Are you working with the Channeling Companion from RMSS/FRP or the companions from RM2? Off the top of my head - I really need RMC2 and the Alchemy Companion - Spirits come in a great variety: Elemental, Conceptual, Totemic, etc. They are quite well explained in RMC2. IIRC, they flood an area with an effect attuned to their specific nature. A potent Shaman could flood an area with a Conceptual Spirit of Disorder and tip a crowd in dangerous mood towards violence. (Although said Shaman would need to be capable of removing any 'taint' that the spirit receives from being yanked out of it's pure habitat in the Spirit World). It's a very Platonic idea.
Conversely, events can give rise to particular 'spirits'. As an example, imagine a vow taken by a morbid young prince to avenge his murdered father
. The vow is so deeply felt that it has a 'spirit' of it's own, with an independence. A canny shaman might invoke that spirit to stiffen the prince's wavering resolve, although, as noted above, the prince's depressive maunderings may be so powerful as to corrupt the spirit of the vow. Hence the spells for healing and cleansing taints.
Shamanic alchemists are IMO a great class...they can imbed - for example - a spirit of courage in a staff. This staff can then be used to bolster morale and dampen fear effects by the wielder.
Anyhoo, there's a lot more to it than that. I'll look over the books and see if I haven't gotten the above completely wrong...
