29-04-2023, 09:58 PM
Essay: Regarding The Firsthand Accounts of Encounters With Apparitions
By: Acolyte Ida Velaris
Foreward
Apparitions, phantasms, ghosts, spirits... all names for spectral phenomenon which seem to be based on latent energies of the Force. These energies may manifest as impressions left upon items, the wills of the creator, or even something else entirely. While there is an extensive write-up by the Dark Lord and a former Lorekeeper, I have elected to write these based on firsthand experiences, as read from Acolyte accounts and encounters with these. By no means is this list comprehensive, but it is defined by impressions of the living, encountering manifestations of the dead.
The following will be listed from the most harmless to the most dangerous.
Minor Entities
"A face stared as I uncovered the urn..." "... heard crying as I touched the broken knife..." "The floating lights seemed harmless, congregating on the ceiling..."
Classified as Fragments and Whisps, these are entities of emotion, or energy in general. Recorded accounts describe them as existing in Tombs associated with Sorcerers and Alchemists, dregs and leftovers of rampant energy. While Whisps appear as balls of light, floating lazily, Fragments seem to be strong emotional impressions, whispers and personages that are vague at best. Given the low-energy and relative commonality of these, as well as no real recorded danger besides the environment they reside, these are not regarded as harmful on their own.
Amusingly, there are accounts of Acolytes following Whisps and falling upon pits of spikes or the like.
Banes of the Weak-Willed
"... saw a robed figure pass by, and a chill ran down my spine..." "There were voices in my head, and I saw spiders, hundreds, thousands!" "... the sisters began to cry like babies, sobbing, unable to stand the whispers that had come to me too..."
According to the Dark Lord's document, there are Force Silhouettes and Vile Voices. The former seems to just be figures, usually in Robes, wandering about aimlessly and passing through whatever is in their path. They have a cooling touch, and some become frightened just by these. The latter, however, is much more sinister. Whispering, showing things, the entity preys upon fears to such a degree that those unprepared can die from what is effectively a simple defense. At the very least, those not Force-Sensitive have been found rotting in tombs with these apparitions by unwitting Acolytes and other Sith, which provide a fear factor all their own.
In that sense, and in my opinion, the Vile Voices can perhaps be much more dangerous than this tier would suggest, but they are still a relatively minor conjuration.
The Walking Dead
"The corpses began to move on their own, grabbing weapons as they came at us... !" "... left them trapped with the bodies. I could hear their screams from the other side of the door..."
Accounts on the Entombed Guardians are quite rare, almost nonexistent. The few I did find are related to accompanying a higher-up, investigating a new tomb, and finding out what happened to previous Acolytes. All of them describe bodies clad in ancient garb or armor, rising up and coming after them with guided malevolence. To have to fight something which does not get exhausted, does not succumb to wounds, and can swarm en masse?
Needless to say, these are a physical danger, and assured death for the unprepared.
Conclusion, Other Dangers
Unfortunately, I could not find any accounts of the Sosû or Banshees that our Dark Lord wrote about, and especially not the Tomb Guardians. They do exist, but one can infer that they are so dangerous that no Acolytes have survived encounters with such, or could even comprehend them for what they were. As this is based on firsthand experiences, I can only say that if you are in the Tomb of one of the great Sith Lords, or going into the dark crevices marred by the Dark Side of the Force...
... if you think you cannot trust your senses and your mind, you probably cannot. If you have no faith in your abilities, you can only run far away, and give up on disturbing the dead. If you are not strong enough to claim a prize of earlier generations, you have no business being inside their final resting place. Thank you for reading.
Force serve, ever and always.
Addendum: Force Ghosts
It may be worth mentioning that there are historical accounts of figures appearing beyond death, the most notably-documented of which is Marka Ragnos. Based on said accounts and writings, users of the Force may persist as incorporeal spirits, but with the fully-intact wills of when they were alive. Though I have found no confirmation on whether they may still bend the Force to their will, these could, perhaps, be considered the most dangerous of all. Having knowledge of their entire lives at their disposal, and knowing the full inner workings of their places of rest, they might actively guide any interloper to their deaths... and assuming they do retain the ability to use the Force, attack with no fear of repercussions.
After all, how do you kill what is already passed? Only those skilled in Sorcery and Alchemy may have the answers and the skills to defy such immortality.
