So, only Black Soul Gems can absorb the souls of playable races right? I originally thought it was if a race was sentient and non-daedric it would be protected, but beings such as Rieklings seem to have a minor understanding of higher thought but are still not protected, unless a race needs to have a certain level of culture/intelligence to have black souls.

I think I read somewhere on these forums a while ago that black souls exist because Arkay protects their souls, but obviously a lot of people wouldn't worship Arkay, some even shunning him. You could say that maybe a small proportion of a race's population worshipping Arkay allow the whole race to be protected, but I somehow doubt races such as the orcs or argonians have that many Arkay worshippers. So what's the deal with them? Do Daedric princes/the Hist somehow protect their followers aswell?

Also, how does a soul turn from black to white when someone is undead? I once thought this is because most undead are merely reanimated, but obviously some undead still carry their formers memories. I guess whatever gives them the black soul protection doesn't extend it to anyone who's already died...but then should vampires be afforded this protection?

Arkay protects who he feels like protecting.

At this point, Arkay is semi-sentient at best. Think of him more like a law of nature (ie. Earthbones.) It is Arkay's law that prevents mortal souls from being trapped much like gravity prevents you from floating off into space.

That doesn't explain Falmer, Goblins, Ogres, Minotaurs and Dreugh having Black Souls. All of which have some degree of sentience.

They have white souls.

Assuming that's what you meant...

Having some sentience doesn't seem to be enough. Falmer and Dreugh are notable examples as they are corrupted.

I think it does. There just needs to be further study into what differentiates white and black soul subjects. Laws of the universe work whether we understand them well or not.

This is one of the few things I see as a gameplay issue. It's completely arbitrary, based on whether or not the person/thing counts as an NPC.

I think that many of the creatures we've seen should have black souls. Hmm. Maybe there's a spectrum. Gray souls, anyone?

Agree with ^

Dremora and Golden Saints had white souls in MW, then black souls in Oblivion/Skyrim. In terms of lore, I don't think Daedra would ever worship the god of death, since death is a completely alien concept to them. The only difference is that they became NPCs in the engine instead of creatures (this is also why Almalexia, Vivec, and Dagoth Ur could be soul trapped in MW).

The thing is though, the fault here seems to be Morrowind's classification of Those two as creatures. Dremora and Golden Saints are fully sentient beings on par with the "mortal races".

Yes I meant white souls. Specifically I meant to say them not having black souls.

Anywho, i am in agreement with the gameplay mechanic. Soul Gems are pretty much all gameplay mechanic, otherwise we need to believe they can resurrect the recently deceased, because that is their function in ESO. Reviving teammates. Knowing this, I cannot think of them as anything more than a gameplay mechanic.

Actually, I'm completely on board with that. I haven't heard their explanation for the soul gem rezz system (fingers crossed that they have an explanation, and that it's good), but souls and soul gems are fascinating things in TES. They shouldn't be completely dismissed, not at all.

I only meant their representation in the video games. Not dismissing them at all. Soul trapping and soul gems i am sure work somewhat like we expect. I am just not sure how exactly they would work. I am pretty sure they cannot revive the dead. Unless you soul trapped your buddy and had another body waiting for him or something, if that would even work. I don't see rezzing as anything more than a gameplay mechanic, possibly some lore that is tied to the Soulless One might explain it though. Of course that would mean everyone is the Soulless One and the main story is instanced iirc.

I am pretty sure the residents of Tamriel cannot repair weapons instantly and take 50 good sword whacks to the face either. But those thing represent aspects that do exist. So I think looking to the game mechanics of soul gems is a mistake if we want a feel for what they are really like.

Have they explained how the whole Soulless One thing works? If the soul in TES is meant to contain a person's consciousness then how can they still be walking around with no soul?

Nothing to my knowledge. They haven't really explained it.

I don't think it's an appropriate nomenclature to refer to the civilized races as having black souls because you need black soulgems to trap them. A black soulgem is not a black soul gem, it's a black soulgem; i.e., it's the gem that's black, not the soul.

Anyway, Arkay's protection extends to those races that belong(ed) to the Empire. Like Orcs weren't protected before the Warp in the West. Why did that protection extend to the Dremora, Aureal, and Mazken? (As well as Aurorans and Knights of Order.) Pure game mechanics I'd say. Though one could imagine that with the liminal barrier being as weak as they were during the Oblivion Crisis, and with the Champion of Cyrodiil being essentially a Daedric Prince, it's natural that Arkay's protection would extend to some of the more civilized denizens of Oblivion.

(Technically, Arkay's protection shouldn't apply at all when you're in the Isles, meaning that the various NPCs there should all be soul-trappable with normal soulgems.)

It's what they call it in universe though.

It's tied to Mysticism, the magic school of the soul (hence why Life Detect and Soul Trap is there). Mysticism is always changing, never constant, so it only makes sense that the souls themselves are changing in definition. Life force itself effects the power of Mysticism.

It all fits perfectly, so. That's been my theroy for awile anyway.

In Redguard, they http://www.imperial-library.info/content/recovering-soulgem using the soul gem he was contained in. Only reason it didn't work is that the soul went into and enchanted the sword resting on his body instead (possibly by A'tor's own will).

I stand partially corrected. However the way they are used in game is impossible unless further expanded upon. People aren't going to have soul gems containing the souls of already living and walking beings. Meh...

Ahem. HRRHHMHM. Hrg*cough*rhm.

White souls are the essence of self-memory from that which does not (or no longer do) participate in the Endeavor.

Grey is the Initiator, Black is the Participant, Gold is the Goal.

/simian-conjecture

I think the rez thing only works because we are the "souless one." Probably like a dead body running on souls.