Wraith

A wraith arises where death, a curse, or dark magic accumulated over time has created an especially dangerous presence. In Elaria, it lingers in places associated with fear and violence: abandoned fortresses, desecrated shrines, and underground chambers people no longer visit. Its appearance may resemble the person it once was, or merely a shadow retaining a few recognizable features.

It often acts with greater purpose and menace than a ghost repeating a memory. It may guard a secret, pursue revenge, or serve whoever summoned it. Sometimes it acts independently; sometimes it forms part of a wider curse. Its intelligence and capacity for conversation depend on its origin: powerful anger can suppress everything except a single purpose. It need not attack everyone indiscriminately if a particular act or identity triggers its threat.

Chilling Touch allows it to make a magical attack, while Partial Incorporeality reduces physical damage by one. This protection does not reduce magical damage. The party must therefore account for an attack against which physical defense is not the primary protection. Investigating the site may reveal what binds the wraith and whom it is actually seeking. Breaking its bond, righting a wrong, or safely bypassing the place may offer a solution, but the story must determine the conditions rather than a general superstition about all undead.