Phantasm

Phantasms are deceased beings who on the event of their death experienced feelings of intense emotion or sentiment. This devout sensation has been known to manifest itself into what has been described as spirit or spectre, as it is believed this fervour in some way helps anchor parts of the soul to the living realm. Though often considered as ghosts, which are widely acknowledged to be kept after death for purposes of revenge or unachieved ambitions, phantasms are their own class of being with no known similar entity.

## Known Phantasms

### Idelon of the Feast

The most infamous of phantasms is without doubt Idelon of Vanash, later and better known as Idelon of the Feast. It was in the shining new sanctre of High Palace that it happened, the Sanctre of the Burning Log, for that day yeared the king thirty. The log it burned, they say, the blues, greens and purples only the rarest oaks dare to burn, and the guests and royals ate deep and drank deeper, and many a goblets were raised high towards the king at the high table. But there was one who put on a show of overindulgence that day that few- if any- would ever come to claim virtue over. It was Idelon of Vanash, great friend of the king who on that night sat beside him, and it was he whose command of raised goblets bellowed. They later reckoned near a barrel ended up within him, and half the roast boar bobbed inebriated in his stomach, but the burden of such a feast tired him not, and for every joyous outbreak was met by a chorus of cheering. The men laughed with him, the ladies swooned to him, and even the king himself turned his throne to face the way of the cheerkeeper. But whether it became the tenth chalice, or twentieth, or thirtieth to refill, that night in the eyes of royals would be the last Idelon would spend beside his king. Atop the high table Idelon leapt as the moon neared its zenith over the steeping palace spires, and to the clapping and stamping of the Varatine Jig he weaved foot over foot cross the high altar sending glass and platter to air. But on the final wavering string of lute and fiddle his immoderation rebelled with the lethality of a kelte’s dart and, like one ensnared in the scrupulous net of a Saaramuryan hunt, Idelon clutched both hands to his heart. With a final bellow of merriment he cried, eyes on his crowd and drunken glee upon his face, and then Idelon of Vanash was no more.

His body was taken and buried in gardens beside those dear to the king. But, so it turned, the Sanctre of the Burning Log was not as rid of Idelon as it might have thought. Anchored by the brewing delight as he stepped over the mortal threshold the spirit bound to the world it was destined to forsake, and wavered by choice or binding rarely from the pillars of the great sanctre. And so joyous was the king when he emerged from his chambers of post-birthday fever three days later to see the apparition of his brother-in-drink, another ball was ordered in salutation. Such was the deep intrigue born in the townsfolk when they heard attending the name of a man they had seen collapse only nights before, the merriment was large almost of that to cheer King’s thirtieth passing. And when arrive they did, they saw him sat beside the King, silver and somewhat translucent but unmistakably chortling and bellowing as he had three nights prior.

“It’s my deepestest sorrow to biddy fairywell to Idelon of Vanash,” slurred the weaving spectre as he stood to address the crowd. “But gladdy I am to intuce myself to thee, Idelon of the Feast! I am phantom strong in sp-spirit. I am phant-asm sillibrating the drink-inking of to the king! To the king!”

Idelon was not the first, for beings of gluttony are of commonplace high amongst kingdoms, but it was only after the first speech of the apparition by the burning log that those strange, mysterious beings finally had a name to last, for at the eliding self-acclaimed misspeak people laughed, and repeated the word themselves, and before the night was out, it seemed, the whole of High Ostre was speaking of the phantasm in High Palace.