[Tier 3] An Essay on Force Apparitions; By the Dark Lord of Horuset

[Ahandra Horuset]

An Essay on Force Apparitions, their traits and how to recognise them; By Ahandra Yaria Horuset

Introduction to the topic:
In my many years as a Sith, a sorceress and a Kissai priestess, I have encountered dozens of Force apparitions. These strange phenomena sometimes seem sentient and motivated by real desires or urges. Some are wise, friendly and good teachers, but most are without a doubt extremely dangerous. In this short essay, I will try to cleanse you, the reader, of your ignorance on the topic so you may be prepared for future encounters with these wonderful miracles of the Force.

A foreword on power levels.
I write this with Lorekeeper Jadie Priaa, who, not unlike me, has developed an interest in these mysterious appearances. Together we have devised a system to identify the power level of the many different types of Apparitions. This has not been designed in order to provide an insight of the dangers of these unlikely appearances, but rather to see them for what they are and what they could potentially be capable of. We have also taken it to ourselves to design a simplistic listing of each apparition for those whom are considered ‘illiterate’. (For example, primitive species with underdeveloped brains such as ‘Cathar’, ‘Zabraki’ and ’Twi’lek’, ‘Rattataki’, etc.)

Tier One Apparitions:
Tier one Apparitions are often little more than flashes of light, blurry persona’s and vague figures appearing on a set location. What defines them as Tier one is that they Cannot exist without outside influences. They have to be fueled, conjured or bound in order for them to remain on this plain of existence. Tier one Apparitions are not capable of truly interacting with their environment.

Name: ‘Fragment’ (Dark)
Tier: ‘One’
Appearance: ‘A vague outline of the person that left the emotional imprint. They are see-through, easily distracted and are hard to communicate with. While it is often possible to simply speak to them, they are unfocused and stuck in a certain ‘Emotional state’, often causing them to look grotesque or ridiculous.’
Reason of existence: ‘A fragment is brought into this world through a Kizia or a Sorcery ritual. A fragment is literally the embodiment of an emotional imprint. Every action of a Force-sensitive leaves traces of their activity. When a particularly strong emotion is at play, there is a good chance an imprint will come to exist on or near a certain item present at the given time. A strong enough imprint can be recognised and used. A ritual is used and the result is a ‘Fragment’. While the Fragment itself is harmless, the item it was conjured from may be dangerous if not treated with caution.



Name: ‘Whisp’ (Neutral)
Tier: ‘One’
Appearance: ‘A ball of pure energy that emits a bright light. It can be all sorts of colours depending on its alignment. It appears to be sentient as it is roughly ‘controlled’ by its caster, but it is not. A Whisp can be absorbed as an energy source if one so desires. It is mostly harmless, but the heat it emits may be considered unpleasant.’
Reason of existence: ‘A Whisp is a leftover product of a Kizia ritual. When the energy of a Sith Amulet is absorbed by the wielder, it has to be used or it will damage the wielder from the inside. An effective way to get rid of excessive energy is to create a ‘Whisp’. The energy is cast out of the body and clutters together, forming a coloured ball of energy. It will eventually burn out and disappear altogether. Whisps sometimes appear in tombs. They are the result of excessive residual Force presence. Many primitive species and cultures have formed legends and myths around these balls of energy, stating that they might lead you astray.’


Tier Two Apparition:
Tier two Apparitions are vague auras of which creep up every now and then in order to spook or observe Sith within their resting places. These auras can be communicated with in rare cases, and are usually completely harmless. They are literally images of the dead. These types of Apparitions are not very common, and you are not likely to envision these in your lifetime. But if you do, it will be near harmless. At most, these Apparitions may imprint an image of doubt or even a memory of their life within your mind.

Name: ‘Force Silhouette’ (Neutral)
Tier: ‘Two’
Appearance: ‘The name of these specific Apparitions outlines what specifically these are. However, these silhouettes are usually mere primitive ghosts of which wander areas without a clue in the world. They rarely interact with those who are passing by and are completely harmless. Though offer a cooling sensation when passed by.’
Reason of Existence: ‘These are the unrested dead, of which roam around the force and have done so for thousands of years. They’re completely oblivious to their surroundings, and could even be considered a memory of a once honoured guard of said tomb. They exist due to being completely engaged in the aura of the once fallen greater force user, of which keeps these Apparitions at bay, even in death. This can be seen as a sort of ‘bond’ with their former ruler.



Name: ‘Vile Voices’ (Dark)
Tier: ‘Two’
Appearance: ‘No visible appearance.’
Reason of Existence: ‘When the Sith Lords of Old had their tombs made by the Zuguruk Caste, they had the Kissai priests ‘install’ several defence measures against graverobbers, rival Sith and other intruders alike. The Zuchjura or ‘Vile Voices’, as they have come to be known, are semi-sentient entities fueled by the residual Force power inside the tomb. Their sole purpose is to provide illusions in the minds of unwanted intruders. While harmless themselves, the effects they can have on the feeble-minded are not to be underestimated. On Korriban alone, hundreds of ill-prepared explorers and tomb raiders lose their lives and sanity to the voices each year. They whisper ‘suggestions’ and try to instill fear by telling you things you do not want to hear. Somehow, they seem to have the tendency to mention exactly that which you fear most.’



