Wraiths are a type of powerful and aggressive spirit which can be formed naturally from individuals who have suffered from a great injustice or from those that have left important work undone, they are described as the darkest expression of a spirit, formed due to the anger of a life cut short. In addition to forming in response to a soul's negative emotions, wraiths can form due to the actions of necromancers, who have discovered methods by which to create these hateful specters and enslave them as guardians via forcing a spirit's negative emotions to govern its form,[1][2] as well as through soul ensnaring curses.[3][4]
Some wraiths are described as being the spirits of long dead mages, trapped into this state of existence either by the circumstances of their death or by being called by a powerful wizard. As an undead creature, wraiths are categorized as returned.[5]
Wraiths are often found guarding objects or patrolling certain areas. They are known to cast spells, see invisible foes, and attack those that trespass into their domain.[6] Though wraiths can arise from the souls of mages, being one isn't required for a wraith to form.[7][8][9]
Wraiths are known by the people of Tamriel as beings that haunt tombs and lurk in the dark, being featured even in children stories as creatures that will deliver doom.[10] The fear of wraiths exists even among the ranks of the Dark Brotherhood due to the Wrath of Sithis, an entity that takes the form of a wraith sometimes sent against the members of the organization of assassins who break their Five Tenets, which are the greatest rules of the group. This kind of wraith being sent is said to be a worse punishment than expulsion for the traitors of the Brotherhood, breaking each of the five rules can allow for the Wrath to be sent, and the spirit has been known to take the very souls of it's targets.[11][12]
The soul of an individual on the precipice of death can manifest in a spectral form, similar to a ghost. A soul burdened by strong emotions such as regret can splinter, its parts manifesting simultaneously in multiple locations tied to those emotions.[13] Such souls, caught between life and death, can be prevented from moving on to the afterlife through the use of powerful magic. However, even the power of a Luminary can't prevent a soul from passing on to Aetherius indefinitely, and powerful wraiths might eventually arrive to force the transition into Aetherius.[14][15]
As beings formed due to strong emotions, wraiths are harder for necromancers to control than ghosts.[2] In addition to a normal haunting, wraiths can also be attached to cursed objects, such as a mirror.[16]
Faded wraiths are a less powerful translucent form of wraith, while gloom wraiths are an especially powerful variety, which can wield swords and project curses that damage one's strength and endurance. The name "Gloom Wraith" is also used by beings that resemble spectral Spiderkith.[17]
PowersEdit
Owing to their nature as a form of twisted Ghost wraiths possess many of the same abilities, typically able to fly, see the invisible and cast a variety of frost spells and draining curses.[18][19] In addition, some wraiths exhibit invulnerability to weapons that aren't of or above a certain quality, or are enchanted, as well as possessing the ability to silence magic.[20]
Certain wraiths have the ability to cast telekinesis, conjure Coldfire and reanimate the dead,[21][15] others can conjure spectral copies of creatures and cause instant death via curses,[7] enter corpses to animate them and open portals,[22] or communicate remotely via visions and corrupt objects to afflict the next person to grasp them with curses.[23]
Some wraiths are known to feed on the life force of the living, they will transport those they encounter to the spirit realm of Aetherius where the dead can drain their essence.[24]
There have been cases of wraiths associated with Daedric cults possessing the living to afflict them with an engineered plague,[25] or imprisoning them within a mirror and leaving behind the reflection to take their place in the real world.[16]
GalleryEdit
-
A wraith (Arena)
-
A wraith (Daggerfall)
-
A wraith (Battlespire)
-
Faded Wraith (Oblivion)
-
A Gloom Wraith (Oblivion)
-
A wraith (ESO)
-
An Alessian wraith in the Imperial Sewers (ESO)
-
Soul Wraith (Legends)
-
A Faded Wraith (Legends)
-
Gloom Wraith (Legends)
-
The Wrath of Sithis, a wraith-like entity (Legends)
See AlsoEdit
- For game-specific information, see the Arena, Daggerfall, Oblivion, ESO, and Legends articles.
ReferencesEdit
- ^ Beyond the Grave: Tamriel's Undead
- ^ a b Materials for Novice Necromancers — Girara the Undying
- ^ Traitor's Diary — Mathieu Bellamont
- ^ Telenger the Artificer's dialogue in ESO
- ^ Flyleaf Catacombs loading screen text in ESO
- ^ Arena Wraith description
- ^ a b Praxin Douare's appearance in ESO
- ^ The Ghost Ship of Anvil quest in Oblivion
- ^ The Forlorn Watchman quest in Oblivion
- ^ A Child's Tamriel Bestiary — Shane gro-Orath (Clever, no? Ha, ha!)
- ^ The Five Tenets
- ^ Wrath of Sithis in ESO: Dark Brotherhood
- ^ Jahones Valain's soul fragments in ESO
- ^ The Netch'dialogue in ESO
- ^ a b Inevitable End in ESO
- ^ a b Reflective Spirit in ESO
- ^ Gloom Wraiths in ESO: Shadows of the Hist
- ^ Wraith's abilities in Daggerfall
- ^ Wraith's abilities in ESO
- ^ Wraith's abilities in Oblivion
- ^ Secundinus's abilities in ESO
- ^ Calion and the Possessed Soldier in ESO
- ^ Lathon's dialogue and Lord Vlindrel's curse in Oblivion
- ^ Soul Thirsters and Baleful Ghosts in ESO
- ^ Zaan the Scalecaller's wraith in ESO