Editing DFRPG Ghosts:Echoes and Phantoms (section)

==Echoes==

Most widely held magical knowledge of the topic (i.e., the material in the DFRPG) focuses on '''Echoes''' -- beings such as Chicago's Agatha Hagglethorn.  These entities are much as described by Warden Dresden: they are not really self-aware, incapable of change and growth, generally oblivious to the mortal world, single-minded, stuck re-enacting actions and feeling remembered emotions, etc.  They are imprints, like a fossil leaf in clay left behind after the leaf itself decayed -- the last desperate attempt of a dying person to survive.  And they are not especially high-quality imprints, at that.

But within of the circles of those who interact with Ghosts regularly (Ectomancers and Necromancers, mainly), a few have learned that there is more to the picture.  Of course, ghostly lore bulges at the seams with all manner of spectral phenomena that don't fit, but being educated in the legends is different from being aware that more varieties of unquiet dead walk the Mortal World than just these vague reflections.  These are categorized as Phantoms (aka Phantasms, described below), [[DFRPG_Ghosts:Revenants|Revenants]], and [[DFRPG_Ghosts:Apparitions|Apparitions]].

It is certainly not common knowledge.  For one thing, it is kept quiet by those in the know, as they suspect (with some justification) that the Wardens and Council will get up in arms if they catch on that ghosts can be more than "a mere recording".  Also, Echoes are the most common type of ghost by far, and ghosts as a whole aren't exactly thick on the ground in most places to begin with, so many Wizards simply never encounter anything else.

Finally, the Fifth Law of Magic has the effect of discouraging the (law-abiding) Wizard community from serious research into the topic, unless perhaps their talents lean in that direction already.  And naturally, the typical arrogance of Wizards reinforces their belief that they already have all the answers, rendering them inclined to doubt whispers to the contrary unless they are confronted with the truth.