Is it just me, or is the concept of a Soul Gem gruesome? : V

» Fri Jun 08, 2012 7:28 pm

I was thinking about the Soul Gems in TES. You kill something, and trap its soul into a Gem, witch can be used at your disposal for enchanting items.

Am I the only one who finds this completely gruesome? Fist of all, I can't legally kill someone, but If I want to trap their immortal being in a rock and use it for my personal use its perfectly okay?

Also, every single enchanted item in the world of TES costs lives to create. Want an axe that makes you job easier through enchantment? Well guess what. I killed your pet fish to make it for you, happy birthday! Some even use human souls... This is just, overwhelmingly evil. I see why Nords don't trust Magic now.

» Fri Jun 08, 2012 7:30 am

I was thinking about the Soul Gems in TES. You kill something, and trap its soul into a Gem, witch can be used at your disposal for enchanting items.

Am I the only one who finds this completely gruesome? Fist of all, I can't legally kill someone, but If I want to trap their immortal being in a rock and use it for my personal use its perfectly okay?

Also, every single enchanted item in the world of TES costs lives to create. Want an axe that makes you job easier through enchantment? Well guess what. I killed your pet fish to make it for you, happy birthday! Some even use human souls... This is just, overwhelmingly evil. I see why Nords don't trust Magic now.

Black soul gems are very looked down upon. Normal soul gems can trap spiders souls, and honestly, who cares about a spiders soul. Without magic in Skyrim, all of tamriel would have been taken over by the Thalmor LONG ago, Nords seem to forget that, or are just ignorant to the fact.

» Fri Jun 08, 2012 9:38 am

I was thinking about the Soul Gems in TES. You kill something, and trap its soul into a Gem, witch can be used at your disposal for enchanting items.

Am I the only one who finds this completely gruesome? Fist of all, I can't legally kill someone, but If I want to trap their immortal being in a rock and use it for my personal use its perfectly okay?

Also, every single enchanted item in the world of TES costs lives to create. Want an axe that makes you job easier through enchantment? Well guess what. I killed your pet fish to make it for you, happy birthday! Some even use human souls... This is just, overwhelmingly evil. I see why Nords don't trust Magic now.

I hate to break the news to you, but "No animals, mythical creatures nor humanoids were injured during the making of this game."

» Fri Jun 08, 2012 11:00 am

I hate to break the news to you, but "No animals, mythical creatures nor humanoids were injured during the making of this game."

Like the title says. I'm talking about the actual concept of a Soul Gem. I don't actually care either way, I'll use it regardless in-game, but the idea is pretty messed-up.

» Fri Jun 08, 2012 8:50 am

I wouldn't mind becoming a fuzzy pair of enchanted slippers

And magic depends on the culture. Pretty sure that elves and bretons are into all that voodoo. The warrior folk, not so much. Of course, in-real-life thinking, it IS messed up.

The victims don't like it. Break a soulgem in TES2, and the monster comes back to life and attacks you!

» Fri Jun 08, 2012 6:48 pm

The souls will get recycled eventually anyway. I have seen it suggested that you merely trap the energy released as the person dies, but ingame info seems to say it is their actual soul you trap.

» Fri Jun 08, 2012 12:16 pm

I agree, they are sort of evil. Especially when you think that for weapons the soul is used and it is only temporary, you eventually have to "burn" another soul gem.

» Fri Jun 08, 2012 8:29 am

I liked it better in Morrowind where the soul gems would say which creature's soul has been stored in the gem. It did a better job of reflecting what actually happens when you use soul trap.

» Fri Jun 08, 2012 3:39 pm

Black soul gems are very looked down upon. Normal soul gems can trap spiders souls, and honestly, who cares about a spiders soul. Without magic, all of tamriel would have been taken over by the Thalmor LONG ago, Nords seem to forget that, or are just ignorant to the fact.

without magic the thalmor would be helpless, and i dont see whats wrong with soul gems, the one iv been inside seemed okay, and the owner did NOT want to leave his little world behind

» Fri Jun 08, 2012 6:15 pm

When you think about it, Paladins should not be using enchanted weapons. It stands for everything they are against.

» Fri Jun 08, 2012 3:40 am

without magic the thalmor would be helpless, and i dont see whats wrong with soul gems, the one iv been inside seemed okay, and the owner did NOT want to leave his little world behind

Yes, they use magic though, and the nords DONT want to use it, not realizing, that if they dont use it they are F'd in the A royally.

