Introduction: The Nature of Souls

What lies beyond mortality? On Idalos, this question has been asked since the first man toiled unknown beneath Immortal notice. Is there a beyond? Do choices in this life matter? Is there rebirth? Only Vri, Thetros and Famula seem to be the ready avatars of these answers. It is known that the Lotharro are reborn from their own corpses, growing into other versions of themselves and then cycling again. The Sev’ryn believe in reincarnation, their spirit familiars seeming to be proof that a certain measure of a soul persists after death. Idalos is home to thousands of stories, fables, and legends concerning the undead and the restless shades that persist beyond the expiration of the body. The terrifying Lich would have mortals believe they have conquered death entirely.

The truth, as it turns out, is a little bit of everything.

Death

When a mortal perishes, their soul will remain with the body for a time. Reborn into the Beneath, a realm of spirits and souls, the newly dead are wrapped in distortion and confusion. In the Beneath, the mortal world of flesh and blood cannot be viewed clearly. Instead, hazy images and muffled sounds are the only indication that life persists beyond the veil of the Beneath. It is written that within a few trills to breaks, the Immortals will visit. First comes Pier and Pre, bickering among each other as they prepare for Judgement and Vri will follow after. These first moments are near universal for the dead, perplexing and overwhelming. They appear as themselves, glistening, silvery ectoplasm with the warm light of their soul the glowing coal-like center, radiating from where their heart once beat.

A soul is the essence of self. In each sentient creature there exists a link that connects them to the primordial chaos of Emea. A soul allows mortals to dream, connects them together, and gives them the potential to become mages and rise to even higher levels still. While the body rots and decays, the soul remains.

Ralaith allows a small pocket of time to follow the twins of Judgement in their rounds among the dead. The passage of time will cease as the Immortals debate the nature of the life lived. When they have finished, the twins will announce their judgement. According to most religious texts, the standards of a life are mysterious. Those who have experienced near-death or priests of the deities often suggest that a life is judged, partly, by the soul's own perception. A life spent in wanton desire without the spark of action may be judged harsher than the soul of a wicked murderer avenging the death of a loved one. Mortals are most curious creatures to the Immortals, and those that concern themselves with the cycle of Life and Death have seen many pass in and out of existence. Often their actions against others are weighed with the same discernment as actions taken only for themselves. Pier and Pre are associated most commonly with Justice, which leads some devout to believe that there is a reckoning in death where proper justice is not meted out in life. However, Vri stands unaligned with either benevolent or wicked intentions, simply taking the role of the Advocate and Guide in death.

Judgement is a topic debated among theologians and devout from culture to culture. What is proper punishment for the dead? Those that align more heavily with Pier and Pre are set at ease when their prophets preach that Justice is always served, but those who worship darker deities do not believe for an instant that their actions will be regarded poorly in the thereafter. In the year 68, one of the earliest recorded prophecies, carved on a cave wall in Hiladrith, purported that there are wonders untold beyond Idalos and that the punishments or paradises would come from there.

The exact text reads:

When Souls Departs Flesh And Bone

Swaddled In Deed

The Scales Shall Judge Each

According To Their Lives

The Guide

Thou Wicked Hand

Thou Gentle Grasp

Shall Lead Each Step Farther

To Worlds Beyond Worlds

Emean Caverns Bright

Wounds Deep As Time

Masarvva, Oh Silent City

Colegut, Oh Ashen Tunnels

Olamanelle, Oh Silver Sky

Beware, Oh Souls, The False Lantern

To Lead Thee Astray

And Lay You Down In Torment

All The Days That Remain

As the earliest example of religious text, the Champion of Ziell, Holden of the Ellune, verified its authenticity. No clearer depicition of the afterlife has since been offered by even the legendary chosen of each Immortal. Vri infamously speaks not of it, even to his closest followers and champions. For to know the End, he is reported to say, is to forsake your Beginnings.

