Possession
Physical beings, be they mundane or supernatural in nature, are comprised of two aspects, the corpus and the animus. The corpus is simply the body, and exists as a complex organism comprised of physical matter. The animus however is what makes a sapient being more than mere substance and electrical impulses. Call it a soul or an astral self or whatever you like, but essentially it is the animating spirit which contains the capacity for reasoning and wisdom. This state of being is true across all physical beings, with the possible exception of elementals who functionally exist in a state not unlike the fey though originating from the physical world rather than the spiritual.
Differentiated then from physical beings are spirits which exist with no physical self regardless of the world they occupy. These include angels, demons, and ghosts primarily, though there are myths and theories which posit the existence of other types of spirits beyond these common three. Regardless, spirits all share this fundamental lack of physicality which prevents them from interacting with any aspect of the physical world, except for the animi.
Possession is the state of being where a spirit enters a being with an animus and takes control. The animus remains an integral part of the being, but the possessing spirit has complete control of the possessed. This can occur in many ways, some gentle and some horrific, but regardless the possessing spirit is the one in charge once the possession is established and will be for as long as it remains.
Effects of Possession
First and foremost, possessed beings lose all control of themselves and are fully supplanted by the possessing spirit. This can have a profound impact on the life of the possessed for obvious reasons, but can also result in serious psychological harm. Even beings who accept possession willingly may not be fully prepared for the psychological impact of losing all control and sense of self. They become passive observers within their own existence, acting without will, and for some that is simply too much for their psyche to withstand. While many spirits may claim to do no harm to the target of their possession, even those who truly intend to do no harm have little awareness and no control over these ramifications which will only truly manifest after the spirit departs.
Moreover the possessing spirit may not fully grasp what it is to live as a physical being. Even ghosts, which once existed as physical beings themselves, have spent long enough as denizens of the spiritual world to have lost the full comprehension of physicality. Most are wise enough to spend a period of time adjusting to their new state and learning how to function properly and safely, but there are plenty of instances where thoughtless action can result in the untimely demise of the possessed being. While there are no documented instances of possessing spirits incurring mental harm from the act of possession, the loss of the possessed body can exacerbate existing issues in ways the spirit may not expect.
There is also the matter of knowledge. The possessed retain much of the knowledge of the body, particularly in regards to muscle memory but including memorized information and recalled experiences as well, but none of the emotional understanding or personality built from those experiences and knowledge. If the possessing spirit and the possessed being have similar capabilities this can be a minor hurdle, but should the two be exceptionally different this can create some awkward moments where the body knows how to take actions without fully understanding the implication or reasoning behind them. Of course the possessing spirit also brings knowledge and skills, usually of a more supernatural nature, which the body may not be properly conditioned to execute. While this may seem from without to create a hybrid being combining aspects of both the spirit and the body, in truth the possessing spirit remains fully independent and is simply accessing information in the same way one might read an instruction manual.
Beyond these shared traits, the possessed have an innate capacity to see spiritual energy and beings which would otherwise be obscured to their senses, stemming from their combined nature. They also retain any capacity for magic from either being and any supernatural traits inherent to the physical body. In mundane humans the possessed also frequently exhibit increased durability, possibly owing to the possessing spirit's unconscious ability to influence the body's autonomic nervous system, but this is rarely exhibited in beings which were already supernatural prior to possession.
These general traits apply to all possessions, and in the case of ghostly possessions that is where the details usually end, however there are other kinds of spirits capable of possessing physical beings.
Angelic Spirits
Spirits associated with the angelic host, usually shorted simply to angels, are far more likely to seek out willing beings before possession, but as with any spirit prolonged existence in the physical world will strain the spirit's willpower until a body is found. It is perhaps surprising then that angels are far more resistant to possessing animals than other spirits. There appears to be no tangible reason for this aversion, but it is perhaps a knock-on effect of the angel's belief-driven nature. Many angels are likewise resistant to possessing beings of an existing supernatural nature, particularly vampires, though this is still more common than angelic possession of animals.
Demonic Spirits
Spirits of the demonic horde tend to be far more aggressive in their possession, often delighting in dominating another being's will. This also makes them far more likely to possess any being unfortunate enough to be a viable target in their presence, though if given an option they will always choose the most powerful form they belief they can successfully overtake. Despite this, demonically possessed animals are far more common than those possessed by angels or ghosts suggesting that demons are ultimately less selective and more focused on gaining the ability to interact with the world quickly. Owing to their often vicious and sadistic nature, victims of demonic possession are far more likely to experience severe psychological harm from the experience.
Initiation of Possession
Spirits in the physical world are profoundly aware of their inability to interact with the physical world, a state which wears at them terribly. At the same time, they are consistently able to perceive the animi within the physical beings around them. A spirit can at any time seek to initiate a possession of any body which contains an animus. Since the spirit is invisible and intangible this usually comes as a mental shock, and often that shock is enough of a mental force to expel a spirit of average will, resulting in the spirit effectively bouncing off the animus and the targeted being a brief sensation of disorientation such as deja vu, momentary dizziness, or the feeling of a shiver up one's spine. The would-be possessing spirit is equally rocked by such repulsion and usually too disoriented to attempt such again for several minutes, though no real harm is done to either party in the attempt.
