Kalehart 1061 Popular Post Share Posted March 25, 2020 * Read the preface for information regarding applications * Spoiler Playing a ghost requires that one have an accepted Creature Application, which may be filled out here. Any phantom character should be the product of a permanently deceased persona, and one should keep in mind that this change is irreversible, meaning that the character will be forever rendered an undead phantom creature. Players should not make a phantom with the intent to prolong a character or to achieve power through the creature’s abilities, but rather acknowledge that this step is one which marks the near completion of their overall story and progression. Though there is still narrative progression had when playing a phantom character, realize that it is a narrative-supportive role above all else. Players have some leeway and creative freedom when it comes to the formation of phantoms, though must be reasonable and abide by lore when doing so. Say players wished to attempt a haphazard seance, disturb an old grave, or some other unique method of spurring a spirit to form, they may do so as long as the person putting up the CA has consented OOCly, and the character being created has been deceased for some time. Players who have an accepted CA are held accountable to know and understand all rules and regulations of phantom lore. When filling out an application, the player should be able to adequately describe the following: An explanation of each general type of phantom, even if they know which one they already want to play. This is to ensure that players have a good grasp on phantom lore. The general mindset of each phantom type, explained with some examples. The functions of incorporeality, ectoplasm, and gleaming in phantoms. The interactions of phantoms with aurum, mysticism, and other weaknesses/arts. Do not copy the lore. Players are expected to explain these points in their own words. Upon acceptance of one’s application, they will begin their journey as a Revenant. After this, should the phantom sufficiently perform Geistreach upon mortals - which may occur once they have discovered the matter of their death - they should inform a Story Team member, who will be obliged to update their application stating such. It may take a minimum of three IRL days in order to determine the matter of one’s death, though may take longer if the player wishes. PHANTOMS “Peering down to her loyal hound, the girl wondered; where did everybody go?” Background When the cold creeps in and death’s rattle escapes, the first place a passing soul finds itself is the Elysian Wastes, not a plane but a bridge between the mortal realm and the Soul Stream, where they are immaterial and watch as helpless bystanders to reality. Those too stubborn to relinquish their life may linger here, and are known as stagnant spirits, forced to scream at the deaf and be trampled by the living so long as they refuse to pass. Those who release their hold to life drift into the Soul Stream and filter through Ebrietaes, the colossal plane of death lying beneath the worlds, and funnel into the golden Relative Center. There they are sent to their appropriate fate, be it the Seven Skies, a deity’s realm such as Val’Garis or the Fae Realm, or another resting place. However, not all make it into the Relative Center, for a judgement pervades the land of the dead and by decree of the Caretaker Aeriel, are the wicked, black, and corrupted souls exiled from eternal rest. Here upon Ebrietaes are those consumed by darkness or marked by it, languishing in the weary dreamscape of churning sorrow and biting, screaming trauma. These deadmen wail and thrash in a boundless ocean of turbulent despair and blindly battle one another in heaping swarms, doomed to suffer eternally in death. Above them stomp and sweep greater, more terrifying beings, the pinnacle of ravened death; titans, galvanized and heinous Apparitions. Some souls do not pass so easily, be it from a violently traumatic demise, woesome and tragic circumstances, or sheer resolute willpower these souls of the dead may rise again not long after they perish, as Revenants, the newborn of ghost-kind. Once they realize they are dead, the risen Revenant may find peace with their lost life and foster benevolence as a white ghost, or become unhinged before the jaws of death and bleed with harrowing anguish as a black ghost. Even the ancient of secret-hoarding liches and the castaways of Rivel themselves do not know why mortals have such potential. Scant tomes speculate it is the design of the Creator, a flaw or unintended product of soul fundamentals, or perhaps a universal curse. Whatever the reason, Phantoms have always permeated history and linger still... Spoiler - Ghosts are formed upon the death of a descendant, brought about when the soul is disrupted on its way to the Ebrietaes, instead pulled back to the material realm. This most commonly occurs when a mortal dies rather gruesomely or in a sudden fashion, wherein they would linger instead of passing on into the Soulstream. This process is by no means instantaneous and may span over months or years of the spirit dredging up enough ectoplasm to compose their spectral vessel. Phantoms awaken to their state oblivious, whether rising from their bed at home or assuming consciousness at some familiar sight. Often, the soul would simply continue about their 'life' as if nothing had happened. But inevitably, they may find that the world about them has shifted, and thus may begin to unravel. - Players have some leeway and creative freedom when it comes to the formation of phantoms, though must be reasonable and abide by lore when doing so. Say players wished to attempt a haphazard seance, disturb an old grave, or some other unique method of spurring a spirit to form, they may do so as long as the person putting up the CA has consented OOCly, and the character being created has been deceased for some time. Players who have an accepted CA are held accountable to know and understand all rules and regulations of phantom lore. The Nature of Ectoplasm All spectral creatures, whether they be fresh revenants or timeless specters, are completely composed of a metaphysical substance known as Ectoplasm; a strange meld between life force and mana. This allows phantoms to appear as anything from a gooey liquid, dense gas, or even a cold flame, ranging in a variety of hues and tones. The nature of this ectoplasm allows them to influence it by sheer force of will, permitting them feats of telekinesis, changing their forms to that of a spectral animal, and even turning invisible. However, ectoplasm is also intangible, rarely interacting with mundane items, as most regular substances and materials will pass through the phantom harmlessly. As they lack true biology, composed entirely of this ephemeral substance, all phantoms are bereft of any mortal needs such as requirement for sleep or sustenance. They do not bleed, and any non-fatal injury caused to them will be largely inconsequential in the long term. The way that phantoms experience and react to pain varies depending on the variety, detailed in their respective sections. Spoiler - Phantoms are composed of ectoplasm, an often intangible substance which makes up the ghost’s form. The degree to which they can manipulate their ectoplasm is outlined in further detail in the Abilities section of each respective type. - Ectoplasm is a very malleable substance, its appearance and nature largely determined by the mind that controls it. It may take on a variety of spectral appearances, allowing for diverse aesthetic. - Ectoplasm may interact with other phantom creatures, and may also physically see other ectoplasmic beings even when invisible. This means that a phantom can physically make contact with another phantom as if they were corporeal, feeling “pain” from the others attack even though they are not mortal. Most spirits will be of equivalent “strength” when fighting one another, though stronger phantom types such as wights and eidola would be significantly stronger when pitted against a lesser phantom. Phantom Weaknesses The way that Phantoms experience and react to pain varies depending on the variety, and so too does the rate at which they regenerate from non-fatal injury. As they are dead and lack a true body, phantoms have a more muted sense of pain than that of regular mortals, and such would generally feel more as an sharp but indistinct discomfort, generally causing the spirit to recoil and writhe. Of course, different phantom types may react to damage differently, with revenants being the most susceptible, specters moderately so, and poltergeists the least, as expanded in their respective sections. A great deterrent to phantoms is the sun itself; direct sunlight is an uncomfortable heat to most phantoms, which builds into a burning ache the longer they stay in it. While not lethal, it often persuades them to cling to shade and the night. As the realm is not overrun by phantoms from everyday deaths, they are kept in line by various elements such as a similarly ill-understood property of a common metal: aurum. Aurum is unique in that it can conduct ethereal energies such as lifeforce, a component of ectoplasm. Aurum weaponry can shear through a phantom as though it were physical and is a vital tool to ward off these intangible creatures. Additionally, lines of solid aurum will act as an impassable barrier for ghosts, whilst more hastily applied lines of aurum shavings or dust will cause pain if crossed, and force them out of invisibility. In a similar manner void magics and objects enchanted by them may interact with phantoms as though they were physical as another component of ectoplasm is mana. Should a ghost be cut down by aurum or smote by voidal magic they demanifest, very akin to dying. Spoiler - Phantoms are weak to aurum, shamanic lutaumancy, mysticism, paladin magic, and voidal magics as well as abjuration. All of these will cause great pain to the phantom, feeling like hot iron. - Lines of pure, solid aurum cannot be crossed by newer phantoms as if it were a barrier. More experienced phantoms, such as poltergeists and specters, can do so to an extreme degree of pain; forcing them to release an agonizing wail in #shout. A ghost who is possessing a person or object may avoid these effects. - Phantoms, excluding Specters, cannot stay out in direct sun for longer than ten narrative minutes. Over the course of this time, the phantom would develop a similar feeling to that of sunburn across their bodies, resulting in an excruciating amount of pain. Staying in the shade, hindered land, or in water will prevent this effect. Death and Reformation In the event that a Phantom demanifests, they are temporarily banished from the realm, unable to assume a form within the mortal plane for a short while, wherein their drifting soul settles back down somewhere within the material realm and slowly rejuvenates its store of ectoplasm. However, ghosts may only manifest a set number of times before their spirits are severely destabilized; cast entirely into the Elysian Wastes for a period of time to gather itself back into a functional state. Spoiler - Phantom characters will respawn over the course of one IRL day after being demanifested (killed), adhering to all regular rules of death. In order to effectively demanifest a phantom, the creature must receive a would-be fatal blow from either aurum, energy-based magic such as fire evocation, or weapons enchanted by holy magic. This “fatal” blow, would constitute anything that would regularly "kill" an individual, such as total decapitation, obliteration, evisceration, blunt force trauma, and so on. - Phantoms require one IRL day in order to "respawn" after being demanifested. Though they may respawn mechanically at Cloud Temple, in-roleplay it may be assumed that they respawned out in the wilds or at their haunt. This can be a means of explaining returning via a Soulstone pillar or teleportation, though this does not allow them to return to the location they were demanifested in until thirty IRL minutes have passed. - Even if not demanifested, a phantom can still regenerate wounds non-combatively. Each phantom has its own recovery time, addressed in their respective sections. Revenants require 2 OOC days to recover from any non-fatal injury, Poltergeists and Specters require 1 OOC day instead. Mental State of Phantoms The nature of their existence is a great burden, and Phantoms typically suffer from severe mental illness as a result. All Phantoms are depressed and asocial at heart no matter their other qualities, for their core experience is a distinct and all-encompassing distance from the world in which they once belonged, and are now so thoroughly estranged from. The mental maladies that plague these undead vary wildly from spirit to spirit and type to type, with some varieties of Phantom prone to more severe states of psychological illness and some lesser. Whilst depression and a certain adversity to socializing permeate all sorts, beyond these basic traits they may suffer from a wide variety of other disorders. Most Phantoms tend to be prone to only one particular illness, but some may experience several at a time, particularly in the case of Poltergeists. Spoiler - Phantoms, due to the trauma they have suffered from their undeath, possess a wide variety of mental disorders, a few examples of those being, but not limited to; social or general anxiety, mood disorders such as bipolar and depression, as well as schizophrenia, addiction, psychopathy, sociopathy, OCD, or PTSD. - These disorders tend to align with the type of Phantom they are; psychopathy and any other violent or outwardly dangerous illnesses largely only appearing in Poltergeists, whereas Specters would be prone to schizophrenic or post traumatic disorders. - Phantom