Talk:Guns for Hire Magical Mechanics
Speculation: Somehow the patterns built up in the course of experiences shape some of the raw magic available (inside and outside the soul) into a binder as the soul is stressed and experience-striations form. Mind and body help influence the way the experience is even perceived, which in turn forms a memetic framework on the soul itself (as it slightly stretches and tears, becoming more receptive to direct modification) for the experience to hang on. In a process similar to a crystal forming, a memetic imprint on the soul from a powerful experience provides the nucleus for magic to form into soul-memories. Thanks to those memories having a tendency to remain together, the soul gains coherence and capacity.
Proposed Glossary
Ensouled: The state of having a soul in a body. When used in reference to spirit animals, it implies that the animal in question is still alive.
Point: The fundamental unit of magic expenditure. Fractions of points may be expended, but such small expenditures are harder for Armas to measure.
Raw Magic: Unordered magical energy of any court or no court, either in the environment or in containers. As long as it isn't being shaped into something else or into structures, it is raw magic.
Spirit Animal: An animal spirit bound to the flesh, soul, or mind of the binder. Spirits usually cannot stray more than 30 meters from the binder, though some exceptions apply in the case of animals with innate healing.
Soul Capacity: The total amount of magic, in free magic points, an individual soul contains. A soul containing more free magic points than its soul coherence can contain will burst, since the maximum load of a soul is set by the strength of the soul's coherence. In practice, most individuals do not maintain a magic load close to their maximum. The shape of the soul changes as the soul's magic load changes, usually inflating as the amount of points goes up. A soul near its maximum will be more vulnerable to being shaped.
Soul Coherence: The ability for the soul to hold itself together, built up by experiences that lend metaphysical 'weight' to the soul. A binding force that prevents the soul from rupturing under the pressure of magic inherent in it. This coherence can be rated per the amount of points it can stand. In most people the primary force of Soul Coherence is the sheer amount and quality of their memories and experiences. In creatures who have been over-bound the bindings can overwhelm the natural cohering forces, which ultimately results in the working portion of the soul being stunted.
Soul Compacting: See Soul Hibernation
Soul Hibernation: The act of forcing a soul into a supercompact state, presumably by evacuating all raw magic and allowing the coherent elements of the soul to fold in atop one another. This can be forced on a soul to allow its body to be possessed by a spiritual attacker, or can be self-imposed to protect against injury. It is used as a natural defense mechanism in vampires exposed to sunlight, as vampire souls are larger and more vulnerable to spiritual antagonists than most supernaturals (as a result of having their souls bound to their blood).
Soul Metage: The value in magic points of the ordered portions of a soul (i.e. the memories and experiences). Since souls are made of magic, these experiences and memories can be unraveled back into raw magic energy, or can be moved and grafted by soul manipulators. This value is important to soul eaters, as it directly relates to how much they get out of their meal.
Soul Size: The size of the soul, usually in Euclidean space but also in extra-dimensional arrangements as per NeverNever beings or Armas. If a soul is large enough to expand past the confines of the body it is attached to, the soul is at risk of damage from sunlight or other spiritual antagonists.
Soul Volume: See Soul Capacity
Soul Weight: See Soul Coherence
