 Fuchsia Candles
Location:
- The cave off of Walnut River, site of Pearl’s murder
According to Molly, she grew up hearing Pearl’s story and discovered the instructions for the summoning on a sheet of notebook paper left in a library book about her.
Molly scraped the vitriol sigil on the floor of the cave, rubbed magnesium powder into the sigil, and arranged the plants and candles in a semi-circle like a makeshift altar. She lit the candles and – presumably – made her petition.
The exact date of the summoning is unknown, but her target, Ryan Johnson, died on July 25th, and the site still looked relatively fresh when it was investigated on the 28th.
Afterwards, we were able to speak with Pearl herself. She had control over her own manifestation. She was distrustful but didn’t attack us and did hear us out. She said that she innate, instinctual knowledge of her petitioners and victims and that the only way for a Vitria Vitae to be dispelled is by an earnest summoner. Otherwise, Vitries Vitae do not move on until their “domain,” or area of protection ceases to exist (when no one needs them).
Pearl also had a theory that after she died, she could have become either a Vitria Vitae or a vengeful spirit, and the fact that her first kill was “justified” to protect someone else is what made the difference.
Pearl also made a comment about being ‘told’ she was a Vitria Vitae. Can they communicate with each other? It there one entity making them? Deciding who becomes one?
~
From Everhaft’s Encyclopedia of European Extra-Humans (Arthur Everhaft), listed within the entry on “ghosts”:
Vitri Vita
According to local legend, a vitri vita is a subcategory of ghost formed by the spirits of those seeking vengeance for wrong doings. Using the proper incantations, known only to a few witches, the vita may be bound to the conjurer and used to aide in their works, making the vita a dangerous foe to any who’d protect the world from undue extra-human influences. Their name seems to imply they’re local to Italy, though they may have since spread.