Wraith

Wraiths of Grizburg

 

Appearance

Wraiths in Grizburg manifest as ragged shadows bound in soul-chains, their faces nothing but burning skull-light. Their incorporeal bodies trail into smoke, and their claws tear heat and life with every touch. They glow with faint green and violet hues, like lanterns of malice drifting through the city’s alleys.   ---

Origins

Most wraiths are birthed from violent deaths: murdered workers, betrayed lovers, executed rebels. Yet in Grizburg, their making is worsened by the Depths. Zothra-Khaar’s ichor gnaws at the city’s dead, peeling spirits loose from bodies and forging them into wraiths—eternal echoes of suffering that will not rest.   ---  

Habitat

They drift through the Whispering Depths, patrol alleys in Rustwater, and stalk the forgotten vaults of the Barons. When the smog is thick, they sometimes rise to the surface, floating above streets in eerie silence. Old shrines and collapsed cathedrals are their favored nests, where the air itself carries whispers of pain.   ---  

Ecology

Though they require no sustenance, wraiths hunger endlessly. They consume life itself, draining vitality with every strike. They raise specters from fresh corpses, binding them into their thralls. Thus, a single wraith can spiral into a host of shadow-slaves, spreading like infection through a city block until entire streets are empty of breath.   ---  

Behavior

They drift with the wind, passing through walls and floors as if the city were mist. At times they linger near graveyards, alley shrines, or even children’s beds, watching in silence. Their voices seep into the minds of those nearby, whispers that sound like lost kin or forgotten promises. The bravest claim you can bargain with them, but all such pacts end in ash.   ---  

The Whispering Depths Connection

Wraiths are believed to be the Depths’ most common emissaries, each one carrying a shard of Zothra-Khaar’s anguish. Their presence strengthens cult rituals, and cultists often follow them in silent procession. It is said the Hierophant’s chains are forged from wraith-spirits, bound and fused to amplify its sermons of death.   ---  

Use by Factions

Rust Barons sometimes bind wraiths to their vaults, though the practice is suicidal—most handlers vanish within a season. Cults worship them openly, feeding prisoners to their hunger in exchange for prophetic whispers. Even gangs on the streets weaponize rumors of wraiths, spreading fear to drive rivals out of their turf.   ---  

Cultural Role

Among the poor, wraiths are called “Cold Lanterns.” Mothers warn children never to follow strange lights in fog. Miners keep shards of iron in their pockets, muttering charms against soul-drain. Entire neighborhoods have been abandoned after one too many folk vanished into the glow of a passing wraith.   ---  

Legends

The Ashbound Choir is said to be a procession of dozens of wraiths drifting through the Depths in perfect silence. Witnesses swear they saw their own faces in the glow of its skulls. Another tale tells of the Grave-Lantern Wraith, which hovers at crossroads, luring travelers into alleys where none return.   ---  

Threats to the City

Wraith infestations spread quickly. Their ability to raise specters turns one haunting into many. They slip through walls, spreading from house to house, unseen until too late. Should one anchor itself in a district, it may take entire companies of hunters to drive it back into the Depths.   ---  

Behavioral Oddities

Some wraiths fixate on single families, haunting generations until a bloodline withers away. Others hover endlessly above collapsed shrines, moaning in liturgical tones. The strangest carve words into frost or soot as they pass, leaving messages only the mad can read.   ---  

Adventuring Hooks

• A string of missing children is linked to a wraith prowling alleys at night. • A Rust Baron’s vault guardian has broken loose, spreading specters across Rustwater. • Cultists claim a wraith’s whispers foretell Zothra-Khaar’s return, guarding it like a prophet. • An Ashbound Choir marches toward the surface, threatening an entire district.   ---  

Closing Words

Wraiths in Grizburg are more than undead—they are the city’s memory of every betrayal, every violent death, and every promise broken. To see one is to stand in the glow of hatred eternal. See full stats on D&D Beyond