Ghosts

Ghosts are a category metaphysical entity that shares many similarities to a spirit. They are the soul or what remains of the soul of an individual who has died. Ghosts can be a controversial subject. They aren't supposed to exist, and many see them as a clear sign that reality is falling apart.
When a person dies their soul leaves the physical realm, and enters a state of limbo between the physical and metaphysical. Any number of things can happen during this time, but at some point the soul will inevitably be sorted out and sent to wherever it's proper destination in the metaphysical realm happens to be. The after life is a complex, bureaucratic nightmare. When the gods were still around, those associated with the domain of death often complained anytime a war began. They lament at, what they referred to as, spiritual paperwork involved in the process.

The Veil

This realm of limbo is referred to as The Veil and is an extension of the domain of death. It is presided over by spirits and minor celestial entities. With souls coming back to the land of the living, It is believed that the veil has been abandoned. With no gods to command them, the entities if the veil cannot do their job, and the souls have nowhere else to go. On the other hand goes to have appeared even when the gods were around. The soul can enter the veil and refuse to be sorted into an appropriate afterlife. Doing so since them back to the land of the living almost permanently. Regardless of the reasoning, the increasing number of ghosts that appear in the world have caused great concern among metaphysical scholars, and furthers the belief that the gods have abandoned reality to its fate.

Exorcisms

A ghost cannot be destroyed, regardless of what kind of ghost they are. A ghost will exist until it becomes an echo and will continue to exist as an echo unless it is exorcised. An exorcism can be any number of things. Almost every culture has a method of exorcism and the shamans make a living from it. Exorcisms can also happen without the need for ritual through the use of various Arcane methods. Arcane items can be enchanted to exorcise ghosts and spirits, various genres of magic have spells that do the same, in fact almost all forms of Arcane practitioners have their methods.

Anchors

Sometimes a sentient ghost does not need to be exorcised. Many ghosts have found a loophole around their own deterioration. They can attach themselves to an anchor that buys them to physical reality in their current state. This anchor is usually something that they owned in life or something that was precious to them during their life.

This tactic can be just as easily done by a geist or a specter. This makes them even more dangerous as attempting to exercise them will simply send them back to their anchor where they reform and begin their reign of terror once more. In order to successfully eliminate a ghost that has an anchor, one must destroy the anchor first.

Types

Ghosts can be any combination of the following things:

• They can be the conscious soul of someone who has died.
• They can be an echo of sorts, a manifestation of events or people during moments of extreme emotion.
• They can be fragmented pieces of what's left when the soul departs the physical realm.

by dani-owergoor

Sentients:

Some ghosts are conscious and able to communicate with those in the physical world. They know they are dead and are aware if their position, but the longer they remain, the more lost they become. As time goes on they begin to deteriorate I to fragments, inevitably becoming echoes or specters. They often seek out exorcists to send them on to the afterlife. They usually appear as ghostly versions of the beings they once were/

Echoes

An echo is not aware of its position. In fact, echoes are not aware at all. They adapt to their surroundings and live out constant dramas if what memories they have left. They can be both kind or hostile, and can appear anywhere at any time randomly. It's important to remember that echoes are not singular entities. They are a phenomenon. An echo can take any form from a single person to an entire building. Sometimes its obvious that the phenomenon is metaphysical in nature but the oldest echoes look as real as anything else in the physical world.

by aeflus

by moocheeser

Geists

A geist is an echo with a purpose. It retains it qualities from life and is often the most violent form a ghost can take. They know they are deteriorating into a proper echo, and have no desire to lose what they have left. Geists can manipulate the physical world, even possessing objects and people to prolong their existence and keep away deterioration. Geists can take on many forms, but they are usually invisible, only forming when in possession of great power.

Specters

A specter is a fragment of a soul. It is the weakest form of ghost and easily dispelled, barely holding on to existence. They wander constantly, never stopping unless provoked or see something to be desired. They can be hostile but most have lost the ability to directly interfere with the physical. They appear and disappear from reality at random intervals. They rarely register the existence of the living, often being more of a quick scare than an actual threat. Like the Geist, the specter can take many forms, but these forms are often horrific and twisted in comparison.

by seb mckinnon