The Bound, also called Sin-Eaters, are humans who had experienced sudden or early deaths and have been given a second chance life by making a pact with a special ghosts known as Geists. Many humans who become Bound were already closer to the world of the dead and the supernatural, but others were simply humans with enough will to live to accept the pact and come back.
 

The relation between the human and Geist may vary depending on how friendly the Geist is. Some Bound see their Geist as a friend and ally, while others are tortured by the voice constantly whispering inside their mind. Still, for those lucky enough to have a Geist that likes them, their new situation has far more positives than negatives. Not only do they get a new chance in life, but they also recieve many new abilities. They can see and communicate with the dead; can use their Geist for a variety of ghostly powers, known as Manifestations; and can use Plasm to heal themselves, open Avernian Gates and power Ceremonies, rituals of necrotic magic more complex in execution and result than Manifestations.

 

How they use their new powers depend on the Bound, but coming back from the dead makes most of them fairly easy-going, so few Bound are actively malicious. Many of them use their powers to help other ghosts move on to the afterlife or to deal with those that refuse to do it, and have founded societies dedicated to such objectives, the oldest and best known of them being the Oath-Circle of the Oar, also called the Boatmen's Society or the Ferrymen.