Mortality

A map of the River of Souls, which depicts the various paths a mortal soul takes from its creation to its death.

See also: River of Souls and soul

Most life in the Universe, including Golarion, experiences mortality, wherein the creature's life has a definite beginning and ending linked to the points in time when its soul is joined to and released from a vessel. Any entity that has a soul but has not yet been judged by Pharasma in the Boneyard is considered mortal.

Individual creatures who experience mortality are known as mortals, as opposed to those who do not, who are often known as immortals. No precise definition of immortality exists, and the matter itself can be subjective; mortals who cease to age through mundane or magical means, mortals who intentionally become undead, mortals who remain known through their creations after their death, and even mortals who claim to have erased their name from Pharasma's records all stake claims to immortality considered valid by at least one divine entity or power.

However, true immortality is not simply the absence of mortality—perpetually living mortals still receive judgment from Pharasma at the ends of their lives, and dispatching an otherwise undying being's soul to judgment can win Pharasma's favor.

References

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.

External links

• Immortality (real-world concept) on Wikipedia