The Soul Well is a manifestation of the community and its unending river of generations and their accumulated wisdom, stemming from Asharae “Lady of the Stars”. Faeries, and elves especially, have managed to achieve a highly unique and wondrous existence, never losing touch with family blood that they have passed on, their perspectives, and the knowledge they had. They even tend to associate knowledge with specific individuals within communities. The wisdom and comfort gained from this manifests in their demeanor and outlook. As such, faeries, being some of the longest lived community organized species have developed a magical process to concentrate the knowledge and experience of their predecessors into a form of Aether Well. In many communities, souls born are nurtured through this and return to it – bonded through their Soul Gem. Typically, a multitude of Wealds are bound to each Soul Well.
It also extends their lifespan to near immortality. A group or clan of elves will typically have a single Soul Well. The first Soul Well (said to be made by the sacrifice of the ‘firsts’ of the Aelfs) is said to still exist, somewhere among the stars at a nexus of Aelfpaths, in some way empowering all the ones created thereafter.
A Soul Well can have many manifestations: A pond, a tree, a shining light, etc. It is always kept in a sacred place, a place no outsiders are allowed.
A character bound to a Soul Well will have a gleam, a bright area of their body, or in some cases be bound with a physical manifestation such as a gemstone or leaf that is part of the skin of the character – this is known as their Soul Shine.
A character may voluntarily move their Soul Shine to the Soul Well. At that point, their body will become faint, and pass away into mist. They are alive still, and part of the Soul Well. Any of those bonded to the Soul Well may contact them, ask questions, chat, give them continued information, etc. The body is gone, but the soul is eternal and bound to the clan.
These usually take on the form of a “Soul Tree” central to a large clan or family.
Every elven character bound to it will feel a heart-wrenching tear where their Soul Shine is.