Types of Spirits (SB)

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Any idea or emotion held by the people of the Prime Material Plane could find an expression in the spirit world. Likewise, any memory held dear, or held in disgust, can be given expression as well.
If a spirit is created by the feelings and beliefs of the living, they are as the people of the campaign world would expect. If a tribe considers trees to be noble and strong, then the tree spirits that speak to the shamans are noble and strong. If the shamans believe that trees are just dumb plants, then the tree spirits are indeed mindless.
If a spirit is based on the recollection of an actual person, then it retains most of its old personality or opinions, and either interprets recent innovations or events in terms of its existing attitudes or ignores them all together.
This gives you, as a DM, a great deal of freedom in playing spirits, and can lead to a great deal of weirdness in your games.