"To be fair, trees are organic, and I don't think anyone would call them people." But that isn't the point, of course. Pal puts one hand in the deep pocket of his grey robe and takes out a tiny shard of bone, which he places in the palm of his hand. After a moment it begins to grow into the shape of a human skull.

"We use skeletal constructs for most physical labor and tasks too dangerous for human beings. And I've never had a discussion about the nature of the soul with a single one--or about anything else for that matter."