Stan Churning is a
Magid and ex-jockey. Dying at age 89 in the opening chapter of
Deep Secret, he subsequently acts as spirit guide to
Rupert Venables.
Stan was the Magid sponsor to all three of the Venables brothers. He is a specialist on centaurs. Before his death, he lived in Cambridge, like Rupert; after his death, he haunts Rupert's house and then (in order to accompany Rupert to PhantasmaCon?) his car. As a ghost, he develops a passion for classical music; at PhantasmaCon?, he unnerves the staff of the Hotel Babylon by listening to Scarlatti in the carpark.