By Amadeo Pneuma abridged by Glafsvin Helblindi
QI: LIFE & DEATH
Living things exist as an extension of two worlds: the physical realm, and the realm of thoughts. Our body and soul are two discernible facets of Being as we experience it. It is through Qi, or lifeforce, that the two halves realize their unity. Qi is the conduit between body and soul that harmonizes their distinct modes of unified Being. Qi is that which communicates between the two parts. When our body acts, that action appears to begin within the mind as an emotion. Through Qi it travels into the body, transforming into purposeful action.
Conversely, actions affecting the body travel through Qi to the soul, eliciting emotion in turn. It leads to a cycle where every feeling drives our actions, and every action brings out our emotions. This can happen almost blindly, without thinking, but it is through practicing conscious awareness that one can cultivate their Qi, and understand the unified nature of these seemingly separate halves.
A monk trains to understand that relationship. This is done by both exercising the physical body and the spirit simultaneously. A monk strives to strengthen the conduit of Qi, which can lead to an increasingly blurred line between body and soul.
As the relationship grows, the distance between body and mind becomes intimately closer. This is the act of transcendence.
QI: DEATH & MORE LIFE
Over time, the connection between body and mind weakens. When we are wounded or as we age, our catalyzing forces are fray & strain, allowing the two halves to drift farther away. Death is the result of this relationship's severing. With nothing holding the two halves together, they drift apart. The body returns to the elements it was composed of, while the thought-stuff returns to the realm of mind to become part of the Outer Planes.
This connection between body and mind is something that is frequently simulated by golem makers and necromancers. Most golems are the result of a naturally occurring, predominantly positive-oriented, spirit being bound to a physical form through magic. Undead are relatively opposite, being composed of often (though not always) humanoid-cultivated negative-oriented spirits. This can be as an extension of their master's own mental energies, or as a permanently altered mode of Being, as is the case with sentient undead, in which they have fundamentally altered the way their body processes the energies-that-be.
Aside from being vulnerable to certain types of magic, the nature of this new Being is only receptive to certain types of actions. Behavior of sentient undead is 'filtered' through negative energy; such that they have a severe dampening effect on the normal emotional (read, mental) spectrum.
QI: APPARITIONS
It has been postulated that there are several forms of transitory planes, though the shapely behavior they assume is difficult to pin down. Popular conceptions outside of Arelith may claim that the Ethereal and Astral planes are the two planes which permeate (thereby allowing transition between those they touch) all other planes. However, evidentially we must assume it is the Shadow plane which fulfills that role in some manner, here in Arelith. Regardless, through these transitory planes, the Material plane is connected to the Inner and Outer Planes. The Shadow is connected to the elements, and represents the limitless configurations of matter. The Astral is connected to the Outer Planes, and represents formless thought. When we die, it's known that in some way our metaphysical qualities travel through the Astral into the Outer Planes, being drawn to the plane to which we were most attuned through Being.
An apparition, as such, is the result of that soul-stuff not being able to complete the journey into the Outer Planes. Instead, it has become stuck in the Shadow Plane, which leaves little doubt as to why that place has such a ghostly association. In essence, the soul became trapped on the wrong side, still lingering with material association. This is often the result of the soul being tied to a physical thing. This can be a location, a person, an object, or even a specific event or action that took place in the past.
A spirit can be released from their spiritual anchor any number of ways. The means of release is frequently tied to the nature of the spirit. The spirit's nature, in turn, usually depends on the circumstances of its death.
INNER WHEEL: FIRST DIVISION
The Inner Wheel is composed of the Elemental Planes. These planes represent the elements that constitute physical matter. Monasticism is the study of lines, and so reality is viewed as a series of divisions. The first line is simple: what is there, and what isn't.
Presence and absence. Beginnings and endings. Yes and no. These energies are seen as positive and negative, and are present in all matter.
If we view this division as a line, then a second line can be drawn perpendicular to create two axis, and four 'arms'. Each arm is a different configuration of 'presence' and 'absence', creating something new.
"Positive/Negative" : Earth. Solidity. Resolution. Permanence.
"Negative/Negative" : Water. Adaptability. Fluidity. Flowing.
"Negative/Positive" : Air. Ephemeral. Invisible. Transient.
"Positive/Positive" : Fire. Intuition. Passion. Ambition.
OUTER WHEEL: QUADRALITY
The Outer Wheel is the realm of thought. It is the manifestation of ideas and concepts that living things experience. Just as these thoughts come from us, they also influence our actions. Like the Inner Wheel describes our body, the Outer Wheel can describe our mind.
Thoughts are limitless, and thus there is no limit to the amount of realms present along the Outer Wheel. They can, however, be organized into 17 distinct domains.
16 of these realms can be organized into a circle according to their general ideologies. The 17th, Outland, can be seen as the epicenter, representing the middle point between all ideologies.
The circle can be cut into four quadrants through two ideological axis. The simpler of the two is Order vs. Disorder. This is whether a concept represents something rigid, or radical.
The second axis has been historically difficult to describe, but Virtue vs. Vice is the most commonly agreed upon.