: I like the idea of them leaving a fiery trail behind
: them, and then suffocating or consuming those they
: encircle. Much like a Mahir would.
: Speaking of which, where are the Mahir? Hell, *what*
: exactly are they?
Going by GURPS they're a form of "natural" undead; like the traditional ghost they died under such conditions (feeling a strong emotion, leaving something "unfinished," being obsessed with something) that their spirits lingered in this world. GURPS says there might be a spell that creates them, but no one is known to have it. GURPS also says most Mahir are not particularly allied to any cause save their own obsessions; many are "evil" and hate the living, attacking whenever they see them, but they usually don't work for a Dark lord and some may not be hostile at all.
Their immediate literary ancestor is the Shadow from the Black Company. The Shadows were created by torturing a whole bunch of people to death in such a fashion that, again, their souls stuck around on this plane, feeling little but hatred for the living. They were then put to work as soldiers, guards, etc.
So you can either go by the GURPS variation, in which case the Mahir are basically just individual ghosts doing their own thing; or follow TBC more closely, in which case the Mahir are yet another form of undead working for the Dark.
