Lore:Wraith

A Wraith (ESO)

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 spectres and enslave them as guardians via forcing a spirit's negative emotions to govern it's form, as well as through soul ensnaring curses.

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.

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..Though wraiths can arise from the souls of mages, being one isn't required for a wraith to form.

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. The fear of wraiths exists even among the ranks of the Dark Brotherhood due to the Wrath of Sithis, a type of 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.

As beings formed due to strong emotions, wraiths are harder for necromancers to control than ghosts. In addition to a normal haunting, wraiths can also be attached to cursed objects, such as a mirror.

Faded wraiths are a less powerful form of wraith, while gloom wraiths are an especially powerful variety.

Powers

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.In addition, some wraiths exhibit invulnerability to weapons that aren't silver, Daedric, or enchanted, as well as the ability to silence magic.

Certain wraiths have the ability to cast telekinesis, conjure Coldfire and reanimate the dead, others can conjure spectral copies of creatures and cause instant death via curses,, enter corpses to animate them and open portals, or communicate remotely via visions and corrupt objects to afflict the next person to grasp them with curses.

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.

There have been cases of wraiths associated with Daedric cults possessing the living to afflict them with an engineered plague, or imprisoning them within a mirror and leaving behind the reflection to take their place in the real world.

Gallery

• 

  A wraith (Arena)

• 

  A wraith (Daggerfall)

• 

  A wraith (Battlespire)

• 

  A Gloom Wraith (Oblivion)

• 

  A wraith (ESO)

• 

  Soul Wraith (Legends)

• 

  The Wrath of Sithis, a kind of wraith (Legends)

• 

  A Faded Wraith (Legends)

• 

  An Alessian wraith in the Imperial Sewers (ESO)

See Also

• For game-specific information, see the Arena, Daggerfall, Oblivion, ESO, and Legends articles.