Spirits of the Dead

In civilised regions of Riiga, ghosts are taken seriously but also rarely spoken of. They are generally regarded as metaphysical or evanescent beings pertaining to Garukavar. They are often said to be the souls or spirits of people, stolen by Garukavar and practically transformed into monsters. They are almost always connected to some sort of story about a person once living and are often unique. It's believed that Nikina does not have any ghosts, possibly because it is not a good thing to exploit or otherwise use the souls of people. If Nikina requires the use of such a being, a shimteak is often used instead. Also, where sightings of shimteak are often clear and recorded, ghost sightings are more numerous, less clear, and more mysterious. Ghost sightings generally involve said spirits attempting to harm, frighten, or otherwise unsettle particular people.

As it's believed that Garukavar promotes the spirit of a deceased person for his own use, it has been observed what the generic uses are. They almost always appear to be under the guidance of Yasrantia, and as such, are used to either warn people of an approaching death -- or, unfortunately, to do the actual killing. They are strongly associated with shadow magic. The most common factors of ghosts are:

• They leave no trace of physically being there unless they intend to
• They are intelligent
• They are shy and evasive
• If provoked, they either react violently or disappear
• They cannot be physically interacted with unless they wish it
• They greatly fear Nikina's sacred four names if spoken aloud
• They thrive on focus and attention and sometimes seem to convert it to energy
• They prefer to avoid silver as it seems to hurt, but they can pass through it
• They cannot pass through gold, but make no effort to avoid it as it doesn't hurt

The Order of Dualkedor lists such types of ghosts as follows, in order of least dangerous to the most dangerous, as well as what the Order of Dualkedor says:

Trick ghosts - Gebirem
Description: The most common type of ghost is the trick ghost, so called, because in retrospect, the situation often seems like a joke that someone might play on an unsuspecting bystander. They do not approach people, will disappear if approached, and are always silent.

Appearance: Trick ghosts are usually very quick, vague, and subtle, and disappear entirely once they have frightened their target. Sometimes they appear as solid as a real person might, but vanish from sight and leave no trace. Other times, they are less opaque.

Dualkedor: As these ghosts cannot be caught by surprise, the best way to deal with them is to confront them; they cannot harm you directly and serve only to distract, frighten, and upset you. If confronted, spoken to, or ignored, they will harmlessly disappear. Be careful because many have stumbled and injured themselves when trying to scare away a trick ghost. They want you to lose your focus.

Star ghosts - Boremich
Description: As the name implies, star ghosts appear specifically as lights. Though they often simply vanish once leading the victims deep into a forest, there is often great potential for danger; they often lead people near a pack of wolves or a bear, as though hoping nature will do the hard work for them.

Appearance: The most common sightings involve distant lights being spotted in densely wooded areas at night, but upon nearing, they move further away until the victims become lost. They flicker like lanterns and never seem to be close enough to inspect clearly.

Dualkedor: Never follow a light in the woods that does not respond. Call out to it, and if you hear nothing, ignore it. If it appears to move too quickly to be a human moving through the woods, ignore it. It will try to follow you, but do not let it steal your focus. They do not appear to respond to aggressiveness, ie. thrown stones, and are always warm orange like the light of a lantern.

Coal ghosts - Gardemahk
Description: Coal ghosts are tricky, evasive, and quick ghosts mostly for intimidation. They are very uncomfortable to be around and will often come to rest in a shadow where they can watch without being seen. They are felt as a sudden chill and, in some cases, can knock a person unconscious by passing through them. They rarely go without being noticed, and can often serve to distract people and scare them.

Appearance: They are often seen out of the corner of one's eye and are always moving unless hiding in solid shadow. They look like a natural shadow, only they clearly shouldn't be there, and often startle people. Sometimes they are very long and large -- as big as a person. Usually, though, they are no bigger than an arm.

Dualkedor: As coal ghosts are so fast and tricky, they are difficult to counter. They are almost always found indoors or at night, where they are shadows to hide in. Clearly, shining lights on the thickest shadows often scares them away. The more blue/white the light (such as the sun or light magic), the better the effect. They are not so troubled by the subtle warm light of fires.

Explosive ghosts - Doremahk
Description: Explosive ghosts are the kind which make their presence known by moving objects. When something is moved, it is usually a small object and it is not moved very far, ie: a chair being dragged across a floor. It is also often explosive and not subtle. Sometimes, the item is damaged merely by it being moved. Many have tried to imitate such ghosts using wind magic, but it always takes too long to prepare and is nowhere near as explosive by comparison; explosive ghosts seem to have an abundance of energy, possibly due to being completely invisible. They are indifferent to the time of day.

Appearance: They cannot be seen and are sometimes felt as a peculiar cold spot. But if they do not want to be felt or seen, then they are entirely undetectable.

Dualkedor: These kinds, of course, are dangerous, violent, and personal. They often select and target one person possibly chosen by Yasrantia and will torment this person until they move somewhere else. As they do not seem capable of leaving a particular area, moving away is usually the best course of action. They rarely destroy items senselessly, so it's not likely that they will trash a home which is left alone. They should not be provoked.

Air ghosts - Angmahk
Description: Air ghosts are a more varied kind of ghost; they can make something hotter or colder. Connections have been made with several types of magic and also with jaratk when explanations are attempted, but cases involving environmental ghosts are generally whenever nobody else is present capable of casting such magic. Sometimes something can be made so hot that it bursts into flame. Other times, so cold that it freezes. Often, they appear to intend to harm people, and often act more violently if provoked.

