10/20/2016, 05:01 PM #138 Race Application: Ghosts
Name of the race: Ghost
Gender: Male, Female or Genderless
Appearance: Ghosts appear as the person they were in life. Ghosts that die of age may appear as they were when they were younger, or healthier. Ghosts that die of traumatic circumstances usually appear as they were at the time of death, with gore, blood and missing limbs optional.
Abilities: A ghost gains power based on their belief. A ghost that is unknown or unheard-of, usually newborn ghosts, generally fade away into mana and raw soulstuff. A select few are able to get recognition. The more people that notice them, the greater their legend becomes. The greater the legend of a ghost or ghosts, the more powerful they become. Famous examples are haunted houses, where grisly murders may have taken place. The event of the murder itself is enough to draw attention to the area or persons. All the ghost needs to do from there is scare a few people, or make some "unexplainable" event occur, and they will start to gain power from people's belief.
As a ghost becomes more powerful, they gain more abilities. This starts with moving small objects and making ghostly mist for their body. The more powerful they become, the larger the objects they can move and the more corporeal they become. They learn to create "phantom noises" and play tricks on the mind. Some can make machinery malfunction or appear only to people, but not to cameras.
weaknesses:
The major glaring problem that a ghost faces is that they require a Crux; a physical object or place that they are tied to. This could be a house they lived in, Perhaps their favorite doll or personal item, or even more terrifying, the weapon used to murder them! If this item, place, or thing is ever destroyed or reconfigured so it is no longer the same thing, the ghost will start to vanish, turning into mana regardless of their power.
Furthermore, a ghost cannot manipulate their Crux. Their movement magic cannot affect the item, nor can they get another item to move their Crux. An exception to this is if a whole building or area is their Crux, in which case small manipulations, like moving unimportant rocks, chairs, or other objects within the area can happen. A ghost can convince other people to interact with their Crux, but they can never willingly, of their own accord, manipulate their Crux--especially not for their benefit.
Living things touching the Crux make the ghost feel a terrible burning sensation, which is why haunted areas are generally full of "evil" ghosts. As a ghost grows more powerful, this sensation becomes weaker. Regardless of a ghost's power, they are always uncomfortable when their Crux is being manipulated by a living being.
Lastly; A ghost cannot physically touch the real world. Their movement magic can move objects, but their actual arms and body do not interact with the real world. They usually subconsciously use their movement magic if opening doors or windows like people. Steps and physical interaction with the world are all a result of them subconsciously "acting" real.
History:
Ghosts have been around since the beginning of Magic. Even before the aether interacted with people. Many theorize they are some of the first examples of magic. Even after the aether left, Ghosts still continued to be created from the inherent magic in events and curses people could still weave by accident. Stories of ghosts, shades, ghasts, wights, and other ethereal beings abound in all cultures. The history or ghosts is so vast that there truly is nothing to say aside from the fact that they're become a part of people lives, whether they know it or not.
Behavior:
Ghosts often follow malicious and violent behavior, but not always. Because many ghosts are tied to buildings or locations, they are burned by their Crux being walked upon by living people. As you can imagine, this usually makes ghosts very sour. Vengance, revenge and hate often cross their minds.
Many ghosts can supress these feelings for those they favor or like, and ghosts that are tied to an object generally are upset with their circumstance, but not innately hostile to people that aren't interacting with their Crux.
Beyond feeling like its unfair they're dead, and the emotions that would well up from being burned by people being in a general area, ghosts retain a fair degree of their former personalities. The older they become, however, the more loony and skewed they become.
Biology:
Ghosts are made up almost completely of mana and soulstuff. Older, more powerful ghosts had physical parts of their former bodies, or even whole bodies. Ghosts born after the time of the aether leaving have not displayed this quality since.
Last edited by Alayosho; 10/21/2016, 01:55 PM.
I gazed up at the sable-haired maiden with eyes so full of warmth it appeared she was crying silently. My trecherous mouth opened, "Why do you look so troubled, Princess?"
Slowly, she moved her eyes from the moon to me. She studied my imperfections before her for what seemed to be a blissful eternity before gracing me with her voice, "I've slain this land's only prince. What use, now, is a princess?"
As the maiden left my presence, so too did my heart.