Malice

AKA: negative energy The great enemy of all that is good.
Anger. Hatred. Fear. Pain. Some of the most powerful emotions and sensations that can be experienced by living creatures.
When a sentient being, (a being with a soul) experiences powerful emotions or sensations, their soul projects that energy into the astral plane, where it collects. Positive emotions and sensations become positive energy, negative emotions and sensations become negative energy. The negative energy that has collected within the astral plane is known as malice. People who harbor negative beliefs thoughts and emotions will radiate malice. While malice on its own is harmless, it is also influenced by the imaginations of those who are experiencing negative emotions intensely, and it can manifest into sentient beings with their own will within the astral plane. When high amounts of malice collect within an area of the astral plane, bad things happen. The Circle of The One has outlawed torture as a form of interrogation, since the pain experienced will contribute negative energy to the collective malice.
Demonic entities from the astral plane are attracted to malice and will use it both as a fuel to sustain an Astral Storm and as a point of entry to create an Astral Storm, since the barrier between the physical and astral plane is weak in these areas.
Malice will not go away on its own, but there are two ways it can be removed:

1. Cancel it out with Harmony
2. Consumed by Demon as fuel during Astral Storm

Manifestation

When a sentient being experiences negative emotions or sensations, it gets projected into the astral plane and collects into a form of energy known as malice. Malice on its own doesn't take a physical form, but high amounts of it can be sensed by those who are sensitive to forces within the astral plane.

Localization

Since locations within the astral plane correspond to physical locations in the real world, high amounts of malice often remain local to an area. These areas are referred to as being "cursed", or "haunted". Cursed areas typically feel "off" to sentient beings, and also have lower temperatures. These areas aren't dangerous on their own. A person with no negative thoughts or emotions has nothing to fear, since the malice won't be affected by their imagination. The main danger of these areas is that they are potential entry points for demonic entities on the astral plane, where an Astral Storm can form.

Type

Metaphysical, Astral