Haunt

A haunt was the spirit of a person who died before completing a crucial task. They were trapped near the location that they died and tried to possess passersby so that they could complete the task. The god Hoar sometimes used haunts to fulfill his purposes.

Description
In its natural form, a haunt either looked like an incorporeal version of its former self or a glowing ball of light nearly identical in appearance to a will-o'-wisp. In the former shape, haunts were often mistaken for more common ghosts or spectres. Haunts could change forms in a matter of seconds.

Behavior
A haunts only desire was to possess a human or demihuman and use the dominated victim to complete its task. They attacked without any intelligence whichever such potential victim entered their "domain", a region within  of where they (or their last victim) died.

Abilities
It was impossible for clerics to turn a haunt, since the haunt was mystically tied to its domain. A haunt's touch made a victim feel numb and cold, until unable to move, at which point the haunt would enter the victim's body and take control of its functions. Once this occurred, the haunt was free to leave its domain and travel to wherever it needed to complete its quest. If the haunt completed its quest, its spirit was free to enter the afterlife, and the victim would regain bodily control. If killed in the victim's body, the haunt would again be trapped in the region of this new death.

When possessing a victim, the haunt did not gain access to the victim's intelligence. It could use a victim's gear, for example, but not cast any spells once known.

In their natural forms, haunts could only be harmed by magic or silvered weapons or by fire. A haunt that was destroyed with such a weapon would simply reform in its domain seven days later. A haunt could be exorcised, however. The spell hold person could remove the haunt, while dispel evil and good would destroy it forever.

While not intelligent, one in ten haunts could be communicated with, explaining some details of their former lives and the task that they must complete. Some felt remorse for their need to possess the living.

Combat
If a haunt possessed a victim whose alignment was opposed to its own, it would cause the victim's body to strangle itself, rather than use it to complete the haunt's task.

Ecology
A haunt maintained no possessions.

Notable Haunts
The ruins of Castle Tethyr, the former palace of the royal family of Tethyr, was infested with many undead, including haunts.