Soul Essence in The Age of Calamitous | World Anvil

Soul Essence

Soul Essence is the lifeforce of living creatures.
 

Origin of Souls

The soul is the living entity of an individual. It’s the very essence of who they are.
The essence of a soul cannot be destroyed by physical means, but it does require a physical manifestation to exist.
Souls are said to be the vessels of memories that pass through a range of organisms on their journey to the afterlife.  

Soul Ascension

A soul is created and comes alive within organisms, which then develop into creatures. 
When the host dies, the soul lingers between realms until it can manifest into a new host. 
It needs ample time to develop and grow so if a creature dies before the soul is ready to ascend, 
it will not be able to manifest into a greater entity. 
The humanoid is believed to be the last host of a soul’s journey, in which upon death it will ascend to the afterlife.  

Aspect of Magic

Mages have found that the soul can be used to interact directly with magic. 
This has led to the creation of what is known as a Magical Talisman. 
A talisman is required for the mage to control the channeling of magic through their body. 
A soul is encased in an aura around the host, and as long as the talisman is within the bounds of the aura, 
the mage will be able to utilize it.
The Soul Essence of an individual is what is drained when magic is cast.
Once all the essence has been drained, the soul will die and so will the caster.
The essence of a soul will be replenished over time.  

Soul Control

Experience and knowledge to a mage are what determines the usage amount of Soul Essence.
Knowing the harsh reality of what it means to exhaust one's essence, mages spend years on learning their limits.
Those that are reckless meet their demise early on in their studies.
Using a lot of one's Soul Essence will put the mage into a state of recuperation, in which they will be physically exhausted.  

Soul Power

For a mage, time equals power. When a mage gets more experience casting spells and incantations, they'll be able to use stronger magic at a lesser cost.
Even great mages use their magic sparingly knowing the limitations of Soul Essence.
When using powerful spells or incantations without proper knowledge and experience, the caster can enter a state of overload.
Once this happens, the mage's power backfires and incinerates the body from within.


Cover image: by Milena Popgeorgieva

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