suffer these effects to different extents, but all experience them in some capacity. Poltergeists being most severe, and Specters least. Revenants vary wildly, and tend to (but do not always) manifest illnesses that foreshadow their eventual mature state. - All Phantoms experience symptoms of depression and social anxiety, though to variable extents per individual. Shifting Polarity Though remarkably rare, it is possible for the two developed varieties of incorporeal Phantom, Poltergeists and Specters, to switch the polarity of their mental state. If a Poltergeist is somehow quelled to a great extreme, it is possible that they may find peace within themselves and with the reality of their demise, and transition into the state of a Specter. Conversely, if a Specter suffers some great trauma in their undeath, and becomes consumed by violent emotion or denial, they may devolve and warp into a twisted Poltergeist. Spoiler - In order for a Poltergeist or Specter to switch states, a deeply impactful event must take place, such that their minds are forced to realign in a completely opposite emotional direction. This is noted as a comment on their [CA], the same as their initial transition from Revenant to another form. - A Poltergeist or Specter may undergo such a shift only twice. REVENANTS “She awoke in a stupor. What had happened? Why did she feel so cold?” Origin Revenants are grey spirits, Phantoms who have only just woken from their often violent, premature, unexpected or broadly unfortunate demise, or indeed simply through sheer willpower not to pass on. These ghosts are as yet unattuned to the nature of their existence, their minds shrouded with confusion and marked by the mental maladies inflicted by undeath. An infant stage of development, to be a Revenant is a temporary state, one overcome once they realize or are confronted by what has become of them. Spoiler - Revenants are the initial stage of Phantom development, and unless you are applying with a previously existing phantom character, will be what you start as. Your subsequent change to Poltergeist, or Specter will then be noted by the ST as a comment on your application, after you contact them stating that you would like to transition, and the subtype you’d like to transition to. - Players have some leeway and creative freedom when it comes to the formation of phantoms, though must be reasonable and abide by lore when doing so. Say players wished to attempt a haphazard seance, disturb an old grave, or some other unique method of spurring a spirit to form, they may do so as long as the person putting up the CA has consented OOCly, and the character being created has been deceased for some time. Players who have an accepted CA are held accountable to know and understand all rules and regulations of phantom lore. Physical Description Revenants are bound by the shared nature of all Phantoms, incorporeal and malleable, but lack the same fine control over their physicality that more advanced states possess. These somber entities have not yet reached comprehension of their death, and as such reflect this lack of mental clarity in their manifested state; greyscale and unstable, often changing their level of transparency without intention and becoming more or less clear in visual definition at random. They are recognizable as their former selves, but not as readily as Specters. Though they do not yet understand it, their spirit is still marked by the circumstances of their death, displaying a representation of the wounds they suffered to various extents. A Revenant who died through blood loss may display sunken features or tightened ‘skin’, or one who suffered a grievous wound may wear attire that is torn or damaged in the area, stained with color representative of blood. Usually this visual trait is not too gruesome or striking, but lingers nonetheless. The voices of these entities are shallow and distant, lacking in much inflection and at times sounding as if they are speaking from a great distance. As they are yet unfamiliar with their new state of being, Revenants struggle to interact with the material world and are broadly confined to serve as observers to its goings-on. Spoiler - Revenants appear mostly like they did in life, though grayed, unclear and transparent. Signs of their demise are typically shown, though much more subtly than that of a Poltergeist. Their voices are distant and hollow. Mental Description Revenants are unattuned to the nature of their existence, lingering in a state of muddled confusion and misery as they struggle to come to grips with the reality that has befallen them. These ghosts are aloof and hesitant, struggling through the motions of unlife as if slogging through a fever dream from which they cannot wake. They are prone to frustration and bouts of sadness or anger as their minds adjust to this change, so muddled are they that many may not even be certain of who they once were, only having rough sensations and hints to go off of. With such seemingly insurmountable struggle comes a pervasive feeling of helplessness and despair, leading them to avoid conflict and seek solitude. They are disconnected from the living, viewing them almost the same way a mortal may view the Revenant, strange and disconnected from their reality and experience. As with all Phantoms, Revenants suffer from a large array of mental illnesses caused by the mentally corrosive influence of death itself. With little else of their own personality or nature clear, these beings tend to be largely consumed by whatever affliction they have developed, acting largely as it dictates until they reach a point of self-realization. A common compulsion of these fledgling spirits is the need to discover the knowledge that they have lost, to learn about who they once were and what became of them. It is this compulsion, this desire for clarity, that in time allows a Revenant to move past this muddled state and into a more clearly defined one as a more advanced Phantom. How they will develop depends on their reaction to the knowledge eventually gain, but once the nature of their own demise and incorporeal nature sets in it cannot be ignored. Revenants have only begun their journey in unlife, and as such have a long path ahead of them in order to pass from their state of limbo and into the Soulstream. Spoiler - Revenants are stuck in a limbo state, unsure of their existence or as to why they are in such a state. They are rather confused, and can easily break out into anger or sadness. - Revenants will typically seek to perform tasks they once did in life, thinking as if everything was normal for a brief amount of time, before coming to the realization that they are indeed dead. Pain Response & RegenerationRevenants are the most vulnerable of all Phantoms, as their ectoplasmic bodies and minds alike are yet to stabilize. Revenants will generally react severely to damage by aurum, voidal magic, and other relevant sources. Not only does it fend them off as it does their more advanced counterparts, but it is likely to completely destabilize their fragile minds for a short time, inducing a severe episode of their token mental illness, or sheer panic. Some Revenants may be more stable than others, but their reactions to pain can be equated somewhat to that of a child, having very low tolerance. By way of regeneration from non-fatal wounds, Revenants take slightly longer than Specters and Poltergeists, requiring [2] OOC days. Spoiler - Revenants have a low pain tolerance, and tend to be thrown into fits and mental breakdowns when exposed to such sensations. - Revenants require [2] OOC days to regenerate from non-fatal injuries such as loss of limb, etc. Abilities While in their fledgling state, a Revenant possesses only a small number of abilities which they may use at their disposal. The learning of these abilities takes time and effort, something that the Revenant will develop as they come closer and closer to the full realization of their situation. Phantasmal As incorporeal undead, a Revenant possesses a myriad of qualities linked to their state of being, whether that be their intangible nature, or their lack of respiratory system, their traits are a clear distinction between them and the living. Spoiler - Phantoms are incorporeal, being as physical as light or fire would be. By default, they cannot affect the world and the world cannot affect them. However, they are still bound to some of its laws, granting them capabilities such as aesthetic levitation. Mundane weapons pass through them and they are able to phase through people and most objects. Because they are incorporeal, they do not need to eat, breathe, sleep, or rest, nor do they suffer from aging. - Though incorporeal, phantoms cannot move mechanically in any way a player could not. This includes passing through locked doors, walls, gates, and any other mechanical barrier that one does not have access to. - Levitation is limited to 1ft off the ground and offers no RP or mechanical benefit. Invisibility As they are still bound to the physical realm, yet also hold some footing within the Elysian, Revenants may bring themselves closer towards the Elysian, albeit not entirely, lowering their presence within the Material Realm and thus hide themselves from the gaze of mortals. Spoiler - Ghosts may shroud themselves in a thin layer of ectoplasm over the course of 3 emotes, rendering themselves transparent and invisible. Upon successfully fading, the ghost is completely unseeable to most mortals, save for when within direct sunlight, which would instead manifest a subtle outline that may be spotted by mortals with two emotes of careful inspection. In order to return from invisibility, the phantom must take 1 emote to remanifest. - Taking damage from aurum or magics will force the phantom to reappear. - Attempting to sneak up on someone would cause their their breath to fog up. - Ghosts must take one emote after fully remanifesting before they may attack. - Cannot be corporeal whilst invisible and vice versa. - A ghost cannot go invisible while in line-of-sight of any player character. - If a ghost is spotted during their emotes of becoming invisible, it is cancelled. - Those possessed of True Sight may see through a ghost's invisibility. Weak Grasp Revenants have a feeble ability to interact with the world, allowing them to form a rather weak, ethereal hold upon some objects. Spoiler - Revenants must focus intently to touch or act upon something and even then do so to little effect. They will struggle to open doors, characterized by a knob twisting sluggishly or erratically and slipping repeatedly, extinguish small lights like lamps or candles, and cannot act upon anything more than three pounds or simply mechanics (doors) if only for a short time. - Anything heavier than three pounds will simply fall through the phantom’s hands. - Revenants can only carry objects for up to three seconds before it falls or slips through their hands, frustrating them. - Revenants can open doors (slowly), act on (push, pull, lift, etc) objects weighing three pounds or less, and extinguish candles or lamps and nothing else. Geistreach Death is extremely traumatic and shocking, especially for those who have passed. Having the lowest mental fortitude of other phantom types, revenants are made incredibly distraught upon discovering the nature of their death, retreating to some secluded location and sapping mortals who near it of their spiritual essence. Spoiler - Upon discovering their death, the phantom may sap emotions from mortals. This ability has two variants: an OOC consented variant, and a non-OOC consented variant. An amount of one or the other must be performed in order to progress, detailed further below. - First, they must find a mortal victim to curse, taking three emotes to pull up their ectoplasm into their arm and move it through the victim's chest. This would place the curse upon the fourth emote, causing the victim to feel cold. Without OOC consent, this would manifest dizziness in the victim, causing them to see blurs in the corners of their eyes, and suffer from general insomnia and paranoia for the duration of three IRL days. With OOC consent, the victim would be subject to symptoms of dissociative disorder, including memory-lapses, forgetfulness, and seeing flashes of the phantom's; memories. This may result in the recipient having two split personalities, though more commonly their general identity and personality will simply be altered. With this, the victim would experience gradual changes in behavior, memory, perception, emotional response, and may, in rare circumstances, completely lose touch with reality. - Without OOC consent, this ability must be performed five times before the phantom can acquire enough soul essence to progress. With OOC consent, this ability must be performed thrice upon the same individual within the span of twelve hours, encouraging phantoms to grow close to the mortal target. Should the curse be cleansed by a holy mage before one IRL week has passed since the cursing, it may be removed. Otherwise, completion of this would make the disorder a permanent trait (not ‘the’) of the victim character, which they are obliged to roleplay out adequately. - After inflicting Geistreach upon the necessary number of victims, the ghost will be driven to a period of reflection. Over this time, they will either come to accept the terms of their death — becoming a specter; or instead denying it — becoming a raging poltergeist. At this point, one should PM a Lore Member with screenshots documenting the encounter(s), as well as stating which path the character has progressed. The Story Member will then update their app with a comment stating which path they had taken. - The effects granted by OOC consent are up to both the player and phantom to decide, and should stay