Editing Gothic Horror (section)

===Fatal Omens===
Everything is predestined. Signs and portents warn sensitive souls of what the future holds.

Foreshadowing is a common motif in gothic stories. Signs and portents are used to indicate that unnatural forces are at work, and that the future is writ in stone. They can involve repetitive dreams that afflict the sensitive, or events that play on the magical themes of sympathy or contagion, For example, when a stone statue of a duke falls and breaks, it may be a sign of his impending death. The superstitious will see omens everywhere, and are adept at interpreting them creatively.

As tensions mount, it is easier to see signs and portents where none exist. These omens are terrifying because they imply that the future is fixed, and doomed.