In Idalosian religion, general Immortal worship, it is assumed that being judged harshly will lead one to dark or terrible places. Colegut is often sited as example, although sometimes Masarvva, the City of Silence. To live ones life proudly is often the best advice priests have for the curious. Those who are considered oathbreakers, blasphemers, and abominations are considered often to meet unfortunate ends after death, but the truth is never clearly stated. There is a pattern of suggestions in later revelations that those whose word has no value, liars and turncoats, are most usually regarded poorly by both the twins and often Vri. Still, the lack of a divine accordance of rules and standards to live by has forced a creed among the Immortal worshipers of following the alignment of their chosen deity. Through that guidance, should a guidance actually be chosen, one can find purpose and a place beyond death.

Sightings of the Departed have been reported back as far as history allows. Whether on some divine mission or through a dream, modern mages (those who most often study Emea) suggest that souls learn some greater control and navigation of Emea than they ever had in life, sometimes allowing them to trespass on the dreams of mortals in rare cases. Those souls summoned back from the bounds of Emea are forbidden to speak of it in certain terms. The Dead that have successfully been summoned back after going with Vri often fall into three bodies of thought (according to spiritists). There are those who remember a deep longing, almost a hunger, and a dull unyielding terror. Those that remember peace, respite and warm compassion in an endless sea, and finally those who have but jumbled images. These last are the rarest but often the most compelling to speak with. Something of the trauma being drawn away from Emea binds the memories of the dead from specifically stating their experience. Even those shades encountered in Emea either will not or cannot reveal the specifics to the living. To know the Secret is to be dead, and such is a terrible Truth to tell.

The False Lantern is often attributed to Famula, where the prophet warned those from following her Lantern in death. Today, it is known that the soul faces a choice when they die. The Judgements rendered are not absolute as Vri is the hand that will lead the souls to whatever stranger place has been assigned to them. The Soul has the right to refuse such judgement and choose to forsake the hand. Vri will not force the issue and will leave the Soul in the Beneath, all Immortals departing. It is then that the soul falls into the purview of Famula, also deigned an Immortal of Second Chances, who can lead the soul to the afterlife when they have finally accepted that path. Given the torment and experiences of ghosts throughout Idalosian history, the lingering haunting after death is not considered by any to be a paradise.

Collectively, Idalosian mortals believe in a life after death. It is difficult to ignore the signs of it among the reincarnating Lotharro, the familiars of the Sev’ryn, and the shades of spirits that remain behind for good or ill.

Death Without Divinity

For those who do not follow the Immortals, other understandings of the Afterlife have developed. For the proud Etzori, Kaison Derry, a noted spiritualist and advisor, pioneered the belief in Signalism. Signalism states that after death, the soul is thrown into a state of confusion. The only way to save a soul from the transformation into a ghost is a burden on the friends and family of the deceased. The living guide the dead to a place of respite and protection or punishment and darkness in accordance with their wishes. Small altar-like shelves, called Lighthouses, are constructed after a funeral and affixed to either the grave or somewhere in the home. Here the family or friends will place items of symbolic or literal importance to the dead on the top shelf. This top shelf is known as The Entrance. Items of literal importance are considered the most useful in this ritual, but items of symbolic importance (provided they are significant) can work. This usually means that only those close to the deceased will have say on where they go. The middle shelf, or the Window, is where the family will place a black or white stone. Although many other items may be put on this shelf (including things the deceased enjoyed), the most important is the inclusion of the white or black stone. A soul may be led to punishment or reward by the tenants of Signalism, with the black stone signifying punishment and the white signifying reward. On the final shelf, The Sanctuary, is placed a single candle. Without a candle, the Lighthouse is not 'lit' and cannot guide the dead. Many of these are created after the death of a loved one and often they are kept burning (as able) for many Arcs to come. Supposedly, each Keeper of a Lighthouse will know when it is no longer needed. This, however, also leads to postmortem forgiveness. There is precedent for later generations to forgive family members or enemies that died long ago, constructing a new Lighthouse to try and guide them from whatever dark place they were originally led to. While this belief is not absolute among the Etzori, it brings some of the population solace to believe the dead will find their way with their help, rather than the untrustworthy Immortals.