relatively in-line with the aforementioned themes. - Phantoms can only use this ability to full effect once every twelve IRL hours. It may still be used outside of this, but to no contribution to progression. - Effects can be purged by holy magic (clerics/paladins). The victim is obliged to tell the phantom player OOCly if the curse has been purged. - Memories received on behalf of a phantom cannot be used to metagame private aspects of the ghost’s life unless the phantom player gave express OOC permission. - Geistreach only affects those with fully mortal souls. - If invisible whilst performing this ability, Revenants will manifest a vague outline similar to fading in broad daylight, requiring two emotes of keenly inspecting the area for any non-Vivification or mortal mystic to spot. - Geistreach must be performed through quality roleplay. It is not a ‘kill’ drain sort of ability, and is meant to contribute to narrative roleplay. Phantoms going around simply attempting to rush this point of progression by spamming this ability to move on will be subject to warnings, and potentially even the denial of their CA. General Red Lines - Revenants require a valid creature application order to be played. - Revenants possess a lingering aura of somberness and cold that trails around them in a two-meter radius, felt by all mortals in that area to no mechanical/RP detriment. - Revenants are incorporeal and cannot wear armor of any kind, nor wield weapons. - By comparison to Wights, Eidola, and Apparitions, when interacting physically with them, all regular Phantom types are notably physically weaker. - Revenants struggle to manipulate their ectoplasm prior to being awakened. This means that ghosts may not yet manifest corporeally unless forced to. - Revenants do not possess the ability to possess a vessel or morph their ectoplasmic body into beasts, weapons, or any other form. - Revenants receive no benefit from medicine, alchemical concoctions, etc. - Revenants cannot become other creatures unless stated otherwise. - Revenants are explicitly incompatible and unable to pick up all forms of magic or feats (voidal evo, alchemy, etc,) with the notable exception of Mysticism related augmentation, enchantments on items, and so forth. POLTERGEISTS “Her beautiful white dress… Ruined! How could this be? It had to be a nightmare, and so… It was.” Origin Poltergeists are black spirits who have come to deny and reject the nature of their demise, and become absorbed by the trauma of it. They are unhinged and feral, driven into the deepest depths of mental illness and unrest by the unbearable stress of death. Unable to be at peace with their new state, the mind itself wars with reality, and makes them deeply unstable and miserable beyond imagination. Though not necessarily evil, Poltergeists are a dangerous and violent variety of Phantom. Physical Description Sharing the traits of incorporeality and often subtly shifting appearance held by Revenants, Poltergeists are rendered in a far more gruesome fashion than their newborn predecessors. Having become tormented and bitter upon the realization and subsequent denial of their death, Poltergeists take on an appearance reflective of this intense negative emotion; tinged most often in shades of red or black, and marked vividly by the cause of their demise. Where a Revenant may display hints to the nature of their end, Poltergeists adopt it as a visceral core feature of their appearance. A Poltergeist who died by drowning may appear bloated and swollen, half-rotten, and one killed in combat may still hold gruesome wounds that gape and weep an ectoplasmic effigy of blood. In many cases these spirits have become so feral that they take on almost animalistic traits; claw-like fingers, withdrawn lips and sharpened teeth, predatory eyes. Their voices tend to be characterized by grating hisses, growls, wails, rasps and any other manner of broadly unpleasant or unsettling tone. Each of these Phantoms is unique in the representation of their woe, but all make plain to the world the horror of their existence. Unlike Revenants, Poltergeists have become attuned enough, albeit begrudgingly, to their spectral state to have greater physical influence on the world; becoming an active and rather unpleasant participant, rather than a passive observer. Spoiler - Poltergeists are almost entirely unrecognizable as the people they once were, warped and twisted by the denial that defines them until they are little but fearsome effigies. Colored in black or shades of red, their voices are frightful and unpleasant, ranging from shrieks to growls or ominous whispers. They bear the cause of their death as a visceral, ever-present detail of their form. Mental Description The mind of a Poltergeist is one truly lost to the turbulence of undeath. Their psyche is ravaged by whatever disorder began to manifest in their first stage of unlife, and now demonstrate it to a great extreme. What empathy they once held for the living and their fellow spirits has been worn away, leaving almost nothing but a volatile reactivity drawn from their emotional turmoil. These spirits have chosen to reject their nature, and have done so with a violent and unhinged fervor; they know what they are, and the knowledge torments them. It is a terrible reality that they live, but cannot truly accept. This denial is what characterizes a black spirit. Though some features and characteristics of the individuals they once were may remain, far buried memories and distant, fleeting sensations, they are merely shadows of their former selves. Some traits can make it through the noise; core aspects of personality that are inseparable from the spirit, but little else endures. This could be anything from maintaining some empathy for specific individuals or groups, to affinities for particular locations, or deeply seeded emotional reactions to particular situations. Not necessarily malevolent by nature, Poltergeists can often best be equated to predatory animals; acting on instinct and emotion, quick to violence and at times opportunistic, and hostile when perceiving a challenge to their dominance. There are, of course, some Poltergeists that are outright cruel in nature, but it is not a necessity. It takes a great deal to inspire these troubled souls to move on to the Soulstream, as in order for their spirits to find rest they must move beyond the denial they exist in, and find peace in what they have become. While possible, it is extremely difficult for them to break through the chaotic fog that shrouds their minds and find such peace. Spoiler - A Poltergeist’s mind is in constant fluctuation, from feelings of sadness to sudden rage, able to be made furious and demonic within seconds. While not particularly evil, they possess violent tendencies, as well as hate for most everything around them. - Poltergeists do not feel happiness, joy, excitement, or any other positive emotion except in extreme circumstances. Instead, their emotions are rather limited to that of negative influence, such as sadness, wrath, jealousy, etc. Pain Response & Regeneration Poltergeists have the least pronounced response to pain out of all Phantom types, as they exist in such a state of chaos that the introduction of yet more sensation is somewhat a proverbial drop in the bucket. This is not to say that they are immune to pain or cannot be fended off by threat of injury, but it is less likely to cause them to flee or reliably withdraw than other Phantom types; instead tending to cause aggressive responses. Still, sufficiently negative and unpleasant stimulus is likely to make most eventually reconsider sticking around. Poltergeists, along with Specters, require only [1] OOC day to regenerate from injury. Spoiler - Poltergeists tend to respond violently to pain, prone to anger and hostility rather than fear. As such they may continue an attack beyond the point at which other Phantom types may flee or withdraw. - Poltergeists require [1] OOC day to regenerate from non-fatal injuries such as loss of limb, etc. Abilities While Revenants struggled to control the realm around them, a Poltergeist’s immense rage and negativity boosts their manipulation over the physical realm, fueling their powers with hate and disdain for all. This is what makes Poltergeists so much more dangerous, as they typically use their powers in almost animalistic and emotion-driven ways. Phantasmal As incorporeal undead, a Poltergeist possesses a myriad of qualities linked to their state of being, whether that be their intangible nature, or their lack of respiratory system, their traits are a clear distinction between them and the living. Spoiler - Phantoms are incorporeal, being as physical as light or fire would be. By default, they cannot affect the world and the world cannot affect them. However, they are still bound to some of its laws, granting them capabilities such as aesthetic levitation. Mundane weapons pass through them and they are able to phase through people and most objects. Because they are incorporeal, they do not need to eat, breathe, sleep, or rest, nor do they suffer from aging. - Though incorporeal, phantoms cannot move mechanically in any way a player could not. This includes passing through locked doors, walls, gates, and any other mechanical barrier that one does not have access to. - Levitation is limited to 1ft off the ground and offers no RP or mechanical benefit. Controlled Corporeality By pulling their forms closer towards the mortal realm than the Elysian Wastes, a Poltergeist can effectively manifest a physical presence which they may use to interact better with the world around them. Spoiler - Poltergeists can briefly grant themselves a physical state, outside their haunt, with which they may interact with mortals and material objects. This may be used to scratch surfaces, attack a descendant, and perform other frightful acts outside of their haunt, though to a weaker extent. This would require two emotes of the poltergeist forcing themselves into the material realm, at which they would appear to become slightly less translucent. Upon the second emote, they would become temporarily corporeal, enough so to distribute a single attack equivalent to that of the average human man. This could be a regular punch, a scratch, push, shove, or other such action that would otherwise be doable by a living person. - Once they have distributed the attack, or three emotes have passed without them attacking, the phantom return to incorporeality. - Corporeality has a cooldown of six emotes whether successful or a failure. - Corporeality leaves the phantom susceptible to attack from physical weapons. - The phantom is no stronger than a regular mortal human in this state. - Cannot become corporeal in direct sunlight, and will be forced to revert. - Cannot be used to do things like crush hearts/organs inside of people. Invisibility As they are still bound to the physical realm, yet also hold some footing within the Elysian, Poltergeists may bring themselves closer towards the Elysian, albeit not entirely, lowering their presence within the Material Realm and thus hide themselves from the gaze of mortals. Spoiler - Ghosts may shroud themselves in a thin layer of ectoplasm over the course of 3 emotes (or 2 within a haunt), rendering themselves transparent and invisible. Upon successfully fading, the ghost is completely unseeable to most mortals, save for when within direct sunlight, which would instead manifest a subtle outline that may be spotted by mortals with two emotes of careful inspection. In order to return from invisibility, the phantom must take 1 emote to remanifest. - Taking damage from aurum or magics will force the phantom to reappear. - Attempting to sneak up on someone would cause their their breath to fog up. - Ghosts must take one emote after fully remanifesting before they may attack. - Cannot be corporeal whilst invisible and vice versa. - A ghost cannot go invisible while in line-of-sight of any player character. - If a ghost is spotted during their emotes of becoming invisible, it is cancelled. - Those possessed of True Sight may see through a ghost's invisibility. Shift Form By manipulating their own ectoplasm, a Poltergeist can change their own form into that of a predatory or scavenging animal, or a more monstrous representation of themselves. Spoiler - Poltergeists can choose to take on a more monstrous representation of themselves. This is instinctively activated when the poltergeist feels an emotion such as rage, agony, or hate. These traits may be anything from elongated fingernails/claws, displaced jaws/teeth, ectoplasmic scars pouring “blood”, and so on, so long as they maintain the ectoplasmic and spectral nature of the phantom in their embodiment. Phantoms can also choose to appear as spectralesque beast when they are in a collected state of mind. This requires two emotes, wherein the phantom would assume the chosen form, assuming the creature was found naturally in the wild. Such could be a bird, a cat, a hound, and so forth, being no larger than the size of a stag and no smaller than that of a large crow. - Shapeshifted creatures must have some basis in nature. If you wish to have a custom shape, or use any Event Creature, consult the ST. - Any chosen form may be maintained for as long as the poltergeist wishes, though some may even choose to adopt a permanent manifestation as a sign of notoriety. - When interacting with Controlled Corporeality, strength remains no greater than that of a human. - Shapeshifting cannot be used to imitate another individual’s appearance. - Shapeshifted phantoms still bear the same spectral nature and appearance. - Shapeshifting cannot be used to reach locations one could not reach mechanically. Should the creature be able to fly, they are limited to two meters off the ground to no mechanical advantage