Ghosts are the lingering souls of dead Divided. In particularly violent or early deaths, the soul can sometimes refuse to pass on to the afterlife. In such cases, it will attach it to something that was precious to it in life, such as a treasured possession or in very rare cases someone they were very close to.
These souls, unbound by a physical body, are able to draw huge quantities of spirit to themselves and use much of it to manifest a form and interact with the world. This form is ethereal and unable to physically touch anything, but can float or move however it wishes. With sufficient practice, careful telekinesis can allow touch and form.
They resemble their former body in shape and appearance typically, though technically they could manifest in any shape they wished. While they don't age naturally, many choose to alter their manifested form as the years go on.
Physical Attributes and Appearance
The closest thing a Ghost has to a physical body is the lingering image of how they appeared at the time of their death. That, or the object to which their soul is tethered. They are able to 'project' a form by using radiative magical light, and in some circumstances can create a rough telekinetic physical form for their bodies.
As purely magical beings, Ghosts are unaffected by the passage of time, but many choose to alter their projected form to fit what they feel they would have looked like as they aged.
Additionally, it is possible -though difficult, expensive, and time consuming- to create an artificial body for a Ghost to possess, similarly to how a Revenant controls their own deceased body, but made out of Artificer components rather than flesh and blood. This allows the Ghost to directly interact with the physical world, and to even feel sensations like a Human would, but it takes up a significant amount of their normally incredibly impressive magical abilities.
Magical Attributes and Skill
Ghosts' are extraordinarily skilled at Telekinesis and Illusion magic, and above average at most magic save for Elementalism, Biomancy, and ironically, Necromancy.
Their spiritual reserves, which compose their entire being, are exceptional, and their regeneration is very impressive. Both their fine and large-scale control of magic is near-perfect, and they are only slightly vulnerable to magic.
Notably, retaining a visible form takes some amount of effort, and creating a rudimentary physical form takes quite a bit more.
Piloting a Chassis requires a substantial amount of energy, but less focus.
Ghosts can only be killed if their spiritual reserves are entirely drained, in which case their binding item will become extremely easy to break, and if it is they will be banished permanently to the afterlife.
Senses and Perception
Ghosts see the world exclusively through magical senses, and this allows them to perceive all forms of magic with no effort whatsoever. However, unlike Elementals, Ghosts tend to perceive the world in about the same way as they would have when they were still alive.
Genetics and Reproduction
Ghosts are unable to reproduce naturally.
Growth and Lifespan
Ghosts do not age physically after their death. However, they are able to alter their form to approximate what they might have looked like further on in life.
Their minds are capable of continuing to develop over the years, but the typical traumatic circumstances that bring many Ghosts into existence leads to some of them becoming mentally stuck in the age at which they died.
Naming Traditions
Ghosts have no inherently different naming conventions than whatever their original species was.
Culture and Customs
The culture of Ghosts isn't necessarily different than what it was before death.
Dietary Needs
Ghosts do not need to eat.
Etiquette Tips
Ghosts can't be seen or heard unless you've touched the item that they're bound to, and doing so without consideration can be a bit dangerous, depending on the Ghost. But others might appreciate the ability to talk to someone again, and to potentially leave wherever they have been stuck.
General Opinion
Most people don't think about Ghosts too often, but most consider it to be simply an alternate thing that might happen when they die, rather than a horrible curse of any sort.
Fun Beastfolk Fact!
In cases where a Ghost haunts a Divided rather than an object, a certain action must be taken to reveal their existence, rather than just touching the person in any random way.