Rynlists believe that to die in service to the Seven is an honor that uniquely qualified them to be part of the Eternal Kingdom. In their vision of the afterlife, the Paragons guide loyal followers of their tenants to serve in a Kingdom that will endure all time. There the Paragons rule as was intended, eternal and in great wisdom. Every soul finds purpose in the Kingdom and the work is fulfilling. The knights, sheathed in their righteousness, are granted armors of shimmering splendor and wings of their own to serve at the whims of the Paragons. Indeed, many of the priests of the faith have reported visits from such winged shades of famous knights past with missives from the Paragons for their will on Idalos.

There is even redemption for those who stumble in life. The Paragons are fair and will stand in judgement of the Soul. A sentence will be passed for transgressions, but when completed the soul will be scourged of their villainy and given new light again in the service of the Fates. Service and Duty is highly respected among families as the dead who are blessed by a Rynlist priest and Enshrined become family guardians and totems, supposedly serving from beyond the grave at the favor of the Fates to protect those of their own blood against harm and wickedness. One need not be a noble to afford such divine protection, allowing even the commoners to find comfort in an Enshrined family member, championing their line from beyond the grave.

Even among the races, beliefs are varied. Some Aukari believe that in death, their human imperfections will be purged and burned away, allowing them to join the Great Blaze of their patron, Faldrun, and certainly he has done little to refute such beliefs.

There are hundreds of explanations for life after death, beliefs and permutations of existing beliefs. Players are encouraged to consider this when building their character or shaping their story. What do they believe about death and life? What part does it play in their story?

The Chosen, Mortalborn, and Revealed.

Not all souls are the same. Unique kinds of individuals exist throughout Idalos that buck the trend. The first among these are the children of Immortals, the Mortalborn. When such a unique individual dies, supposedly the parent of that child is called into attendance. Before the judgement of Pier and Pre, that parent supposedly has the right to judge the destination of their soul. Like with any other death, the Mortalborn may choose to refute it, becoming a ghost in the process.

All marked of at least Adored level have the Immortal who marked them present at their judgement. It is written that the patron of such a servant will give them choice of how to spend their next life, or outline the possible destinations. No Immortal is considered the same in the approach of judging their marked and it is believed that faithful servants continue to be faithful servants long into death, residing in the realm of their God for all time, unless called upon for direct service.

Finally, the Revealed mages. A Revaled mage is no longer mortal, their soul twisted and alien. It is unknown whether the gods come to judge such a loathsome thing. Although the faithful who have revealed (few as they are), may yet find favor, many mages consider death to be a dark and uncertain time for them. The Spark cannot exist without physicality to bind it and arcane scholars believe it goes dormant. Lotharro have proven to retain the Spark from life to life, albeit with the need to re-awaken it again, suggesting that while the Spark persists, it is forced into a dormant and post initiation state after death. For the revealed, such a thing cannot change, and some mages believe their souls go on to become Emean monstrosities or even spirits with unique connections to mages.

It has been observed that some mages' ghosts are able to temporarily revive their spark through possession, though the Spark remains on the soul they possessed, circumventing a need for initiation, and forcing the new mage to become an Anchor to the dead mage.

Undeath

Each soul has the opportunity to refuse fate. From the lowliest of peasants to the highest of nobles, each soul can freely choose to deny the hand of Vri and remain in Idalos. When this choice is made the souls become ghosts, and pass into the care of Famula. The Immortal of Resurrection and Souls grants second chances to pass on peacefully into the worlds that await beyond Idalos. But, like Vri, Famula does not impose this will on the dead...only intervening when the dead interfere too strongly with the living, throwing aside the balance and meriting her involvement. It is said that her lantern glows with the collected souls of the punished, those who felt their free will allowed them to defy the divide of worlds and tested her wrath.

