Soul

From Mizahar Lore

A soul is the spiritual essence of a creature that persists after death. In Mizahar, the concept of soul is entwined with that of Djed, the primal force of magic and identity. A soul is made up of highly concentrated Djed, and is the purest form of Djed known to exist. Both the souls of mortals and those of gods are made of Djed, but they differ greatly in their quality and scope.

Souls can exist in the world without a body, especially if magic is involved or in the case of ghosts and incorporeal undead. Since Djed cannot be destroyed, neither can souls, although they can be transformed, split or changed to the point where their former identity is forever lost. See Afterlife for an overview of what happens to souls after death in Mizahar.

Layers of the soul

The soul is generally thought to be composed of several layers. From the innermost one, these are:

• Soulcore is the deepest part of the soul; it is what gives the soul the property of being this soul. This part is responsible for the concept of self but carries no other information.

• Persona is the second layer, containing the soul's personality, feelings, skills and memories. It is more subject to modification that the Soulcore, and is usually shed entirely - though perhaps only temporarily suppressed - during reincarnation.

• Astral body is the third layer, which is responsible for interacting with the world. The astral body maneuvers the physical body like a puppet, and is synchronized with it. There is a magic discipline called Projection that allows the user to move the astral body independently of the physical one. In ghosts, the astral body is replaced by a substance called Soulmist that gives them different powers. Other undead might have yet different substances.

• Aura is not so much a layer as energy that is constantly radiated by the soul and can be felt and read in several ways such as Auristics. Auras are not limited to souls, however.