Coldharbour and Soul Cairn

[Crashen]

I am curious about the... interaction?... between the Soul Cairn and Coldharbour. Prior to ESO, it was my understanding that nearly all trapped souls went to the Soul Cairn, via soul gems. However, with ESO Coldharbour seems to be just silly with soul gems, displaced souls, and soulshriven. In fact, it seems like the very stuff of Coldharbour is used to create black Soul Gems, at least based on visual similarities between the numerous black crystals laying around, the soul gems used in the various games, and the (now disappeared) intro-cutscene of Mannimarco stealing your soul.

So, I guess I wonder, does the destination of trapped souls depend on the intent of the caster, with 'unclaimed' souls going to Soul Cairn? Or has Molag Bal found some way to divert souls into his realm of Oblivion?

Further, what exactly ARE the soulshriven? They have no souls, but they aren't the physical bodies of victims either, or else they wouldn't wind up in Oblivion. Are they essentially a form of daedra, made up of azure plasm with the imprint or 'echo' of a mortal soul?

[Jeancey]

From what I understand, the Soul Shriven have had their souls removed, and THEN their physical bodies were taken into Coldharbour. I think. I could be wrong. I never bought DG, so I have zero idea what the heck the soul cairn is, or how it is populated.

[BetaB17]

Soul Cairn has always been an odd realm compared to the rest. Much of the info on how the inhabitants came to be is never clear, and sometimes too simple to be the full truth. We're told souls that have been trapped are doomed to the Cairn<_< yet we already know the soul is still bound to it's catalyst or enchantment till freed. To a degree, their still aware and sentient, as seen in Redguard via the Prince(correct me if I'm wrong). So really, till the soul is released or a portion escapes, no afterlife can be fulfilled.

In my belief, souls that are left unclaimed are more likely to end up at the Cairn eventually, while others may have been purposely sent as a means for currency. The Princes by far can set a claim as they deem, and both they and the Masters see the value for currency.. so sometimes a trade from either front may occur.. That or taken by force bc Daedric Princes don't play games<_<

Now on the subject of the Soul Shriven, they still retain their mind for a time, but their soul has been replaced with the Daedric equivalent known as the vestige. Seeing as Daedra are physically made of chaotic creatia, their bodies can be reformed time and time again, something a mortal 'would' benefit greatly from... That is if being Soul Shriven wasn't flawed by nature, seeing as the Anuic soul is what defines them, thus being deprived of whom they are. Eventually, the flawed construct would be nothing more than a pale shadow, doomed to be a monster that preys upon kin and Daedra alike.

[Pilaf The Defiler]

The Ideal Masters were once mortals who achieved some degree of divinity, and are now in the form of giant crystals, or at least speak through them. It's weird compared to typical immortality in the series. Serana speculates they may serve higher masters and trade souls for power and favors. If these higher powers involve Daedra, then Clavicus Vile and Molag Bal would both be logical, as they trade in souls.

[legoless]

Molag Bal has seemingly ordered extensive research into soul gems, which is why you often see piles of them around the place in Coldharbour. Also, the Planemeld is directly powered by souls being sacrificed to him; along with his penchant for enslaving all mortals, that should help explain the sheer amount of lost souls in his realm.

I admit, it is a little odd that the sacrifices seem to be performed by trapping the victim's soul in a soul gem, although this may serve a purpose for the Worm Cult or even the Planemeld as a whole, as we hear about Abnur Tharn being tasked by Mannimarco with categorising soul gems. The Soul Cairn is often ignored anyway, even in Skyrim. The Daedra are well-known for stealing souls, and Azura's Star is apparently its own little plane, so it's not a great stretch to just assume the Ideal Masters are getting screwed out of one in this instance. (Also, I think you can rewatch that Mannimarco cutscene from the character selection screen.)

As for soul shriven, there's quite a bit of information on this and you could devote a whole thread to explaining the metaphysical aspects of them. In short: don't let them anywhere near skyshards unless you wanna create a horde of immortal Shezarrines.

Edit: My bad, seems they did remove the opening cutscene and replaced it with footage from the advertising cinematic. Very poor choice, considering the three mascot characters have nothing to do with the actual game...