Ghost mold

Ghost mold is a fungus found in areas of strong necromantic activity in the Darklands. It appears as faintly glowing black dust, hard to spot even for those who have encountered it before. It reacts by briefly glowing a pale white if living creatures come within arm's reach, throwing out a cloud of spores in a ten-foot radius. These spores attack both the mind—potentially causing fearsome hallucinations of death—and the body, draining away life energy.

The body of a creature completely drained of life energy becomes a new patch of ghost mold. The victim's spirit may briefly remain to haunt the area as a ghost, until it too is destroyed by the feeding of the ghost mold.