Transcendence, The Surpassing of the Bodies

Flesh and mana are both the same. Flesh is also made of mana, though it is given a permanent structure and function by an Astral Being, and thus does not need to sustain itself entirely on its own. mana Flesh is flesh that stabilizes itself, ripping away mana from without to maintain permanence of within.

Most beings on Terra fall into two major categories, Corporeal and Ethereal. Corporeal beings are not entirely made of matter. They always have some sort of mana meshed into their tissues. Ethereal beings are entirely self-sufficient, still requiring an Astral Being to maintain part of their permanence.

Transcendent and Ethereal beings are not one and the same. Ethereal beings still have some part of themselves as matter. Transcendent beings are those that have fully become responsible for their permanence.

Transcendence is the process of becoming responsible for maintaining one's own permanence. It gives one greater control over their body but also incurs drawbacks. Transcendent beings are highly susceptible to disruption-based attacks. Their own minds maintain their form, and thus, their mental state and the mana levels highly influence their bodies. Transcendent beings lose much of their power when in low mana environs. Thanatium (Meteorite Silver) are effective against neophyte Transcendent beings.

Transcendents lose most of their weaknesses as they age into their new existence. Thanatium loses its effectiveness as they learn how to operate on different wavelengths, bypassing the obfuscation-field created by Thanatium. A Transcendent's form solidifies as they age, becoming harder to manipulate in its entirety, and thus their fluctuations become less pronounced.

Renascence & Eminence, The Metamorphosing of Being

Eminence

magic is the road to power. It is the embodiment of control over reality. It is power incarnate. For one to truly become a Transcendent, they must gain power. They must gain Eminence.

Eminence is the ability to hold sway over reality, be it manipulating mana or Matter. One needs to train their will and integrate with another Plane of existence. The process can be better learned through Elodin's masterwork of a piece, Planar Confluence.

Renascence

Renascence is the process of transforming one's Corporeal body into one made of mana. The process is an equivalent exchange slowly done by the passage of time. For every cell that dies and bit of flesh that is cut, mana takes its place. spiritualists must do this consciously, whereas soulcerers do this without needing any real input from themselves. Advanced spiritualists with augmented Vitality (Life mana) can automatically exchange their flesh for mana like a soulcerer. And soulcerers can consciously affect their Renascence. There are always various exceptions to a rule when it comes to magic. The rules that govern the entirety of magic or more akin to ever-shifting guidelines abstracted from the writing of reality.

As one loses their material body, they require more mana to sustain themselves. Being in low mana environs may incur weaknesses to those in Renascence.

Etherealization of the body is easy compared to the mind. The mind is a fickle thing, being a construct of the brain, spirit, and soul. The rebirth of the body can theoretically be done instantly. The rebirth of the mind cannot. There are many ways of achieving it, and there is no entirely correct way to do so.

Scouring

One waits enough time for their mind to entirely Attune to their soul. After Attunement, one can transfer the mana-based parts of their mind to their soul. After moving their Ethereal consciousness to their soul, one can scour their Corporeal mind and take its place. This process is left for those that are desperate for time or for power. Something is guaranteed to be lost, may it be empathy or libido. A person is never the same after scouring their Corporeality.

Detachment

This process is similar to scouring in that it forsakes flesh, letting go of the parts that tether one to matter, to the bones of reality. Detachment is when one detaches their Ethereal Self from the flesh. This leaves behind a catatonic or highly unstable Corporeal body. Detached Transcendents are the weakest after Renascence, their forms being quite similar to any undead.

Transference

Transference holds onto the vestiges that once bound a Transcendent. It allows one to keep their Corporeal mind. The process is done by slowly transforming all tissue related to the mind into mana. The process can be aided by chemical or Alchemical means - i.e., ingesting a neurotoxin that slowly kills neural tissue, allowing mana to take its place. If the toxin is slow enough, there is little to no change of one's mind during Transference. Transferred Transcendents do not lose their stream of consciousness, which means that they do not "die". Most other types of Transcendents lose a part of themselves and their identity during their rebirth. Most Transcendents that attempt Transference end up dying before completing it. The process destabilizes their magic, inhabiting their ability to manipulate mana as they progress through their particular rebirth. The temporary weakness is more than worth it when weighing in the possible reward. Those that complete Transference have a stronger sense of self, allowing them to more effectively manipulate mana and employ their will upon reality. It allows a Transcendent to keep onto most of their power even when in low mana environs.