A Duppy is the spirit of a murderer. Woken by a Boccur and bound
to serve the Boccur's commands.
The ritual must be performed at the grave of the murderer. It
requires a lit candle, a few coins, a cup of rum and some sweets as
well as knowing the proper charm.
Summoning a Duppy is usually done by a Boccur to serve as an assassin,
to punish or harass a Boccur's enemies, or guard the Boccur and his
possessions.
When in physical form a Duppy is a nightmarish caricature of a
human. Pallid, corpse like flesh, glowing eyes, distorted
features, sharp teeth and claw like nails are common.
Biting and clawing is the primary Duppy attack. When a Duppy
appears in physical form it is wearing its grave clothes, that which it
was buried in.
They are somewhat intelligent and cunning, but they can be tricked or
distracted relatively easily. They can, and will use simple
weapons, such as a knife or club. They can only carry objects as
long as they remain in solid form. All Duppys are able to become
invisible and without body at will. In this form they may pass
through walls, doors etc. However, any object in hand is
dropped when they transform. In sunlight they are automatically locked
into the non-physical form. Animals can 'see' Duppys regardless
of form. They generally react negatively.
Duppys cannot move any faster in death then they did in life, but being
able to pass through objects allows them to travel from point to point
very quickly.
Though a Duppy can pass through walls,
the FIRST time the Duppy enters someone's home it must cross the
Threshold or pass through a window. IF the threshold or
windowsill was
sprinkled with Holy water before the last sunset a Duppy cannot
enter.
In general a Duppy has the following abilities...
They
can answer questions about things
that they had knowledge of in life.
They
can speak and make sounds that
imitate everyday things (footsteps, chains etc)
Generate mild smells, especially ones
associated with them in life. (perfumes etc) or terrible, sickening
stenches.
Cause Terror to anyone who sees them.
Blow out candles and small fires.
Manipulate most small and some larger
objects (books, locks, open doors, etc)
Their touch is icy and frightening.
Throw objects with great force, but mediocare accuracy.
Curdle milk and spoil food with a
touch.
Some Duppys have special powers. These are rare and seem to be
related to their behavior when alive. A Duppy who used poison to
kill in life retains the ability to poison food and drink that it can
touch. A Duppy who was an arsonist, and killed by fire in life,
can ignite fires by touch.
Similarly, a Duppy's behavior in life will affect its behavior in
death. If in life the Duppy was a rapist, or preyed on children
or any other special group, it will be drawn to attack and harm those
same individuals and groups in death. Drunkards in life are
drawn to rum in death. Murderers obsessed with money and wealth
are drawn to coins as a Duppy. Former gluttons are drawn to
sweets.
At night, or in full darkness, a Duppy is at its strongest. It can
assume physical form, manipulate objects, speak and attack. It
also has use of whatever special abilities the Duppy might have.
Duppy's are weakened by sunlight and are unable to assume physical form
or use their special powers. They can move objects, and their
attacks in daylight are limited mostly to throwing things.
A Duppy can only venture a few miles from its grave, unless dust, or
remains, is taken from the Duppy's grave and sprinkled in another
place, then the Duppy can venture to and from the grave to the new
location. (Unless the location is isolated by a body of water.)
Duppies cannot cross running or open water unaided. They must
have a bridge, boat or someone to carry them. A Duppy could
venture aboard a docked ship, or get aboard by way of a small boat,
rope or anchor line. However, once the ship set sail the Duppy
would be trapped and come sunrise the Duppy would cease to exist.
Grave dust, or a part of the Duppy's body, placed on a ship would allow
the Duppy to remain on board, but the creature will be trapped until it
returns to the land where its body rests. Such a ship would be
cursed and a nightmare for the crew.
To remove the Duppy dust, the ship, or building, must be thoroughly
swept and cleaned, then sprinkled throughout with Holy Water or
fumigated with Incense.
Sprinkling Holy Water on a Duppy's grave breaks the spell
completely. (However, a recasting of the Summoning will recall
the Duppy.) Sprinkling Holy Water on a Duppy, in either form,
will drive it away until the NEXT sunset.
A Duppy cannot enter a church or other Blessed or sanctified place. (Of
any faith.) But they can cross graveyards.
Religious music, hymns, drums, prayers said aloud, will keep a Duppy at
bay for the duration. They cannot touch those singing, praying,
etc while they are doing it. However the Duppy can still throw
things, ignite fires and such in the area. Incense also
keeps them away from an area as long as the smoke lingers.
A Duppy is immune to physical attack when it is without form.
Bullets, blades, rocks, fists, clubs... They do no harm and pass
through the space the Duppy occupies without resistance. When the
Duppy is in its physical form, it takes no damage from blades, bullets
or any material that is not alive or has not known life. Fighting
a Duppy with ones fists is possible, using a knife is not.
Beating a Duppy with a wooden club will work, using a cutlass
won't.
A Duppy is NOT obligated to return to its grave at sunrise, but the
ability to do so must exist.
Trapping a Duppy, so that it is cut off from its grave at sunrise, will
destroy a Duppy. This is very hard to do , given the Duppy's
abilities to pass through objects. One way to do this is through
a Spirit Bottle. A prepared bottle, 'baited' with rum, coins or
sweets will draw in and trap the Duppy in non-physical form.
Exposing the bottle to sunlight after the Duppy is trapped, destroys
the Duppy.
