Banshee

" Death is near, for she who wails, weaves a story of several tales. "

### Distinction

* When A Banshee screams, Death most likely always occurs unless it is prevented
* Banshees are unaffected by supernatural phenomena, such as being bit by a werewolf would not turn them into one, or having vampire blood in their system would not turn them into a vampire.

## Characteristics

### Special Adaptations

* Witches in emotional distress are susceptible to being possessed by a Banshee spirit. Overlong exposure to a Banshee's possession will result in the witches death.

### Unusual Features

* Malevolent Banshees are dead women who become spirits that appear as an ugly, frightening hags, with white flowing hair, pale skin, and sunken eyes which is why their appearance alone can drive their victims to death through fear. They typically wear bloodstained red robes.
* Benevolent Banshees are special living human women that are typically good, usually having a similar appearance when accessing their Banshee trait to that of a malevolent spirit. Otherwise, they have a typical human appearance based on their genetics. Banshees also have low heartbeats per minute and tend to run corpse-cold.

### Nationality

Varies

The Supernatural Species, The Banshee is typically a human woman, or malevolent spirit born from the five generational Scottish family lines of, O'Hara, McCullough, Martin, Mors & MacLachlan. Through these families are women who have the trait of the Banshee gained through a mother who died in childbirth, murdered women, or a child born through one or both tragedies. Once their trait is triggered they possess intense and powerful psychic abilities that allow them to discern the death of another being, be it human, supernatural or another species. Alongside their psychic abilities are a wail, or shriek that is triggered when death is near. When Banshees die, typically those with harmful nature, they become spirits, that are bound to the Veil, which is where Banshees reside. Though some are able to reach the Earthly plane and possess other beings.

## Origin

The Origin of Banshees dates back centuries ago. Two most known Banshees are Baba Yaga, and The Morrigan. The first Banshee was a spirit linked to the realm of the dead that possessed five Scottish family lines of women: murdered woman, a mother who died in childbirth, or a child born through one or both tragedies. causing their female generational lines to be born with the traits of the Banshee, only to be triggered in a moment of great emotional turmoil or a near-death experience. Banshees appear human physically, though upon death they become spirits. They appear as malevolent spirits that target the vulnerable, they use their piercing scream to drive their intended victims mad or cause the deaths that they predict, through a lethal wail or direct attack. They are humans with access to the supernatural, allowing the aforementioned mystical forces to flow through them so the Banshee can utilize the powers these forces create.

Banshees that are living tend to be benevolent creatures that can sense upcoming death and scream as a warning. As a result, they are considered harbingers of death and are often referred to as the "Wailing Women" because they unconsciously scream to announce when someone has died, usually those killed by supernatural forces. These women can also predict death through premonitions, which can be auditory, visual, or both, depending on the power level of the Banshee in question. When a Banshee has a premonition, the sounds and sights they perceive indicate various factors that will either lead to or directly cause the death. However, these premonitions are not always literal and can require a certain amount of interpretation.

## Powers, Abilities & Weaknesses

### Powers

**Harbinger of Death:** *Banshees will get visions, sometimes by wailing, ultimately leading them to dead bodies. They also have connections to other harbingers of Death.*

**Clairaudience:** *The ears of a Banshee are naturally tuned to levels of the universe that only they can hear. This gives them an ability to discern details of a person's death.*

**Telepathy:** *Banshees are shown to be capable of telepathy.*

**Banshee Wail:** *Banshees can produce a high-pitched scream of an inhuman amplitude that causes many effects. Their cries can be heard when someone is about to die. The distinctly inhuman scream or the wail of a banshee can be heard for miles. A banshee will scream involuntarily when they are experiencing a premonition of death, or they can eventually learn how to scream at will.*

**Possession:** *Banshees are capable of possessing female humans, as well as female witches. Due to witches being conduits of nature with a duty to maintain natural balance.*

**Enhanced Agility:** *Banshees have inhuman agility, reflexes, and speed.*

**Invulnerability:** *Banshees cannot be killed by conventional methods but harmed to a great degree. Only a weapon of cold iron, pure gold or steel can kill them, as they are Omens of Death.*

**Super Strength:** *Banshees have augmented physical strength and stamina.*

**Telekinesis:** *Banshees are able to fling objects or people with their mind.*

**Flight:** *Banshees move around by floating through the air.*

**Electromagnetic Interference:** *Their presence causes lights to flicker.*

**Invisibility:** *Banshees can become invisible or camouflage to their surroundings. They are able to travel through the mist.*

**Intangibility:** *Banshees can render themselves intangible.*

**Death Touch:** *Banshees have the ability to grab their enemies and subsequently impale them with their hands, resulting in instant death by inflicting the feeling of death upon them.*

**Shapeshifting:** *Banshees are able to transform into animals such as a crow, owl, hare and weasel.*

**Longevity:** *Banshees have a lifespan of up to 600 years. Upon Death, most Banshees become Malevolent spirits.*

**Immunity:** *Banshees have accelerated healing and immunity to supernatural phenomena, sound-based abilities as well as magic: spells, the use of rituals, symbols, action, gestures, language, etc., or any way of exploiting supernatural forces to varying degrees. Ex: A banshee bitten by a werewolf will be harmed, but unlike other species, will not retain a marking that in turns allows them to become a werewolf. Due to this, Banshees are one rare species that cannot be a hybrid of other species.*

**Hellhound Connection:** *At least some Banshees appear to have a similar connection with Hellhounds, who are also harbingers of death and who share some of the powers that Banshees have, such premonitions and being drawn to recently deceased bodies. They can locate each other in emergency situations, along with being able to communicate important messages to each other regarding an impending death. Their connection is so strong that even when death or their vessel dies, they can sense one another.*

### Weaknesses

**Death by Specifics:** *A weapon of steel, pure gold or cold iron can harm a banshee or even kill one. Even simply being slashed with a golden or a cold iron weapon hurts it, leaving them to heal slower than they regularly do.*

**Salting and Burning of Remains:** *When they die, most Banshees become malevolent spirits but they can be put to rest by salting and burning their remains.*

**Enhanced Senses:** *Because they possess enhanced senses of hearing, they can also be harmed by extremely loud or high-pitched noises.*

**Mortality:** *Most Banshees are still physically human, though possessing certain abilities through their trait, but as a result, they share some of the same weakness of mortality. And can still be hurt like humans, even though they’re able to heal.*

**Psychological Turmoil:** *Banshees are also susceptible to the psychological turmoil as a result of the trauma involved with constantly being surrounded by death, whether it is having premonitions of a death or stumbling upon the body of someone who has been brutally murdered. Since the supernatural world is still a secret to the majority of humans, Banshees are typically mistaken for being mentally ill, since they can see and hear things that very few people can and often behave strangely as a result of the passive aspects of their powers.*