Kuei

Kuei, also known as phii ha, were lesser spirits common to Kara-Tur, formed when a person died a violent death that left them unavenged with a special purpose unfulfilled.

Description
Kuei looked as they did in life. They wore the same clothing and equipment they were wearing when they died. They appeared solid but were in fact incorporeal and therefore could not be touched. A kuei's voice was monotone.

Combat
To accomplish its goals, a kuei would possess a target being; their ideal target was a healthy and strong individual. Once possessed, the kuei was able to completely control the target's body. They were only able to tap into their own natural abilities, not those of their host. So if a kuei possessed a wu jen, it was unable to use spells memorized by the spellcaster.

An individual could be freed of possession by a kuei in only three ways. An exorcism spell lifted the possession. If the individual died, the kuei was no longer able to possess the body. And if the kuei was able to complete its task, the possession was lifted. The individual did not keep any memories of what occurred during possession. This often caused great confusion for the individual as a kuei could maintain the possession for years at a time, so an individual might not regain control until years after being possessed and sometimes might be far away from where the possession first occurred.

Abilities
Kuei were able to become ethereal and could attempt to possess a creature up to three times a day. They were immune to the ESP spell as well as any charm, enchantment, illusion, and water-based spells. They were also immune to mundane cold and fire but still suffered some damage as a result of exposure to magical cold or fire.

It was not possible for a kuei to pass through jade or crystal, nor could it pick items made from these materials up.

Society
Kuei were solitary creatures. They rarely interacted with other creatures or spirits.

Habitat
Kuei did not have a lair or treasure. They wandered the Prime Material Plane and therefore could be encountered anywhere but most often remained within Kara-Tur.

Ecology
Kuei were most active at night. Sunlight did not harm them, but during the day, they usually stayed motionless, almost as if in meditation. Kuei did not require sustenance nor rest; when they were in possession of a humanoid host, however, they mimicked these daily routines to avoid raising suspicion.

They were created as a manifestation of a humanoid who died an early and extremely violent death. The individual had to have had a strong purpose in life that was left unfulfilled by an early demise. A kuei could only form from a person whose body was not buried. Alternatively, if a creature was killed with the sword of darkness spell used by wu jen, it returned as a kuei. When a kuei first formed, it usually appeared a few miles from where it died.

Legends
In Kozakura, the volcano of Gensuyama on Shinkoku was said by local hermits to contain an entrance to the Underworld. Its wicked denizens sometimes escaped and lurked around the mountain, including kuei.

Notable Keui

 * Funada Toragi
 * Goburu Ichi
 * Hiroyasu Ohta

Appearances

 * Adventures :
 * Black Courser • Blood of the Yakuza • Dungeon #10: "The Artisan's Tomb" • Dungeon #17: "The Waiting Room of Yen-Wang-Yeh" • Dungeon #18: "Crocodile Tears" • Night of the Seven Swords • Ninja Wars • Swords of the Daimyo • Test of the Samurai