A ghost, especially a new ghost, is already at war with itself. As a being of ectoplasm and emotional energy, memories are quick to fade as the certainties of their lives become shadows and only their obsessions remain. Without a body to tether them to reality, a ghost is left only to their own panic and emotional turmoil. Emotions and feelings once regulated by their body are no longer restrained and prove dangerously powerful. All ghosts obsess, their emotions fixating on what was important to them in life. Very few souls maintain their sanity during the long cycles after their death and they all fight a war within themselves to maintain their identity. By dint of their connection to Emea, a soul is capable of inheriting powers the longer they remain in the Beneath, many finding ways to solidify their ectoplasm through the veil and into the waking world around them. Spiritualists and Zuuda have spent centuries classifying the various kinds of undead one might encounter and each has strengths and weaknesses.

Ectoplasm is similar to Ephemera in texture and purpose. Ectoplasm forms the spiritual body of a ghost after they have been torn from their body and is the raw emotional energy given substance by a connection the chaos of Emea. Although virtually indistinguishable, ephemera is produced from Concept, the core of all Spirits and ectoplasm is produced by raw emotion. All ghosts have a core, their soul, and the ectoplasm that shapes around them is modified by their emotions. Originally, all ghosts will appear as they viewed themselves, which can often seem confusing if the image of self does not match the body. As memories fade, lost to the raw emotional obsession, this shape often changes and can lose all connection to the person they thought they were. Usually the memories of Death are strongest, so as the memories of self begin to fade, a ghost will appear more and more like the state their body was found. Ghosts who accept their death always show signs of it in their forms. Ghosts come in a variety of shapes, but the thicker the ectoplasm...the more powerful the soul, often hand in hand with how irrational they will be.

Just because a soul refused Vri does not make that soul inherently evil. Often their causes and obsessions drive them to act irrationally as they desperately hold the memories of themselves together, but it should be noted that many souls who remain are benign. They are simply unable to accept the truth of their death and doomed, by that choice, to wait and watch until Famula or one of her servants comes to lead them to rest...or perhaps find rest in another faith of the world.

Anchors

One truth to all the souls of Idalos is the Anchors. Each spirit has at least a single anchor and most begin with at least two. Anchors are living people, locations, or objects associated with the life of the soul. The soul, if discorporated, will always reform around one of these anchors and can only utilize its powers when in conjunction with an Anchor. Souls cannot aimlessly wander, they are limited to a certain radius around their own Anchors. Although this radius can sometimes be fairly large, it is never enough that allows a soul free roaming range across the land. The Anchor is a ghost’s grounding to reality and its eternal curse. A ghost can always recover some ectoplasm around their anchor, but this ectoplasm is the most irrational and emotional. Things of vital importance tend to deeply influence the kind of being a ghost becomes and often these Anchors are related to their deaths or passions in life. A ghost can achieve new anchors, grounding itself in rationality, but these anchors are not naturally occurring and must represent a significant emotional impact on the ghost after their death.

A ghost’s powers can work when in proximity of their Anchor. If it is a person, these powers can work through that person but never ON that person. A ghost can always influence the environment around their living Anchor, even dangerously, but it cannot possess or turn its power directly on an individual it is bound to. If a ghost’s anchor is an object, it can work its power around that object, through that object, and upon whomever is holding or using it. Location based Anchors are limited by the dimensions of the Anchor. A ghost can only use its powers when in that location and all of its abilities cease outside of the location.

Knowing a ghost’s anchors can be vital in controlling it. A ghost begins with at least two anchors and at most, three. If any of these anchors are destroyed or somehow severed from a ghost, that ghost feels a devastation unlike anything any mortal being has suffered. Usually this immense stress will force a ghost into becoming Empty. A ghost’s power is halved when an Anchor is destroyed. If all a Ghost’s anchors are destroyed, they become a Whisper, unable to gain or hold onto more ectoplasm, even if immersed in it (unless under the direction of a Loshova, Zuuda, an appropriate Immortal, or other magical means.)

Ghost anchors do not tend to change, but living anchors might. If the living anchor of a ghost has a child, the ghost can choose to move its anchor to that child...following a family through their generational line (but only if appropriate).

