Ethereals. Spirits are ephemeral entities native to the ethereal and elemental planes. Though the Veil keeps the physical and spiritual worlds separate, they share a deep connection. Such creatures form in response to phenomena in the material world, growing in power and self-awareness over time. The metaphysics of the ethereal and elemental planes give spirits certain traits that make them alien to creatures from the mortal realm. These traits are as follows: 

 

Awareness. Spirits are passively aware of things that directly relate to their nature, and can divine such information with thought. A spirit of fire can sense the location and intensity of fires, a spirit of horses knows the health and whereabouts of horses, etc. The more powerful a spirit is, the greater its ability to sense such things. 

 

Hierarchy. Spirits of the same type naturally form broods, recognizing an alien hierarchy of influence based on age and power. These broods are bonded by a hive mind. Weak spirits are unintelligent and have minimal sense of self. Powerful spirits develop self-awareness and can command their weaker brethren based on divine authority. The mightiest animal and plant spirits are virtual demigods, ruling over vast broods of subordinate spirits representing their children in the mortal world. Primitive cultures venerate such beings as the Lord of Horses, the Cat Lord, the Bear King, the Oak Father, the Winter Queen, and so on. These entities collectively bless druids with their magic, granting mortals power based on divine authority.  

 

Laws. Regardless of their moral alignment, spirits are bound by specific cosmic rules. They must keep their oaths, shun interaction with other spirits that have nothing to do with the forces they embody, and every type of spirit has a specific ban. Bans are behaviors or substances the spirit cannot perform or interact with under certain conditions. If a spirit can be forced or tricked into violating its ban, it suffers a penalty. These penalties vary in intensity, ranging from damage to incapacitation to death. 

 

Curses. Some spiritual entities are so ancient, powerful, and alien that they are unfathomable to mortals. The “gods” of plants, in particular, have been known to levy curses against creatures that threaten the natural order. These curses manifest as supernatural allergies to specific plants or elements. Vampires are vulnerable to wooden stakes and running water, werewolves are susceptible to silver and belladonna, fey are burned by cold iron, and so forth. Mystics have established the source of these curses, but not their motive or what logic (if any) is behind them. And the entities responsible don’t talk. 

 

Slumber. All spirits can dematerialize, spreading their essence over an area of variable size and entering a dreaming fugue state where they are only vaguely aware of nearby events. Spirits must enter this form to recover or heal. Mighty spirits often sleep for decades or even centuries at a time. They tend to manifest in response to some triggering event, or when compelled to do so by magical means.