Metaphysics

In Gygaxia, not everything is physical. Beyond matter lies a fundamental spiritual essence called aether. All objects in Gygaxia are either material or aethereal, and thinking beings (mortals, deities, most animals, and so on) are usually both. Matter makes up a being's physical flesh, which consists of body and brain. Aether makes up a being's spirit, which consists of a soul (the aethereal equivalent of a body) and a mind (the aethereal equivalent of the brain).

A functional body, brain, mind, and soul all must coexist in any entity for it to remain alive without magical assistance. If any being lacks one or more of these parts, it will immediately stop living unless some form of magic starts filling in for the missing part. Death doesn’t necessarily mean the end of consciousness, but it is nevertheless usually perceived as a bad thing.

<***diagram of body/brain/soul/mind>

The Body

The body is a being's physical form, if any, and works more or less just like it does in real life. It usually has things like joints, muscles, senses, and organs, though occasionally, as in the case of an animated object or a golem, magic takes the place of these things. When the body is destroyed, the brain usually follows shortly after.

The Brain

Unlike in reality, the Gygaxian brain has nothing to do with higher thought processes. Instead it manages all the autonomous, unconscious functioning of the physical body (heartbeat, temperature regulation, motor function, sensory data processing, and so on). A thing which lacks a mind but possesses a brain or its magical equivalent is alive but in a coma. Without a brain, a body cannot function, and the entity in question will expire almost immediately (of course, some creatures, such as golems and skeletons, have magic taking the place of their brains). When the brain is destroyed, the remaining soul becomes a ghost, resulting the most standard type of death. Recovery from such a demise involves healing both the body and the brain, and then returning the soul to the body if it has departed (this automatically relinks the soul to the body).

The Soul

The soul is essentially the body of the mind. Although it is made from a uniform substance (rather than from a variety of different tissues and organs), its exterior shape is defined by the mind’s self-concept (usually this is identical to that of the physical body it inhabits or once inhabited). When independent, the soul functions as a ghost (see above). The soul is naturally immortal in the sense that it will never stop functioning of its own accord, although it can be destroyed. If this happens, the mind soon follows. The soul is connected to the body via a silver cord, which is essentially a matter/aether adapter. This cord is not usually vulnerable except during astral travel. If severed, a person’s body will lapse into a coma and their soul will become a ghost.

The Mind

The mind is the seat of consciousness and individuality, housed in the soul. Anything which lacks a mind also lacks the capacity for volition, and cannot make decisions or initiate action. The mind is normally nested in the soul in a manner analogous to the way the brain is nested in the body, meaning that the soul is usually considered by definition to include the mind, and therefore that if the entire soul is destroyed, the mind is destroyed as well. A mind requires a soul; without one, it quickly dissolves into nothingness (although it can also exist with the aid of magical thought support, as the minds of some golems and intelligent magical items do). A mind which is preserved in the absence of a soul can do nothing more than think; it has neither an aethereal nor a material body with which to manipulate its environment. The mind is the only part of a being capable of generating worship. If the mind is destroyed, a being lapses into a coma. Hey, it ain’t funny; it’s just gameality.

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