A ghost is only aware of whatever Anchor is is currently manifesting through. If the Ghost manifested from a sword, it is no longer completely aware of what its living anchor is doing. A ghost chooses which Anchor to 'haunt' at any given time but usually can only haunt one. The other, while important, remains inert.

Object

Object Anchors can be anything from a comb to a wagon, a sword to a painting. These were objects were of vital importance to the ghost in life, tying them to powerful memory or with extreme sentimental value. Sometimes, rarely, a ghost might be Anchored to an item of symbolic importance, but most often it is an object of direct emotional value to the ghost. A Ghost may manifest and use powers in a 30 foot radius around their object. In addition, they may possess the Anchor and make it perform whatever actions it might perform if directed by another being. So thus a sword might float through the air to fence at someone, a wagon might pull itself slowly of its own accord. Objects tend to some of the more common Anchors and allow a ghost the ability to travel, as their own Anchor is moved. A ghost is not powerful enough on its own to move their Anchor extended distances on their own without immense expenditure of ectoplasm, enough that would then pacify that ghost for even Arcs at a time. When manipulating the object, it can only be done so in ways that the ghost could in life. A sword could not fly straight up into the night sky unless the ghost once had wings in life.

Living

Living Anchors are those individuals important to the specter that hold them in this life. A Living Anchor produces more ectoplasm than any other Anchor type, as the emotions of the living being supplement those that can be gathered by the ghost. Often these emotions taint the ghost, and they tend to feel similar to how their Anchor does. A ghost cannot utilize their powers on the Living Anchor, but they can utilize powers through them. Some ghosts utilize this for protection, others to curse their Anchors. Anchors of this nature can be severed both by death and by extreme change. Should the Anchor change in a way as to make them a stranger to the ghost, the emotional connection will thin and eventually snap, sending the ghost into a spiral of emotional confusion and pain. A ghost may manifest within a 120 foot radius of their living Anchor.

Location

Location Anchors are static but tend to be the largest area that a ghost can Manifest and use its powers. A ghost cannot possess the location, but they may certainly influence anything within that area. Once again, the location must be of vital emotional significance to the ghost. These Anchors tend to last the longest and most ghosts tend to have at least one, a last fallback against the withering influence of the ages. A ghost may manifest anywhere within their location Anchor but tend to gather the least ectoplasm here. Should significant change be done to the location, or the location destroyed, such that it is no longer recognizable to the ghost in some way, this Anchor can be severed. However, Location Anchors are the strongest and so long as the ghost can remember but one detail, ground themselves to it, they can remain even in the wake of overwhelming change.

Classifications

Echo

Shortly after death, a Soul is called an Echo. These beings have very little influence over their own ectoplasm and powers. Most living never see or hear an Echo as they are most commonly restricted to action only in the Beneath. At this stage, a soul is too new to face the Emptying and thus often is the most rational of souls to converse with. Only in places where the barrier between Idalos and the Beneath are weak, or in very particular circumstances related to their death do the souls make their will manifest. Echoes. Brief glimpses of forms, whispers, echoing sounds of their death...these are the ways the soul attempts to reach the living while so powerless and new. This stage can last anywhere from a few trials to long Arcs. The turning point for an Echo is when their desires begin to overcome their sanity. The more a soul loses control of their mettle and their emotions grow wild, the more likely the soul will transition from an Echo. An Echo might be able to communicate clearer provided the mortal has possession of their Anchor. Should a mortal slumber in, near, or with an Anchor, even an Echo might whisper into their dreams or visit them in Emea.

Phantoms

All Souls become Echoes, even briefly, and all Echoes become Phantoms if left long enough. Phantoms are the most common kind of soul and this stage is a persistent one. Many will find these creatures to be forgetful, obsessive, irrational, and hungry. A Phantom comes to realize that their emotional energy and connection to Emea is not enough to sustain their drive for power and influence. Phantoms will often attack and devour both spirits and other ghosts in order to replenish their own power. While a soul cannot be destroyed, it can be robbed of any agency at all, little more than a faint strangled whisper even in the Beneath...needing ectoplasm, the life energy of the living, but unable to ask. Phantoms also crave the force animating life in mortals, along with the heat in their bodies. Phantoms are perhaps the broadest class of souls as their power can be quite variable. Phantoms are still identifiable as human, somewhat warped, but always easily recognized as what they were before...even if they can’t be recognized for WHO they were. Their powers are often strange and dangerous, manifestations of their desire to continue pursuing their obsessions among the living.

