Essence Mark

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Essence Mark
Essence Marks Closeup by Cory Billett.jpg
Creators Forgers
World of Origin Sel
Universe Cosmere
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An Essence Mark is a particular type of soulstamp that is designed to Forge a person's memories, history, and soul for a brief period of time.[1] Essence Marks are among the most powerful and most complex soulstamps a Forger can create.[1] In realmatic terms, an Essence Mark reforges the spiritual aspect of an individual to match the new history.[2]

Essence Marks are considered blasphemy by a number of cultures, including the Grands of the Rose Empire, the Mulla'dil Strikers, and the Dzhamarians.[3][4]

Construction & Use[edit]

Essence Marks are the most difficult type of soulstamps to create, typically requiring years worth of development and construction, and are required to be attuned to a specific individual in order to function.[1] When a human is soulstamped, the transformation lasts a relatively short period of time, and the best crafted stamps last approximately a day. This is due to the fact that the identity of a person, as opposed to an object, is constantly growing, changing and shifting.[3] It may also be due to the fact that all humans are naturally Invested with a small amount of Investiture,[5] and Investiture resists change by other Investiture.[6] However, through large amounts of practice and research, it is possible to make Essence Marks that last far longer.[7][8][9] If used continuously for years, the person may no longer need the Essence Mark to maintain the transformation.[10]

To create an Essence Mark, one must make hundreds of stamps, each one representing a small portion of the history or personality which you would wish to change.[1] These stamps must be tested individually to make sure that each will take, and then networked together into a lattice on some external object. The lattice will be connected to the final stamp, which will act as a keystone for the other stamps, and will be the only one necessary to stamp. The lattice must maintain in contact with the skin of an individual to maintain its effects.[10] A deep knowledge of the individual and the new history you wish to write is necessary to create the stamps for an Essence Mark.[1] An Augur would find their Allomantic powers "useful" for making Essence Marks for themselves.[11]

Known Essence Marks[edit]

Notes[edit]

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