Appearance: They are rarely spotted, but when they are, they often appear to be mere vague humanoid apparitions which vanish very quickly. However, they are more complex in their ability.

Dualkedor: These are more dangerous than the previous two types of ghosts, because they usually aim to harm people. Travel appears difficult for them; the best way to respond is often to get out of the area immediately. They are often fond of particular buildings or locations and are often not satisfied unless the place is left alone or until they have taken a life. In this way they are like explosive ghosts, but they do not seem to target individual people. Unlike the previous types of ghosts, they do not mind the company of other ghosts, and have been known to swarm in groups.

Mimic ghosts - Genwar
Description: More mysterious again, mimic ghosts are more interactive, intelligent, and malicious. They appear to a person, often alone, in the form of someone the victim recognises. They have been known to have full conversations, but if anything is mentioned of why they are there, they appear surprised and then vanish into thin air. They normally persuade the victim to do something; hurt or kill a person, destroy something, move something, or end their own life. Sometimes, but not often, they have been known to do the same thing, only through a person's dream. Again, if questioned, they will vanish and the person often wakes up.

Appearance: They can appear as people either alive or dead for any amount of years, but never as anybody not yet born. They generally appear as someone the victim knows, so that they may be convincing. There is no discernible way to recognise whether a person is a mimic ghost or not except through knowledge and logic: are they supposed to be here? Are they supposed to be dead? They are not believed to have any non-mimic form and seem to have no other tactics.

Dualkedor: As mentioned, if questioned about either their death (if they appear as somebody who has died) or about their peculiar presence (if, to your knowledge, they are meant to be somewhere else), they will harmlessly vanish, as their disguise has been shattered. They often do not appear before the same person again. This is the best tactic. The victim should always use their own sense. If the situation seems peculiar, question it aloud and see their response. If another person sees them, the ghost disappears. If attacked, they often send a person unconscious and then vanish.

White ghosts - Vastmahk
Description: White ghosts are actually white, and often appear as vivid and frightening apparitions which, when spotted, fly towards the perpetrator at terrifying speeds. On colliding with a person, the human is sent into an immediate deep sleep, and will awake after a period of time, usually between a day and, in some cases, a week or two. On awakening, the person often experiences the permanent loss of a sense (sight, touch, smell, taste, or hearing), and are very cold. In some cases, the sense is restored, with or without aid from a qualified priest. They often prefer to live in dark areas with dense walls of foliage or stone, such as a forest or a large house. Sometimes, they can be approached seemingly without detecting a person, but once they sense someone is there, they will attack in their usual manner unless scared away. Sometimes, white ghosts can send whispers through the air which can be heard from some distance.

Appearance: In comparison with death ghosts, vastmahk appear ghostly white, glowing brightly at night but barely illuminating the things around them. They often seem to have long, flowing hair, equally flowing robes, and faces void of significant detail. They wail like stormy winds and glide very quickly across the floor, unperturbed by any minor obstacles in their path. Though they rarely approach other ghosts, they do not mind occupying the same building as other white ghosts; they will simply avoid getting too near to one another.

Dualkedor: If you come across a person lying on the ground and they feel stone cold but clearly have a pulse, then they have been attacked by a vastmahk. Care should be taken not to move the body, as this often results in a worsened state upon awakening. Instead, cover the body with warm rugs, support the head with cushions and pillows, and stay near the body to ensure the ghost doesn't return. As white ghosts are so violent and fast, it is hard to counter them, but they can be taken by surprise as well. The best way to drive them away is to shout as loud as you can. It doesn't matter what you shout, but the closer it is in any way to Nikina, the stronger the effect. At this, they often falter, and more shouting often causes them to turn away and vanish.

Death ghosts - Ramahk
Description: The most dangerous kind of ghost. Death ghosts are essentially masters of shadow magic and they use it to do Yasrantia's bidding. They are capable of distorting the mind and can make somebody fall ill, lose their senses, hear sounds or voices, feel emotions like fear or loneliness, and can also inflict otherwordly wounds upon victims. They have been known to cause burns or rashes on the skin, despite what the victim is wearing, and, like environmental ghosts, can set things alite or freeze things. They only appear at night. It is rare that they become attached to a building or place, but it isn't unheard of, either.

Appearance: By hearing the description of a death ghost, one would barely feel afraid, but seeing them with one's own eyes is an entirely different manner, for many who claim to have laid eyes on such forms often feel terribly cold and overcome with fear, shiver violently, or faint. There have even been events where it's believed people have died by spotting a death ghost. They always appear completely dark, often larger than a person, yet humanoid in appearance. Though their forms are vague and move quickly, they are usually seen clad in outfits ranging from full armour, to dresses (in the case of women kinds), to not being clothed at all.

Dualkedor: If a death ghost wants you to die then nothing will stop them unless you're in the right place at the right time. Anything containing silver should be held up between you and the ghost immediately. Contact should be made between your flesh and the silver itself. Do not look at the ghost, but rather at your hand(s) holding the object, so that you can keep track of where it is but also avoid laying eyes on it directly. If it is near to you or appears to be trying to harm you at that moment, hold gold in the same manner. If possible, hold both at once. If a light mage is present, the area should be illuminated as much as is possible, as the white light drives them away. Any light coming from flames should be extinguished, as they are drawn to fire. They should never be provoked in any way; you must remain observant and passive. Speak loudly the four names of Nikina in the right order. Tell it that you aren't afraid. If you are blessed, you will survive.