and are still reachable in role-play. Influence By channeling their ectoplasm around a mundane object, or multiple, a Poltergeist can manipulate said objects via minor telekinetic abilities. Spoiler - Poltergeists can use telekinesis outside of their haunt, mostly for flavor or to strike fear within mortals. Influence is limited to three meters (blocks) around the poltergeist, and allows them to control up to one object within that area so long as it is not acted upon by another agent or force, such as motion. To move an object, the poltergeist must take one emote to grasp and lift, and one emote to throw it in the desired direction. Object will fly no faster than as if a person had thrown it themselves, falling immediately to the ground should it leave the radius. - Weapons and complex machinery (crossbows) can be used, however, ghosts are unable to pierce armor or parry blows, limiting their application of weaponry to crude movements. They will at most leave bruises, wounds, and/or scars that may be moderate, but never outright fatal. Weapons that are currently in use/held by a person cannot be effectively manipulated. - Fine particles such as sand, or other liquids, cannot be influenced. - Outside of a haunt, influence is limited to inanimate objects, meaning that one cannot manipulate people or things such as automatons or other phantoms. - Poltergeists are limited to ten kilograms (~20lbs) of weight. Instill Unease Poltergeists create a passive aura of negative emotion around them which can be felt by descendants nearby. Spoiler - A Poltergeist possesses a passive aura which reflects the current negative emotions that they are feeling, within descendants nearby. The aura exists within a five block radius around the Poltergeist, or can linger wherever the Poltergeist frequents most. - This is a passive ability that follows the Poltergeist. - This aura cannot disable or severely impair those affected by it. For example, fear may deter opponents, though not paralyze them or prevent them from approaching. Possession By shifting their ectoplasm into a foreign corpse, mind, or other vessel, a Poltergeist can effectively manipulate it with ill-intent, essentially puppeteering it as if it were their own body. Spoiler - Possession takes many shapes and forms in general, but specifically the ability exists as means to possess beings and objects of various types. Phantoms are capable of entering humanoid bodies and projecting whispers and images into their mind, should the target have one. Though they have no physical control over a living host, phantoms that utilize possession to its fullest potential are able to incite emotions and ideas into the minds of their victims, as well as inflicting dreams upon the unconscious. Inanimate objects and dead corpses can be possessed, though move crudely and rigidly, making them ineffective for combat. - Possession purely takes basis on a psychotic level, acting similar to mental magic.For instance, a poltergeist may induce intense feelings of dread or anxiety, causing the victim to imagine spiders crawling down their face - despite the fact that this is not the reality and only an illusion within their mind. Additionally, mental magic barriers, mind-like wards, cognantsists, or any similar beings would treat possession as if it were a mentalist type magic. - Nothing larger than an average-sized Uruk can be possessed and animated effectively, including ologs. Inversely, an object must be a reasonable size and shape for a phantom to possess; you cannot possess a needle to hide within a haystack. Possessed corpses or objects are ineffective for combat due to their slow, rigid movement. Phantoms that husk in constructs such as automatons, golems, sorvians, etc. cannot draw upon any of their abilities (i.e. sigils). - Poltergeists cannot force significantly self harm or suicide within a possessed individual. The mortal may only commit the action to do so of their own free will. - Requires three emotes to possess. - Aurum and magic may expel the phantom from their husk. Poltergeists cannot possess objects of aurum nor items enchanted with holy, arcane, shamanic, or mystic magic. Phantoms will demanifest if their husk is destroyed. - Though inside of a host, spiritual beings performing haunting are not immune to harm. Should a person be cut by gold or have an energy/holy based magic cast upon them, the spirit is forcefully ejected and left dazed for one emote. - A possessed object would not be able to move unless it could regularly. For example’ while possessed clothes could move about as if the Poltergeist was wearing them, possessing a tree could not force it to move. - Long-term possession (lasting more than a single RP encounter) requires OOC consent. Poltergeist Haunts By choosing a specific location, a Poltergeist can surrender their ability to leave it but greatly increase their influence within, allowing a limited amount of omnipresence. Spoiler - Poltergeists may choose a location, whether a dark, gloomy, or musky area, to which they may bind their ectoplasm over the course of one IRL day. This would render them unplayable for the period of binding. Once the day has passed, they will be severely weakened should they leave the confines of their haunt, though inversely finding their powers augmented within the region. The aura of unease that follows the poltergeist is greatly expanded, becoming far more present within the backs of the minds of whoever entered the zone. Mortals may quickly be overcome by intense paranoia, coldness, and even hallucinations of the phantom's design. - Haunts must be placed in a dark or gloomy area no larger than a (25x25) meter area. Under dense foliage, caves, a crumbling building, or hindered land may all serve as a valid haunt. Areas with large congregations of people are also often avoided, though not impossible to haunt. Locations which have a strong holy aura, as in, a location where Paladins or Clerics might gather frequently, are unable to be haunted. Haunts may be purged by holy magic, mystic scrubbing, and other methods, though they may remain there indefinitely if undisturbed. This area can be expanded with the express OOC permission of the building's owner, allowing one to haunt castles and manors. Haunt Progression: The longer the amount of time the poltergeist has taken to attach themselves to the haunted region, the more potent the scale of their influence will become. Haunts that exist for longer periods of time will release new abilities for the poltergeist to apply whilst within it, as well as other effects coming upon the area. Tier 0 - The haunt is first established. A cold atmosphere slowly takes hold of the region over the course of one IRL day. The poltergeist is granted the ability to manipulate an additional five kilograms of weight and create minor sensory illusions in the minds of their targets; such as that of a distant cough, a shadow in the corner of one’s eye, or a chill that runs along one’s spine. This period begins as soon as the haunt is established. Tier 1 - The haunt has been established for one IRL week. The oppressive ambience of the zone is more noticeable, and the poltergeist possesses a greater extent of power. Their zone of extended influence stretches an additional two meters. Black Water will also begin to manifest within the haunt. This period is reached after one IRL week of haunting. Tier 2 - The haunt has been established for two IRL weeks. Mortals will take note of the deathly ambience immediately when they enter the region, goosebumps forming upon their skin. The poltergeist may now perform Greater Influence as outlined below, capable of manipulating even mortals in their haunt. The poltergeist can also lift an additional ten kilograms of weight, and the reach of their extended influence ranges an additional three meters. This period is reached after two IRL weeks of haunting. Tier 3 - The haunt has been established for four IRL weeks. The poltergeist is now able to perform Greater Possession as outlined below, allowing them to take complete control over a mortal’s body for a period of time. The poltergeist can now lift a total of twenty-five kilograms of weight, and their extended influence ranges a total of fifteen meters. This period is reached after four IRLs week of haunting. Haunt Abilities: The below abilities are only applicable when within the poltergeist's haunt. Manifest Corporeally - Poltergeists can briefly grant themselves a physical state, which they may use to physically interact better with mortals and objects. They often use this to scratch surfaces, attack descendants, and other frightful acts. Takes two emotes to shift from incorporeal state to corporeal, and two emotes to shift back to their incorporeal state. Should the phantom be struck by aurum or come into contact with direct sunlight, they will be forced back into incorporeality, and must wait for one emote after before trying again. Spoiler - Once made corporeal, poltergeists may make physical contact with mundane weaponry. This will cause a “dulled” pain to be felt, though not to the same degree as a mortal. - The poltergeist’s strength in this state is equivalent to that of their former mortal selves. - This cannot exceed the capacity of a human knight even should they have been stronger in their previous life. The further they get from their haunt, the weaker this becomes. - Poltergeists cannot stay or become corporeal in direct sunlight or upon touching aurum. - Cannot become corporeal whilst phasing through a person or object, such as gripping someone’s heart and then becoming tangible to crush it inside them. Greater Influence - Poltergeist to apply intensified telekinetic abilities within their own haunt. With this, a poltergeist may act upon up to three objects at once within a certain radius based upon the tier of haunt. They are also capable of moving (albeit crudely) and biological objects within their haunt. For example, they may push, pull, and throw a living target only to the extent that a regular person would be able to push, pull, or throw them respectively. - Poltergeists cannot manipulate another individual to perform some unnatural action, nor can it control them to any precise degree. They cannot tear limbs apart, cause someone to stab themselves, twist off their skull, and so on. They may only move their target as if they were moved by a regular individual, and may thus be resisted adequately. All other rules of influence still apply. Spoiler - The means by which a poltergeist manipulates an individual or object is limited to broad applications of force, such as pushing, shoving, or pulling. - Poltergeists cannot force the target to move in unnatural ways, such as bending their arm backwards or causing the target’s neck to snap. You cannot freeze someone using telekinesis. - Gripping a person or object with telekinesis requires that the poltergeist take three emotes: one to reach out, one to grab the victim, and one to move them. Greater Possession - Poltergeists may choose to take more active control of a mortal’s body whilst within a haunt, allowing them to manipulate the physical actions of the individual. This would involve the poltergeist appearing visually over the course of two emotes, before they may fly into the target upon the next. Should they succeed in making contact with the host, the body would completely freeze, their eyes staring blankly into the distance as the poltergeist and the mortal’s spirit clash. The victim must then contest a roll of twenty, and should they achieve 14+, they may effectively throw out the phantom. Should they fail the roll, the poltergeist would assume control of their body for the next two emotes, as the mortal’s spirit is forced only to watch for that duration. Upon reaching the end of the two emote mark, the victim may again attempt to resist with another roll, the threshold for success being lowered by two upon each attempt. Should they fail, the poltergeist may possess their body for another two emotes before they may attempt again. - Poltergeists may be forcibly expelled by external forces. Should the possessed individual be cut with aurum - not just receiving a ‘prick’ but actually cut - then the phantom would be forced to leave their body. Successful mystic exorcisms, shamanic blessings, and clerical light may also force the poltergeist to leave their host and become dazed for one emote. Spoiler - The extent to which the victim’s body may be manipulated is limited to that of natural ability, meaning that the poltergeist cannot cause their neck to snap backwards, their arm to bend sideways, etc. They can do things like induce vomiting, harmless seizures, and so forth. They may also choose to input certain images or thoughts into the mind of the one they are possessing, attempting to subdue their victim by berating them with curses and insults. - Possession does not require OOC consent, but it is recommended one offers in advance. - Once a roll threshold of zero is reached, the phantom will be automatically forced out unless the victim were to give OOC consent for them to remain. - Poltergeists cannot possess through solid aurum. If someone is wearing a full aurum chestpiece, then the phantom could not pass through it. This does not apply to small tokens, trinkets and baubles, or aurum alloys such as slayer-steel. - The roll threshold to successfully force out a phantom begins at 14 and is lowered by 2 after each attempt. Failure allows the poltergeist to possess for another three emotes. - Poltergeists cannot move the body in unnatural ways, such as causing their neck to snap, their arm to bend backwards, etc. They can still induce vomiting, paralysis, etc. - Cannot force the individual to perform fatal actions (i.e. severe self-mutilation). - Phantoms that are successfully thrown out from a target will be