Ghosts

Ghosts are the souls of the dead that were not collected by reapers and have become stranded in the spectral realm. They are the forgotten and the unclaimed — beings who slipped through the cracks between life and death.

Origins

When death proceeds as intended, a reaper arrives to guide the soul into the afterlife. However, in certain cases, a soul may leave the body through trauma, force, or premature separation — either by will or by external interference. If that soul is unable to return to its body and is not collected, it becomes a ghost.

Unlike wraiths, ghosts are not necessarily corrupted or violent. Most retain their identity and memories, and while some are confused or sorrowful, others remain coherent and capable of reason. They are not at peace, but they are not lost to madness.

Nature and Appearance

Ghosts exist fully in the spectral realm. From that plane, they can observe the living world without being seen. They can pass through walls, travel unseen, and linger in familiar places or near people they knew in life.
Their visibility and ability to interact with the physical realm are limited by their magical strength in life. Most ghosts can do little more than stir air or flicker candlelight. Only those who were powerful mages, or those who died during moments of extreme magical exertion, can affect the world in meaningful ways.
Still, their memories and personality fade over time, leaving them confused, doomed to wander around forever.

Individuals with the Sight, a rare magical gift, can see ghosts clearly, and even converse with them if the ghost is willing. To them, ghosts appear as faint, blue-tinted figures, partially transparent, often mistaken for real people from a distance.

Fate and Interventions

Ghosts are not meant to linger. There are several potential outcomes for them:

Return to the Body: If the body is still alive, it is sometimes possible to restore the ghost to life. Most of the time, it will already be too late, though.
Aided Passage: Necromancers can send a ghost to the land of the dead, doing the job the reaper failed to do. This isn't foolproof, though, and doesn't always work. It also won't work for tainted or corrupted souls.
Reaper Retrieval: If a reaper can be summoned, something that only very skilled mages are capable of, they will still guide the ghost to its rightful end. This is a much safer method, and once in possession of a reaper, it is guaranteed to be a success.
Spiritual Binding: Some ghosts are bound into objects, locations, or wards by magical users. This halts their decay but prevents passage entirely. It is not possible to do this to an unwilling ghost.

Predation and Corruption

Ghosts are vulnerable in the spectral realm. Many of the Ynue will pounce on the opportunity to kidnap a lost soul, which they then use for their vile purposes, reshaping them into tools, corrupting them, and turning them into monsters or slaves to their will.

These ghosts are seldom seen again. If they are, they return broken, hostile, or transformed beyond recognition.