Aikia

Overview

Shades, ghosts and spirits are the ethereal remnants of dead corporeal entities. Typically, these are the weakest types of minor ethereal. While the three terms are often interchanged in common usage, some scholars hold that each theoretically refers to a specific form of ethereal.

Shades

A shade is created when the body of an astral traveller dies, or when an ethereal is permanently displaced from its corporeal body. Shades may wander the world(s) and often feel obliged to continue the last journey of their mortal life. Many are unwilling to vanish into the afterlife before they are able to complete this last quest.

Ghosts

The term ghost is most commonly used when a person dies in such circumstances that there is some great wrong that must be righted before the deceased can rest. Ghosts most often haunt the scenes of their deaths, sometimes endlessly repeating the last few minutes of their lives.

Spirit

When a corporeal entity dies and her/his spirit is unclaimed by any of the gods, the spirit may be forced to stay in the world of the mortals. Most spirits were humans in their mortal life, but animal spirits are possible. They tend to stay close to their mortal remains until admitted to an afterlife. Because these definitions are hardly universal, it is usually enough to know that these are the three ways in which shades, ghosts and spirits may come into being.

Abilities

As intangible entities shades, ghosts, and spirits are limited in how they can interact with the physical world.

Combat

Shades, ghosts and spirits are usually unable to manifest any physical attributes and are generally immune to physical phenomena. They are usually immune to physical attacks, but may be affected by enchanted weapons or other magical attacks.

Fear

In many cultures, most living mortals have an ingrained fear of disembodied shades, ghosts and spirits, not necessarily because they are ethereal, but because they are unnaturally ethereal. Where such prejudice exists, Shades and Ghosts have the innate ability to strike terror into those who view them. Anyone viewing such an entity may flee or possibly be frozen in terror.

Manifestation

Most if not all shades, ghosts or spirits are able to make themselves visible, if they so choose.

Possession

Like other ethereal entities, shades ghosts and spirits may attempt to possess the body of other creatures. Should the undead win a contest of wills, the owner's soul is suppressed and trapped as a helpless passenger in their own body while the invader takes control over their physical actions. If the soul occupying a body is not the natural owner at the time of a successful possession they are ejected from the body.