gallan and raddia suggested the legend of the ghosts , but veig treth dismissed it with a wave of his hand , ( theres no such thing as ghosts , he said ) and as they sat down in a clearing for a brief repose , he told them about these almighty spirits , whose supreme servant he was , and how , despite the believers earnest prayers , they seemed to have withdrawn their grace , and abandoned them to the mercy of an army of deplorable brutes called scavengers .