Ghost is a secondary antagonist of The Cleric Quintet series of novels by RA Salvatore. He's a psychotic assassin member of the Night Masks guild who is hired by Aballister Bonaduce to kill the hero Cadderly.

Appearance[]

A short, child-like figure, Ghost is thin to the point of frailness. He has heavy, droopy eyelids that make him look sleepy and thick lips. He also seems to be in a constant state of sickness as he's subject of coughing fits.

Ghost dresses as do all Night Masks when they gather: whatever nondescript garb each chooses to wear, and a black domino mask with gilted edges.

Personality[]

Ghost is extremely cruel. Not only he practices the grim profession of assassin, but he has chosen to do it in particularly vicious and sadistic ways.

Ghost is very proud of his kills and his abilities he gained with the Ghearufu. For such an unimposing, frail looking figure, Ghost's arrogance and evil is out of proportion. He takes a cold and smug pleasure in doing his job, not caring about the damages he inflicts not only to his victim but to also the victim's loved ones.

Ghost used Ghearufu to get him close enough to assassinate his target. To this end, he chose to possess one of the target's trusted friends. Ghost also used Vander, a burly Firbolg, as his spirit-mate, a common but unwilling target of Ghost's possessions.

His signature magic item is the Ghearufu, which allowed Ghost's spirit to leave his body and possess that of another.

History[]

Ghost's real name and origins are unknown. He has bragged that he has been alive for three centuries, and that his current frail body is the third he claimed as his own. Apparently, when a body is too old and weak, Ghost seeks a new, younger body to possess permanently.

Ghost was part of a group of Night Masks agents hired by the wizard Aballister to kill Cadderly Bonaduce and his companions.

While Ghost's band of killers did cause trouble, they ultimately failed to assassinate Cadderly. Ghost even tried to possess Danica. Danica's mental discipline enabled her to repel the Ghearufu's power, and Ghost then possessed Vander the Firbolg.

Cadderly' link with Deneir allowed him to discern Ghearufu's power, and the cleric helped Vander resist Ghost's spirit, albeit temporarily. In the battle that followed, both Ghost and Vander perished.

Cadderly later battled Ghost's spirit when the latter tried to take Cadderly's body and defeated the spectral assassin. Ghost's spirit was then dragged down to the lower planes by the souls of his victims.

Ghearufu would later bring back Ghost as a true undead ghost but he was quickly defeated and returned to the Abyss when Cadderly destroyed the magic item.