"Nature, to be commanded, must be obeyed"
Francis Bacon, Novum Organum
Soul- The spirit of a sentient being bound to a corporeal form. The Soul is closely bound to its body, affecting and being affected by it. The Soul is the essence of a living, sentient creature. It contains the thoughts, memories, persona and passions of that individual. There are many cultures in which the Soul is considered immortal, existing beyond Death, preserving the said essence of that being. Some of these cultures believe the Soul passes on to another Realm, or into the Body of a newborn creature. A few cultures, rather grimly, believe that the Soul's existence ends with the Death of the Body. To them, life is but a flash of existence, which lives on only in the memories of those still living. There are those who do not believe in the Soul, or even, deny the existence of the Spirit in any manner. These definitions, to them, are as meaningless as they are ludicrous.Ghost- A lost soul; a soul whose bond to the body has been severed, usually through the trauma of Death, yet remains loosely bound to the mortal realm. Without a body, their perception of the world is obscured, leaving them confused, listless and cold. Their passions are but memories, icy parodies of once warm emotions. For the few whose bodies live on, there may be the chance to live again. The others, are doomed to walk in limbo the dark corridors between Life and Death, forever perhaps, or until a certain condition is met. Ghosthood, it seems, is not a happy experience. Some stronger spirits may manifest themselves as Poltergeists, haunting the places of their Life and/or Death. Others try to possess the bodies of the living, a desperate attempt to live again. It is said that Ghosts may be summoned and spoken to, or even invited to 'borrow' a medium's body, in order to obtain the knowledge of the departed. Whether the Ghost is truly a Lost Soul, or just some spiritual echo, an imprint Aura, remains largely unanswered.Aura- The spiritual effect usually bound to physical areas, object or causal events. An Aura is mindless, intangible, yet somehow, exists. Auras may manifest as strange feelings, faint emotions, or odd coincidences. They may be as transitory as a heartbeat, or persist for an eternity.Nature- The natural Aura specific and fundamental to some corporeal object or substance. A stone's nature is to be hard, heavy and motionless. The nature of the human body is its emotions, instincts, its destiny to live then to die. Some belief systems refuse to distinguish between the Nature of a thing, and the Soul of a sentient being.Motif- An Aura that is not natural to an object, but initiated or maintained by an external spiritual influence. It is a spiritual whisper echoing a creator's intention or a wielder's purpose for a given thing. For instance, a stone axe has stone's Nature, but an axe's Motif, as a tool for chopping, or as instrument of Death. If the axe had been given as a gift of friendship, that to would be 'remembered' by its Motif. A magical spell is a Motif, crafted with the mind instead of the hand.Impression- An Aura with no bond to anything tangible. An Impression is perhaps the relationship between two or more things, the impulse of an emotion, or the essence of a vision. In some cases, Impressions can be vague and momentary, yet occassionally, they are hauntingly strong and persistent. Some can only be traced to a certain event, suggesting the event is of spiritual significance. Many remain mysterious. Impressions are often called 'Gut Feelings', or mistaken for instincts. Even people who hold no belief in spirits often experience Impressions they cannot explain. Other Spiritual Forces often leave or send out Impressions. A Ghost might be an particularly intense and complex Impression, merely the echo of the Soul passing out of the Mortal Realm, and not really a 'Lost Soul'.Deiform- A sentient spirit, but not a soul. If they have corporeal form, it is a manifestation of their spirit or body they have possessed. Some may have once been living, but not necessarily so: in this case, their Deiform status was granted them or attained by some great power. There are three sub-classes sometimes refered to, although these definitions are rather arbitrary and prone to variation from culture to culture.Daemon- A malevolent spirit; a souless fiend. They generally loath the living, and seek to crush their souls with oppression, desire or hatred. Many cultures give a particular home for these foul spirits, where lost souls are tormented and punished, and evil reigns supreme. Others have all spirits dwelling together, Evil, Good and Indifferent, with only their behaviour separating them. Some cultures say that Daemons can be placated with sacrifice, but others say Daemons only wish to corrupt Souls and feed on those they spoil. Their interest in mortal folk is a best, selfish, and at worst, hateful.Faerie- A wild spirit. They are often bound to some characteristic of nature, or humanity. They enjoy games, cruel, or kind, or indifferent. They are eternal, yet as variable as the seasons. Some bond to a certain aspect of humanity; an emotion or dream, religion or ethos. Many faeries seem to be attracted to superstitious folk, and it seems that some are the gods of times long since past. Others have said that they were once mortal folk who now dwell in a strange world, linked to ours in some way. Another common belief is that they were our spirit ancestors, and it is us who left them. Their interest in mortals is usually casual, though at other times passionate, mischievous or vengeful.Divinity- A benevolent spirit. They seek to protect and nurture the living soul from darkness and depravity, and to bring harmony and peace to the world. Quite a few cultures hold that Divinities live 'above' the normal spirit world, and that only pious, noble, heroic, or kind souls may enter into there. The requirements usually reflect upon the culture's own morality. Other cultures place their Divinities among all other spirits, often battling the evil spirits which plague the mortal folk of the world. It is quite common for the creation of the world to have been the work of a special group of Divinities, or in some cases, the work of only One. There are cases, where this One reigns supreme, with all other Divinities, if any, taking up the roles of either a servant or an enemy (see Daemons). Many Divinities are said to watch over those who live by their doctrines, and even punish those who refuse to. Divinites have an interest in mortals, seeking to enlighten or protect them.