Each Phantom battles their own desperation and despair, a process called the Emptying. As a soul Empties, it loses the idea of who it used to be and the clarity to observe their goals objectively. The Phantom of a father interested in protecting his daughter might, through the process of Emptying, forget his relationship to her and only know that she is the focus of his unlife. This could lead to dangerous fixation that would endanger his daughter’s life, despite his ardent previous desire to protect her. Regrettably, souls do not seem well equipped to exist in that state perpetually. In Idalos, a soul without a body can only degrade without the protections of an Immortal, magic, potent willpower, or other stranger agencies. Although Phantoms can sometimes come to brief and total clarity (often compelled by familiar objects or situations that remind them of their past) the ghosts of Idalos are lost, unable to let go of the living and unable to be truly dead. Between two extremes there is only chaos...only the Empty.

The Empty

When there is nothing left besides Obsession, The Empty are created. The Empty are monsters of the Beneath, powerful, hungry, and cunning. Only vestiges of the soul’s personality remains, twisted by obsessive desires and wild emotion into a predatory thing. The Empty is driven only to accomplish a purpose, drawn to causes, people, or locations in life that were once precious. The Empty no longer understands why these things were important, only that they were. It confuses its hunger for what it needs from them and will attempt to drain the life from former loved ones, dwell furiously in a former abode, or meticulously kill its way through a former unit of soldiers...unable to remember the loyalty it once had. The Empty has lost itself, given into its mad lust for power, influence, and the life that was denied it. Some are dangerously intelligent, seemingly cognizant and calm as a convincing mask to draw victims in closer. Most Empty are powerful ghosts who haunt old places...but some whose deaths were marked by tragedy may flare up within a very short time. An Empty has always fed on other spirits and souls, as that is one of the catalysts for this transformation. Their ectoplasm is thick and smells of putrefaction when manifested, often styled from the place they died. Such beings always seek to interfere with the living and are nearly the most dangerous to do so. When Famula finds them, she often slips them into her lantern for their impudence but even the Immortal of Souls cannot be everywhere at once. Many crafty Empty have evaded her for centuries, growing power in ancient places, waiting for their chance to transcend.

The Whispers

The Whispers are the souls of those who have been attacked and stripped of all their ectoplasm. All souls begin with ectoplasm but to get it torn away so violently is traumatizing and the soul never truly recovers. Whispers can regain their ectoplasm by congregating in areas of many spirits or where the barrier between the Beneath and the real world is thin, feeding off the energy of emotions and the heat of life. But Whispers who regain their way do not heal. Many are damaged, repeating words and tasks endlessly, caught in a loop. Whispers have nothing left to Empty, but they are not driven enough to possess the terrifying powers that an Empty has. Instead their abilities will be spent manifesting a repeating noise, vision, or circumstance related to their life or death as if desperately trying to remember. Sometimes the Whispers can be restored by a familiar face, object, or circumstance that resets their memory but most often they become little more than dangerous haunted locations.

The Risen

The Risen are the last classification of the Undead in Idalos. Much like the Empty, they are a wide and varied categorization. The notable difference between them and any other kind of spirit is that the Risen possess a body. Risen are those souls who have invested themselves into a corpse, often their own, in order to effect the world of Idalos once more. These undead creatures tend to have strange and unique powers, developed with that symbiosis in mind. Legends of the walking dead predate necromancers and these shuffling corpses are immune to a Necromancer’s control. Many tend to be savage, furious beings, driven by emotion and the desire to devour or destroy life. Others are crafty and cunning, avoiding danger to build their resources and allies...interested in achieving some great goal they once wanted in life, or a twisted parody of it. Often the only way to handle these undead is to destroy their corpus entirely, or risk it reforming. It won’t take care of the soul, but if the anchors of the soul are found, it can be banished or even neutralized. Their abilities tend to be unique to each type of undead

The Wisps

Chosen and empowered of Famula, these tend to be the most powerful and sane of the typical Undead. Both Risen and Ephemeral when needed, the Wisp is the most versatile kind of undying...and the most dangerous if they go awry.

