[MakeshiftWalrus]

- Judged by the description of the Homunculi's creation process, it's fair to assume that the creation of both Chimera-types, and Amalgama-types is illegal in nearly all circumstances considering what it takes. What about Salamandra-types, whose process is less taboo in nature?

- Is it possible to use a dead, but still freshly preserved body of someone for an Amalgama-type, rather than the artificial body?

- On a general scale of 1 - 10, how difficult is it to get hold of this 'Divine spark' required to create a Homunculi in the first place, if you're using a different catalyst than Nairyf's blood?

- Are Homunculi considered sub-human when found out in the eyes of various nations, in the same way Mechanations are? Considering their artificial nature.

[Neus]

Alright then, time to ask more questions related to spell stealing-

In one of the previous lore questions, you mentioned that the effectiveness of copy spells goes down with time. How rapid is this process, and are there any ways to prolong that time frame? (making copies, special procedures to keep it from fading as quickly, simply having more skill with that form of magic, etc)

It depends on how much it's used. Using it a lot will wear it out faster. You could make additional copies if you have that sort of skill.

I imagine they can in general, but would a Mechanation experience any difficulties attempting to harness the power of Ki?

Likely not. Although Mechanations are mostly artificial, the Scar is still natural.

It is said that Soul Eating / Spirit Eating rituals or abilities merely prey on the Focus of the entity, instead of expunging it from existence. (As far as I remember, I might be wrong.)

1- Isn't that just a more vile way/alternative way of exorcising in the end?

2- Are there any consequences to exorcise through Soul/Spirit Eating?

3- Assuming there are no consequences, what makes it better or worse than normal exorcism?

4- What method 'actual' Exorcism uses to accomplish its goal of releasing a spirit/soul from its binding? (I.E, through Mercana and/or faith, through a specific type of magic made for it, etc.)

5- How easy it is for a Hexer or someone trained in Dark Arts to perform anything like that? Do they require a complex ritual or can it be done as easy as 'reaping and consuming Focus with the flick of a hand and a mean word'?

6- Do Mechanations have souls? It makes sense for them to, since they come from a tree, and all. But just in case?

Please only ask one question per topic. Follow-up questions are allowed, however they must not be entirely new questions and require mostly simple answers. I will answer the original question and a few related to it.

1) It doesn't actually exorcise the spirit naturally. Normally, exorcism guarantees the spirit or soul to move on to Lazarus. Eating the soul for its focus traps it within you as you drain it, and the spirit then may go to Lazarus, or it may bind itself somewhere else again.

2) Spirits treated this way are damaged and drained, and may turn into black ones (signifying a grudge against the person who ate them).

4) There are a variety of styles and methods. The general process requires attuning your mind and emotions with the spirit and releasing it from its connection to whatever object or location it has tied itself to. Some methods do this forcefully, which is stressful for spirits and seen as less compassionate, while some methods will attempt to communication and empathize, to try and get the spirit to leave on its own.

6) It's unclear. They cannot become Liches, which suggests not.

Chaos once answered in lore questions that the Church doesn't really moderate how people practice medicine and practical medical procedures. He mentioned that the Church mainly teaches magical healing, and that was about it (and that first aid was pretty much all they taught, and usually nothing beyond that).

My question(s) is: Is the Church widely known for teaching people practical medicine and procedures as well as healing magic (to the devout)? And do they only have knowledge as far as first aid goes, or are they more advanced than that? Would the world regard the Church as the medical epicenter and/or just the healing epicenter (and leave all the technical stuff to places such as Sigrogana or Kysei)?

I mainly ask since this is all predicated on the notion that Mercana or any healing magic shouldn't be abused, and I'd think the Church would be more advanced with practical medicine/procedure if that is the case.

Thanks!

Yes, they would share non-magical medical procedures with normal people. I would say that they go beyond simple first aid, into things such as treating broken bones, sewing and treating wounds, etc. But for most serious complications, they use Mercana, and so I wouldn't consider them the medical 'epicenter'. I'm not sure who would be considered that either.

Chaturanga is stated to be lead by a council. But are this council's officials elected by some sort of public process, like a vote? Or are their successors appointed by the council members or other government officials somehow?

They would be made of members selected as representatives by the major noble houses (one per house).

In regards to Beldam! We don't appear to have any information on it besides the Beldam Knights using lightning-based techniques and their symbol.

1) What sort of place is it, exactly? Are there any special attributes to the area beyond the whole mountain pass deal they're guarding?
2) Would there be a sort of training camp for would-be Beldam knights? Is it free to enlist so long as you have the will or would there be some sort of sign up fee to go through the whole training process?
3) Are Beldam knights something like Black Knights wherein they're mercenaries or are they forever bound to the empire/Beldam?

1) It's a village at the base of the mountain behind it. There is a fortress created by the Empire there where the knights are trained. At the main pass in the mountain, there is a tall iron gate that they protection. For whatever reason, storms occuring in or near Beldam have a large amount of lightning dancing the skies, theorized to be lightning striking rich metal deposits near the surface.
2) You may join voluntarily, yes.
3) They are loyal to the empire.

Given the prevalence of spirits in the SL2 setting, how far can communing with spirits take someone/go?

I'm not sure what your question is asking exactly. If you're asking if being a spiritualist is a practical line of work, then yes. Becoming a Geistritter would be the most direct path to success, but there's still plenty of uses for those skilled in it.

I assume an Amalgama's overall ability changes depending on the amount of souls used, but from the sound of things, there also has to be a point where the number of souls is either too few for it to help much, or instead too many to be able to reliably stitch together. So, what is the upper and lower limit on the number of souls that can be used to create an Amalgama, and what are the exact results of going under or over those limits?

There's no hard upper or lower limit (besides having to be multiple, so obviously 1 is out). My general estimation is anywhere from 3 to 11, though the abilities reference having 5 spirits so that's also a good number.

I don't know that it would have any impact on the Amalgama, but certain numbers would likely influence your success or failure, especially if you aren't a skilled necromancer.

I remember asking this question awhile ago, but I can't quite find the answer to it anymore-

Do Mechanations leave behind spirits, and if so, is it because they have souls, or because they have emotions?

I answered this in a question above, so see there for your answer.

- Judged by the description of the Homunculi's creation process, it's fair to assume that the creation of both Chimera-types, and Amalgama-types is illegal in nearly all circumstances considering what it takes. What about Salamandra-types, whose process is less taboo in nature?

- Is it possible to use a dead, but still freshly preserved body of someone for an Amalgama-type, rather than the artificial body?

- On a general scale of 1 - 10, how difficult is it to get hold of this 'Divine spark' required to create a Homunculi in the first place, if you're using a different catalyst than Nairyf's blood?

- Are Homunculi considered sub-human when found out in the eyes of various nations, in the same way Mechanations are? Considering their artificial nature.

1) I think they would be very much discouraged in the best case scenario, if not just because of Karaten influence via the Mage's Guild. It wouldn't be surprising if your workshop burned down under 'mysterious circumstances' if you were making homunculi in the same town as a Mage's Guild.

2) No, this would just result in an undead monster.

3) For Nairyf specifically, I would say a 7-8, because you have to be sufficiently prepared. Getting close to Nairyf's blood is incredibly dangerous (just like normal magma) but is possible if you have appropriate magical protections and don't linger very long. For other gods, it depends, because the energy is much less potent. It would be time consuming if nothing else.

4) Yes, I would say so. There is a definite stigma to them as well.