Beann'shies

Beann'shies howl and shriek, and if you hear their cry, you can know you’ll join the ranks of the dead that night.

– beggar from Dun Dâre

Old gossips claim beann'shies are the spirits of women stuck between life and death due to traumatic experiences. Their wails and howls are considered ill omens of imminent, inevitable death, though they are said not to attack the living themselves. Most often they appear in the form of pale, tear-streaked women with shriveled faces and wrinkled, corpse-like bodies.

Beann'shies are wraiths which use their piercing cries to wake the dead to fight their foes. Their cries can additionally stun enemies, making them easy targets for direct attacks.

Beann'shies can regenerate, but this does not mean they cannot be defeated – they are vulnerable to silver and wraith oil as well as the witcher Signs (though they are known to be resistant to the Signs’ critical effects).

When fighting a beann'shie, there is no point using bombs or bolts, for they will do the wraith no damage.