[ OPEN ] Let No Soul Hunger For Justice: An Inquiry.

[fleurdesel]

FORM: Sending Crystals
SENDER: Adelaide LeBlanc
RECIPIENT: Everyone
WHAT: Vaguely philosophical question time
WHEN: Current
WHERE: Skyhold
NOTES: Part of Let No Soul Hunger For Justice.

[ Adelaide’s voice is even, if tired- but what else is new? Still this is a requirement for the next ritual and to that end, she must find some sort of acceptable truth from a variety of opinions. Sequestered in ‘her’ desk in the Library, full pot of coffee warmed to one side, sheaves of blank paper and bottles of fresh ink before her. To her right? Anders with a similar set up, papers, quills, ink- a kitten. To her left, Roul to take just as many notes. Prepared as they are ever going to be- she asks. ]

A few questions for the Inquisition:

What is a soul, truly? What fundamental differences are there between a mortal’s soul and the embodiment of a spirit? Is it the culmination of our thoughts and experiences, our emotions? Is it a combination of our self given purpose and our ambition?

A mortal might change their purpose, might grow and become more due to our experiences- most spirits do not. But what more than that? What sets one soul apart and makes it distinct from another? Can the same be said of similar spirits?

Answers need not be religious or academic- merely true. What do you believe to be the difference, what do you believe to be a soul?

[ ooc: threadjacking is welcome and encouraged ]

Comments

[rowancrowned]

What is this word? I do not understand it. I understand spirit. It has been explained to me in regards to the creatures of the Fade, and I understand it as it related to fëa. [ that's very clearly not a word in common. ]

[fleurdesel]

'Soul'? I have looked at it as what is gone from a body upon point of death- the mortal 'spirit', if you would. What made them more than flesh and blood and bone.

[wickedchase]

My my, someone is deep in thought. Such philosophy.

How do you perceive it?

[fleurdesel]

There is an underlying logic to this, if you would believe it. For myself a soul is what makes a person a person, their personality, their ambitions, their dreams- all of this is lost upon death.

[motherfucking_ghost]

Whoa. That is some deep shit right there.

I'm, uh. Uhhhhh... I know it's possible, sure, but I'm not really sure if you- general you- can talk about souls without talking about religion? It's at least a really...spiritual sort of concept.

[fleurdesel]

They are quite closely linked, this is true, but this is more a request for your opinion. What do you feel to be true.

[trouvaille]

Well,

( not without some wariness, )

if a mage becomes angry in my company, I don't turn into a demon.

( that seems like a solid difference between a spirit and a soul, from where gwen is sitting. after a moment, like she's thinking out loud, )

And if abominations exist, then that isn't because of my physical body, is it?

[fleurdesel]

I would like to say it takes more than mere anger but...the study of such things has never truly been done due to the fact that at the end you may or may not have a demon or at the very least a tainted Spirit- but this is true.

[ Strong emotion begets change in spirits as they are influenced. Adelaide flicks to a fresh page and notes this down. ]

No, they would not be.

[failedfirst]

I think a soul is all that you said. Spirits embody certain things, they cannot alter their paths. We can, and our soul is that distinction. It's something complex, there likely isn't a wrong answer as to what a soul is.

[justice_is_blond]

When the path of a spirit is altered, however, 'hypothetically speaking,' [said in a tone that makes that a clear joke; there are no hypotheticals here,] where is the difference?

[fleurdesel]

Unfortunately- or rather I suppose it is quite fortunate. It is merely vexing in this particular instance as we need these answers for the ritual.

[dragoon_pride]

I would call a soul the essence of who we truly are. All of our thoughts, our personality, our hopes and dreams... all of it. A body without a soul is dead, of course... Though I've seen plenty of undead, zombies and so forth, roaming around soullessly. Not a pretty sight.

[It's something Kain has thought about a great deal. He's seen too much back home not to understand the difference, the way that the undead aren't really themselves. There's a look in the eyes that somehow shows whether that soul is in there or not. He's also experienced death and being in soul-form himself, though that's not something to bring up at the moment.]

