Ghosts of Ardesch

The "**ghosts of Ardesch**" are various evil spirits who attack human nations. Although many of them were derived from the souls of Ardeschi warriors, they were later joined by other wraiths, including murderers, warlords, and sorcerers.

## History

Thousands of years ago, during the Sixteenth Age, the armies of Red Ardesch once waged war against the Gauvajut Empire, seeking to conquer and punish one of the mightiest nations in the westerly continent of Palkyras. Among them were sorcerers, who attempted to use their terrible powers to lay waste to the Gauvajuts and their nation. While the Gauvajuts believed that they were transformed into ghosts as a curse from the Gods, others claim that they transformed themselves into spirits after one of their curses backfired.

Shortly after the fall of Red Ardesch to the Utopianists, the spirits of the corrupted Ardeschi legions emerged from portals, bringing with them foul and murderous horrors from the underworld in a last-ditch attempt to slaughter the Gauvajuts. As their spell left excess magical energies on the eastern coast of Palkyras, the wights of the land became more visible, envigoured by the excess magic to fight the demonic hordes that slew the Gauvajut and Enclave armies that guarded the region. After the spirits of the land defeated the undead masses, they channelled the excess magic and harnessed some of the Celestial ruins to create a defensive network, preventing any further assault from the demons.

These malignant spirits were later joined by other evildoers throughout history, as a method by the Gods to test and punish succeeding civilisations. When they gathered enough numbers, they launched raids and waged wars against the human nations that thrived along the eastern shores. Eventually, they were manipulated by other masters to put all of humanity to the sword, and usher in an age where humanity will become extinct.

In the 19th century AT, just decades after Siangwaan became independent from the Thralondian Empire, it and its neighbours were besieged by the ghostly armies, who slaughtered entire villages to exterminate humanity. The ghosts were encouraged and strengthened by several magical spells conducted by sorcerers, including Kakadu, who sought to weaken the eastern nations and establish their own dominions. With the help of the local wights and reinforced by armies of Celestials, the ghosts and sorcerers were defeated and slain.

## Characteristics

The "Ardeschi ghosts" tend to appear as burning skeletons clad in armour, or cyan and green warriors whose faces melt and burn. Many of them suffer from a burning, genocidal hatred of all humans, although some also seek freedom from their torment in Hell.

Many of these ghosts suffer from anger issues, stemming from indoctrinated hatred of the Gauvajut Empire instilled by their masters and commanders. Just as undead beings' emotions are amplified, so is their anger and hate, which are multiplied into a genocidal hatred against all of humanity to punish them for the Gauvajut Empire's sins.

The flags used by the undead legions were described to "sparkle". While it sometimes evokes dreamy depictions of milky torrents of soothing pastel, eyewitnesses to the ghost legions instead saw a riot of dark and light colours, clashing and devouring each other as the flags were moved around. The ghostly legions were also attracted by anything that looked like a rainbow, using such reminders of change and upheaval as a sign to attack the living. For that reason, Vozonids cover pictures of rainbows every July to avoid attracting those hateful spirits.

The temple flags used to divert those spirits are the closest approximation to their war banners. They consisted of several layers of solid colours divided by white zig-zags, representing their chaotic nature and their hatred of the world. After the ghost month ends at the middle of July, the flags were taken from temples and burned in a pile, symbolising the defeat of the undead for this year.

## Types of Ardeschi ghosts

### Krego, Kregoroz

The footsoldiers of these infernal legions, created from the footsoldiers and clone warriors of Red Ardesch. They appear as skeletons in brightly-coloured crests, infernal armour, and bleak lich-fire. Many of them had a strong hatred of the Gauvajut Empire and its culture, so the kregorosso seek to possess people to plunge the empire (any successor states) into chaos.

Most kregorosso are depicted as males of different races, skeletons, or fanged monsters, or even as Ontemazei and aliens. They wear uniforms or plate armour, and they burn with blue and green flames. Among the enemies include human souls and the spirits of nature. The latter, also known as wights, are better at defeating these undead wraiths, as they are armed with supernatural weaponry that can tear them to pieces. They are believed to eat humans and torment their souls, lashing out their hatred against everyone who is alive. They are believed to be doomed to eternal torment in Hell for their attempts to destroy the Gauvajut realm, slaughter its people, and use demonic magic against their sacred sites.

Upon further research, it is revealed that the original kregoso had doomed themselves to undeath: it was the type of spells that they used that backfired and caused them to vanish from the physical plane.

### Leidranoz, Leidra, Lydravo

Leaders, captains, and generals of the armies of kregorosso ghosts, created from the souls of deceased Ardeschi military leaders. Like their subordinates, they also want to destroy the Gauvajuts and their successors, but in later myths they became more sympathetic, seeking release from tormenting themselves in the spirit realm.

Some leidranos fight against and kill each other over losing a crush to each other. This makes them more vulnerable to ghost-hunters, who kill them to stop them from attacking the living.

Some leidranos would be chosen by demons to become their champions, to lead infernal armies to conquer and destroy the world.

In later times, demons and sorcerers joined the ranks of the leidranos as they sought to control the masses of wrathful spirits.

