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Every area has its own local urban legends and hauntings. Some are totally unique and inextricably tied to the region's dark history. Others are a tale that repeats, popping up again and again across the world, an integral part of the human experience.
Around here the most well-known haunt is a:
1 Luminous golden stallion with black eyes and hooves that appears to lone travelers on overcast nights. It'll chase and trample anyone who runs from it but can't harm those who stand their ground. It can't enter the bounds of inhabited places like a town or homestead.
2 Man who plays the saxophone, cast in light and shadow as if he's on stage. He's harmless but loud. Locals call him Joe, but no one knows his real name.
3 Giant gnarled cherry tree that appears in fallow fields at midwinter. Most see it with bare branches, but those who are about to die see it in full bloom.
4 Flock of birds so thick they blot out the moon and stars. It carries off the souls of those who watch the murmuration for too long and become entranced.
5 Old man sitting to watch the sunset. He looks solid but is fully immaterial. Quietly mutters to himself and vanishes with the first star. Harmless.
6 Traveler that appears to groups of five or more on the road and asks to walk with them to town. They're harmless if allowed to join the party and treated like a welcome companion, vanishing when they reach their destination. Fades away and haunts the party for the rest of the trip if refused.
7 Giant silver hound that appears when someone dies or is buried within its territory. It guards the territory and will threaten those who come near, but you're safe as long as you don't cross the boundaries.
8 Small dirty mutt that appears to sad, lonely people. It's solid, friendly, and acts like a normal dog. It'll stay with the person it appeared to, vanishing at dawn and returning each night until it's no longer needed.
9 White dog that looks real but is immaterial. It appears sitting at the city gate looking out watching the road and doesn't react to things happening in the material world. Only people who have loved ones traveling away from home can see it. Rumor is that if you can touch the dog or get its attention then the person you were waiting for is dead.
10 Cat. It's invisible and can physically interact with the material world: Making noise, moving things, batting, clawing, biting, laying on things, all the standard cat behavior. It's always present and just goes about the normal routines of its domestic cat life.
11 Flock of sheep. They're peaceful and oblivious to the material world, completely incorporeal but smell strongly. They appear in vacant pastures and graze calmly, watched over by a shadowy shepherd. If you touch one or walk through the flock you can hear the sounds of bleating, bells, and pipes.
12 Herd of cattle and a posse of ghost riders accompanying them. They appear over the prairie ahead of a storm, running before the wind in an aerial stampede that never touches the ground. Their hooves sound like thunder.
13 Headless rider on a skeletal horse that appears to riders on clear nights during the waning moon. It challenges whoever it meets to a race, granting a favor to those who best it and trampling the losers.
14 Antique steam train that appears randomly following its old route and timetable. It runs along the course of tracks that were decommissioned decades ago, barreling harmlessly but startlingly through obstacles in its path. Translucent and deafening.
15 Dark ship wreathed in a thin fog. Its form varies with the viewer, taking on the shape of whatever type of vessel they're most familiar with as "a ship." It appears in the full moon, moving silently and without regard to other traffic. Will send a boat and party to collect anyone who watches it for too long.
16 Brilliant milky white whale that appears in the water and sky on clear full moons, and as a beached phantom corpse after storms. Smells like ambergris and oil.
17 Gigantic shadowy bear with radiant white eyes. It was killed in its den while hibernating and hates all humans, but especially despises the hunting party and their descendants. It will pursue and maul anyone it encounters, targeting members of the hunters' bloodlines first. Only disappears in direct, bright sunlight.
18 Pack of wolves chasing a stag across the fields and through the forest. They intermittently flicker into the forms of a lone fugitive fleeing an armed mob.
19 Bloody bull wreathed in flame that runs through the city streets on the anniversary of its sacrifice. It destroys physical things in its way, trampling them as it hunts down young men, ranchers, matadors, and priests.
20 Troupe of maypole dancers performing an extremely traditional, ritualized version of the dance. They appear at dawn and dusk on the equinoxes dressed in brilliant festival costumes and clearly translucent. It's lucky to see them, but they'll draw you in and trap you if you intrude on the dance floor.
21 Group of kids. They're faint and misty, hard to see but easy to hear. When they appear they're always playing a game, usually tag, laughing, singing, and yelling their heads off. They're mostly immaterial and can run through walls, but still bump into things and people.
22 Kid that wanders alone looking lost, scared, and like they're searching for something. They're solid and fully aware of the world around them. Will gratefully accept help to find their missing friend and lead the helper all over, vanishing if you lose sight of them or another adult shows up.
