PSL Mythos ~ of Wraiths and Vessels

Wraiths are twisted, damaged souls still bound to the mortal plane. Though their forms vary greatly, they have certain properties in common:

* Like all undead, they have to syphon energy from the living to sustain themselves; for wraiths this is most commonly emotional energy, as befits their Ethereal nature.

* Their binding acts as a tether, allowing them to resist the pull into the Void; without it they, like most phantoms, will be sucked into the Void Prison between the Astral and Ethereal Planes.

* As with all undead, they are weakened by the light cycle and any Astrally open spaces - places the Void can reach. They are strengthened by the dark cycle and by ambient Ethereal/Emotional energies. They find the darker emotions more palatable; emotions such as fear, hatred, and despair. Though they can feed on positive emotions to survive, it weakens their resolve and pacifies them.

* They tend to seek Astral shelter, shielding themselves inside buildings and deep underground. The barrier doesn't have to be physical, but it does need to form a logical separation from the outside world. The benefit of such habitats are twofold, a direct break from the strong winds that pull lost soul into the void and shade from the Light of Dawn.

* A Wraith is a spirit that has not accepted its own death, and has refused to move on. They must have latched onto something in the world and either evaded paying their Karmic Debts, or had enough strength/energy left over to hold themselves here.

* A likely source of both the unrest and massive residual karma is a lifetime of black deeds. A Waith will often be the soul of a mercenary or warlord who slaughtered unarmed civilians; waiths can grow stronger by continuing said deeds, eventually becoming powerful enough to roam the world openly, even during daylight.

* Given a lack of a functional bio-layer, all Wraiths must interact Astrally or Ethereally with the Mortal World. As such, they almost universally manifest the following abilities:

~ Aura Sense (Ethereal) - this allows them to see living beings and is used to hunt

~ Limited Telekinesis (Astral) - allowing them to touch and grasp, and in the case of physical wraiths this ability allows them to be animate.

~ Energy Syphon (Ethereal) - an ability possessed by most undead and demons, allowing them to feed on living souls.

~ Limited Telepathy (Astral) - stronger Wraiths may have the ability to assult or even dominate the minds of the living, this ability is sometimes refered to as Psychic Scream.

* Common vessels/bodies for wraiths include: bones, armor, robes and other clothing, prized treasures, and occasionally they are strong enough to bind to living creatures and buildings. Wraiths are classified according to their vessel:

~ Eldar Wraiths - also known as Bone Wraiths, these are typically bound to their own skelleton, but can be bound with any compatible host.

~ Incorporial Wraiths - commonly refered to as Ghosts, are usually bound to a structure or prized object. Whatever the place or item may be, it must be of great significance and connection to their life. For his reason places or residence, labor, and death are common haunts; items are frequently treasure/jewelry, weapons or clothing.

~ Artifact Wraiths - known also as Golems, are bound to statues, suits of armor, vehicles, and other machines. Their animation is generally limited by their form, but Astrally designed motion functions as well as Physically engineered motion. (Thus statues, patterened after living creatures, can move the same as the creatures represented. While a desk-fan, even if possessed by a Wraith, can only twist and spin... evilly.)

~ Flesh Wraiths - typically refered to as Zombies, Flesh Wraiths are most often reanimated corpses, though on occassion a living vessel can be used. Living vessels are usually simple creatures or persons of weak will, as the two spirits would have to fight for control of the body.

* Wraiths can be created artifically. Complex spells are essentially simple souls, as such it is possible to magically imbue a vessel to behave as a Wraith. This would most often be done to curse an item or tomb, or create sentinels to guard a keep.

* A strong enough Wraith can even jump from vessel to vessel, host to host among the living to work its will. To maintain such a high energy state, it would have to commit near constant atrocities... or find another source of energy on which to sustain.