Guide to Enhiarg

1.3 The Soul and the Spirit

Naerites regard the soul as an extremely sophisticated, imperishable and eternal organism, made of a specific kind of material, capable of thought, self-awareness, free will, creative power and, more often than not, feelings and memories.

As you might have surmised from the abundant references to "soul" in the previous excerpt, souls constitute the soul of the Enhiarg setting (if you'll forgive the tautology). Everything here revolves around them. The Infinite regards them as the highest value, the Nae are greatly concerned with their welfare, and denizens of Enhiarg are particularly advanced in matters pertaining to souls.

They may not know of the bounds of their world, nor of the structure of its numerous artificial stars, but the following points they know for certain:

- souls exist, and they are made of matter. For Naerites, the existence of souls is an indisputable fact. The vast majority of them have had the experience of changing a body—of dying and reincarnating in a new "carcass." Some races are inherently gifted the ability to see souls. There also exist a number of spells with the help of which mages gain an analogous ability; what is more, such spells empower mages to perform various manipulations of souls, from "yanking" them out of bodies to binding them to objects;

- souls in the Infinite circulate in accordance with concrete laws, and there are forces in place to guard the rights of souls (all souls, and not souls of a particular, "higher" sort—this plays a key role in the Enhiargeans' establishing an absolutely unique relationship with the gods);

- the soul is indestructible. It has an unbreakable core (nature, essence, substance)—a number of uniquely innate and invariable properties (which should be ascertained as quickly as possible so as to take full advantage of) that make up the true, deep-rooted essence of each individual creature. The core's "size"—the properties "registered" to it—can vary from soul to soul; the other structures of the soul (like those responsible for autonomous memory or connection to the body, encompassing certain acquired traits, etc.) are far more flexible, malleable and fragile. Certain specialized weapons and magic can harm them, though the damage is often reversible, as souls have an exceptional capacity for self-repair;

- in terms of inherent traits, souls are extraordinarily unique. It is difficult to single out any particular attribute that is common to all souls without exception. Therefore, what is beneficial for the soul of one creature (for instance, charity work for an Elidanite) may be harmful for the soul of another (the same for an Iltejan).

- between the soul's core and "superficial formations" there may occasionally arise a grievous conflict; also, the soul suffers if placed in an unsuitable body or forced to live according to discordant laws. Therefore, Naerites judge gods and world creators on the merit of their concern for soul selection. In other words, those who select out of the many available souls only those who can feel comfortable in their skin, i.e. with their biological makeup, live in harmony with their environment, etc.);

- no soul was ever birthed by anyone sentient (god, world creator, parents). All souls without exception, from simple mortals to world creators, were conceived in the great Source of Souls— therein lies the similitude of their structure, equality in the eyes of the Infinite, and the gods' inability to rule over the non-divine by some creators' privilege;

- virtually all souls are capable of creating "something out of nothing" (in actuality, of transforming what we perceive as nothing into what can be detected). When a creature makes a moral choice, intentionally assuming this or that position with respect to various aspects of life, and, most importantly, behaves in accordance with a select set of ideals, its soul produces a specific substance known as Im-a, which may be deployed to mold one's own spirit or nourish a certain deity that champions an idea the creature finds commendable.

Souls of world creators are different principally in that they can generate Im-a at will (indeed, for them it is as easy as shedding a tear for a professional actor), and then use it to create various objects—from a mosquito to a stool to a sentient sun;

(Spirit (spiritual skin, spiritual sphere) is a specific material formation that penetrates the creature's body and soul (but not the core), imparting to it a series of unique features and abilities. Just as the exoskeleton boosts the body's strength and endurance, so does the spiritual skin expand the soul's abilities. The creature's spirit is formed gradually out of Im-a, the creative energy of souls—the creature's own, as well as that of another, e.g. a parent. By adhering to chosen ideals and persevering in the face of adversity, the creature undergoes continuous spiritual growth.)

- by living in congruence with one's soul (no matter how strange it might seem to others) and nourishing one's spirit, the creature can acquire rather delectable, fascinating abilities. Indeed, these abilities include more than simply overcoming hardships with principled behavior and mental fortitude, but really run the gamut: from reading thoughts and influencing emotions to flying and opening portals without resorting to sorcery. From siphoning magic-based poison out of water reservoirs to shapeshifting at will. From growing back lost extremities to healing others. From extracting financial benefits out of every situation to seeing the true essence of souls. The possibilities are endless, for they are determined by the unique soul structure of every individual creature, its behavior and all the life choices it makes.

"When we look within ourselves and say, "Such is my opinion on this or that matter, my attitude towards it," and then act in accordance with those convictions, defending them, fortifying words with actions—that is precisely when we acquire our spirit. Thus we as if weave a magical garment for our soul, which protects it against shocks of life, helps us on our chosen path, and, with time, grants us various special abilities".

The Cat Who Knew How to Cry

These spirit-fortifying actions can run the gamut: from giving alms to dispensing scientific criticism, from killing mages to lecturing on investment opportunities, from mortification of flesh to marrying an eminent composer in need of constant support and inspiration.

The one common denominator here is that the more powerful a creature's spirit, the better it resists any hostile influence. For example, manipulating a creature of high spirit is much more difficult than a spiritless one. Ousting a creature's spirit from the body is likewise more difficult. And if the manipulation springs from an element for which the target has affinity, then the attacker risks triggering a truly devastating effect called elemental disturbance. For example, a telepath intent on rummaging in the head of an Alae may himself go insane. A mage who unleashes a lightning bolt at a Lierae may burn alive.

One thing that distinguishes spirit-based manipulations is that they are undetectable. Ascertaining the path of a portal opened and closed by one of  Mercurion's dragons is impossible unless you are a dragon yourself. By the same principle, Alae telepaths leave no trace, and a Tanae who cleans up at a casino could never be accused of using luck-boosting sorcery.

For more details on the spiritual abilities of various races (or creatures in certain organizations), please see the entries for specific races (organizations).

As mentioned earlier, magic can influence the exterior structures of the soul, sometimes making significant impact on the creature's identity. There are no better specialists in the field than the Alae, and they seldom endorse such manipulations. And even as many races in the Infinite may argue that their "soul sculptors," "soul scholars" and "animologists" have been able to master the secrets of the "anatomy and physiology" of the soul, the sad truth of the matter is that their interventions are extremely clumsy. Even when acting with the best of intentions, half the time they will cause the soul more harm than good, merely masking its madness, pushing it deeper down, making it more bizarre and thus far more dangerous. To say nothing of the inhumane attempts at correcting personality traits deemed unfitting by a particular society... 

The Alaean criticism of the "applied sciences of the soul" has been adopted by a number of social organizations operating (to varying degrees of severity) in Enhiarg and beyond. Several notable... philosophical disputes (fraught with fires and destruction) concerning the legality of remaking of souls of others have taken place in the fine city of Laennes.