dazed for one emote and made forcibly tangible, before recovering upon the second emote after. - Poltergeists cannot leave their haunt with the possessed body, lest their influence fades away and the mortal is able to control themselves again. Black Water - A rather curious effect similar to that of apparitions who have made their crib within a pool of water. This similarly occurs in areas where a poltergeist has haunted a location for a minimum of one IRL week, upon which any still bodies of water in the area would begin to take on a subtle dark tint. This could be anything from the holy water font in a church to an abandoned koi pond, so long as it remains within the radius of the haunt. The water itself bears strange properties tied to the poltergeist which haunts the region - that being it is tied intrinsically to their ectoplasm, and thus, their spirit. Should any drink the water found there, they would be overcome by mild flu-like symptoms for a duration of three IRL days, finding it difficult to rest or relax as they are constantly put on edge. During this time, the poltergeist may choose to incite brief dreams or visions within the mind of one who has consumed it, these being limited to vivid, albeit vague, distortions or dreams that may show in the corner of one’s eyes whilst awake; or as an in-depth experience whilst asleep. These effects will subside after the three IRL days have passed. - Victims may OOCly consent for the effects to last for a longer period of time. The effects of the water may also be purged by holy, mystic, or shamanic magics should the ‘victim’ seek one out. Likewise, the aforementioned magics are capable of dispersing the effects of Black Water from an isolated source, though it is more efficient for them to directly purge the haunt itself unless the source of cursed water was, say, in a single bottle brought away from the haunt’s location. Spoiler - The mild flu-like symptoms typically have no bearing on combat ability. - Visions/dreams strictly cannot be used to relay what would otherwise be considered ‘metagamed’ information (i.e. it cannot be used as a telepathic link to warn of a raid). - This cannot be used to replace the bird system. Communication only goes one way: from the phantom to the individual who drank the water. - Does not allow the poltergeist to ‘read’ the consumer’s mind to any extent. - Visions and hallucinations cannot be used combatively. They might occur in combat should the phantom wish, but they would have no effect upon focus or performance unless the victim OOCly allowed for such to occur. - Visions/dreams are blurry and vague, alike to recalling a dream after one had just woken up. They may still be relatively scary in their own right. - Poltergeists cannot actively force someone to drink the water. They may coerce the target or outright lie to them, but they cannot physically manipulate/force them. - Black Water will only form in still bodies of water within a haunt’s radius, such as an underground lake, a bowl of water in a church, etc. - Active rainfall or the presence foreign liquids would not make a location suitable as the water would be disrupted and ‘contaminated’ by the other substance. - Black Water can still be brought outside of a haunt and retain its effects, though it can only be sourced within an active poltergeist haunt. - Mixing in Black Water with regular water will cause the effects to be removed. - Black Water does not require ST signage, but should be signed by the poltergeist player with adequately described effects. Players are expected to be able to relay the effects of the water to players that consume it as well. Cursed Items - Poltergeists may choose to weave malignancy and malice into objects, imbuing them with the raw essence of their rage and woe. This would essentially incite a ‘curse’ upon the object chosen, which may have various aesthetic effects of the poltergeist’s own design. Such trinkets may be mere baubles or small totems that can be worn, held, or otherwise carried on a person with relative ease. The effects upon the cursed object are relatively freeform, albeit with the caveat that they have little no combative potential. One could curse an object so that the wearer progressively loses their ability to see hues of color, as the world around them is turned monotonous and gray. Others could make it so that they see shadows in the corners of their eyes whilst wearing it, or distant whispers that seem to come from all around them. The cursed item may incite feelings of paranoia, stress, and other negative mental afflictions that are otherwise fairly harmless in their own right. So long as the curse or illusion is limited to flavor, and has no bearing upon physical ability, it is otherwise open to the poltergeist’s design. Spoiler - Cursed items cannot cause total blindness, total loss of hearing, total loss of touch, etc; though they may be muted to a minor extent. In this regard, loss of smell and taste are allowed so long as they do not offer any advantage against others. - Cursed items cannot cause extreme degrees of pain. They could manifest frequent migraines, but could not make it so your whole body feels like it's on fire. In other words, the effects of cursed items cannot be extreme to any extent. - Cursed items do not require ST signing but should be signed by the poltergeist to ensure validity. - In the event that a curse is placed upon an item that would require ST signature on its own, said item would still require a signature (i.e. housemagery living dolls). - Living people or animals cannot be cursed objects. - Cursed items may be objects of close attachment to the poltergeist, whether that be a doll from their former childhood, a locket, or some other precious memento. - Cursed items have no extraordinary physical attributes that would make them any more durable or effective than their mundane counterpart. - Cursed items may be purged by holy magic or mysticism, or may be destroyed. Cursed items must be worn (or held) by a mortal in order to take effect. - An individual who has worn a cursed item for a particularly long period of time would gradually return to normal should it be taken off. This is not instantaneous. - Cursed items can only be made from objects in the area the spirit frequents or their haunt. General Red Lines - Poltergeists cannot learn, use, or teach magic, alchemy, etc. - Poltergeists require a valid creature application order to be played. - Poltergeists possess a lingering aura of anxiety and unease around them in a five-meter radius, felt by all mortals in that area to no mechanical/RP detriment. - This effect is amplified within their sanctuary, to no detriment/benefit. - Poltergeists are incorporeal and cannot wear armor of any kind, nor wield weapons. - For purposes of combatting other spectres, poltergeists exist in a “physical state” equivalent to whatever they had held in life - no greater than that of a human knight. - By comparison to Wights, Eidola, and Apparitions, when interacting physically with them, all regular Phantom types are notably physically weaker. - Poltergeists receive no benefit from medicine, alchemical concoctions, etc. - Poltergeists cannot become other creatures unless stated otherwise. - Poltergeists are explicitly incompatible and unable to pick up all forms of magic or feats (voidal evo, alchemy, etc,) with the notable exception of Mysticism related augmentation, enchantments on items, and so forth. SPECTERS “As she wept, her tears wiped clear his mind. In realization, he suffered, yet… For her, he would be strong.” Origin Specters are white spirits, ghosts who have come to acknowledge and accept their demise and the trauma surrounding it. They embrace the circumstances of their life and its end, and have come to foster a certain benevolence in light of this inner peace, though the trials of undeath and their passing still weigh upon them. Physical Description Specters share the same basic visual nature and immaterial of other Phantoms, but have come to accept the nature of their demise and in some ways moved past the trauma of it. This semblance of peace is reflected in their appearance, generally colored in shades of white, blue or yellow, and bearing no mark to denote their cause of death. Specters are manifest as an ethereal reflection of the person they once were. Though this effigy of their mortal self is not perfect, and may have traits that could be considered unsettling by some; eyes without pupils or irises, skin that appears porcelain and without flaw, they are far less intimidating than their dark counterparts, and more well-defined than the fledgling Revenants. The voice of a Specter is a soft and melodic hum, calm and at times absent-minded in tone, but generally pleasing to the ear; often possessed of an echoing quality. As with Poltergeists, Specters are better attuned to their nature and afforded a greater level of physical interaction with the world than Revenants. Unlike other Phantoms, Specters are capable of tolerating the presence of direct sunlight. It will inflict considerable discomfort, but will not outright harm them for lingering in its presence. Spoiler - Specters appear much like they did in life, but given an ethereal and otherworldly quality, strangely beautiful and without flaw. They are colored in white, yellow or blue, and speak in voices that are melodic and pleasant to the ear, often echoing. Their cause of death is not represented physically. - Unlike other ghosts, Specters find sunlight uncomfortable but not intolerable. Mental Description Specters have come to terms with the nature of their death and their rebirth as a ghost. Though still prone to depression and sorrow, they are not nearly as unstable as Poltergeists, nor confused and detached as Revenants. These gentle spirits tend towards a benevolent and kind demeanor, often behaving selflessly and for the benefit of others, or at worst airing on the side of playful mischief. It is this characteristic of acceptance that makes them what they are. This variety of Phantom can be shy and elusive, at times wary of mortals and their reactions to the undead, though some may be less timid than others. A Specter is not prone to fighting, and will avoid conflict wherever possible, unless acting in their better nature to assist a fellow ghost or even a mortal. All in all, Specters most closely resemble the personality of their previous selves, but are not a perfect representation. Though memories may be more tangible and their overall personality better preserved, they are distant and with time may move beyond their previous life; becoming distant and even forgetting large portions. The oldest Specters may even become detached from reality itself, left as odd, pleasant but schizophrenic beings. Due to their more balanced emotional state and the peace they have found in undeath, Specters rarely linger in the mortal realm for as long as other ghost types, usually coming to a point where they are content to pass on into the Soulstream not too long after they are realized as white spirits. Some, however, do linger longer if they feel they can still provide something of value to the world they once knew, or simply because they lack the desire to move on. Spoiler - A Specter’s mind is stable and clear, and though they may be sorrowful, this negativity does not define them. They are free to experience a full range of emotions, but tend to be detached from anger, wrath, jealousy and other potentially violent sensations except in extreme cases. - Specters over time may become increasingly detached from their mortal lives, forgetting large portions of who they were and becoming distant and estranged at times from reality itself. - Specters tend to avoid conflict wherever possible, unless amply motivated to engage in it. Pain Response & Regeneration Specters respond to pain in a very mortal manner, lacking the violent and wrathful tendencies of a Poltergeist or the mental instability of a Revenant. The amount of tolerance they have broadly depends on the amount of motivation they have to remain in a threatening situation. This said, sources inflicting such pain as aurum would be very difficult to tolerate, for the sheer level of agony involved. Being non-combative by nature means that unless they have a good reason to endure such treatment, they are likely to disengage. A Specter is about as likely to remain somewhere with risk of being damaged as such as a person is to remain somewhere at risk of being maimed; if it is in their nature to face such danger, they may, but others may not. Specters, like Poltergeists, require a [1] OOC day to regenerate from injury. Spoiler - Specters respond to pain in the most mortal manner of all Phantoms, generally entirely dependent on the individual Specter’s level of motivation to do so, and their inherent mental fortitude against pain, - Specters require [1] OOC day to regenerate from non-fatal injuries such as loss of limb, etc. Abilities Holding similar abilities to Poltergeists, Specters often use their powers for benevolent purposes, or for their own protection. Their powers over the physical realm, while not as great as a Poltergeist’s, are still much more refined than that of a Revenant. Their inner peace also permits them to be more clarified in combat as well. Phantasmal As incorporeal undead, a Specter possesses a myriad of qualities linked to their state of being, whether that be their intangible nature, or their lack of respiratory system, their traits are a clear distinction between them and the living. Spoiler - Phantoms are incorporeal, being as physical as light or fire would be. By default, they cannot affect the world and the world cannot affect them. However, they are still bound to some of its laws, granting them capabilities such as aesthetic levitation. Mundane weapons pass