Split Soul

The price of hubris

Split Soul is a condition magically caused and usually only accidentally self-inflicted. In ancient times it was used as a means of punishment for dangerous criminals, around the same time the Canthoreas was in its prime time. Split Soul is as severe as its name suggests, and it is incurable and eventually results in the afflicted person's death. Thankfully it is extremely rare and can be easily prevented.

Causes

Split Soul is caused when an extremely powerful burst of magical energy collides with the essence of a soul. This usually occurs when a magical task or spell is performed that is way beyond the caster's abilities, the caster loses control of the magical energy, and it backfires on themself. Souls are immortal beings reborn in mortal bodies, so to actually harm them permanently a lot of energy is required.
King Panmorn risked splitting his soul when he teleported Avon Maan to Panthil at the end of the Revolution War, and even though his spell succeeded, he fell into a coma not long afterwards from the exhaustion and strain. Less powerful mages could split their souls with less energy-intense magical tasks, but at one point the misfiring spell won't be strong enough anymore to harm a soul permanently. A failed attempt at lighting a candle from afar can never cause a split soul, for example.

Symptoms

The onset of symptoms is immediate after the spell backfired onto its caster. The afflicted person will immediately fall over as if fainting, although most don't immediately lose their consciousness. They won't be able to move or talk, are unresponsive to attempts of communication, although some victims might utter sounds as if attempting to speak. It is not clear if they are still able to actually perceive their surroundings even with their eyes open. Depending on the nature of the spell it might leave some form of marking on the person's body, most commonly a magical burn on their forehead, chest, and/or hands and feet.
Shortly after falling into this catatonic state that can last from a few moments to several minutes, the person will usually lose consciousness and shortly after die.

Treatment

There is no known treatment for a split and therefore destroyed soul and the body it lived in the moment it was destroyed. The splitting of a soul is an immensely traumatic process for them, but it is still assumed that despite being destroyed, the soul does return to the silent waters, where all the souls remain waiting to be reborn. It has never been observed so far, but it might be that over time even a split soul can heal in the silent waters to be reborn one day.
A theory that couldn't be proven undoubtedly so far is that it might be that after being split a part of the soul has already ascended to the silent waters, while another is still lingering within the body. The splitting is a traumatic and confusing event, so the part of the soul remaining might have gotten "lost" on the way. It can only fully return to the silent waters once its body has either been cremated or is fully decomposed, therefore the soul's connection to the mortal world being entirely severed.
This is why it is recommended to prepare a victim of split soul for burial with particularly great care - a part of their soul might still witness how its body is being treated - but also as quickly as possible. Cremation at the nearest temple is recommended, to ensure that if a part of the soul still lingers in the body it can return to the silent waters soon and be reunited with its counterpart(s) faster. The approach is similar to treating an injury: the faster it is treated, the better it heals and the less complications occur later.

Prognosis

All cases of split soul ever documented have been fatal within minutes, and there is no way of preventing the body from dying in the long run once its soul has been destroyed.

Affected Groups

There are no reported cases of non-nyr splitting their souls as the cause of a failed spell, therefore it is considered it is unique to their soul's nature until proven otherwise. In theory nothing speaks against a human suffering a split soul - although most humans don't experience a rebirth the way the nyr do, the souls inhabiting their bodies are different; so the consequences for them might be different as well.
It is notable though that among the cases where the split soul was the cause of an accidentally backfiring spell the mages afflicted were mostly still comparatively young. The youngest victim ever documented was 108 years old, considered a young adult, most were around the age of 250 years. So it does indeed seem to be a condition and cause of death most common among the young and inexperienced, although well-educated and trained mages; they are talented and have enormous abilities, but not quite yet the wisdom to always assess what's within their abilities and what is not.

Prevention

The best way to prevent splitting one's own soul on accident is to always be mindul when casting powerful spells that are on the border of what the mage is capable of. Spells that influence one's own or other's mind are generally considered more dangerous than for example those that control elements like fire and water.