Tier Three Apparition:
Tier Three apparations are frightening constructs indeed. They are the very rarest, most dangerous apparitions one may encounter. They often maintain a large part of their sentience, yet it is degraded to a point where it has become dangerous, unpredicatable and utterly unyielding. They are created with a purpose in mind, such as guarding a tomb, or they may have come into this world by accident, refusing to leave the mortal coil due to some invisible tether than keeps them here. One thing is for sure: They are not to be taken lightly.

Name: ‘Entombed Guardians’ (Dark)
Tier: ‘Three’
Appearance: ‘Horribly scarred, contorted and mummified corpses, animated by the Dark side of the Force. These vile beings have only one purpose: To protect the final resting place of their long-dead master. While they do not appear to be truly sentient, they can move, interact and even fight like living beings. They seem to be driven by a primal instinct alone.
Reason of Existence: During the Golden Age of the Sith, the mightiest of Sith Lords had vast numbers of servants seeing to their every wishes. Guards were included in this. When the Sith Lord died, he would often choose to bury his servants and slaves with him. The guards would be bound to the tomb and forced to protect it for eternity as a horribly disfigured but loyal corpse.



Name:  ‘Sosû’ (Dark)
Tier: ‘Three’
Appearance: ‘The Sosû has no real physical appearance, but can manifest in various forms inside the head of it’s victim. There, it can manipulate memories to appear to it’s host as a familiar figure, or read their thoughts to take the shape of their worst fear, or even deepest desire. This all depends on the strength and motives of the Sosû in question, however.’
Reason of Existence: ‘The Sosû cannot survive without a host. They are merely a fragment or lingering presence of a once mighty Dark side wielder. Upon death, a part of the darksider remains in the mortal coil, unable to depart out of fear for what is to come. They do this by feeding on residual Dark Side power in their location of departure. A nexus, tomb, temple or any other location strong in the Force is ideal for this. Because of their fear of death, and their desperation to stay alive, they are always searching for a host. Once found, the Sosû will latch on the unfortunate explorer or random passerby, and use their force signature as anchor point. From then on, it will feed like a, often harmless, parasite. They whisper suggestions to their hosts, and display the same characteristics they possessed when they were alive.’



Name: ‘Banshee’ (Dark)
Tier: ‘Three’
Appearance: 'There is no word that described the appearance of the banshee as well as the word 'unsettling'. Long filthy hair, a thin tattered dress, skeletal long-nailed hands and cold, furious eyes that stare out of a pale, decomposing face. She, if you can even call the banshee that, almost always appears in -that- exact form. A terrying, long-dead woman, levitating just above the ground, her cold gaze fixated on whoever made the mistake to disturb her. Both her razor-like nails and dangerously high-pitched voice are used as weapons to either shred her victim to pieces, or to paralyze them with her shrieks. It is not unheard of that a banshee uses forms of illusions to give herself her former beauty in an effort lull her victim in a false sense of security.'
Reason of Existence: 'Banshee's are the very embodiement of hatred. A great many cultures and worlds speak of banshee-like creatures. Almost all agree that it is the spirit of a woman who was wronged during her lifetime, or who died a violent death. This would presumably be the reason why the banshee could not move on to the after life, since she had unfinished business. It is intriguing how close to the truth these stories are... A banshee appears exclusively after the death of a powerful force sensetive female. Unlike other apparitions, the banshee is not created or summoned by another force power. Rather, it manifests itself due to the sheer willpower of the deceased woman. This is what makes them dangerous: They keep, for a large part, their sentience. They are calculating, cunning, and have the mindset of a predator. The reason why they can keep their personality and sentience is because they anchor themselves to a specific object, room or item that meant something to them during their lifetime. The item in question needs to have a powerful force imprint for it to work. This makes it rather easy to predict what item it may be. A necklace given by a lover? A lightsaber build with her own hands? Or even... a wedding ring? All very touching, and all very predictable. The item is the key to the existence of the banshee. They will not stray far from it, and they will most certainly not - give - it - up... Not without a fight.'




A work in progress

Name: ‘Sentient Tomb Mind’ (Dark)
Tier: ‘N/A’
Appearance: 'Whatever they want. Be it a visualisation of their former selves or another form that suits their need at that given time.'
Reason of Existence: 'The sentient Tomb Mind is an anomaly. It is the remnant of a powerful individual, almost always Sith, who had outgrown death. For them, life was just a phase. They have maintained full awareness and sentience, and are completely aware of what they are and where they are. Their terrifying existence continues to live on in the place that binds them: Their final resting place. In my many years, I have encountered this construct only a handful of times. I have found it to contain an inspiring amount of power. It is capable of harnassing every last bit of energy in it's surrounding, using it to control everything around it. In essence, it had become it's tomb, and will violently defend it against any intruder- if they are lucky... Nothing is beyond the realm of possibilities when dealing with such an apparation. As such, it is impossible to document them in detail. In the rare that you encounter one, back off! YOU WILL NOT SURVIVE.




A work forever in progress. More additions will be made when more apparitions are encountered.