Spirits were a broad creature type encompassing many related forms of existence rather than a single, unified being. While commonly associated with souls, spirits were not merely the remnants of Mortalkind life. They were manifestations of planar energy shaped by belief, environment, and metaphysical forces, and they reflected the nature of the plane from which they originated. Mortal spirits could arise from the animating lifeforce of a being, often departing the body at death to pass into an afterlife aligned with deity, belief, or judgment. In rare cases, Curses, unfinished obligations, or powerful magic prevented this passage, causing a spirit to linger and sometimes crystallize into an Undead or bound entity.
Beyond mortal origins, many spirits were never tied to individual lives at all. Entire planes and environments gave rise to spirits formed directly from their underlying energies. Nature spirits exemplified this category, embodying forests, rivers, animals, and regions rather than people. Such spirits mirrored the character of their source plane, whether fertile, savage, orderly, or hostile, and acted according to those principles rather than mortal morality.