History

Documented Cases

The first documented case of split soul reach back to the early years of the old kingdom, but it is possible that it occured before as well. During the construction of the Canthoreas a mage by the name of Sisia allegedly attempted to shape the subterranean labyrinth into the stone beneath Saratheas with a single great spell. It wouldn't have been impossible, in theory, but Sisia overestimated their powers and after initially looking promising the spell dramatically backfired.

A gigantic flash of purple light, like during a thunderstorm but eerily quiet, blinded us. In the next moment Sisia fell to the ground, lying flat on the back, eyes wide open in utter shock and disbelief. They twitched and shivered, hands and lower arms covered in black magical markings looking like the convoluted tunnels of the labyrinth itself. Everyone was frozen in fear about what was happening, but before I could even kneel down to see if or how I could help, Sisia had stopped moving and taken their last breath.
_{- excerpt from an eyewitness report of Sisia's failed spell and death}

Apart from cases like this where the condition was self-inflicted on accident by an overeager mage, it is also an open secret that criminals used to be punished by having an executioner split their soul. Already back in the day the practise was seen as controversial, because it was final and offered no kind of means of redemption to the convicted criminal - no matter how small or realistic it was. It was also seen as dangerous because the executioner themself had to be a powerful mage able to control the amount of magic necessary to split the criminal's soul. Not only could they have accidentally killed themselves when performing the necessary ritual, it was also dangerous for anyone else present in the proximity, even just the same building. The discharge of the magical energy could be felt up to several miles away, leaving a general feeling of uneasiness within the population. After a few centuries the practise was discontinued in favour of the Canthoreas, which was seen as similarly effective while not being as tangible to the average citizen. Today the practise of splitting the souls of criminals is rightfully regarded as barbaric.

Potentially a famous, undocumented case?

Most documented cases of split soul throughout the history are mages overestimating their powers - but some scholars argue that one of the potentially most intriguing cases that can't be proven true or false is not listed as an incident of soul split in medical books, despite maybe being one: Aman's Ascension.
What speaks for the theory that Aman split their soul - which was mistaken as them being chosen by the gods to become their peer - is that they also disappeared in a gigantic flash of light, similar to almost all other descriptions of soul splitting. It would also explain why it would be impossible for Aman's soul to be reborn, if it hasn't turned into a god-like form but was rather destroyed.
What speaks against the theory is that no body was found of Aman, which is why Avon Maan was erected at the site of the event to honor their memory. Some scholars argue though that it's possible that Aman's students at the time simply hid the body to then claim their master had ascended to godhood, covering up their failure and accidental suicide out of sheer hubris. This was also a theory popular back at the time with Aman's religious opponents. But what also speaks against the theory, and basically dismantles it, is the fact that priests from all over the country report spiritual visions of a new figure appearing in the pantheon of gods that looked very similar if not alike to Aman.
So if Aman's ascension is a case of a split soul, it is unique among all of them - because instead of permanently damaging a soul, ptentially preventing it from ever being reborn again, it turned them into a god.

Cultural Reception

A split soul is the ultimate symbol of hubris in the eyes of many nyr, particularly those elder mages who know the temptations of powerful magic, yet were strong enough to not give in to them. A split soul is the sign of a rebellious and naive youth who didn't listen to their elders and paid the ultimate price.
The opinion of those who witnessed a soul being split with their own two eyes usually have a less harsh opinion though. It is traumatizing, for the person afflicted of course the most, but also to the bystanders witnessing it. It is extremely rare and not something one expects to witness in one's lifetime, even one as long as of the nyr. The scene after someone split their soul is usually quiet and in shock, but the shock very quickly is replaced by panic, fear, and disbelief, frantic attempts of helping the afflicted, but eventually just helplessness.

Type

Magical

Origin

Magical

Cycle

Short-term

Rarity

Extremely Rare

Affected Species

• Nyr