Thanatological Flow

Abstract from a Pre-Abandoment Source on Souls and the Spirit Realm

Spirit in this world is an basic energy source which primes the use of magic. When a creature is born, it should be infused with "post-thanatological coherence" or, colloquially, a spirit or soul. When a creature desires a magical solution, it is the presence of a soul that allows the magical to coherently express itself.
When a creature dies, its thanatological energies return to the flow. The flow seems to be infinite and now boom or bust of populations has any significant effect - even in localized areas. There are rumors of souls surviving the flow intact and re-entering a new body at a later however, studies have not revealed that these re-incarnate energies retain any significant memory and may not be re-incarnate at all. Rather, they souls simply possess similarities to a prior souls.
It's not clear why or how a soul interacts with magical energy, suffice it to say that risen dead, even those with basic animated functions like zomboids are unable to effect even the smallest spell.
Thanatological remnants or anomalies, that is soul energy moored to the physical plane by some magical connection ARE able to cast some minor magic but he danger they present is more from thanatological exposure. Touching raw soul energy tends to have a deconstructive effect on physical matter but little to no effect on magical energies or magical constructs.
Thanatological anomalies also represent a kind of gravity well between the physical realm and the thanatological flow. This pull can attract or cause other anomalies near its space. Some anomalies can even absorb other anomalies and therefore grow in force and size.
What causes anomalies is varied and not wholly understood. There does seem to be a strong correlation between emotions during the death event. Anomalies capable of speech often repeat common themes or appear to have no objective sense of what's around them, favoring a scene reminiscent of the scene of their death or cause of their emotional distress.
The Thanatological flow does not seem to have a concrete location unlike elemental planes. Further more, evidence seems to express it as a trans-planar phenomenon. Those that die in elemental planes or pocket planes do not show an inability to pass easily into the flow and areas lacking flow access, or areas of "thanatorpor", seem to only be homon-made.

Type

Metaphysical, Supernatural