Aether-Echoes

Fragments of the Unbreakable

Deep within the shattered remains of the Old-World, where the echoes of a fallen civilization linger, spectral figures move amidst the crumbling stones. These translucent wisps of memory, fragments of lives lived, loved, and lost, bound to the places where their stories unfolded, wander forever. Something holds them in place, unable to move on into the quiet embrace of The Place Beyond the Sky.

Appearance

Aether-Echoes resemble humans in their basic shape – men, women, children – but their forms are hazy, translucent, almost shimmering, as though woven from mist and starlight.
They emanate a soft, pulsing luminescence – a pale blue, green, or sometimes a melancholy violet, their glow intensifying when they interact with objects. The light they cast doesn't affect the real world, most are found standing in a pitch-black room.

Behaviour

Echoes wander ruins, often performing actions associated with their past lives, interacting with things that have long ago ceased to exist, speaking with people long dead. Their movements are fluid, almost dance-like, but they often fade in and out of existence, their presence intangible and location changing at random.
They are unable to perceive the living, passing through them as if they didn't exist. Attempts to communicate with them prove futile. Their voices, when heard at all, are mere whispers, fragmented phrases in a language that resembles ancient human dialects but is incoherent to modern ears.
Seemingly tied to specific locations or objects, they replay the same events endlessly, reliving a joyful celebration, a whispered farewell, or the final, desperate moments of a the world collapsing around them.
Despite their unsettling nature they are not malevolent, and don't seem to posess any way to interact with the living world.
Various religious groups have attempted to put these wandering souls to rest. Prayers of every type, offerings, the burning of prepared herbs - not a single ritual has ever managed to exorcise or in any way alter one of these mysterious beings. Nowadays, the current belief of the Imperial Pantheon is that these beings are neither truly sentient or the trapped souls of the long dead, and are instead thought to be the manifestation of some yet to be understood magic.

"From the Field Journal of Darius Vance, Sky-Sea Explorer
Location: Old-World Ruin, (Southern Continent, Luminaria)
Date: 12th of Sunfall
The deeper I venture into this damned place, the more unsettling it becomes. I’ve found workshops(?) filled with strange tools I can’t begin to understand, sleeping quarters, and what appears to be a mess hall.
And then there are the ghosts. Pale, blurry figures, drifting through the halls, interacting with objects that aren't there, pausing and talking to the empty air. They seem oblivious to me, but their voices… I hear whispers, snippets of conversation that make my hair stand on end. One, clad in a strange uniform - a soldier, perhaps? – stands in the corner of one room and talks to a spot in the wall. After a few hours of watching I steeled myself and approached. The wall had a small reccess and several small holes bored into it, perhaps a mount for some device? If there was anything else there, it has long since been looted.
I recorded some of his words. Most were gibberish, but after a few days of listening I was able to write down the ones I understood.
“…orders received… perimeter secured…”
“…reports of… incursion…”
“… casualties… overwhelming…”
“…requesting… reinforcements… holding… the line… for Haven…”

His form lingers after these final words, a desperate plea for something I can't understand. A few hours pass, and he starts again. It doesn't seem sentient, instead a moment of time, a memory, that has been forever burned into this place. I admit that I find this deeply unsettling. Surely this place will continue to decay until there is nothing left. Perhaps even this island will cease to exist. What then? Will he float in the empty air, talking to the sky and stars?
I wish I knew who he was, what bound him to this place." - Darius Vance