The Astral form of an individual is the combination of the soul, consciousness, and lifeforce that exists separately from the individual's physical form. Astrals exist in the Astral Plane and each part of the Astral controls a basic function of the physical form.
Description
The Astral exists inside of the Astral Plane as a separate form of the physical body. It inhabits and controls the physical body and keeps it running for life to continue. The Astral is separated into three different parts, the soul, the lifeforce, and the consciousness. The consciousness is the largest portion of the Astral and provides the humanoid shape. Surrounding the consciousness is the lifeforce which appears as a golden cloud of energy. The soul provides the Astral form with its color and is the most powerful part of the Astral.
Consciousness
The consciousness allows the physical form to think, communicate, and grants awareness. Should the consciousness be removed, the physical body would be rendered brain dead. The consciousness also retains the memories an individual collects over time. It becomes stronger the more intelligent The consciousness cannot be removed from the overall Astral, only destroyed. When destroyed, the Astral is deleted from the Universe and a True Death occurs, this process is irreversible.
Lifeforce
The lifeforce keeps the physical form heathy and alive. it slowly fades away overtime, and when it completely fades the body dies and the remaining parts of the Astral form transfers to a Dead World via Post Mortem Teleportation or by a Psychopomp. For magical creatures, the lifeforce provides the magical potential and produces more Magic for the body. Should the lifeforce be removed from the body before it has completely faded, the physical body will lose a lot of its color and the individual will lose some of their personal traits. However, because the lifeforce is still active, the body will not die because of it. If the lifeforce stolen and becomes part of another entity's lifeforce, making them younger or extending their lifespan, the victims who has been stolen from will rapidly age until death occurs if the death is not instant.
Soul
The soul powers the rest of the Astral form and lets the individual feel empathy to other creatures. The emotions come from the soul, and while emotions can be mimicked without a soul, it is near impossible for them to be genuine. The soul links the consciousness to the physical form and allows controlled movement of the body. It allows the Astral form to exist outside of a physical body due to a compound similar to Magic, called Determination, that lets the Astral persist without a lifeforce present. The Soul provides the color for the Astral and the color differs depending on the individuals personality. The color of the soul may also change depending on the individual's cause of death or their current disposition.
Trivia
- Beings residing in Náströnd, Niflheim have lost their souls at some point in their life, but not selling it away, and therefore cannot enter the afterlife properly. They become the Husks being nothing but the consciousness wandering aimlessly
External Links
- See Astral body on Wikipedia