23 Invisible baby that cries continuously. It can only be heard by new parents and people who don't like kids. The location of the crying changes if you go looking for it. Falls quiet at dawn.
24 Iron age laundress who appears on fridays carrying a basket to and from the river. She leaves damp footprints, puddles, and the smell of lavender in her wake. She's oblivious to the material world and walks right through people and obstacles.
25 Robed monk who appears to the ill and dying in the hours before their deaths. He chants and performs rites that are only audible to the one he's there for, then returns to the ruins of the old monastery.
26 Hazy, indistinct figure of a woman made of white fog. She screams hysterically until she realizes she's being watched, then focuses all her attention on the witnesses and starts approaching them. She'll lose interest and go back to screaming if they break eye contact. Nobody knows what happens if she touches someone, it's never happened before.
27 Young fashionably dressed witch who was executed almost four hundred years ago. It didn't stop her, only freed her from her flesh. She appears in the home built on the site of her former cottage and accepts visitors, answering questions with the omniscience of the dead if asked politely and entertained.
28 Grand manor house that reforms on its ruins for three nights during the harvest moon each year. It's completely solid and full of the sounds of daily life though there's no sign of people. On the third night, the anniversary of the revolt when it was destroyed, there's the sounds of screaming, chaos, and roaring fire before it collapses and vanishes at dawn.
29 Phantom cottage that appears to lost travelers and people caught in a storm. It provides shelter as long as needed, disappearing in the morning or once the weather clears. Anyone staying in the cottage falls asleep after eating and stays that way until it disappears.
30 Hoax. There's a charlatan dressing up as a ghost and creating a fake haunting to scare the locals and perpetuate rumors for their own benefit.
17 Gigantic shadowy bear with radiant white eyes. It was killed in its den while hibernating and hates all humans, but especially despises the hunting party and their descendants. It will pursue and maul anyone it encounters, targeting members of the hunters' bloodlines first. Only disappears in direct, bright sunlight.
18 Pack of wolves chasing a stag across the fields and through the forest. They intermittently flicker into the forms of a lone fugitive fleeing an armed mob.
19 Bloody bull wreathed in flame that runs through the city streets on the anniversary of its sacrifice. It destroys physical things in its way, trampling them as it hunts down young men, ranchers, matadors, and priests.
20 Troupe of maypole dancers performing an extremely traditional, ritualized version of the dance. They appear at dawn and dusk on the equinoxes dressed in brilliant festival costumes and clearly translucent. It's lucky to see them, but they'll draw you in and trap you if you intrude on the dance floor.
21 Group of kids. They're faint and misty, hard to see but easy to hear. When they appear they're always playing a game, usually tag, laughing, singing, and yelling their heads off. They're mostly immaterial and can run through walls, but still bump into things and people.
22 Kid that wanders alone looking lost, scared, and like they're searching for something. They're solid and fully aware of the world around them. Will gratefully accept help to find their missing friend and lead the helper all over, vanishing if you lose sight of them or another adult shows up.
23 Invisible baby that cries continuously. It can only be heard by new parents and people who don't like kids. The location of the crying changes if you go looking for it. Falls quiet at dawn.
24 Iron age laundress who appears on fridays carrying a basket to and from the river. She leaves damp footprints, puddles, and the smell of lavender in her wake. She's oblivious to the material world and walks right through people and obstacles.
25 Robed monk who appears to the ill and dying in the hours before their deaths. He chants and performs rites that are only audible to the one he's there for, then returns to the ruins of the old monastery.
26 Hazy, indistinct figure of a woman made of white fog. She screams hysterically until she realizes she's being watched, then focuses all her attention on the witnesses and starts approaching them. She'll lose interest and go back to screaming if they break eye contact. Nobody knows what happens if she touches someone, it's never happened before.
27 Young fashionably dressed witch who was executed almost four hundred years ago. It didn't stop her, only freed her from her flesh. She appears in the home built on the site of her former cottage and accepts visitors, answering questions with the omniscience of the dead if asked politely and entertained.
28 Grand manor house that reforms on its ruins for three nights during the harvest moon each year. It's completely solid and full of the sounds of daily life though there's no sign of people. On the third night, the anniversary of the revolt when it was destroyed, there's the sounds of screaming, chaos, and roaring fire before it collapses and vanishes at dawn.
29 Phantom cottage that appears to lost travelers and people caught in a storm. It provides shelter as long as needed, disappearing in the morning or once the weather clears. Anyone staying in the cottage falls asleep after eating and stays that way until it disappears.
30 Hoax. There's a charlatan dressing up as a ghost and creating a fake haunting to scare the locals and perpetuate rumors for their own benefit.
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