See chapters 9, 21, 22 and 23 of The Guardian Universe for an overview.
***IN PROGRESS DRAFT***
The Nephesh is all the things a person is and can be that are invisible.
A detailed explanation of the Nephesh
GY NOTES: (I'd be cautious with the word 'extension', rather favoring language to the effect that the nephesh is simply the invisible qualities of a person seen in visible form in the SUPOX. RMD: A nephesh is a person, but viewed in the supernatural where many of their invisible characteristics and attributes are visible. In the Nephesh you can see a persons thoughts taking shape and hardening into more permenant aspects of who they are).
“There are aspects of a nephesh that fit inside the body's form, and these would be commonly understood as a person's soul. There are also aspects of a nephesh that extend beyond the frame of the body, forming something like a garment, and this is a person's character. These are features that make up and distinguish an individual, features that can generally be perceived by other humans. ”
“For some, these are beautiful, extending like a living and organic flower, up from the heart and around the head like a crown. In some instances these would resemble a tiara or a woven piece of armor. And yet for others, especially the spirit-dead, it is a wild bramble, complete unkempt chaos through which they can’t even see.”
"A human with a beautiful nephesh is a valuable find, partly because they have channelled the buffeting of violent and merciless circumstances to refine their quality and value, a remarkable and rare outcome. Among Spiritkind, these are well prepared for life in the SUPOX when their mortal body fails."
Excerpt From: “Guardian Universe: The Gospel in Unexpected Terms.” Chapter 22
RECOMMENDED ALTERNATIVE DEFINITION / DESCRIPTION: a woven tree-like superstructure that comprises of many smaller trees, vines and the such. Different plants are different lines of thinking, each with characteristics in keeping with the nature of the thoughts, and they swell and grow when in consciencous consideration, and retract and retreat when pushed to the back of the mind. The fruit of each growth corrisponds with actions. The more a line of thinking moves towards a core belief, the harder and tougher a growth. The nephesh is never in equilibrium, but rather the express manifestation of thoughts, beliefs and actions.
***Imported for reference:
HOW NEPHESH WARFARE WORKS
Combat occurs in a team tactical RPG turn-based format in which one or more guardians or fallen on each side take action against each other or against the Nephesh at stake, hindering each other’s efforts and sinking influence into the prize until a threshold is reached. Combat ends when a shift in the human’s thinking occurs. Gradual shifts are easy to achieve, larger shifts much harder, and multiple battles may be fought over the same person throughout their lives. The trajectory over time will determine the way the human interacts in the world, the destructiveness of their life choices, and their path to salvation.
This is training the player to think of humans not as physically living bodies, but eternal souls with unlimited potential for good or evil. “Man looks at the outside, but God looks at the heart.” A fat, ugly woman who likes to hit people with her walking stick if they get too close could have a beautiful Nephesh that transforms her into someone entirely different from the right view, and conversely a supermodel could have a dead and diseased Nephesh that is repulsive. Most of the important information will be readily visible to a trained eye in the SUPOX, so the player will become accustomed out of necessity to being well-versed in it. Using SUPOX vision will always be available in God mode, but Guardians will have to practice their ability with it to hold it for lengths of time. This scarcity economy will create value to being able to see the supernatural, and make the player desire to see it. This cannot help but put their mind in the supernatural space when they return to that real world.
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