By Dr. Helen O'Brien

[Races Main] [General Races] [Elves] [Nymphs] [Elementals] [Spirits] [Ethereality] [Vampires] [Undead] [Fairies] [Werefolk] [Trolls & Goblins] [Angels] [Demons] [Golems]

Ghosts and haunts are part of ethereality. Contrary to popular belief, they are not always spirits of the dead come back to haunt the living. Some are entire races, others are a little bit of both. They are separated into several primary types. Phantoms in general cannot be controlled or summoned by mortals, but with certain races, they can be manipulated. For a more in-depth look at these creatures, read a book called "Ghostbusting: How and When to." Here are some types of ethereal creatures.
Any species with no asterisk next to its name is based on traditional myth or folklore.
* These species have been created in books or movies etc or by people outside of Lan Mesinsure.
** These species were created for the Atlantis series by Lan Mesinsure staff.

Ghosts: The most famed ethereal creature is the ghost. They are also the most generic. Ghosts are usually single essences of dead people who haunt the place they died at. They appear as usually ghostly pale and translucent images of their living selves. They have the ability to change forms, or cause mortals to hallucinate. However, they have no real power. Ghosts are not always malevolent, but not always benevolent either. They are unpredictable, but attack with illusion and fear. Any damage inflicted on their victims is usually inflicted by the victim himself.

Apparitions: Apparitions are also the spirits of the dead. However, they appear exactly as they did when they were alive. They also usually haunt the place where they died. Most of the time, when they do appear, they died by suicide or murder. They can manifest the mortal realm and become as solid as any mortal, but can vanish in the blink of an eye. Apparitions can change form, and do so often. Their goal, when haunting, is usually to drive their victims to the same death they endured. Thusly, they usually haunt groups of people. This is not to say that one should try being alone, as they sometimes take individual approaches as well.

Poltergeists: A Poltergeist is not a spirit of the dead. It haunts, instead, by throwing things around and abducting children. It is a more dangerous type of ethereal spirit, as it can inflict damage and injury, and usually does. Their origins and motives are unknown, but they are almost always out to scare.

Haunts: These are creatures who haunt a single building, usually. Haunts sometimes cause the house itself to attack the inhabitants. Haunts are extremely dangerous creatures, and usually kill their victims rather than just scare them. Haunts themselves are shapeless entities. They thrive on the destruction of mortals, and attack with surreal attacks, possessing people, distorting mirrors, or moving objects about on command.

Wraiths: Wraiths usually dwell in forests or large cathedrals and monasteries. They are large glowing spirits who move about in a surreal fashion. Their haunting habits are short-lived, and they are restricted to their territory. They cannot cause bodily harm, but instead steal the auras of their victims.

Lichs: Lichs are skeletal, ragged spirits who haunt crypts, graveyards, or catacombs. Usually they have no power to inflict direct injury, but their habit of appearing before mortals and screaming have had an ill effect. Being scared to death is no longer just an expression. It is believed that they have no ties to the dead; they're not the souls of mortals. However, their uncanny draw to places of death is probably not a coincidence.

Purgatorians (Lost Souls): Purgatorians are souls of the dead who, for reasons unknown, will remain on the mortal plane. Although they can go through solid objects, the effect on living creatures when they do is ill at best, and usually means instant death. Resembling merely balls of light with eerie tendrils going in several directions, Lost Souls are to be avoided. However, sometimes once someone accomplishes something, the Purgatorian will warp back into wherever it's supposed to go. Sometimes it's as simple as reuniting them with their corpse or grave.

* Signum: Closely related to Haunts, Signum instead use their haunting powers in forested areas, imbuing plants with the power to attack their victims. Usually found in dead areas, rather than living plant lands, the Signum find ecstasy in the fear and anguish of their victims, and hunger for more.

Spectres: Spectres are dead creatures are linked to an occurrence, and are still partially on the mortal plane. Usually, they are entirely visible, or cause a ripple effect for visuals. They can pass through objects and people, but can still speak. Spectres usually try and prompt people to discover their body or find out how they died. Spectres are usually harmless, but can quite easily drive people insane.

Egyptian Afterlives: This has become the term to describe the three creatures of Egyptian legend which represent kings and great men when they die. The reason the tombs of Egypt became so elaborate was to suit these creatures when they were released. However, unlike Egyptian myth stipulation, only one of the following creatures will metamorph from a dead soul, not all three, depending on the spells and enchantments cast.

Ka: The Ka is simply a ghost-like spirit. This will be simply a presence, unperceivable by mortal vision, and will have no way of manipulating the environment around them. However, the Ka was usually bound to the tomb in which its body lays, and so astral screams of anguish aren't uncommon when they're involved.

Ba: The Ba is a spiritual bird. It became the most popular of the three, as it could leave the tomb as it wished. Usually there was a perch for the Ba to rest on within the tomb. The Ba could interact with the physical plane in audio forms, but rarely did.

Akh: The Akh is also simply a spiritual entity, but resembles an apparition of the dead. Also, they depend on food for sustenance, and will eat what food is left in the tomb. Although they can leave the tomb, all other food is untouchable to them. When the food runs out, they will pass on to higher planes.

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