Specter

**Specters** are a type of ascended spirit hailing from the Bleak Purgatory of Gehenna, but unlike the Nephilim they share the realm with, they are not born of the souls of the wicked. Being creatures of Gehenna, Specters are categorized into a group of creatures known as the 'Purgatorials,' which includes Nephilim and Colossi. In the larger categorization of ascended creatures, specters are considered "spirits, who wander" along with a large portion of many other beings of the planes. Despite not being undead by technical terms, they are often compared to ghosts, earning them their name.

## Specter

a sketch of Fenris as a specter, by MrPuddins

## Biology

### Movement

* Walking
* Flight
* May pass through solid objects

### Abilities

* Etherealness
* Occult winter magic
* Supernatural Invisibility

## Ecology

### Enviornment

* Barrens
* Tundra
* Urban

## Description

The haunted souls of those who wander Gehenna, the specters can take on a variety of forms that often resemble the echoes of someone's soul. They may take on features associated with angels or fiends such as wings, horns, or other supernatural features that betray their otherworldly nature. They often take on various monstrous or undead appear features as well, such as ghastly visages, ghostly bodies, and any other features that may give a hint as to where their soul wanders in the Great Wheel. It is not uncommon for a specter to take on a form similar to the ascended form the soul would take should they not be confined to the Bleak Purgatory of Gehenna, but cosmic circumstances have decreed they must serve their sentence as well. Their forms are ethereal when they enter the material plane, and while in Gehenna, they often take on this etherealness to avoid the vengeful eyes of the Nephilim, or worse, the stare of the Winter Colossus.

It is thought the haunted look in a specter's eyes comes from the torments at the hands of the goddess of terror, Cersei.

## Abilities

Many specters bring over talents and abilities they had in life to their afterlife. For example, if a specter was a skilled warrior in life, they likely know how to swing an axe effectively. Specters are able to take on an ethereal form, allowing them to pass through solid objects and to remain unnoticed and avoiding the perception of even creatures with supernatural senses.

A plethora of supernatural abilities are at the disposal of many specters with many of their powers derived from the element of winter or the cube of 'unlight' in the skies of Gehenna. Specters who are able to overcome Cersei's tortures are significantly more powerful than other specters and are able to command the very chains of torment once used on them.

## Legendary Lore

Not all souls sent to the Bleak Purgatory of Gehenna are the souls of the wicked and deserving of atonement through punishment, but rather, other cosmic circumstances have led to souls being sent to Gehenna such as:

* Scribing one's name into the Wall of the Faithless.
* A Sojourner abandoning their faith.
* Crimes committed against the laws of the cosmos.

Sent here not due to their nature, these souls who are reborn in Gehenna are reborn as specters. They wander the Bleak Purgatory in hopes of finding some way to escape the realm so that their souls can pass to the other realms above, where they can be freed. The truly ghastly specters are said to have been captured by Cersei, the goddess of terror, who takes great joy in tormenting these tortured souls in an attempt to hollow them out and make them lose hope with some scholars claiming the colossi are born of the result of specters who fully join with Gehenna after losing all hope of escape. Some specters will align themselves with the night hags who have been native to Gehenna since before the days of the colossi in an attempt to safeguard themselves from the nephilim who hunt them as in these realms, souls are a powerful currency.

Specters may appear in the mortal realm at times, often aided by another entity or through places in the planes where their borders may grow thin. They cannot stay long in the mortal plane unless tethered by powerful magic or willpower.

## Trivia

* Despite not being an especially pleasant fate for one's soul, some cultures, such as Sojourners, place great value in a soul being sent to Gehenna. For them, it is the only way a soul can atone for abandoning their culture and faith.
* The name for specters is taken from a word that means 'ghost.' Despite this, they are not undead creatures.
* Specters are noted for not being celestials or fiends. They exist in a unique category of spirits that exist outside of the celestial/fiend dichotomy.
* The concept of purgatorial spirits in need of purifying before passing to heaven is inspired by Catholic theology and the concepts of Purgatory.