Soul

Souls are possibly the most valuable resource in the multiverse: this is the very essence and being of a living thing. It contains the being's consciousness no matter how primitive or advanced. The soul is a basic building block for almost all living things. Thus, one should be very careful about how they use and treat their own.

Properties

Material Characteristics

Soul in its purest form is simply a spirit without any measurable physical form, though they might sometimes appear incorporeal. Usually, the soul prefers having a vessel, like a material body.
While the soul contains the consciousness and being of an entity, it should be noted that the soul has more in common with a spine than a container. It keeps consciousness together, even if parts entity's being would chip off. The soul can, even when injured, keep the being together and even grow back the lost parts. It's a spine, core, not like a jar that would leak its insides out when you poke a hole in it.
This is further supported by the existence of pseudo-souls that can develop from remains of real souls. Souls are very potent material, so potent that even shreds of it can create the resemblance of life.

Physical & Chemical Properties

Most commonly souls are classified to 6 distinct groups by their level of awareness. These groups are most easy to explain by simply observing living things and assessing their behavior. These 6 basic groups are:

1. Minor souls:
   typical to plants, fungi and simple life forms like oozes or simple insects
2. Common souls:
   often seen in animals and similar creatures
3. Uncommon souls:
   seen in intelligent beasts and humanoids with exceptionally low intelligence
4. Rare souls:
   seen on most humanoids and similar creatures
5. Greater souls:
   typical for angels, some fiends, and powerful mortals
6. Grand souls:
   displayed as deities, primordials, most powerful fiends etc.

However, these classifications just scratch the surface and can get very blurry. A creature can, for example, have the classification of their soul change during their existence. Also to a type of acts and values of soul holds can affect how desirable the soul is to different entities. Souls can have different types of auras and give different kinds of energy which can have multiple purposes.
Souls have a natural knack at being good fuel for arcane endeavors and they might get devoured by entities that specialize in consuming them. Souls also have the ability to cycle, transfer to the outer planes after their vessel has expired. What happens there is a mystery with several complicated answers. Elven souls are know to wander and being reborn to new bodies after they pass on. At the time of rebirth part of the soul goes to "sleep", taking most of its information with it, until the elven body dies and soul takes back the spirit form.
A soul can become too potent to its original vessel, and they can be tied to other vessels, like items and new bodies, but this requires exceptional magical talent. More powerful the soul, harder it is to tie into a vessel. Powerful creatures can change their vessel at will, and change it to their heart's content.

Origin & Source

The exact origin and process that creates souls is not known, though there are many legends that suggest that souls can come from several origins. Elves widely believe they are born from their god Corellon's blood, as his soul was partly torn, where dwarf god Moradin has been told to forge all the souls of dwarfs. Goddess Chauntea has also been credited creating mortal life. But as far as scholars can tell, it is possible that souls sometimes just spawn spontaniously.

History & Usage

Refinement

Souls are ever-evolving, and with time, care and dedication they can develop into wonderful or devastating things, as well as twindle away. This metamorphosis seems intrinsic for the souls. Fiendish creatures are none to trap souls to taint them and make bargain chips out of them.

Type

Metaphysical

Value

Depends on quality

Rarity

Varies

Common State

In a body, or spirit form

Condition

Grand soul

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Painting by Paweł Czerwiński

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