| What is this Database? | . |
| Constructed throughout many years of research and exploration, the SPECTREGISTER* Database is a data table meant to provide instant access to information regarding thousands of paranormal entities across the world. The table is made up across six fields, each providing a condensed core element of the entity. This Database is meant to provide only the most crucial information accessible at a glance, and isn’t so much an encyclopedia as it is a catalogue. To learn more about any particular entry, please refer to the “Reference” column for further reading. The OCCULT REFERENCE CENTER OF AMITY is in possession of many of these texts and can provide clerical consultation if requested. If the SPECTREGISTER does not answer your question at a glance, please visit our homepage and click “Request Information”. *The name “Spectregister” is a portmanteau of the words “specter” and “register”. | . |
| How do I navigate your Data Table? | What does the “ARCHETYPE” field mean? |
| If you’re looking for a specific entry, please use your web browser’s built in search function to scan our register. All of the information is arranged alphabetically by Entity Name. On a desktop, you can search by pressing the CTRL and F buttons together. On a mobile view, you can search by bringing up the settings menu and clicking “Find in Page”. | We have assigned each Entity an archetype, or keyword, based on what best encapsulates the entry at a glance. For example, the Asanbosam is a creature from West Africa that has razor sharp teeth and an anthropophagus diet. To summarize this creature, we would abridge it to being a “Vampire”. This is designed to give a snapshot of the bigger picture. This also lets you search for individual entries easier. If you search “Vampire”, you can jump directly to creatures labeled as such. Many keywords will overlap, so in instances of generic similarities, we have tried to assign archetypes based on what is most commonly accepted. The Asanbosam may not truly be a Vampire, but many accounts from West African culture describe it as such. |
| Why are Class IV entities so rare? | Can you explain how you apply the CDI Grouping System? |
| To be considered into the Class IV group, an individual IDENTITY has to be made apparent. Many humanoid subjects within Class III display characteristics that are conducive to forming or maintaining an identity, however subtle. This identity has to be self-aware of, and propagated through, the entity itself. For example, you may name the monster under your bed “Bobby”. This does not make the entity a Class IV. It would only be considered such if they were refer to themselves as “Bobby” and display an enduring history with it. Many instances within our data table are of transmogrified human origins all belonging to one archetype such as ghouls, vampires, and spirits. A “Vampire” itself is not a Class IV Entity, however, “Dracula” would be. In instances accounting for the overall archetype and not specifying an individual, the entity retains Class III status. | O.R.C.A. pays particular focus to the brevity of abstract and subjective rationalities. To best achieve this, we may adapt an esoteric concept to it’s most relatable form. Please visit our CDI Classifications System page or view our CDI Logic Guide for further elaboration. |
| I can’t find what I’m looking for in your Database… | Does the SPECTREGISTER include any fictional or “literary” beings? |
| If our Database is lacking any particular information, please feel free to reach out to us any time. It may be a gap in our knowledge, or possibly an entry that is currently under construction. If it is something that we have never encountered, our team will research to the best of our ability to find any existing information. If no pre-existing information exists, we will work with you on verifying the accuracy of the stated inquiry and possible paths forward. | Unfortunately, no, our data table does not include any fictional characters within it. For example: Beings like Freddy Krueger, Gizmo the Mogwai, or Jacob Marley will not be found in the register. The reason for this is multi-faceted, as outlined below. One: There is a nigh-unlimited number of fictional examples that increase every day. Mixing non-fictional and fictional entries together would over-complicate our intentionally concise design. Two: The purpose of this data table is to provide accessible resources in a timely manner should they ever be necessary. Frankly put, there is no reason to worry about a fictional character. However, there may be a reason to worry about anything on our radar. |
| How do you determine what is fictional and what is not? | . |
| Ultimately, our researchers determine whether or not an entry is deemed fictional (i.e. “fake”) based on the body of work surrounding the entity in question. If an author has created a character or creature with the intention of it being used as a literary mechanism, there is no ambiguity in the origin of it’s existence, as the “creation” of that being was inherent in the work which it appears. This is fundamentally different than being able to trace the origin to a folk tale, public record, or first-hand account where the purported existence of the entity in question is more subjective. Rationally, lots of our “non-fictional” entries originate from obviously fictitious tales or legends, however if it is the intention of the author to pass off the account at face value as true, then it should be open to consideration as such. | . |
O.R.C.A. 