Editing A Sky of Strife and Storms (section)

== Magic and Technology ==
Souls are made of magical energy, and there's no firm dividing line that defines a 'soul'. Many inanimate objects can develop internal energy structures that are hard to distinguish from souls, and in the right circumstances souls can conglomerate or be changed by ambient magical energy. Like other magical energy, souls can be channeled, directed, or stored, including things like trapping them in receptacles to animate undead or constructs. Reincarnation is a known phenomenon, and the souls of the sufficiently enlightened are known to ascend into the heavens after they die, removing them from the cycle. This reinforces beliefs that those who live at higher elevations are more worthy.

There are no entities that are universally recognized as 'gods', but there are plenty of fairly unique and powerful beings, from sapient animals to entities formed of pure magical energy. Some of the most powerful can't directly manifest in the world without causing disasters, but they aren't really a separate category of being. Anybody can become god-like if they accumulate enough power, and presumably the god-like beings can be brought low with the right attack.

As a result of all of this, approaches to magic are varied and often idiosyncratic, ranging from channeling the abilities of powerful entities, to directing the flows of magic through one's body with specialized tattoos. Practitioners are often self-taught, but some of the more centralized or bureaucratic societies have formalized magic schools, or even forced registration of people with magical ability.

Magic and technology are often combined; the best technology incorporates magic, and some schools of magic use technological components to enhance their capabilities. Simple tech and magic are fairly ubiquitous, with more complex and powerful variations of the two being used by the larger empires. Rural areas tend to have the means to live at a comfortable pre-electricity standard of living, and typically use sustainable and low-impact forms of magic and technology. More destructive and resource-hungry forms of these things are usually reserved for those with imperial aspirations, and often rely on secrets from the ruins. The most powerful of these (so far) are the kinds of things that can threaten castles or small settlements, but not entire islands or cities.

Just as these things are pretty regional, methods of travel vary a lot by area, society, and tech level.