Your spirits here seem very different than that. They normally don't have mortal bodies of their own, for one thing, do they?

[fleurdesel]

Nor do they much long for one as a demon might. They wish to fulfill their purpose and do so quite happily on their side of the veil for the most part.

[justice_is_blond]

And spirits can't exist here without a body. Corpse or living doesn't entirely matter, but they need one.

Our souls need bodies as well, however.

[ancarrow]

A soul is the spark of the divine within us. It's what allows us to create and shape the world around us, as the Maker created us. It's what makes us, well, us. All our hopes and dreams and fears, our ability to love, it comes from that spark deep within us.

[fleurdesel]

One for 'spark of the divine'- that is a terribly poetic way of phrasing it. [ Adelaide's voice is warm as she adds this to her notes. ] Spirits seem lack such a spark, this is true.

[justice_is_blond]

And spirits don't have hopes or dreams or the rest. ...Except possibly fears.

[He sounds thoughtful.]

[hlif]

I can tell you what the Avvar think, if you care about us dirty unwashed heathens. Usually people don't.

[Do you remember this dirty patient from the healing tents and that one healer everyone probably told you to keep the hell away from him well whatever he'll probably give you the Avvar heathen opinion anyway.]

[fleurdesel]

I have been told the Avaar have particular views on such things but have yet to actually hear what them. Anything you offer would be quite useful.

[justice_is_blond]

I'd care to hear about everything save your opinion on soap.

[eviscerates]

Pretty sure 'sole' is a type of fish.

( :D

:D

8D )

No, uh. The soul is... it's who you are. I mean, I think we're all something past brain and bones and whatever else. It's what makes your eyes light up, you know?

( She exhales, and finally there is unhappiness. ) But you can lose it, I'm pretty sure, if dark enough powers get involved. Take away the soul and a person isn't really them any more. I'd guess, anyway, I'm no scholar.

[justice_is_blond]

You could say we're fishing for answers here.

[One awful joke deserves another, though he sighs shortly after.]

When someone's eyes no longer light up, there's a terrifying Tranquility to them. Have you come across anyone who has lost themselves in other ways?

[obi_wanmanshow]

A soul is a... philosophical construct. I'm not sure it's simply one discrete thing-- although, personally I've more experienced what it is by definition of what it isn't. For example, most life of sufficient complexity and age has what I might consider a soul.

[There is a pause while he thinks aloud, in quietly fascinated tones. What is a soul? What a question.]

Droids, for example, are... something like, minds devoid of ordinary emotion. They seem to feel emotions, and they often react as if they did, but they're not alive, not really. They're machines; tools, they have no soul, no innate will.

Spirits are much more mysterious to me, I'm afraid. But the souls of sentient beings are... I suppose I would categorize it as a unique presence in the Force, something capable of continuing on, even when the physical form has faded, like... [A sudden burst of inspiration] ...like the echo of a melody.

My impression of Spirits is very different. Although I'm stumped as to exactly how. Barring this recent unpleasantness with the illness, I've had little direct observation of my own.

[fleurdesel]

Droids- are these like 'Robots'? [ She has heard of those from Church. ]

A little later, and probably far too late at night

[slipshot]

[His voice is far quieter and more ponderous than it usually is.]

I'm not really sure. There is something, though, that people have that isn't the same as spirits or demons. And it disappears utterly when someone dies. So there's something different, at least.

[He pauses.]

Maybe it has to do with actually... I don't know. Enjoying things. Disliking things. Being able to change our mind about it. And being able to.. think about ourselves, separate from ourselves... if that makes any sense....

Why are you thinking about this, anyway?

way too late but she's up anyway

[fleurdesel]

Research. [ Her voice is a low murmur. ] Though the ability to adapt and compartmentalize does seem to be uniquely mortal, I have yet to know of a spirit that does the same.