Note: Phantom types and Undead types are free to develop in the World Development forum.

Ghost Abilities

Possession

When strong enough, some ghosts have the capability to possess other mortals. Temporarily that wraith overshadows the soul of the individual and takes control of their body. Unable to completely remove the soul of the body’s owner, there will always be a subconscious wrestle for control within the body. Usually those with a high Discipline or Meditation score fare best against such intrusions, but particularly powerful ghosts might overwhelm even the most mentally defended. When a ghost takes control of the body the movements are somewhat erratic as the body bucks at the intruder. For those of little will or mental fortitude, this possession could take place over the course of a long while. A Ghost has forgotten the need to eat, sleep, and drink and often the body will deteriorate under their direction. No Ghost can compel a body to commit severe injury or death to itself. The moment before a suicidal action is attempted the body will buck for control and hurl the ghost out, shredding its ectoplasm.

A ghost may attempt to possess any living being (Save a living anchor) and any object Anchor they are tied to. Within an object they can use their powers through it while possessing it, even compel its movement on its own. For bodies alien to the ones they had in life, anything outside their species, (unless that soul has experience in other bodies), adaption is difficult and motion is hard to control. As a ghost has no need to eat, sleep, or drink they do not possess the urge when possessing. Often bodies under their control will weaken. When at its weakest, or before death, a soul flares strongest and can hurl a ghost from the body as though of a significantly high will. Animals or creatures with no connection to Emea cannot defend well against a possession intrusion. Possessing the bodies of the dead is easiest, but takes the most energy to puppet and move. At least in a living body, the natural power of that vitality makes controlling the body much simpler. Most ghosts must experiment before finding ways to bind themselves and become a Risen, and this is often an evolution of possession when in regards to the dead.

When possessing another, compare the ghost's Discipline or Persuasion skill to the victim's Discipline or Resistance skill. Provided the ghost is at an expertise tier above that of their victim, they can force a possession. Should they have comparable skills, only limited possession can be accomplished, allowing limited control of the body in a constant struggle with the owner. Some ghosts prefer this incomplete possession, and spiritualists call it Shadowing, where a ghost might covertly possess a mortal to experience a measure of life, whispering in their ear and urging their emotions with the power of their own ectoplasm.

Possession is one of the more powerful uses of Ectoplasm, leaving a ghost fairly spent thereafter. Only through contact with their Anchor or pushing their possessed into situations of high stress and emotion can they replenish the necessary ectoplasm to keep a body possessed. It is rare, almost unheard, for possessions to last longer than a number of trials...but some ghosts slip between Shadowing and Possession enough to maintain a hold on a mortal for Arcs at a time.

Should the possessed be wearing an Anchor, it is much easier to possess them and maintain that possession.

Phantasm

A Ghost is capable of exerting their perception on the world around them. A phantom can make things appear as they see or remember them. A decrepit home might suddenly appear new and spotless to an individual. Usually only visions or sounds are capable of most Ghosts and in limited bursts, but some ancient phantoms have been known to bring smells, sight, touch, sound, to their strange dream-scape. Although most of these illusions may feel somewhat off, it is not unheard for a ghost to conceal their presence and fool someone completely.

Tendril

The telekinesis ghosts seem to employ are not Telekinesis at all but tendrils of ectoplasm made semi-tangible. Those who can see the Beneath, ghosts, and spirits are perfectly capable of seeing the tendrils that reach out from the ghouls. Most of the time these tendrils react to high emotion and furiously destroy and hurl any object in range, but a skilled Ghost can learn to manipulate these tendrils to grab, hurl, and attack with precision. Usually only three or four tendrils can be created at any given time and although the force can be immense, it shreds and damages the ectoplasm to be used in such a way, often meaning a limited ability or duration to utilize this power.

