Yurei

Restless Souls of Winter

The Yurei are souls who, at death, could not pass into Yomi or join their ancestors. Bound by grief, vengeance, or unfulfilled longing, they linger in the mortal world, haunting Yamato’s snowy forests and mountains. Their forms are pale, ghostlike, with flowing dark hair and eyes that glow like moonlit ice. They are both feared and revered: travelers whisper prayers to appease them, while mourners seek them for comfort or guidance in dreams. Some Yurei are gentle, leading lost souls to peace, but others are wrathful, cursing mortals who disturb their solitude. Their ability to drift through walls and vanish like mist makes them elusive, and their voices often echo as whispers on the wind. For Yamato’s people, the Yurei embody the fragile line between the living and the dead — reminders that emotions, when too powerful, can transcend mortality itself.