The first and most frequent to plague the lands of the living are the wraiths and specters, immaterial undead that have no ability to affect the physical form and are only dangerous when they feed. Alas, this is frequent. The immaterial undead are ravenous, as their lack of a physical form hinders their ability to store energy over the long term. Without an actual body to shield them from the call of the beyond they must constantly burn power to avoid being sucked into the afterlife, and most are incapable of providing that power themselves.

One might be tempted to view this hunger as a weakness, but that might well be the last mistake a prospective hunter ever makes. Undead hunger is a strange and peculiar thing, it does not inherently lead to an infirmity of the body as mortal hunger does, and even when it does the consuming power of the wraith grows stronger. Nature abhors a vacuum, and although whatever physical or magical abilities an undead might possess tend to decline with hunger, the crushing emptiness of their soul will always make it easier, not harder, to steal away the vital force of their victims.

For the wraiths, who posses no bodies to weaken and rarely the intellect for magic, the greater the hunger, the greater the danger.

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There exists one final peculiarity of incorporeal undead that merits discussion, if only barely: their alleged haunting capabilities. It is said that rather than constantly drift through the void on the very precipice of death forever wraiths who live long enough can master the ability to shelter themselves within objects. These objects supposedly serve the same function as a living body, blocking out the call of the grave that all undead experience and allowing wraiths to persist for long periods between feedings. The legends speak of abandoned houses that sit peacefully for decades, only to devour their new inhabitants, or cursed blades that feed upon the life of those who would seek to wield them.

So, are all these frightful rumors true?

Indubitably.

That does not mean, however, that every tall tale you hear of foul hauntings is true! The very reason I was so hesitant in including this section is how easily this manner of spectre lends itself to gossip and rumor-mongering. Just because haunted houses exist does not mean that every disreputable wreck a peasant points you at is one!

Haunted objects and locales are not so easily made. If you encounter one for every dozen lesser wraiths you can count yourself an unlucky man indeed. Any accusation of a haunting must be met with expert diagnosis, not the hyperbolic overreaction of field templars!