By: Acolyte Ida Velaris
Foreward
Apparitions, phantasms, ghosts, spirits... all names for spectral phenomenon which seem to be based on latent energies of the Force. These energies may manifest as impressions left upon items, the wills of the creator, or even something else entirely. While there is an extensive write-up by the Dark Lord and a former Lorekeeper, I have elected to write these based on firsthand experiences, as read from Acolyte accounts and encounters with these. By no means is this list comprehensive, but it is defined by impressions of the living, encountering manifestations of the dead.
The following will be listed from the most harmless to the most dangerous.
Minor Entities
"A face stared as I uncovered the urn..." "... heard crying as I touched the broken knife..." "The floating lights seemed harmless, congregating on the ceiling..."
Classified as Fragments and Whisps, these are entities of emotion, or energy in general. Recorded accounts describe them as existing in Tombs associated with Sorcerers and Alchemists, dregs and leftovers of rampant energy. While Whisps appear as balls of light, floating lazily, Fragments seem to be strong emotional impressions, whispers and personages that are vague at best. Given the low-energy and relative commonality of these, as well as no real recorded danger besides the environment they reside, these are not regarded as harmful on their own.
Amusingly, there are accounts of Acolytes following Whisps and falling upon pits of spikes or the like.
Banes of the Weak-Willed
"... saw a robed figure pass by, and a chill ran down my spine..." "There were voices in my head, and I saw spiders, hundreds, thousands!" "... the sisters began to cry like babies, sobbing, unable to stand the whispers that had come to me too..."
According to the Dark Lord's document, there are Force Silhouettes and Vile Voices. The former seems to just be figures, usually in Robes, wandering about aimlessly and passing through whatever is in their path. They have a cooling touch, and some become frightened just by these. The latter, however, is much more sinister. Whispering, showing things, the entity preys upon fears to such a degree that those unprepared can die from what is effectively a simple defense. At the very least, those not Force-Sensitive have been found rotting in tombs with these apparitions by unwitting Acolytes and other Sith, which provide a fear factor all their own.
In that sense, and in my opinion, the Vile Voices can perhaps be much more dangerous than this tier would suggest, but they are still a relatively minor conjuration.
The Walking Dead
"The corpses began to move on their own, grabbing weapons as they came at us... !" "... left them trapped with the bodies. I could hear their screams from the other side of the door..."
Accounts on the Entombed Guardians are quite rare, almost nonexistent. The few I did find are related to accompanying a higher-up, investigating a new tomb, and finding out what happened to previous Acolytes. All of them describe bodies clad in ancient garb or armor, rising up and coming after them with guided malevolence. To have to fight something which does not get exhausted, does not succumb to wounds, and can swarm en masse?
Needless to say, these are a physical danger, and assured death for the unprepared.
Conclusion, Other Dangers
Unfortunately, I could not find any accounts of the Sosû or Banshees that our Dark Lord wrote about, and especially not the Tomb Guardians. They do exist, but one can infer that they are so dangerous that no Acolytes have survived encounters with such, or could even comprehend them for what they were. As this is based on firsthand experiences, I can only say that if you are in the Tomb of one of the great Sith Lords, or going into the dark crevices marred by the Dark Side of the Force...
... if you think you cannot trust your senses and your mind, you probably cannot. If you have no faith in your abilities, you can only run far away, and give up on disturbing the dead. If you are not strong enough to claim a prize of earlier generations, you have no business being inside their final resting place. Thank you for reading.
Force serve, ever and always.
Addendum: Force Ghosts
It may be worth mentioning that there are historical accounts of figures appearing beyond death, the most notably-documented of which is Marka Ragnos. Based on said accounts and writings, users of the Force may persist as incorporeal spirits, but with the fully-intact wills of when they were alive. Though I have found no confirmation on whether they may still bend the Force to their will, these could, perhaps, be considered the most dangerous of all. Having knowledge of their entire lives at their disposal, and knowing the full inner workings of their places of rest, they might actively guide any interloper to their deaths... and assuming they do retain the ability to use the Force, attack with no fear of repercussions.
After all, how do you kill what is already passed? Only those skilled in Sorcery and Alchemy may have the answers and the skills to defy such immortality.