Manifestation

A power with both a basic and an advanced application, Manifestation forces the Ectoplasm of the ghost to solidify in the real world. To do so it draws in heat, creating an area of chilling temperatures as the ghost forms. Manifestation in its basic sense allows a ghost to pass from the Beneath to the Mortal world and even force its image and voice forward. Rarely does it get stronger than that and a phantom appearing in this way can be easily dispersed (although terrifying). The more advanced application brings some solidity to the ectoplasm, creating a temporary body capable of delivering punishing blows, picking up objects, and opening doors. While this ability is immensely draining, it can be terrifyingly effective for one who fears no death, being dead. It is said that the touch of a Phantom using Advanced Manifestation will burn like the coldest ice.

Death Remnant

Often death can leave a scar on the phantom it affects. Death Remnant refers to the way the Phantom died, allowing them to bring that energy forward. Ghosts that died in a blaze may be able to start fires or wreathe their bodies or the items they’re possessing in flames. Those that drowned might do the same with water. This power is one of the more creative as it brings an aspect of the ghost’s death into the mortal world to menace others. This ability is usually barely controlled and will affect friend or foe in equal measure.

Dream Intrusion

A Limited form of Possession, this allows a ghost to slip into the dreams of one sleeping near one of their Anchors. The Ghost will be jettisoned from the dream as soon as the sleeper awakens but enjoys a unique power to shift the specific dreamscape of the sleeper (provided they do not have any mark or visitor that naturally can shape the dreamscape.)

The Dead and the Living

The dead haunt the living. Those who have lost life crave its power and agency once more. For good or ill, the souls of the dead infest Idalosian stories and legends. But in this exposure, the living have learned ways to handle the dead, manipulate, and even bind them. All the knowledge represented here must be catalyzed with Knowledge from threads.

Copper: The Dead cannot stand the touch of Copper. The metal will shred ephemera and ectoplasm both with the merest of touch. Copper weapons are often carried by ghost hunters and spiritualists to deal with the creatures they come up against. Although ineffective on a necromancer's creations, all souls and Risen will burn and bubble at the touch of copper. Manifestations are banished and even Possession can be exorcised should the ghost be weak enough at the time it is exposed.

Salt: Purified, salt serves as a barrier to ghosts...as physical to them in the Beneath as in the waking world. In a salt circle, a ghost cannot penetrate or even direct powers against the protected. Unable even to summon the power to break the circle, the ghost must find a way to so indirectly as otherwise it is an immovable barrier. Spiritualists utilize salt in many of their binding rituals and seances. Strangely, salt does not seem to have an effect on spirits the same way it does on Souls.

Bells: Funerary bells specifically, bells have the unique power to calm a Soul and even give it temporary lucidity. Usually the ringing of bells will seep the emotional energy from a ghost's ectoplasm, rendering its powers and influence minimal for the remainder of the encounter. Bells are not an immediate effect however, and foolish ghost hunters have found themselves badly injured by assuming simply ringing a bell a few times would save them from a furious ghost. Indeed, ghosts have a relationship with all music, seeming to be drawn to it and influenced by it. Some Empath spiritualists have claimed that if a ghost is transfixed by music, they can be faintly effected by Empathy.

Anchors: Possessing a ghost's anchor (if it can be possessed) puts you in a powerful position with a ghost. Provided it can listen to reason, most ghosts understand the extreme importance of their Anchors and will do almost anything to ensure no harm comes upon it. Some crueler spiritualists have trapped ghosts in their own Anchors, creating magical items fueled by misery, rage, and fear...the wild ectoplasm of a ghost trapped. Supposedly powerful rituals exist to call the dead, bind them, and force them to do ones bidding... but such things are closely guarded secrets and often the ire of Loshova and Zuuda alike.