The Texora Ghost Train is a folk tale, or perhaps an unexplained phenomena, involving a ghostly phantom train on the railway between Texora Academy and the city of Isvamelle. The train is most commonly spotted on the Fyleth Cross, but has been reported at multiple locations along the train line.
Description
The Texora Ghost Train has been described with many slight differences across the centires, but it is almost always said to be an older model steam-flux engine with no anti-gravitational technology. The track between Isvamelle and Texora was rebuilt from a steam-flux system to an anti-gravitational pureflux system in 13,076 SA; some describe the ghost train leaving the current track slightly, as if to follow the "old" track.
The train is usually described as silver with a shadowy, distorted or transparent appearance. It is said to have a trail of blustery snow billowing behind it, as the front of the train has an old-style snowplough. Many witnesses agree the snowy mist behind it is real and physical as if the train actually moves the snow. Some have described a number plate on the side of the train, and this can be a little less consistent in descriptions. While usually the figure lies somewhere within the 1200s, there's little agreeance on the specific number. Common numbers in reports include 1299, 1200, 1222 and 1260.
Some witnesses describe stranger features, such as the train smelling strongly of magic or blood. Some say that the train is silent as it passes by. Others state that the windows are filled with the faces of warped and twisted people.
Train drivers in Virias frequently report witnessing the train and many consider it a rite of passage for new train drivers to experience before they're fully "broken-in". Train drivers often claim that the apparitional train will "collide" with their own, and when it does they are overwhelmed with sadness and feel freezing cold chill, as well as experience flashing lights or engine stutters.
Possible Explanations
Unexplained Ghost Phenomena
While spirits, ghosts and apparitions are real and frequently encountered phenomena, a ghost vehicle is unheard of in literature. While ghosts can sometimes have rudimentary objects accompanying their visage such as clothing or personal items, these spirits are usually particularly powerful and notable, and the objects cannot leave their possession without dissipating. Current understanding of apparitions would indicate that the ghost train is something other than a true ghost, but
phanarcanology is an incredibly under-researched field. Also of note is that Fyleth Fields, where the train is often encountered is a particularly arcanostatic region with very little weave damage, a mix of traits typically not lending to the presence of ghosts.
Schoolyard Stories
Tales of the ghostly train are most often thought to have originated as stories between school mates in the
Texora Academy, perhaps even as stories by teachers to scare students from playing on the notoriously dangerous tracks. The school's dormitory wing is many stories high and some have theorised that from the dormitory windows, the light hitting the snow on the wind may form "mirages" that look like moving objects. While easy to explain away sightings as schoolyard tales of the young and impressionable, it's worth remembering that most students at Texora are adults, and that train drivers and passengers make reports almost as commonly as students do.
SF-1260
Steam-Flux 1260 (SF-1260) was a Veridian steam-flux engine, found ransacked in 12,660 SA. It appeared to have been robbed, though strangely the crew and passengers had been murdered in a fashion of absolute overkill. Some of the bodies were mutilated beyond recognition. The perpetrators of the robbery and killings were never found and many theories surround their deaths to this day, ranging from the attack of angered winter spirits to political attacks by
Sedian extremists. Taking the legend further, some believe that the people on SF-1260 were killed as part of a ritual or sacrifice to a deity or spirit, leading to the strange phantom. The SF-1260 being the identity of the mysterious ghost train continues to be one of the most popular theories to this day, and this is the tale usually told to interested tourists.
Illusions
Some theorise that the ghost train is a cleverly executed illusion spell. Some believe it was laid as an incredibly elaborate prank. Others theorise that it is an elaborate marketing ploy by
Texora Academy or the Texora Department of Railways as a way to bring excited thrill-seekers, hoping to witness the train itself. This is unlikely but possible. Illusion spells can be disguised from detection spells and protected from dispelling with enough skill and time, but the resources that would have gone into such a spell would be huge. The infrequency and unreliability of sightings also lead many to discredit this theory.
Unexplained Flux Phenomena
An unpopular and underexplored theory is that the train is a new and never-seen-before impact of using
Flux Energy in a single place for a long period. This theory is thought to be unlikely, as flux-dense cities such as
Astrellos don't seem to face the same kind of phantoms, and there's no explainable reason for the phenomena in currently understood flux science.
Texora Academy
The Texora Ghost Train has become a cultural symbol of
Texora Academy. The school's Grand Arts Hall has featured an illusionary ghost train that runs on a carefully constructed elevated track, and a miniature version of the train is the first major illusion their Illusionist students are taught to conjure.
Further Superstition
Some "wives-tales" have arisen throughout the centuries in relation to or about the ghost train;
- If you see the ghost train, you will die before the next new year
- To prevent encountering the ghost train, many bring small cloth bags of lavender, salt and black pepper to sprinkle out of the window during their travel across Fylteth Fields; a combination thought to drive off spirits.
- Some parents in Isvamelle have been known to use the ghost train to stop children playing by the train tracks, stating the ghost train will take them away to the Ethereal Plane.
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