A creature’s life is dictated by the health and union of their soul, shadow, and spirit. At the center of their being is their spirit, which is the spark of free will and personality that defines who they are. Wrapped on either side are the soul and shadow, the astral and malstaric counterbalances of the spirit, which together give life and movement to the spirit they are bound to. While still critical to life, they do not define who the person is.
The soul is made of pure positive energy from Aurus, the White Sun. A long, faint strand of it stretches all the way back to the sun. It was created by Aurus. Only Alarian creatures are energized with a soul.
The shadow is made of pure negative energy from Nydus, the Black Sun. A long, faint strand of it stretches all the way back to the sun. It was created by Nydus. Only Alarian creatures are energized with a shadow.
One’s spirit is made of pure ezz, pulled from the swirling mass throughout the planes. Living things with both thought and emotion all have some spirit-like core consisting mainly of ezz. Life-like things from other planar stacks may not have emotion, and will be “powered” by something other than a soul and shadow. For example, some life on other planar stacks is powered with Aether.
Binding the soul and shadow to the spirit is a creature’s astral and malstaric thread. If this thread is broken, the creature dies, and their newly freed soul and shadow float up and sink down to the Astral Plane and Malstaris respectively, while their spirit fades to Celesté.
If the thread is not broken but still damaged, it can nevertheless have serious effects on the life of that being. It can make one weaker to effects that would dominate ones spirit, and having part of the thread break completely could cause your soul or shadow to leave completely, sapping one of most of their life and energy.
If a creature is missing its soul or shadow, its defenses against Deoric magic are drastically weakened, and makes it susceptible to death, mind control, or anything else the caster desires.
Various names are given to the creatures with different combinations of soul, shadow, and spirit.
Last modified: Mon Oct 21 05:04:02 2024