Anatomy of a Soul

Few understand the deep complexities of a soul.
Some study the soul, use soul-related abilities, or sense or interact with soul energies. These entities merely know what they can feel, or what others describe as feelings.
While recorded knowledge of soul energy is extensive and meticulous, the information barely scratches the surface of the secrets of the "God Soul".
Herein and henceforth lies the secrets of the soul, some unbeknownst even to the gods.
(( See also : The Void )) =====
What most consider to be the soul is a measure of potential, bound to an entity that changes the soul throughout the entity's life. At the end of life, the changed soul is torn apart, then forged and fused into new souls ready to be released back into existence. This allows for the creation of more powerful souls. Depending on the quality and consistency of a soul it may be joined into a larger soul or taken apart to make many smaller souls. This can be used as a sort of population control, to ensure the constant increase of compatible vessels as souls grow more numerous and powerful. Over time the souls have changed to be very refined and powerful. Usually, mortal creatures possess barely noticeable Soulforce, but lately, most mortals have respectable, if not significant Soulforce.
In layman's terms, souls are a measure of potential and usually reincarnate as more powerful entities.
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Souls are shattered shreds of reality, or at least the constituent energies that comprise reality.
Mortal souls are relatively simple Ectenic energy constructs reminiscent of an elongated diamond. Mortal souls, regardless of host species, are remarkably similar in construction, indicating a common origin for the mortal realms.

Soulforce is a measure of the strength of a soul. not everything has Soulforce bound to it, but all Soulforce is bound to something. Sometimes a pebble, sometimes a god.

Souls cannot exist in the material realms or mortal planes without a vessel strong enough to contain the Soulforce of that soul. If the vessel is destroyed, the soul is rapidly forced back into the non-corporeal realms, usually The Void, where they are reforged into new souls. This process destroys the original souls, resulting in the death of the mind as well.
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Parts of a soul. Here is a very brief overview of the structure and substance of a soul, its very anatomy.
The processes, mechanisms, functions, and purposes of the various soul components are not necessarily difficult concepts, but certainly extensive enough that this should be considered a VERY brief overview of soul mechanics.

Soul Tether - this connects the soul to the void. all mortal souls have this component, which pulls the soul back to the ethereal realms of the underworld upon the destruction of its vessel. If severed or destroyed in a way that leaves the rest of the soul intact, the soul will release insane amounts of power while it burns itself away. A relatively quick process, this rare occurrence can only be caused by significant knowledge of the soul and requires some kind of force or will to trigger. Legend has it there once were creatures that could "see" the different tethers and sever them. They were hunted down and destroyed long ago, but several myths persist to this day about blind prophets who see the end of every mortal's life, ready to sever their connection to this world when the time arrives.

Substance of Self - this component contains all the Soulforce behind the vessel's mental capabilities, and retains a lifetime of memories, and experience. This component starts as a husk at the instant of its creation but rapidly develops substance throughout a lifetime. This part of the soul is what conscious entities consider to be the soul of their identity. When a vessel is too weak or damaged, it will release the soul it contains. the knowledge and experience are harvested during the journey to the underworld. The integrity of the soul's identity collapses quickly as the soul is forced from corporeality, resulting in the total annihilation of the entity. Some have found ways around having their soul destroyed on the way to the underworld, and make it to the void fully intact. The original entity died, however, and this is merely an intact copy of memory, intent, and ability.


Substance of Soul - this component wraps around the spirit anchor and is a measure of the raw force of a soul. It also intersects with the Substance of Self and has endpoints at the Tether and the soul shell. If a vessel is too weak or damaged to contain this energy source, the entire soul will be forced from corporeality.



Spirit anchor - this component is the tail end of the soul of the self, with winding tendrils that intricately bind the different parts of the soul. Every part of the soul has this lattice, and it acts as a "skeleton" for the rest of the soul to attach to. The only component completely buried in the spirit anchor is the deep soul. If the spirit anchor is ever critically damaged, it usually triggers a soul-shell breach. Otherwise, the soul will undergo various forms of dis integration.


Soul shell - this is a protective barrier around the potential of a soul. If this component is ever breached, it will explode, blowing away the rest of the soul. This is unnatural for a soul to experience as the shell was designed to withstand overwhelming stress of varying types, and normally caused by meddling or severe fluctuations in the ley network.


Deep soul - the deep soul is a small component buried in the spirit anchor. If the soul of the self and the spirit anchor are ever critically damaged, the deep soul will come up and smash through the soul shell, merge with the potential of the soul, and the resulting energy is pulled into the void. This process takes less than a few seconds and results in the other components being burned away as energy to facilitate the journey. This is the normal process mortal souls undergo when their vessel perishes.


Potential - this odd component is not essential to a soul but is almost always found in a mortal soul. It is protected by the soul shell and contains a soul's raw potential. It is a measure of the abilities of an entity at full possible capability. It is extremely rare for an entity to be able to raise their Soulforce to even half of its potential. However, no mortal entity with this component can ever exceed their power potential, with only very extreme exceptions.
This component was introduced sometime after the creation of mortal souls. While its origins are difficult to discern, the processes it is involved in are easy to observe for those who can interact with souls on a meaningful level.


MindLink - this large node forms a twisted and weaved Ectenic network that starts at the base of the skull, and connects with most major nodes in the central nervous system. It is partially phased into reality and acts as a mediator between the various functions of the corporeal and noncorporeal components of the mind, body, and soul.


LeyStays - technically a misnomer, these 5 nodes on the top of the soul construct are what connect the soul to the Ectenic network of its vessel. One of these has a conduit that snakes through the mind link and into the brain. The Ectenic lattice it connects to within the brain connects the mind to every part of the soul, much as a nervous system connects the brain to the body.
The other 4 create energy conduits throughout the body that have a terminus at the ends of the appendages. Depending on the number of limbs, these may have branching points. On the way to the terminus, they form systems of energetic lattices that permeate every part of their physical being. These conduits are designed to handle a significant flow of Soulforce and act as a circulatory system for soul-related energies to and from soul-related components.