Lore:Soul Magic

Soul Magic is an obscure form of magic focused on the manipulation of souls and vestiges. Practitioners of the craft are known as soul mages.^[1]

Three of the ancient Nedes of Skyreach utilized soul magic to seal the lich Virmaril the Betrayer within the city's catacombs, sacrificing their own souls to become his immortal, eternal watchers.^[2]^[3]

Circa 2E 582, research into soul magic was widespread across Tamriel due to the Planemeld, a process by which Molag Bal attempted to merge Mundus with his realm of Coldharbour through the use of metamagical soul technology.^[4]^[5] Faced with the threat of soul capture, many mages began to investigate methods of soul-trapping and soul-manipulation. However, such behavior was not tolerated in the Summerset Isles where such magic was considered dark necromancy.^[6] Soul Shriven appear to have a particular affinity for soul magic, manipulating their own vestige such that it explosively shattered upon death or reformed instantaneously. Soul magic can also be used to soul trap with Soul Gems, or as an offensive beam of soulfire.^[7]

Soul magic has the potential to grant terrible power. According to the preliminary research of a Sagacian scholar, the Abyssal Pearls used by the Sea Sloads of the Abyssal Cabal were fueled by some sort of soul magic.^[8] The Cabal spread these pearls throughout Summerset Isle on behalf of the Triad, an alliance between Clavicus Vile, Mephala, and Nocturnal. Through the use of the Crystal Tower and stolen technology from the Clockwork City, Nocturnal planned to use the dispersed pearls to siphon the life energy of Tamriel's inhabitants into the Tower, allowing her to expand her power infinitely throughout all realms of existence, but this plot was stopped circa 2E 582.^[9]^[10]