» Fri Jun 08, 2012 11:18 am

Yes, they use magic though, and the nords DONT want to use it, not realizing, that if they dont use it they are F'd in the A royally.

but you just said the thalmor would have destoryed the world without magic, when they could not even get valenwood without their magic :confused:

or did you mean taking magic out of the equation for only one side?

» Fri Jun 08, 2012 11:23 am

You eventually realize that the morality of TES is completely seperate from morality of our lives. It's a different physics, and a different meta-physics. We use the term "soul" because it's a close approximation to what is going on, but you're better off thinking of it as something else.

» Fri Jun 08, 2012 10:41 am

but you just said the thalmor would have destoryed the world without magic, when they could not even get valenwood without their magic :confused:

or did you mean taking magic out of the equation for only one side?

I MEANT that if the people of skyrim, or any other country refused to use magic like the nords did, they would have been utterly lost to the thalmor ages ago. There, sorry, I tend to rush my responses >_<.

» Fri Jun 08, 2012 5:42 am

"M'aiq was soul trapped once. Not very pleasant. You should think about that once in a while."

Yep, it's a horrible concept. More evil than necromancy, I'd say.

» Fri Jun 08, 2012 6:41 am

When you think about it, Paladins should not be using enchanted weapons. It stands for everything they are against.

So Paladins don't eat?

What's the difference between filleting a creature for it's skin, food/alchemy ingredients, etc, and filleting it to fill a soul gem to be used up by enchanting? Especially since most of the creatures you'd actually want to fill a soul gem with aren't entirely friendly anyhow.

If the Paladin were a pacifistic veganist then I'd agree. Otherwise it'd be a bit hypocritical imho.

[edit]
I do agree it's horribly cruel though. Especially for sentient beings.

» Fri Jun 08, 2012 11:54 am

This thread really got me to thinking and now I will never use another soul gem!

Ok maybe never is too strong of a word, how about next hour I won't.

» Fri Jun 08, 2012 12:26 pm

the one iv been inside seemed okay, and the owner did NOT want to leave his little world behind

He was also thought to have lost his sanity.

» Fri Jun 08, 2012 7:35 am

It's going to get mentioned eventually, so here it is; horcrux.

» Fri Jun 08, 2012 8:57 am

I was thinking about the Soul Gems in TES. You kill something, and trap its soul into a Gem, witch can be used at your disposal for enchanting items.

Am I the only one who finds this completely gruesome? Fist of all, I can't legally kill someone, but If I want to trap their immortal being in a rock and use it for my personal use its perfectly okay?

Also, every single enchanted item in the world of TES costs lives to create. Want an axe that makes you job easier through enchantment? Well guess what. I killed your pet fish to make it for you, happy birthday! Some even use human souls... This is just, overwhelmingly evil. I see why Nords don't trust Magic now.

i`ve never used soul gems, ever since Morrowind since my character views it the same way as arcane magic, but slightly worse.

He just sells them.

» Fri Jun 08, 2012 10:31 am

Read some classic fantasy like Michael Moorcock's Elric
Then you might actually think soul gems are more humane

» Fri Jun 08, 2012 7:19 pm

So Paladins don't eat?

What's the difference between filleting a creature for it's skin, food/alchemy ingredients, etc, and filleting it to fill a soul gem? Especially since most of the creatures you'd actually want to fill a soul gem with are entirely hostile?

If the Paladin were a veganist then I'd agree. Otherwise it'd be a bit hypocritical imho.

But there is a difference. A soul is the spirit of a being, which continues existing after death, possibly going on to some kind of afterlife. So, killing an animal is just detaching their soul from their physical form so they can move on to whatever comes next. Trapping their soul means they're forever bound to the gem, and unable to move on, effectively becoming imprisoned for the rest of eternity.

» Fri Jun 08, 2012 5:42 pm

He was also thought to have lost his sanity.

so did the CoC but from what iv seen of him in skyrim he seems pretty happy in his new found insanity

» Fri Jun 08, 2012 4:25 am

i`ve never used soul gems, ever since Morrowind since my character views it the same way as arcane magic, but slightly worse.

He just sells them.

So your character views selling someone's soul better then using it?
At least if you used it you could make sur his soul is used for good but selling it could be used for evil.

» Fri Jun 08, 2012 3:10 am

Animal souls don't care. Only human souls do. Black soul gems are universally reviled as evil. Unless the victim was an [censored] and deserved it (Thalmor Justicars, Rogue Mages/Necromancers, bandits, etc.)

The soul-trapping isn't permanent, either - Once the item's destroyed or charge is burned up, the soul is free, if a bit less overweight.

I wouldn't mind being a flaming sword: "HOLY [censored] I JUST SET THAT GUY ON FIRE!"