A spirit of sufficient will can force their way in, dominating the animus and forcibly wresting control. This is easiest when done to lesser beings such as animals, but spirits with exceptional willpower can do dominate virtually any animus which is not warded against such by magic. Spirits which lack the will to outright dominate the animus may instead attempt to linger nearby, slowly drawing closer to the their target until the psyche is made more flexible though long exposure. People so targeted may appear to live a cursed or charmed life, owing to the echoes of psychological influence from the spirit haunting them. Over time, the animus becomes an easier target at which point the spirit can initiate possession with little effort. This lack of struggle may result in less immediate psychological harm but by definition is still a domination of will. In a similar fashion, some spirits specifically target individuals who are already struggling with emotional and psychological battles, weakening the defenses which would ordinarily repel the spirit.
More rarely, a spirit may be specifically invited into a body. This is usually done as a kind of ritual, sometimes attempting to call a specific spirit, other times simply opening up the animus for the taking. There are all manner of reasons individuals might engage in such activity, from religious fervor to external influence, but whatever the case this makes the animus an easy target for a possessing spirit. In practice the technique is the same, but the acclimation period after the possession takes is typically shorter.
Rarest of all are the truly consensual possessions, where the possessing spirit communicates directly with the being they are to possess and both agree explicitly to the possession. This is so rare not because so few spirits would seek such consent, but because there are so few ways for a spirit to communicate with any physical being prior to possessing a body. Typically these connections are made with individuals who have some supernatural sensitivity, such as psychics or mages. It is possible for magical methods of communication to be implemented allowing any spirit and physical being to communicate with each other, but most who attempt such end up falling into the previous category, simply opening themselves to possession rather than seeking to first communicate intent. In some circumstances the individual attempting to enable such communication may themselves become the target of a possessing spirit, rendering the whole endeavor rather dangerous.
Expulsion of a Possessing Spirit
There are countless methods for removing a possessing spirit from a body. First, and by far the easiest, is for the body to die. The moment the animus and corpus are no longer connected, the possessing spirit is expelled. For most this is a less than ideal solution for obvious reasons, though it is guaranteed to be 100% effective. In such cases, the possessing spirit is not harmed in any tangible way, though the experience is universally described as unpleasant and often traumatic, especially by possessing ghosts who may recall the experience of dying from their former lives already.
A more popular option is leveraging magic to eject the possessing spirit. Whether in the form of the classical exorcism or through arcane ritual, magic provides solutions for removing a spirit from a possessed being. Some such practices even provide for the capture or banishment of the offending spirit itself. Spirits cast out in this way have been known to be pushed into other bodies or even trapped within specially prepared objects. While the possessing spirit can cause harm to the body as it fights to retain control, these do offer the path most likely to result in survival of the possessed. The most effective of these invite benevolent spirits to leave the body while providing them a path to return to the spiritual world directly, saving the spirit the anguish of existing disembodied in the physical world.
One particularly uncommon ritual option actually partially accesses the animus of the possessed being by tying it to an astral anchor. This allows for the possessing spirit and the animus of the possessed being to communicate directly. In some cases, this is used merely to facilitate communication and come to an agreement regarding the possession, but mostly it is used to allow the animus to ask the spirit to leave. While not always effective, the experience of the animus while possessed is not so dissimilar to that of a disembodied spirit, leading some spirits to empathize with the possessed to the point where they lose the will to maintain the possession and in effect slip out.
In a similar way, sometimes the possessing spirit simply loses the will to maintain the possession without such pomp and circumstance, allowing the animus to reassert itself and expel the spirit in a manner not all that different from the spirit's initiation of the possession. This is though to be uncommon only due to the combination of the animus being weakened from long suppression and the bolstering effect of the spirit's fear of disembodiment.
Finally, the possessing spirit can simply choose to exit the possessed body of its own accord. Doing so immediately reverts control of the body to its animus and the spirit becomes once again disembodied and unable to interact with the physical world. The former possessed being forever retains a connection to the spirit which possessed them, making it easier should that same spirit ever seek to again possess them, but otherwise the only after effects of this manner of departure are any psychological damage caused during the possession itself. Unfortunately this is also the least likely method of depossession as even the most benevolent of possessing spirits feel a strong hesitation to return to their disembodied state while remaining in the physical world.
Special Circumstances
Legion
It is possible for multiple spirits to possess a single body. These possessing spirits constantly jostle and fight for control, though the strongest will among them usually takes a dominance. These sorts of possessions are incredibly rare and always result in terrible psychological harm to the possessed being. They are also far more likely to end in the death of the body as the possessing spirits incite reckless actions while they vie for control.
Synthesis
Herein we've discussed possession as the will of a possessing spirit overtaking that of a physical being's animus, but there are stories of beings born from the fusion of a spirit and an animus. Most think these only legends, but the possibility remains that there are means to merge spirit and animus into something new. In legend, the beings created from this process were heroes of great renown and monsters of indescribable horror. How this might be accomplished or what the result might be is lost to the ages, if it ever existed to begin with, but there are those who would seek such knowledge.
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