Soulstones

Soulstones are Riftstones that have been specifically configured to store souls within them.
This is mainly used to provide shelter and containment to summoned Spirits. These beings can not reside in the mortal world without an external source of energy or something to anchor them and let them recover their own. A soulstone can thus allow a spirit to remain in the mortal world in perpetuity.

A Spirit bonded to a soulstone can be allowed to leave the soulstone and act in the outside world while still being bonded to the soulstone. It also cannot be banished, it can only have its form disrupted, forcing it to return to the soulstone to reform.

A soulstone can only hold spirits in accordance with its size. Multiple spirits may be housed in a stone if they are weak enough, but a very powerful spirit will need a very large soulstone.

Contracts written in stone

Soulstones are inscribed with magical runes that determine how the spirit bonded to the soulstone may act.

The runes determine when a spirit may leave the soulstone and when it has to return to it, how it may use its powers and if and when it may abandon the soulstone and return to the Spirit World.

A soulstone may be set up in such a way that the spirit can come and go as they please, exploring and using their powers as they see fit. This may be used to provide a vessel for benevolent spirits or trusted summons and companions.

Alternatively the soulstone can be configured so that the spirit is imprisoned within the soulstone and only allowed to leave it at its owner's behest. This is often done in order to contain malicious spirits away from their homes, or to contain combat-summons that cannot be trusted to behave themselves without restrictions.

A skilled mage can inscribe soulstones with complex instructions and restrictions, binding the spirit within to act in very speciffic ways. This method is used to create Golems.

If the soulstone is ever shattered, the spirit bound to it will be unbound. It may rampage on the mortal world for a few minutes until its form comes apart or it may depart immediately to the spirit world if not recaptured.

Appearance:

Soulstones look like rune-inscribed blue gems of various translucence when empty, as they are made from Riftstone.
However when filled, they take on the colour of whatever spirit inhabits them and the spirit is often visible inside as a roiling cloud.

Item type

Magical