Ghost Stories for Christmas-The Miracle Stone of River Spey

Christmas time is here again, and I have delightful chunks of coal for all your players. At the intersection of Victorian Fiction and Christmas, lurk ghost stories. For December, we’re looking at dolorous hauntings of the British Isles and their weird, wonderful, uses in role-playing games. As before, my primary source is “Gazetteer of British Scottish & Irish Ghosts” by Peter Underwood, a ghostly guidebook full of interesting facts and folklore ready to be plugged into a Victoriana scenario.

In Scotland, near the Boat of Garten railway station, at the bottom of the River Spey lays the eroded fragments of a stone commemorating a very old miracle. Long ago, an old lady on her death bed asked to be buried alongside her late husband, across the river in Duthil. Her friends explained the River Spey had no ford, but she insisted God would let them cross safely.  After her death, they carried her to the river’s edge, ready to brave the running waters, when the waves parted exposing a strip of dry land wide enough for her burial party.  After they bore her casket across the river, onlookers rushed to grab the trapped salmon flopping on the exposed river bed, but the River Spey closed again, saving the fish. The funeral party buried the woman by her husband and erected a thirty foot pole pointing towards their crossing point. 

Over time the pole was lost, and only local legends kept the story of the miracles alive, until William Grant decided the miracle needed a monument. William Grant was a 92 year old farmer, and a leading member of “The Men”, a conservative sect of Gaelic Presbyterians. William was known for his devotion and his piety. Many members believed he had the gift of prophecy. 

On his deathbed, William asked for a large stone to be set at the point of the crossing, engraved in Gaelic and English telling the story of the miracle, in accordance with a vision he’d seen. March 9th, 1865 the followers of the late William Grant fulfilled his wishes. 

The town divided over the stone after its commemoration. Some felt it was idolatry. The Free Church and other enemies of “the Men” denounced the story as blasphemy. Many said the old lady was a witch. On the night of February 19th, 1867, someone smashed the stone and tossed its fragments into the River Spey. Supposedly, the vandals kept pieces as trophies and greedy clergymen sold chips of the stone as charms for up to £5 a piece.

A nearby family managed to dig up a large chunk from the riverbed to use for a doorstep. After bringing the stone home, furnishings mysteriously moved around and unexplained lights plagued the home’s interior. Rocks and turnips plummeted down the chimney and through closed windows without shattering the panes. During the summer, hail stones as big as apples pelted the house. After the last family member died, the next owners returned their doorstep to the river and were never bothered by supernatural events. 

When the river Spey runs low, pieces of inscribed stone can still be seen on the sandy riverbed, and legend says a monstrous eel makes sure nothing disturbs the fragments.

Adventure Ideas

The central idea of commemorating a past miracle, the controversy of the memorial, and the scattering of the memorials pieces makes a great premise for a campaign. The Miracle Stone’s story has so many rich, interesting details you can just pull out into their own adventures.

The old woman’s story has been dated from the 12^th century into the 17^th, and her married name varies. She’s called Mackintosh, Macdonald, Cumin, Grant, or other variations. She can stick into a wide range of Scottish history. If she’s a Grant, William Grant must be a descendant.

In Victoriana, the old woman could be a Petty Magician or Magnetist. The Aluminate Church would frown on any Miracles connected to her. Would the Guild have to step in to stop her memorial?

I like the idea of a secret group traveling around Scotland building monuments to ancient miracles. Maybe they are trying to encourage belief in the Aluminate Faith or bring back Scotland’s magical strength? Did William Grant die of natural causes after his vision?

A player character or a contact might end up with a shard of the miraculous stone, but is its effect beneficial or malicious?