Ghost

Ghost Health 10 Strength 6 Defence 10 Agility 12 Intelligence 3

Ghosts. One of the most well-known creatures of the realm of the dead. While many think Ghosts are simply stories to scare children, they are all real. These creatures of the underworld, known for their many abilities of the paranormal, are one of the scariest monsters described by victims to witness.

A Ghost or Haunting Spirit is a soul or specter of a dead person. They are usually believed to inhabit the realm of the dead and to be capable of returning in some form to the world of the living. Described by those who observed these creatures and the victims, a Ghost may appear as a living being or as a nebulous likeness of the deceased. Occasionally, they first spawn as a shadowy figure, surrounded by a white, blurry aura. In later stages, they shift to a darker and skeleton-like appearance. In the beliefs of the Humans of Eden, Ghosts are based on the ancient notion that a mortal spirit is detachable from the body and may maintain its existence after the body's death. In many societies, funeral rituals are believed to prevent the Ghost from haunting the living.

The Ghost's appearance is hard to describe, as it can morph its body in many "ghostly" appearances. The undead beings always appear in adult form. While its upper body is more skeletal, having an open ribcage, arms, and skull, its lower body, of which the bones are missing, is made out of a black shadow-like cloak that hides the upper body and moves around like a cloud when the Ghost flies around.

While air is a Ghost's usual form of transportation, it uses its arms to crawl around at incredible speeds once on the ground. Housed in its empty eye sockets are two white dots that serve the purpose of the creature's eyes. These eyes lit up in the dark and are usually the main trait of the Ghost itself, scaring its victims first with these glowing eyes.

The size of the body varies. When taking into account its shadow-like cloak, a Ghost has an average height of 1.80 meters (6 feet). All Ghosts have the bone structure of a humanoid creature, with only their bony hands having claws as fingers. The condition of the bones in its body is different for each being. Some bones are cracked or missing while still moving around with no trouble. Other bones appear to have remains of hair or rotting flesh still. The Ghost also stands out by its black ooze-like substance, constantly emitting from its skeleton body. The study has shown that the black ooze has the same thickness and likeliness as blood.

However, while there is much information about these creatures, their actual origin or creation is yet to be thoroughly studied. But it is believed that these creatures date back to the first living beings on Eden, thousands of years ago. Most races have a different view or origin story of Ghosts. And it is even speculated Necromancers have the ability to summon these creatures. But this has yet to be confirmed.

Habitat

The habitats of Ghosts vary, from the darkest dungeons and caves that are deep in the mountains of the world to the smallest basements. It all depends on the connection or preferred choice of the Ghost. The creatures prefer dark environments, avoiding sunlight at any cost. It is rare but not impossible to find them hiding in dark forests or ruins, around graveyards, or even in dark castles. While they usually hide around the living, when agitated, they take over the habitat of their victims, turning it into their home. Ghosts never spawn in big groups, and if they do, their numbers vary from two to four.

Behaviour

Ghosts are neither good nor evil, as their behavior is ultimately dictated by their environment and the previous life their soul once had in the world of the living. Usually, a Ghost will start out confused and disoriented before realizing they are dead at the point of their spawning. A study by observation has proven that the longer the Ghosts stay on Eden, the more agitated and aggressive they get to the point of attacking or "Hunting" the living, lashing out at everyone that crosses paths with them. This is also seen in their noticeable change in appearance. Due to them always hiding in the dark, avoiding mortals in their first stages, these aggressive Ghosts are found more commonly. Though they are undead, Ghosts feast on the life force of the living. At first, this may seem strange, but study has shown that obtaining this "life force" makes them stronger, faster, gives them more abilities, and sometimes even makes them alter their appearance to a more demonic-like being. Commonly compared to the looks of a wraight as described in Attian folklore.

Abilities

Ghosts can remain invisible to the living, but they may appear as a blur or faint light. This comes in the form of two dots of light; their eyes. Weaker creatures appear in wispy, distorted, flickering forms, yet like all Ghosts, their eyes remain visible. While doing this, they usually stalk their prey, making them scared, panicked, and insecure before striking.

What makes them dangerous is their nature of hunting for a living person. When flying or crawling around on their two arms, being able to phase through objects and walls, Ghosts let out high screeches. This is also known as a Ghost Howl, which can even be deafening when done by multiple creatures. Besides this screech, the undead creatures cannot produce any vocal speech.

Observers have found that Ghosts are "hollow" creatures, and this means that there is no way of hurting, capturing, or even touching them without the proper means; magic. Thanks to many studies with mages, magic seems to be the only weapon against these undead phenomenons. This is because they are made of Voidal Material; Ghosts cannot be hurt with physical force.

However, while physical force cannot be applied to them, Ghosts can touch the living. They either slash or grab their victims with their claws, piercing their bodies similar to them phasing through a wall. This has been shown to deal great pain to the unfortunate. The power of a Ghost is surprisingly much, with some being described as being as strong as 10 people. However, this has yet to be proven, as the observed strength mostly matches the double amount of an Orc. They have the ability to lift their victims up in the air, dragging or crushing them to the point of death against the surfaces of walls, ceilings, and floors. At the same time when the Ghost has pierced the body of its victim, the same black ooze that emits from the undead's body leaks from the orifices of victims' faces. If the victim has been in the grasp of the Ghost for too long, the black ooze completely chokes the person out, and the Ghost will "suck" the life force out. This can be compared to the draining of all bodily fluids of the body; blood, saliva, and water. Leaving a dry, black ooze-covered body to rot.

Light seems to serve no purpose against them besides revealing their appearance. Their last ability that has been observed and studied, is the ability to literally extinguish the flames of candles and lanterns. They do this by either using a short breeze or destroying the light source. This, in turn, darkens their surroundings and makes it easier for them to move around while hidden.

With the ability to lift their victims, they also have the ability to move objects. A study provides a list of examples on what Ghosts can interact with:

• Doors, cabinet doors, shutters, and windows
• Furniture such as tables and chairs
• Kitchen cutlery and plates
• Small light sources
• Campfires
• Weapons and armor of individuals
• A person, animal or object not heavier than 80.7 kg (136 pounds)
• Cloth

Sources

Translated from Plinius Jamulus: Liber Daemonum (High Attian: The book of demons), 1132