through them and they are able to phase through people and most objects. Because they are incorporeal, they do not need to eat, breathe, sleep, or rest, nor do they suffer from aging. - Though incorporeal, phantoms cannot move mechanically in any way a player could not. This includes passing through locked doors, walls, gates, and any other mechanical barrier that one does not have access to. - Levitation is limited to 1ft off the ground and offers no RP or mechanical benefit. Controlled Corporeality By pulling their forms closer towards the mortal realm than the Elysian Wastes, a Specter can effectively manifest a physical presence which they may use to interact better with the world around them. Unlike Poltergeists, Specters may utilize this ability while exposed to light, but are weaker overall. Spoiler - Specters can briefly grant themselves a physical state, outside their sanctuary, with which they may interact with mortals and material objects. This may be used to defend themselves and other such actions. This would require two emotes of the specter forcing themselves into the material realm, at which they would appear to become slightly less translucent. Upon the second emote, they would become temporarily corporeal, enough so to distribute a single attack equivalent to that of the average human man. This could be a regular punch, a scratch, push, shove, or other such action that would otherwise be doable by a living person. - Once they have distributed the attack, or three emotes have passed without them attacking, the phantom return to incorporeality. - Corporeality has a cooldown of six emotes whether successful or a failure. - Corporeality leaves the phantom susceptible to attack from physical weapons. - The phantom is no stronger than a regular mortal human in this state. - Cannot become corporeal in direct sunlight, and will be forced to revert. - Cannot be used to do things like crush hearts/organs inside of people. Invisibility As they are still bound to the physical realm, yet also hold some footing within the Elysian, Specters may bring themselves closer towards the Elysian, albeit not entirely, lowering their presence within the Material Realm and thus hide themselves from the gaze of mortals. Spoiler - Ghosts may shroud themselves in a thin layer of ectoplasm over the course of 3 emotes (or 2 within a sanctuary), rendering themselves transparent and invisible. Upon successfully fading, the ghost is completely unseeable to most mortals, save for when within direct sunlight, which would instead manifest a subtle outline that may be spotted by mortals with two emotes of careful inspection. In order to return from invisibility, the phantom must take 1 emote to remanifest. - Taking damage from aurum or magics will force the phantom to reappear. - Attempting to sneak up on someone would cause their their breath to fog up. - Ghosts must take one emote after fully remanifesting before they may attack. - Cannot be corporeal whilst invisible and vice versa. - A ghost cannot go invisible while in line-of-sight of any player character. - If a ghost is spotted during their emotes of becoming invisible, it is cancelled. - Those possessed of True Sight may see through a ghost's invisibility. Shift Form By manipulating their own ectoplasm, a Specter can change their own form into that of an animal, usually a herbivore or otherwise docile or tame variety. Spoiler - Specters can choose to appear as spectralesque beast when they are in a collected state of mind. This requires two emotes, wherein the phantom would assume the chosen form, assuming the creature was found naturally in the wild. Such could be a bird, a cat, a hound, and so forth, being no larger than the size of a stag and no smaller than that of a large crow. - Shapeshifted creatures must have some basis in nature. If you wish to have a custom shape, or use any Event Creature, consult the ST. - Any chosen form may be maintained for as long as the specter wishes, though some may even choose to adopt a permanent manifestation as a sign of notoriety. - When interacting with Controlled Corporeality, strength remains no greater than that of a human. - Shapeshifting cannot be used to imitate another individual’s appearance. - Shapeshifted phantoms still bear the same spectral nature and appearance. - Shapeshifting cannot be used to reach locations one could not reach mechanically. Should the creature be able to fly, they are limited to two meters off the ground to no mechanical advantage and are still reachable in role-play. Influence By channeling their ectoplasm around a mundane object, or multiple, a Specter can manipulate said objects via minor telekinetic abilities. Spoiler - Specters can use telekinesis outside of their sanctuary. This influence is limited to three meters (blocks) around the specter, and allows them to control up to one object within that area so long as it is not acted upon by another agent or force, such as motion. To move an object, the specter must take one emote to grasp and lift, and one emote to throw it in the desired direction. Object will fly no faster than as if a person had thrown it themselves, falling immediately to the ground should it leave the radius. - Weapons and complex machinery (crossbows) can be used, however, ghosts are unable to pierce armor or parry blows, limiting their application of weaponry to crude movements. They will at most leave bruises, wounds, and/or scars that may be moderate, but never outright fatal. Weapons that are currently in use/held by a person cannot be effectively manipulated. - Fine particles such as sand, or other liquids, cannot be influenced. - Outside of a sanctuary, influence is limited to inanimate objects, meaning that one cannot manipulate people or things such as automatons or other phantoms. - Specters are limited to ten kilograms (~20lbs) of weight. Instill Peace Specters create a passive aura of positive emotion around them which can be felt by descendants nearby. Spoiler - A Specter possesses a passive aura which reflects a range of positive emotions within descendants nearby. The aura exists within a [5] block radius around the Poltergeist, or can linger wherever the Specter frequents most. - Emotions can range from a sense of calm, joy, safety, warmth or even excitement and enthusiasm. - This is a passive ability that follows the Specter. - This aura has no substantial benefit to those experiencing it. Impact is temporary, and could at most provide a slight morale boost. Possess By shifting their ectoplasm into a foreign vessel, a Specter can effectively manipulate it. They cannot, however, manipulate minds or corpses in the manner that a Poltergeist might. Spoiler - Possession takes many shapes and forms in general, but specifically the ability exists as means to possess beings and objects of various types. Phantoms are capable of entering humanoid bodies and projecting whispers and images into their mind, should the target have one. Though they have no physical control over a living host, phantoms that utilize possession to its fullest potential are able to incite emotions and ideas into the minds of their victims, as well as inflicting dreams upon the unconscious. Inanimate objects and dead corpses can be possessed, though move crudely and rigidly, making them ineffective for combat. - Possession purely takes basis on a psychotic level, acting similar to mental magic. For instance, a specter may induce intense feelings of peace or calm, causing the victim to imagine a cool, running stream - despite the fact that this is not the reality and only an illusion within their mind. Additionally, mental magic barriers, mind-like wards, cognantsists, or any similar beings would treat possession as if it were a mentalist type magic. - Nothing larger than an average-sized Uruk can be possessed and animated effectively, including ologs. Inversely, an object must be a reasonable size and shape for a phantom to possess; you cannot possess a needle to hide within a haystack. Possessed corpses or objects are ineffective for combat due to their slow, rigid movement. Phantoms that husk in constructs such as automatons, golems, sorvians, etc. cannot draw upon any of their abilities (i.e. sigils). - Specters cannot force significantly self harm or suicide within a possessed individual. The mortal may only commit the action to do so of their own free will. - Aurum and magic may expel the phantom from their husk. Specters cannot possess objects of aurum nor items enchanted with holy, arcane, shamanic, or mystic magic. Phantoms will demanifest if their husk is destroyed. - Though inside of a host, spiritual beings performing haunting are not immune to harm. Should a person be cut by gold or have an energy/holy based magic cast upon them, the spirit is forcefully ejected and left dazed for one emote. - A possessed object would not be able to move unless it could regularly. For example’ while possessed clothes could move about as if the Poltergeist was wearing them, possessing a tree could not force it to move. - Long-term possession (lasting more than a single RP encounter) requires OOC consent. Sanctuary By choosing a specific location, a Specter can surrender their ability to leave it but greatly increase their influence within, allowing a limited amount of omnipresence. Spoiler - Specters may choose a location, whether a dim, murky, or musky area, to which they may bind their ectoplasm over the course of one IRL day. This would render them unplayable for the period of binding. Once the day has passed, they will be severely weakened should they leave the confines of their sanctuary, though inversely finding their powers augmented within the region. The aura of calm that follows the Specter is greatly expanded, becoming far more present within the backs of the minds of whoever entered the zone. Mortals may quickly be overcome by a distinct sense of calm and safety, though often somberness and a mild lethargy as well. They may even witness uplifting illusions and hallucinations of the Specter's design. - Sanctuaries must be placed in a dark or gloomy area no larger than a (25x25) meter area. Under dense foliage, caves, a crumbling building, or hindered land may all serve as a valid haunt. Areas with large congregations of people are also often avoided, though not impossible to haunt. Locations which have a strong holy aura, as in, a location where Paladins or Clerics might gather frequently, are unable to be haunted. Sanctuaries may be purged by holy magic, mystic scrubbing, and other methods, though they may remain there indefinitely if undisturbed. This area can be expanded with the express OOC permission of the building's owner, allowing one to haunt castles and manors. Sanctuary Progression: The longer the amount of time the specter has taken to attach themselves to the sanctified region, the more potent the scale of their influence will become. Sanctuaries that exist for longer periods of time will release new abilities for the specter to apply whilst within it, as well as other effects coming upon the area. Tier 0 - The sanctuary is first established. A cold atmosphere slowly takes hold of the region over the course of one IRL day. The specter is granted the ability to manipulate an additional five kilograms of weight and create minor sensory illusions in the minds of their targets; such as that of a distant musical tune, an observant, often smiling figure in the corner of one’s eye, or the feeling of a protective gaze. They may also create mildly unpleasant effects to those they do not want inside, such as a chill that runs down one's spine, or a pervasive sense of being unwelcome. This period begins as soon as the haunt is established. Tier 1 - The sanctuary has been established for one IRL week. The oppressive ambience of the zone is more noticeable, and the specter possesses a greater extent of power. Their zone of extended influence stretches an additional two meters. Pale Water will also begin to manifest within the sanctuary. This period is reached after one IRL week of haunting. Tier 2 - The sanctuary has been established for two IRL weeks. Mortals will take note of the deathly ambience immediately when they enter the region, goosebumps forming upon their skin. The specter may now perform Greater Influence as outlined below, capable of manipulating even mortals in their haunt. The specter can also lift an additional ten kilograms of weight, and the reach of their extended influence ranges an additional three meters. This period is reached after two IRL weeks of haunting. Tier 3 - The sanctuary has been established for four IRL weeks. The specter is now able to perform Blessing of the Ebrietaes as outlined below, allowing them to endow a mortal soul with a boon. The specter can now lift a total of twenty-five kilograms of weight, and their extended influence ranges a total of fifteen meters. This period is reached after four IRLs week of haunting. Sanctuary Abilities: The below abilities are only applicable when within the specter's sanctuary. Manifest Corporeally - Specters can briefly grant themselves a physical state, which they may use to physically interact better with mortals and objects. Takes two emotes to shift from incorporeal state to corporeal, and two emotes to shift back to their incorporeal state. Should the phantom be struck by aurum or come into contact with direct sunlight, they will be forced back into incorporeality, and must wait for one emote after before trying again. Spoiler - Once made corporeal, specters may make physical contact with mundane weaponry. This will cause a “dulled” pain to be felt, though not to the same degree as a mortal. - The specter's strength in this state is equivalent to that of their former mortal selves. - This cannot exceed the capacity of a human knight even should they have been stronger