The Beginner's Guide to Summoning Spirits

## Intro

Before you attempt to contact the dead in any way, there are a few very important things you have to be aware of. The first is that zombies and skeletons are not spirits, and will not be covered in this guide. Try a book on raising the dead if that is what you are looking for. The second is that ‘very bad’ usually means ‘will make you very dead’. If we say something is very bad, or is a very bad idea, do not do it. You will probably die for it.

Make sure you know exactly what you are doing before summoning anything, as even a small mistake could be very bad. We recommend having someone experienced to help you out, even if you think you are fully prepared.

READING THIS GUIDE WILL NOT MAKE YOU FULLY PREPARED. This is not a comprehensive guide, this is just an explanation so you are aware of the risks you are taking.

Any stupid choices you make are entirely your own fault. You have been warned.

## What is a spirit?

Spirit is really an umbrella term, and covers every type of disembodied soul. However, since there is variation in what happens after death, we can split spirits into five different categories. In order of how dangerous they are, these include: Ghosts, Wraiths, Werewolves, Demons, and Vampires.

Note: While necromancers are sometimes included in this list as well, they are not dead, so we do not count them as spirits. A non-experienced summoner should never try to speak to a necromancer directly, as that is a very bad idea. Even an experienced summoner should be very careful when attempting to summon a necromancer, they can be quite malicious if they feel like it.

While ghosts and wraiths are pretty self-explanatory, werewolves, demons, and vampires are more complicated. These three kinds of spirits are specialized, and, depending on type, can survive on their own in the real world for quite a while. All three are deadly, and should be avoided at all costs unless you have a lot of experience dealing with spirits.

### Ghosts

A ghost is the most common form of spirit, and cannot exist in the real world for extended periods of time. Recommended for beginners, as it is very difficult to make a mistake with a ghost.

These spirits are ones that have been taken to the spirit world as expected, and have no extra abilities. They are unchanged, and still have all of their memories from life. Any injuries a ghost suffered in life does not affect their spirit form, so any injuries a ghost appears with were either received after death, or are a result of the ghost changing their appearance to scare you.

Summoning a specific ghost is much harder than summoning a random ghost, and is easier to get wrong. Don’t be discouraged if the ghost you get is not the one you were looking for.

### Wraiths

Ghosts stuck in the real world. Although most usually fade within a week or two, sometimes a wraith will bind themself to a living dragon, surviving off of their life force. This results in the living dragon becoming haunted. If you are being haunted, either try to talk to the wraith yourself or find a werewolf. Sometimes it’s possible to live with a wraith peacefully, but not often.

There are rare instances where a wraith will end up bound to another wraith, however, this usually ends in both fading faster, since they are both draining the limited energy of the other wraith.

Poltergeists are just angry wraiths. There is no difference between them except that being haunted by a poltergeist is very bad and there is basically nothing you can do to get rid of one. Accept your fate. You are doomed.

## The Undead

Undead dragons are spirits that have been modified, and should only be summoned by an experienced dragon. Undead dragons exist to do tasks that the necromancer cannot do themselves, and although not as powerful as a necromancer, they are more likely to listen to instructions.

### Werewolves

Werewolves are the least dangerous of the undead, as they are mainly tasked with finding and removing wraiths. Very useful if you're being haunted, not super useful if you need anything else.

Werewolves are generally wingless, but they are not slowed down by this. They are quite fast, although not as fast as most vampires. Their strength is connected to the moons, and a werewolf can only spend a month in the real world before they must return to the spirit world.

These spirits are easily identified, as they are often slightly furry. They are usually visibly stronger than most living dragons as well, so do not try to fight one if you do encounter a werewolf. Most of the time, a werewolf in the real world will ignore you.

### Demons

These undead are the most obvious, as they are barely recognizable as the dragon they were in life. A demon is usually very strong, with more spikes and, usually, serrated claws. A demon’s powers are enhanced from their tribal abilities in life, and are usually very obvious. A demon with fire powers might have flame wings, for example.

Demons are usually summoned to be defenders, although they are also excellent fighters. Just be careful to make sure the demon you summon will be able to deal with the area you are in, as they will return to the spirit world if they have issues with you or where they are. For example, ice demons do not stick around in the desert for very long.

### Vampires

The only spirit dragons that can travel between the spirit and real worlds at will, vampires are the most dangerous of all the undead. If you don’t know what you are doing, DO NOT TRY TO SUMMON A VAMPIRE. It will not go well.

Since vampires are the most powerful and least changed of the undead, most vampires will be dragons that the necromancer was close to while the vampire was alive. This also means that necromancers are usually very protective of their vampires, so if you do manage to injure one, you will probably anger the necromancer, which is somehow worse than getting a vampire sent after you.

Vampires are the assassins of the spirit world, and survive by absorbing the life energy of living dragons. They are almost indistinguishable from living dragons, and if you are close enough to a vampire to notice their fangs, you are already dead. Vampires cannot be killed, but they can be injured, although that is very difficult. If a vampire is hurt badly enough, they will retreat to the spirit world, but that does not mean the vampire has given up. They will come after you again, angrier and more determined because vampires are very spiteful.

Vampires are very fast, and once they locate their target, nothing can get in between a vampire and their prey. If someone decides to send a vampire after you, you are dead. There is nothing you can do to stop them from killing you. It is very rare to survive a vampire attack, and even if you do, you won’t be the same ever again.

They do have weaknesses, though. Vampires are hurt by sunlight, and can fade if they run out of energy. The only way for a vampire to sustain themself in the real world is to take energy from something living, which is usually another dragon, although animals also work as a food source. If a vampire stays in the real world for an extended period of time, they will most likely find a cave to stay in during the day. Since they have to hunt to survive, you can usually find the bodies of the vampire’s prey buried somewhere nearby. If you do, AVOID THE AREA. Confronting a vampire is a very bad idea.