The Stubborn (but friendly) Dead (Setting)

Sometimes the dead of Outer World do not stay dead. Skelemen harbor wicked ambitions, phantoms lash out at the living, the winter myrmidons seek to coat their icy blades with warm blood. But of course, not all of the Stubborn Dead are a threat to the folk. 

For example, those who die with enough outstanding debt return as Undead Peddlers and seek to make enough coin to pay what they owe. Little ghosts wander because they didn't see as much of the world as they would have liked. Crafter Cadevers seek to master their disciplines in ways that one simply could not do with a limited lifetime and typical, living constitution. These stubborn dead usually do not bring undue harm to the living. 

In fact, they are often allies of a sort!

The difference between these two categories come down to the why of their undead state, which trumps even the how. After all, two individuals can die in the same tragedy with a different feeling burning in their heart. Consumptive desires born from wrath, hunger, delusions of grandeur and the like often result in a dangerous wraith of some kind. Conversely, feelings of duty or curiosity and other more benign desires generally mean the second chance they receive will be a constructive one. 

Regardless of which sort of feeling they have, it must be an unusually strong one to anchor their soul to the world and keep it from dispersing into the flow of mana. What prevents them from accepting their demise will define what they are in undeath. Short of completely obliterating what remains of their body or soul, the only thing that can end one of the stubborn dead is the loss of this purpose.

There are many mixed feelings among the living concerning the stubborn dead. Many see them as just another sort of folk, who have good and bad among them just like any other kind of person. For others, their disruption of the order of things is simply something that cannot be overlooked, something to be dealt with. And then there are a few who look upon those who refuse to die, and see them thrive even in forsaken places like The Eaten Isle and wonder, perhaps fear, if one day they might outnumber the living.