in their previous life. The further they get from their haunt, the weaker this becomes. - Specters cannot stay or become corporeal in direct sunlight or upon touching aurum. - Cannot become corporeal whilst phasing through a person or object, such as gripping someone’s heart and then becoming tangible to crush it inside them. Blessing of the Ebrietaes - Most every specter possesses the means of blessing or cursing mortal souls. From unnamed ghosts to lordly apparitions, more focused phantoms can weave their own spiritual essence into that of a person’s very soul, leaving a transient mark upon their spirit. These marks are often benign in nature, granted to those who have gained the favor of the specter - whether they be long lost friends or newly-made acquaintances. Bestowing a blessing, however, is not something done in arbitrary fashion, and is only reserved for those who have the specter’s utmost faith. Upon being endowed with a blessing, the recipient would find themselves to bear a positive emotion of the specter’s choosing. They would feel particularly inclined towards said emotion, whether that be a calming feeling, confidence, or an overall sense of reprieve. Typically, this comes in the form of the blessed individual experiencing the voices of past loved ones, flashbacks to cherished moments, and otherwise recalling an event that the victim looks back on with fondness. The most generic use of this ability feeds a person boons of confidence, respite from depression or sadness, or an overall calmness. The effects of the boon last for about three IRL days, and ‘radiate’ from the individual in a two-meter radius to no potent extent. Spoiler - Unlike other abilities, blessing of the Ebrietaes can be performed outside of the specter’s sanctuary so long as that location is fully intact. - All blessings and boons are limited to a passive positive (or otherwise pensive) emotion that ‘radiates’ from the individual in a two-meter radius. - This emotional aura bears no effect on physical ability, bodily healing, or otherwise any sort of physical attributes. - The aura may be applied to mildly resist the negative effects of curses or geists, though cannot be used to outright cancel them. - These auras do not have any bearing upon combat. - The memories or flashbacks entailed are personal to the blessed individual, and cannot be used to metagame what would otherwise be ‘forgotten’ knowledge (i.e. through death). - These effects will only last for three IRL days before expiring. Pale Water - Similar to apparitions and poltergeists, specters who have established a sanctuary for a minimum of one IRL week may begin to dilute any still bodies of water with their ectoplasm. So long as it is within the haunted region, the water may be permeated by the phantom’s essence, taking on a dim and pale gleam. The water bears a strange and intrinsic ties to the specter that haunts the region, bound to their ectoplasm and thus their spirit. Should any drink the water found here, they would be overcome by mild nausea and coldness over the duration of three IRL days, finding themselves lethargic and somewhat melancholic. During this time, the specter may choose to incite brief dreams or visions within the mind of one who consumed it, typically pertaining to fond memories of the specter in question. The individual would be made to experience the particular memory imbued within the water, feeling the same emotions and sensations as the specter themselves felt whilst alive, thus making the water an effective tool of spectral empathy. These effects tend to subside after three IRL days have passed. Victims may OOCly consent for the effects to last for a longer period of time. The effects of the water may also be purged by holy, mystic, or shamanic magics should the ‘victim’ seek one out. Likewise, the aforementioned magics are capable of dispersing the effects of Pale Water from an isolated source, though it is more efficient for them to directly purge the sanctuary itself unless the source of water was, say, in a single bottle brought away from the sanctuary’s location. Spoiler - The mild flu-like symptoms typically have no bearing on combat ability. - Visions/dreams strictly cannot be used to relay what would otherwise be considered ‘metagamed’ information (i.e. it cannot be used as a telepathic link to warn of a raid). - This cannot be used to replace the bird system. Communication only goes one way: from the phantom to the individual who drank the water. - Does not allow the specters to ‘read’ the consumer’s mind to any extent. - Visions and hallucinations cannot be used combatively. They might occur in combat should the phantom wish, but they would have no effect upon focus or performance unless the victim OOCly allowed for such to occur. - Visions/dreams are blurry and vague, alike to recalling a dream after one had just woken up. They may still be recalled as a fuzzy memory or vision. - Specters cannot actively force someone to drink the water. It must be of the individual’s own full volition and will. - Pale Water will only form in still bodies of water within a sanctuary’s radius, such as an underground lake, a bowl of water in a church, etc. - Active rainfall or the presence foreign liquids would not make a location suitable as the water would be disrupted and ‘contaminated’ by the other substance. - Pale Water can still be brought outside of a haunt and retain its effects, though it can only be sourced within an active specter sanctuary. - Mixing in Pale Water with regular water will cause the effects to be removed. - Pale Water does not require ST signage, but should be signed by the specter player with adequately described effects. Players are expected to be able to relay the effects of the water to players that consume it as well. - Cannot relay memories pertaining to the imbiber or specter’s death/demanifestation. General Red Lines - Specters cannot learn, use, or teach magic, alchemy, etc. - Specters require a valid creature application order to be played. - Specters possess a lingering aura of somberness and ease that trails around them in a five-meter radius, felt by all mortals in that area to no mechanical/RP detriment. - This effect is amplified within their sanctuary, to no detriment/benefit. - Specters are incorporeal and cannot wear armor of any kind, nor wield weapons. - For purposes of combatting other spectres, specters exist in a “physical state” equivalent to whatever they had held in life - no greater than that of a human knight. - By comparison to Wights, Eidola, and Apparitions, when interacting physically with them, all regular Phantom types are notably physically weaker. - Specters receive no benefit from medicine, alchemical concoctions, etc. - Specters cannot become other creatures unless stated otherwise. - Specters are explicitly incompatible and unable to pick up all forms of magic or feats (voidal evo, alchemy, etc,) with the notable exception of Mysticism related augmentation, enchantments on items, and so forth. PHANTOM BEASTS “Without her, he was alone. She could not bear to leave her master unguarded, and thus, she remained.” Origin Born of circumstances similar to that which creates mortal Phantoms, beasts may find themselves held back from rest to continue wandering the land of the living, be it through sudden or violent death, or through a purpose they are yet unprepared to surrender. Spoiler - Phantom Beasts are intended as Event Creatures or companion animals, and may only be used for combat in Event circumstances, meaning these may not be used in regular combat by players. - A player seeking to have a Phantom Beast companion must have an in-game item signed by the LT describing it. Physical Description Akin to the descendant Phantoms which wander the realm, Phantom Beasts hold the same characteristics in terms of physical traits. These creatures are incorporeal as most phantom forms, having a wispy, translucent body along with a faint, though distinct glow. Unlike descendant spirits, animal Phantoms do not tend to vary much in terms of how they manage their demise, and take physical traits reflective of their state in life, rather than any particular reaction to death. Their colors and physical traits vary, more so than any other type of spirit, in ways entirely dependent upon their temperament. The ghost of a docile sheep would likely appear akin to a Specter, colored in cool, pastel shades with little to differentiate it from its physical appearance in life, whereas a man-eating bear of hostile demeanor would be more likely to represent themselves like a Poltergeist, in vibrant warm tones and perhaps unusually frightful in appearance. This is not to say that an animal that was docile in life may necessarily appear so in death, as it is quite possible that the trauma of such an event could create a broad shift in their perspective or temperament. It is rather simply, that a Phantom Beast’s form is based upon self-image and inherent nature, not anything more complex. Phantom Beasts cannot manifest physically, but may exert momentary physical presences in ways akin to Poltergeists, discussed further in the Abilities section below. Spoiler - Phantom Beasts are exclusively spectral. - The appearance of a Phantom Beast is determined only by their temperament and intention. A peaceful, docile creature may manifest akin to a Specter, whereas a predatory or aggressive animal could look rather like a Poltergeist. - Such creatures may not necessarily be the same in death as they were in life, as death itself is capable of turning even the most docile animal into a frightful creature, or the most aggressive beast into a fearful, timid one. Mental Description As touched on previously, Phantom Beasts are of simpler mind, predictably, than mortal Phantoms. In the vast majority of cases, particularly with simpler animals such as fish, insects, or reptiles, they will likely fail to comprehend any difference in their nature from when they were alive, and continue with what behaviours one might expect from a living specimen. The impact of death varies from animal to animal, and can at times be more severe than others, however. It is quite possible for the demise of such a more complex creature to leave it warped in one direction or another, allowing for some potentially strange entities to emerge; rabbits that seem to have gone rabid after death, deathly and fearsome like a poltergeist- though of comparatively miniscule threat. Or indeed, a wolf freed from its hunger and bereft of its pack, left as little more than a docile hound seeking purpose. However, Phantom Beasts gradually change with age- the older a one is, the more detached they become from what they once were, losing their instincts to hunt or take shelter, or engage in any behaviours no longer necessary in their current state. Sadly, some lose all distinction entirely, becoming little more than wisps, ill-defined entities possessed of a mind that has lost its purpose and direction. This is largely only prone to occuring to animals that are isolated by nature, and can be staved off by any manner of interaction with mortals or other creatures that reinforces what they are, or were. Notably, Phantom Beasts are still susceptible to Druidic Communion, and though they cannot be directed or controlled, can be communicated with or calmed, and even guided through their state of half-life into death proper. A Druid with vested interest may even restore the mind of a beast that has lost its way and become a so-called wisp, reuniting them with their nature. Spoiler - Phantom Beasts usually behave in a way equivalent to how they did in life, unaware of any change. They can, however, be warped by the event of their death into some rather strange and contradictory pairings of animal and temperament. - Over time left in isolation, Phantom Beasts may devolve into aimless wisps, losing their instinct and drive, left only as simple minds without direction or distinction. - Druids cannot control Phantom Beasts, as they are no longer tied directly with nature. However, Druids may use their communion to better understand these creatures and perhaps influence their passing on, granting them rest. Abilities Phantom Beasts are simpler in nature than other varieties of Phantom, and as such lack any complex suite of capabilities. Nonetheless, they possess a few inherent to their state and controlled simply by instinct and intent. Phantasmal Phantoms, due to their ghostly undead nature, have a variety of characteristics and traits that distinguish them from their living counterparts. Spoiler - Specters are incorporeal, appearing broadly as they did in life, with some variation dependent on temperament. Their bodies are translucent, though not completely invisible unless they use the Fade ability. They can float no more than a foot off the ground, and need not eat, drink, sleep, age, or breath. - Phantasmal is a passive ability. Beast Fade Phantom Beasts may rapidly fade out of the mortal realm and hide within the Elysian Wastes, becoming invisible to mortal eyes for a moderate period of time. Spoiler - Phantom Beasts may vanish from sight at a whim, usually in instances where they have been instructed to, or due to fear. It takes the spirit [1] emote to vanish and [1] emote to reappear. - Beast Fade is an activated ability. - True Sight or Vivification enables one to see faded Phantoms. Partial Corporeality Simply through intent, a Phantom Beast may become partially corporeal, allowing them to lash out at aggressors, hunt, or play. Spoiler - A Phantom Beast may turn individual parts of its body momentarily corporeal to interact with the world, using claws or teeth to attack, or a paw to bat and play, etc. - Partial Corporeality is an activated ability. - Offensive uses of this ability are Event Only. General Red Lines - Players