What are spirits?
Simply put, Spirits are entities of pure elemental energy. All spirits come from the elemental planes and can only arrive to our world through the gates themselves or through intense runic summoning. In this world, a spirit does not correlate to the word “ghost” and is not a manifestation of a deceased person. Spirits are their own being, with their own consciousness.
Every spirit is made up of some elemental ingredient, be it any of the 8 regions, with the inclusion of the light and dark elements. There is absolutely such a thing as good and evil spirits and there are hostile and even malicious spirits in the world. Oftentimes you can tell pretty quickly which you are dealing with.
Spirits do not represent broad-minded concepts like “war” or “justice”, but instead embody all the complex virtues and vices of their element, or sometimes even an animal they might resemble, like the Oria Vulpes for example, an stone and moss like fox spirit that wanders the earth region. Likewise, spirits are not worshiped in the traditional sense of the word, but rather revered.
Spirits like to interact with the world. They enjoy the spaces they inhabit and are sometimes curious of those who live in their elementally influenced regions.
Types of Spirits
A spirit's strength is often depicted by how solid they appear and can commonly be sorted into three or four different categories. A weak spirit may appear rather small, or wispy, while a stronger spirit may be large and take a more physical appearance.
Lesser and Greater Spirits
The most common of the four categories are Lesser Spirits. Lesser spirits are usually not only the smallest in size but also the smallest in terms of aura signature. They don't have very many tricks up their sleeves nor are they strong enough to pass back through the elemental gates once they travel to our material realm. Lesser spirits also cannot disguise themselves very easily, though some are still capable. Odds are if you trifle with a lesser spirit, a greater threat is not far behind. Greater spirits vary much more in both size and power compared to their Lesser counterparts. These spirits are the ones most often behind bonds and contracts, and are rather resourceful to those seeking them out.
Spirit Swarms
A much rarer presence of spirits, Spirit Swarms are groups of lesser and sometimes greater spirits who were weak alone. When spirit swarms form, they create a hive mind where they have come together to survive. Bits and pieces of each spirit added to the swarm are present in various actions, personality traits, appearances, and characteristics when it comes to swarms, making every swarm very different from the rest. However it is important to note that once a swarm has been formed, pulling it apart is near impossible without killing the entire system. Splitting a swarm is harmful, and a split must be willing in order to maintain as much of each individual spirit conscious as possible.
Superior Spirits
Superior Spirits rarely make themselves known and are the most unique and almost alien-like, residing primarily within the elemental planes beyond the gates attached to our world. They are sometimes referred to as Gods, though that is not necessarily correct, but are vastly looked upon with reverence and in some cases fear by the many inhabitants of our realm. Their primary purpose is to contain the elemental powers fed to our material plane and are the source of the purest form of each element.
Who can see spirits?
Everyone can see spirits. Spirits may choose to veil themselves with magic to avoid immediate detection. Seers will be able to sense a spirit's elemental aura even if cloaked.
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Spirit Bonds and Contracts
Contracts
Spirit Contracts are deals or pacts made with a spirit. A spirit will sometimes offer their services in exchange for a price. The price may vary depending on the spirit, but one can expect to trade items, information, mana, senses, memories, years of life, or physical features in order to pay for the contract. The contact must always be agreed upon by both the spirit and the contractee through physical touch, such as touching palms. Some spirits can be deceitful to get their way and it is always encouraged to fully understand what sort of contract you are signing before you go through with it.
Bonds
Spirits can be bonded to an individual(s) a few different ways through runic casting and are always initiated by a caster. Not all spirits are willing to bond with others though someone of high magical capacity and capability can force a bond with a spirit against its will. Bonding is always done through a form of runic magic as listed below.
Runic Circles
Runic circles are physically drawn into the ground or made up of various objects. Some are carved into dirt and sand, some are drawn with chalks or paints, while others could be made up of herbs or shells. The medium makes little difference as long as it has a similar elemental connection to the spirit you are trying to bond with. For example, in trying to bond with an earth spirit, flowers or dirt may be used, while trying to bond with an air spirit one might use feathers or incense.
Runic Wards
Runic wards are symbols drawn on the body or on an item to trap a spirit inside. This is the more violent form of Spirit Bonding. The Wards can be drawn or carved onto the item.
Banishing Spirits
To banish a spirit means to separate them from your soul and send them elseware. This can sometimes damage the individual attached to the spirit depending on the length of time one was bonded. Banishing can happen in various ways, no way particularly better than another, as all attempts to banish a spirit can be dangerous.
​So you want to sever a spirit bond... It works similarly to a runic circle, where the caster draws symbols on a surface and channels their mana within it. Substances of the opposite element are introduced at each point of the circle as an anti magical ward. The caster then pours all of their mana int other circle with a custom chant to banish the spirit.
The caster must succeed with a roll of 15 or higher or receive a wound state. Attempts can be made repeatedly upon failure until the caster is rendered in too much of a damaged state to continue.