### Raautor

Ghostly knights in dark armour who form the leidranos' heavy infantry and cavalry and bodyguards. Sometimes they ride skeletal or monstrous steeds, dragons, or hellhounds.

### Julluroi

Wraiths created from heretics who have committed great blasphemies against the Gauvajut gods. Depicted as red skeletons wreathed in hellfire.

### Tellaroi

Skeletal ghost warriors created from the angered dead of the Eastern Enclaves and Red Ardesch. They attack the living, seeking vengeance against the Gauvajut Empire for condemning their existence and their identities as "heresies". They have also extended their hatred towards the living and all of civilisation, associating them with the Gauvajuts' actions against them, so they seek to destroy all life on Earth until its only survivors are like them.

In their desire to ensure that their conditions and "heresies" will continue to exist in this world, they also manipulate unborn children and young people to become like them, twisting their DNA to suffer from illnesses.

Sometimes, they also target people with disorders and outcasts, seeking to manipulate them into destroying themselves so they will join their ghostly army.

Because of a curse inflicted by Red Ardeschi sorcerers, some inhabitants of the Eastern Enclaves used purifying rites to avoid becoming tellaroi.

### Glysari

The five infernal armies of Ardesch's ghost warriors, based on the five poisons (kleshas) of Buddhist belief:

* Mojavidjoz, Mojadjoz - Delusion, lies, confusion, ignorance
* Ragaz - Passion, desire, lust, savagery, recklessness
* Duoshoz - Rage, hatred, anger, cruelty
* Manuvon - Arrogance, supremacy, tyranny, oppression
* Irshai - Envy, jealousy, backstabbing

These demons were supposedly created from people's worst desires.

## Others

There were other spirits wrongly considered as among the wraiths and devils of Ardesch, but they were also their fiercest opponents.

### Chellarcha

See also: Chellarcha

Happy and mischievous spirits who enjoy playing tricks on people. These were believed to be the descendants of people from the Eastern Enclaves who were murdered during various wars.

They are known for their bean-shaped grins.

Although they unwittingly attract Ardeschi ghosts to their targets, the Ardeschi ghosts consider them as their enemies for siding with humans instead of serving them.

### Darāraus

The ghosts of people from the Little Gauvajut Empire, the successor of the Eastern Enclaves. According to Gauvajut belief, non-heterosexuals who die become powerful spirits after death. The Little Gauvajut Empire adds that the gods can transform them into angels if they lived virtuous lives, so they can use their newly-gained powers to protect people.

Because they chose to defend humanity instead of conquering them, they fight the Ardeschi ghosts. Inhabitants of the Eastern Enclaves partake in purifying rites so that they will become dararauses instead of tellaroi.

## Specific characters

* Jaduzil - a legendary leidranoz who led an army of pink and blue-haired warriors to massacre the Gauvajuts. Legends state that he was cursed to become a vampire, and was struck by lightning.
* Nydaarie - one of the six commanders of the Ardeschi invasion. For his hatred and his usage of magical spells, his ghost was transformed by the lords of the Void into a demon lord.
* Haartalie - the second of the six commanders of the Ardeschi invasion. He managed to break into Gauvajut territory, where he massacred several towns. Due to his magic usage, his ghost became a powerful undead lord commanding legions of evil spirits, armed with a rifle and a spear wreathed in lichfire.

## Terran Devils (Tyrrandee, Tjoranoi)

Many of the souls of the Fifty-Six, later the Terrans who committed terrorism and brutal wars to realise their horrific dystopias or slaughter all Jerdiskar for revenge, were doomed to become demons after they died.

One of the worst nations, the Blasphemers, slaughtered half of all people on Randros in the name of their "pure race" and their god-emperor. These evil, fanatical cultists and their whole people were dragged by demons into Hell, after a sorcerer performed a dark ritual to create his own necromantic kingdom at the very site of their capital. Only the slaves were spared, and they escaped with horrific tales and nightmares that haunted them for life: however, the children and even the babies of the Blasphemers' folk were among those dragged into Hell, where they were tortured into becoming more beastly demons.

### Wenmahoi

The armies of the Reorganisation War slaughtered their way into Heronoja, so their souls became cruel demons clad in grey uniforms. These were later known as Wenmahoi, the Grey Devils.

## Plague Starters (Spoedriee)

The souls of seven million foolish people who were murdered and blamed for spreading the Plague of 3900.

Many of them were ignorant, stupid people who only wanted to visit a place, see their families, were very stressed by the lockdowns, or were simply too careless just to have some fun. For their alleged role in causing so much suffering and death, the survivors cursed their souls so they will forever bear the very plague that they mindlessly spread to others.

Those diseased spirits, known as plague-starters, appeared as sickly green and yellow lumps and maws, howling and roaring in pain as the plague eats into their undying cores. They writhe in fear and horror of what they had become, and everything they lost over a single, stupid, desperate wish.

## See also

* Josolchir mythology
* Ardeschi folklore
* Chellarcha, their prey whom they revile as "traitors" for protecting humans
* Glyrindar
* Denlotian folklore