possessing a Phantom Beast companion must have a corresponding in-game item signed by the LT with a suitable description of the creature. - Phantom Beasts can only serve as companions when their creature type is tameable or domesticated in life. - Phantom Beasts made from Event Creatures cannot be roleplayed by players. - Phantom Beasts may only be used offensively when roleplayed by ET for the purposes of an event. Players cannot have Phantom Beasts fight for them. APPARITIONS “In the aftermath of the massacre, amidst the rot and decay, something heinous began to take form...” Origin Apparitions are a variety of Phantom that is truly without equal. Though manifesting as individual entities, they are in reality more akin to a riot given terrific form, arising from circumstances of mass death; battlefields, great fires or floods, and places of sacrifice, to name a few. The minimum number of souls needed to facilitate the creation of an Apparition is twenty, but there is no known upper boundary on the number they may contain. For an Apparition to form naturally, these deaths must occur at nearly the same time, within one narrative day of each other. Spoiler - Apparitions are an Event Creature, and can only be played by a member of the Event Team during combat encounters. Physical Description Apparitions are ectoplasmic entities that dwarf the scope of any other Phantom, as within them lingers not one soul, but tens or hundreds. With such concentrations of ectoplasm, the substance’s usual limitations become somewhat irrelevant, allowing Apparitions to be as physical or as insubstantial as they desire at any given moment, able to mount physical assaults that can shred metal and topple stone, or sink into the ether and become untouchable to all but the arcane, light, fire and aurum. These beings are bound to the location in which they are formed, and may only leave it at night unless they are among the more potent of their kind. The appearance of Apparitions can in technicality vary wildly, but minds consumed by such chaos tend to adhere to relatively simplistic representations of their state. Comprised of blackened ectoplasm that may manifest akin to smog, sludge, or even flame, and with eyes often alight with a radiant crimson, Apparitions may represent themselves at the size of a man, or many times larger. It is not unheard of for some order to arise from the madness in their minds by sheer chance, and allow a form of differing entirely from this description, but it is rare; and if it does occur, one would be wise to take great caution indeed. An Apparition experiencing the illusion of sanity is a beast of almost unequaled threat. Their voices generally resound in an ill-aligned choir, but may appear more orderly if experiencing the aforementioned moment of sanity. The power of any particular Apparition depends upon the number of souls comprising them. One formed from a mere ten may pose a substantial threat, but could be bested by a group of well-prepared individuals. One amalgamated from dozens may require the collaboration of multiple groups to subdue, and one formed from hundreds could demand a nation’s best efforts to overcome. Spoiler - Apparitions can be both entirely corporeal or incorporeal at their own whim, and possess strength at minimum equivalent to an Olog, and may scale upwards depending upon factors such as potency, age, and sanity. - Apparitions are weak to kani, holy magics such as Paladanism or Clerical Magic, light, fire, and aurum. - Apparitions generally appear as beings composed of black ectoplasm with eyes often in shades of red, but are capable of taking any shape they desire if experiencing a fleeting moment of clarity. - Apparitions are bound to the location where they were created, and may only venture outside of it at night to cause trouble elsewhere. This limitation can be lessened based on factors covered in Abilities & Power, at ET discretion. - Apparitions at the very least will likely require a group of seven well-equipped individuals, though this can scale quite significantly depending on its other factors; up to the point of posing a substantial threat to entire cities. Mental Description The mind of an Apparition is an ineffable thing, an amalgam of many personalities all vying to exert their will over the titanic whole. Whilst Poltergeists are unstable and warped, an Apparition is a creature truly without any hint of sense. They cannot be reliably bargained with, and will only rarely even show an interest or capability for conversation. Insanity is without doubt the truest term to describe the state in which they exist. It is this flawed mind that serves as both an Apparition’s biggest weakness, and the factor that makes them so treacherous a foe. They are not creatures prone to schemes or complex plans, and act almost entirely out of instinct and impulse at any given moment, with no meaningful consistency. Methods of combat may switch without warning, they may become depressive or violent simply by the imperceptible shifting of internal balance. This means that combating an Apparition is an exercise in adaptability, requiring constant adjustment of tactic, and quick reactions. One must expect the unexpected, and avoid becoming too confident that they know what will happen next. Many adventurers have felt as if they’ve recognized a pattern, only for it to break and doom them for their folly. The only reliable trait of an Apparition is a pervasive negativity; they are not pleasant, kind, or reasonable in this basic state of chaos. At best they may become so dejected that they lose the will to defend themselves, and at worst they may become so violently enraged that they seek to destroy everything and everyone around them, perhaps even themselves. Self-preservation is as fleeting a whim as any other, to an Apparition. As with all things that are in essence random, there is always the chance, however slim, that some order will emerge amidst the chaos. It has been known for Apparitions to experience an illusion of sanity from time to time, adapting distinct personalities and behaviours that persist for anywhere from moments or decades. Even in this state however, it is important to remember that every spirit trapped within these beings is suffering, and any personality will at most simply be disguising that fact. They are not benevolent, though they may wear that facade to some other sinister end. It is in this state of temporary balance that an Apparition can be at its most dangerous, for in this illusion of sanity is found the means to plan, and to wield their powers with even greater expertise. An Apparition who is behaving as such is potentially a creature of threat exceeded only by greater dragons, as the combination of a functioning mind and such obscene power is truly monstrous. Spoiler - Apparitions are, above everything else, unpredictable. Their behaviours and actions are the result of a constant internal war between the souls composing them, and the balance of internal power can shift at a moment’s notice and result in a polar change of behaviour or action. - Apparitions are usually not calculated, they do not have complex motivations or schemes, and act only out of whatever emotions and compulsions possesses them at a given moment. These too are in constant flux. - Apparitions do not always self-preserve, and can be as dangerous to themselves as they are to others. They may fall into depression moments before a killing blow and allow it to land, or they may take actions to actively damage themselves. - Apparitions are rarely capable of experiencing bouts of sanity either through the whims of their souls aligning by chance, or through one presence within them rising to the forefront. These episodes can last mere seconds or years, but there is never any guarantee that they will be reliable. - Apparitions are never pleasant, kind or good, they are beings defined by turmoil and suffering. They may feign kindness to gain something they seek or lower defenses, but they do not empathize for the living and will never genuinely act in their best interests. Abilities & Power Apparitions are beings of immense power, putting to shame all abilities of both mortals and phantoms alike. These creatures have at their disposal numerous tricks, from conjuring short lived spirits of their own ectoplasm to swarm their opponents, to shapeshifting, to controlling a vast area of influence which permits them to do virtually anything they desire. An apparition’s power may be amplified primarily depending on the number of souls which comprise it, or which it consumes. Beings of near omnipotence have been the result of too many souls being forged into such abominations, such as the penultimate of all Apparitions known as the Living Synod, Mthyul Tlan, so potent as to be all but a deity. Others such as the dreadful Kalimbror have risen as well, a beast so formidable that it required the cooperation of multiple dark covens of various disciplines to subdue. In short, there are four qualities that influence the relative strength of an Apparition: Potency The number of souls which comprises an Apparition is the core of what determines their power, their rage and misery working in tandem to bolster the Apparition’s capability. All Apparitions are threats to be truly feared, but an Apparition wrought of a house fire and one arising from the field of a great and bloody battle are not equivalent. Age Over time, Apparitions naturally become more potent and threatening in nature, due to the gradual increase in cohesion between the spirits that comprise them. The longer they exist, the more ‘complete’ they become as an entity. Older Apparitions have a greater tendency towards the next factor. Sanity The core weakness of Apparitions is their inability to plan, scheme or behave tactically. As such, when an Apparition is in a temporary state of sanity, and this weakness is overcome, they are a vastly greater threat. What were once random, uncalculated acts of power, the lashing and flailing of a maddened thing, become measured and lethal expressions of tremendous influence. Area of Influence Within the area of their birth, Apparitions are far more powerful. They are aware of all that occurs within this space, and may be essentially omnipotent within it. This area cannot be expanded, but the more powerful an Apparition becomes the more freely they may venture out of it, and the less potency they lose in so doing. Purpose The purpose of this Lore is to bring back a large part of LOTC’s canon undead, that being Phantoms. While many characters find themselves unable to prolong their life through magical means, some players may want to prolong their character’s legacy nonetheless, making Phantoms an excellent method of achieving such. This lore also promotes more soul oriented roleplay by allowing more open interaction with the Elysian, creating opportunities for Mystics, religious, and other holy characters, as well as the Phantoms themselves. “I could go all day” ~ Zarsies Citations & Credits Kalehart - Lead Writer Sorcerio - Writer Zarsies - Background + Outline Dardonas - Consultation + Format Fury_Fire – ConsultationZidoax - Consultation Gallic - ConsultationVivification Ghosts Graven Currently shelved/unaccepted pieces referenced in this lore will be ignored until those pieces become accepted. If those pieces so desire they may have their references in this lore be removed upon acceptance. 95 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yaldabaoth 743 Share Posted March 25, 2020 I’m glad all the work Kale and Sorcerio have put into this piece has finally come to fruition, its a very cool piece that will definitely benefit the server as a whole upon implementation. +1 of course 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gallic 1051 Share Posted March 25, 2020 As a long-time poltergeist player, I greatly approve of most of this. Many of the things I don’t like I’ve been told are products of compromise with the lore team, such as the inability to be passively invisible to set a scene. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sorcerio 4594 Share Posted March 25, 2020 I would not stand to ghost such a spectacular piece of server lore... 11 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronin_champloo 5951 Share Posted March 26, 2020 I fk with everything, especially the format – Love it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maclunkey 453 Share Posted March 26, 2020 Very cool. Very cool +1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Latelle 719 Share Posted March 26, 2020 Read over it a couple times and I gotta say I love all of it, from the art used to the lore itself to how it is described. +1 from me! 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dard 726 Share Posted March 26, 2020 i pass on the torch +1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zacho 1736 Share Posted March 26, 2020 Well written lore piece! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Child Neglecter 2134 Share Posted March 26, 2020 good ****. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gamma 588 Share Posted March 26, 2020 ghost go boo 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeoRabbit99 360 Share Posted March 26, 2020 (edited) about time +1 Edited March 26, 2020 by LeoRabbit99 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Sug 2554 Share Posted March 30, 2020 A very spooky +1 from me 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BonesOfTheEarth 1563 Share Posted March 30, 2020 Bro everyone loves your formatting but I do the same **** for the paladins and I’m a monster????? +1 good **** 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nozgoth 2897 Share Posted April 5, 2020 So awesome! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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