Drowned Wraith

The Drowned Wraith is a spectral horror that haunts the treacherous marshes and murky waters of the Kargathian Wetlands, feared by orcs and travelers alike. Born from the restless souls of those who have met their untimely end beneath the dark waters—typically through violence, betrayal, or sheer misfortune—these malevolent spirits are condemned to roam the wetlands, seeking vengeance and release from their watery graves. Drawn to drowned bodies, especially those of orcs, these spirits possess the corpses and reanimate them, bending them to their will.
Physical Appearance
Once a corpse is possessed, it becomes a Drowned Wraith, a grotesque blend of decayed flesh and malevolent spirit. The reanimated bodies of these drowned victims are bloated and waterlogged, their skin sickly green or gray, slick with swamp muck, and pocked with waterlogged wounds. Limbs are often twisted or broken from the victim’s last moments, giving the creature a lurching, uneven gait as it moves through the wetlands. 
The most disturbing feature of the Drowned Wraith, however, is its face. Hollow, empty eye sockets leak a slow stream of brackish water, as if the creature is forever weeping from its suffocating death. When it opens its mouth, it emits a low, mournful wail, the echo of its own drowning screams, which chills the blood of any who hear it. Wisps of pale blue or sickly green light—the spectral energy of the wraith itself—can sometimes be seen pulsing beneath the skin or leaking from open wounds, especially in darkness.
Abilities and Behavior
The Drowned Wraith has no memory of its life, but it retains a deep, consuming hatred for the living. Once it possesses a body, the wraith uses it to seek out and attack any creature that dares enter its territory. It is a relentless predator, attacking with a disturbing fury and strength that belies the bloated, sluggish corpse it inhabits. 
Drowned Wraiths have a supernatural ability to sense the life essence of the living and are drawn toward it, often lying submerged in shallow water or mud, waiting for unwitting prey to pass by. When it strikes, it erupts from the water in a sudden, jerking motion, its cold, clammy fingers clawing at its victim with surprising speed. Their touch can drain warmth and vitality, leaving the living feeling sluggish and weak, as if a part of their own life force has been stolen.
Though Drowned Wraiths are mostly limited to physical attacks, they possess a fearsome ability known as the Drowning Gaze. By locking eyes with a victim, the wraith can project visions of its own final moments of drowning. The target, overcome by visions of suffocation, may find themselves gasping for air and becoming paralyzed in terror, leaving them vulnerable to the wraith’s attacks. 
Weaknesses and Reputation Among Locals
Fire and salt are the wraith’s greatest weaknesses, as both can break the bond between spirit and corpse, severing the Drowned Wraith from its reanimated body. Orcs of the Kargathian Wetlands, well aware of this, sometimes carry small bags of salt or torches to protect themselves. Once the Drowned Wraith is exorcised from its body, the corpse collapses, and the spirit dissipates back into the swamp, though it may reappear later if another drowned body is nearby.
Orcs who live in the Kargathian Wetlands speak of the Drowned Wraiths with a mixture of fear and anger. Many of them believe that the creatures are restless spirits of ancestors who perished in battle or were dishonorably slain and left unburied. Some tribes leave offerings by water’s edge in an attempt to appease the spirits, hoping to grant them rest and prevent them from returning. Others consider the presence of the Drowned Wraiths a curse on their lands, a foul punishment from forgotten gods.
Conclusion
The Drowned Wraith is a manifestation of pain, vengeance, and despair—a creature of dark intent fueled by the unresolved anger of the drowned. In the shadowed waters of the Kargathian Wetlands, where even the bravest fear to tread, these undead horrors are a constant, lurking threat, forever waiting in silence until the next unfortunate soul wanders too close to the water’s edge.