Friday, September 4, 2015

Miscellaneous Files: The Physiology of Mortals

The beings referred to in this handbook as “mortals” are actually two (2) discrete entities: a mortal body of flesh, and an immortal soul of Quintessence. The body shares a symbiotic relationship with the soul that is no different from the one that it shares with the bacteria that assist it in digestion. The body provides the soul with a corporeal form that allows it to inhabit the mortal world and experience sensation. In return, the soul provides the body with true cognizance. The bond between the two is so close that neither can survive long without the other without extensive external assistance.

Without the input of the soul, much of the body’s nervous system shuts down, and the body becomes incapable of voluntary action. The body can perform homeostasis, but unless intensive “life” support, if it may be called that, is provided, it will quickly experience physical death. Without an immune system to protect it, the body is broken down by bacteria and other microorganisms that return its elements to the Earth. Similarly, without the protection of a body, the soul falls victim to The Scourge. The body, of course, offers no physical protection against The Scourge, as they are incorporeal, unimpeded by the matter and space of the mortal realm. The body does, however, provide the soul with energy necessary for the functioning of its own immune system. Without this immune system, the soul decomposes, just as the body does. Reapers ensure that this does not happen by preserving the soul as soon as the mortal is Due (the body experiences physical death) and transporting it to The Underworld.

This distinction, between the mortal and the immortal, is key to the greatest secret kept by The Bureau of Death (at least, the greatest secret to be known by one such as yourself). When a new human is born, they are imbued with a soul, and a seed of quintessence is sown by The Bureau of Life. When this human dies, their soul is taken to The Underworld, and a fruit of quintessence is reaped by The Bureau of Death. To the gods, the mortal world is little more than a farm, a vast field growing a crop of quintessence. This quintessence is of priceless to The Gods, its value surpassed only by its rarity. It is the aether through which sentience propagates. An incorporeal substance whose motes of light, strands of shadow, and plumes of dusk form the atoms of thought and emotion. Yet it cannot be manufactured artificially, at least, not by any process known to men or gods. It can only be grown organically. This growth is carried out by the soul, and it is fertilized by hardship and pain. This is the reason for every heartache suffered by mortals, for all the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. Needless to say, it is of paramount importance that they not be made aware of this.

No comments:

Post a Comment