Ghost

Ghosts are the physical manifestations of humans who have died. They are disconnected from the bodies of those same humans in life. Ghosts are most often found in the Forest, though there is evidence they can travel on the islands too.

## Appearance

In the Forest, ghosts appear somewhat bleached of color and semi-transparent. Looking through them is "like seeing something through deep water, or a fog of steam." Their edges are the most opaque part of them, when viewed from any angle. Though observers can see through them, they cannot see into them. In one case, a ghost who died with a compound fracture could appear with their bone still jutting out of the arm, but they cannot willfully allow others to see their bones or through their clothes.

Some ghosts can age slide, appearing younger than when they died, though most seem to lack this ability. There is no evidence ghosts can age slide up, to look older than they ever did, so ghosts of children will look like children in their afterlife forever. Minds, however, can change and grow over time even in the afterlife, so it's important not to assume the ghost of a toddler has the mental capacity of one.

Three people have claimed to see the ghost of Young Dae in the centuries after his death, and one witness said he wore Mauzji clothing, despite never visiting during his life. This implies that ghosts have some ability to change the clothes they wear. It may also be possible for ghosts to change hair length or style after death. The mechanisms are not fully understood.

## Personalities

Most ghosts seen by living humans want to be seen because they have some goal they still wish to accomplish. These ghosts tend to be driven, persuasive, angry, and occasionally hostile if their will is not enacted. What few ghosts have been seen by accident, generally by those with ghost sight, are far less concerned with human affairs. They tend to observe events without comment or look distracted, as if dealing with their own problems.

The ghost of Young Dae is perhaps unique in his desire to offer critique with his afterlife. He was seen up to five hundred years after his death, generally with his lover Hyeon, insulting those around them. Because ghosts are invisible outside the Forest to all without ghost sight, they generally went unnoticed, but Ko Jintau, a Weo advisor, both had ghost sight and attended important political meetings. They reported it was almost impossible to pay attention to to the discussions with:

> The both of them talking back and forth. First *shei* [an old Ju term for an older, distinguished gentleman] would comment on what the king was wearing, then *jin* [an old Ju word for a respectable person from an up-and-coming family] would remind him of someone they had seen in their life who wore similar clothes, and then they would discuss which of the two of them looked more respectable in those clothes, and *shei* would wonder whether *jin* thought he could pull off such an outfit, and at that point, someone would've said something silly or some double entendre and they'd both have a hearty laugh at the poor person's expense, all without anyone else ever noticing. I thought I'd go mad.
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Other ghosts seem determined to sow ruin and chaos, though they may be dirae or some other manner of spiritual being. Because sightings are so rare, patterns are difficult to ascertain.

## Existence as a Ghost

Many ghosts have expressed that they can go places humans cannot, including places from whence they might not be able to return. Yanis believe ghosts, once suitably at peace, enter the spiral and do not return. Ghosts appear to have the ability to travel anywhere in the known world without fear, though out of the Forest, only those with ghost sight can see them. There is no apparent way to harm them and individuals haunted by a ghost they can see are in a most unfortunate place indeed if they cannot make peace with their tormentor.

Ghosts can possess humans, but generally only with consent. Once possessed, humans can expel a ghost at any time. However, it is unwise to allow a ghost to do so.