Vestige

The Death's Head Orchard is populated by the shades of those who found their end in the accursed Black Forest but it is also home to one spirit in particular, which is presumably far older.

This ancient revenant is known only to the Seekers that have been stationed at the Craven Court, for it haunts those desolate ruins in particular.

They have begun calling it the Vestige.

Appearance

The Vestige is a pale, ghostly figure that is clad in a dark ensemble consisting of what looks to be cloth and leather, while a blade of unknown make hangs upon its hip, sheathed in an unremarkable scabbard. It has no hair on its head, but a billowing wispy vapor emanates from its skull at a constant pace. It is unusually tall, witnesses claiming it to be anywhere from six to seven feet tall.
Its main form of movement seems to be floating slightly above the ground, silently gliding through the air. It has been witnessed to walk also, and those who have seen it claim its gait is odd, most likely thanks to its long limbs.

Interactions

Seekers who have been posted at the Craven Court have come to expect sightings of the Vestige, though that does not lessen their trepidation towards the spectre. Knights who have followed the phantom have found themselves turning a corner only to be met with a life-like vision of what, presumably, the Craven Court was like a long, long time ago.

Testimonies describe banquet halls full of celebrating people, lavish trophy rooms with artifacts and treasures beyond imagining and a throne room, where a king sits upon his throne. These glimpses into the past of the dilapidated ruin are completely harmless, if not a bit disturbing.

The Vestige has also come to the aid of the Seekers when the court has come under attack, such as when the Ashen Baron sought an audience with the Crestfallen Prince. The phantasmal warrior was seen cutting down the Faltered attackers, materializing from and disappearing into the shadows as it struck.

What is most interesting, however, is that the Vestige has spoken on several occasions. No one who has heard the words has been able to recognize the language used but, through some phonetic guesswork and contextual clues, Seekers have come to understand the Vestige in a very rudimentary way.

Or they think they have, as it is impossible to tell if their approach to the forgotten language is in any way reliable.

Listed above are only a few of the words that the Vestige has been recorded to have uttered.

Relationship with the Crestfallen Prince

When asked about the Vestige, the Prince only uttered a single word, which was "Friend".

This has caused widespread speculation among researchers, who disagree on whether this utterance was meant to signify that the Vestige is not a danger to the Seekers or that it is literally a friend of the Prince and the royal family that once ruled over the Forlorn Kingdom.

It matters little, however, since the Vestige remains an unsettling but thankfully rather benign spirit. Perhaps it could even become an ally, in time.

_{A squad of Seekers from Pilgrim's Watch investigating an area where the Vestige has been seen, without result.}

by Midjourney

_{An artists rendition of a vision, as described by a Seeker who followed the Vestige.}