Anima

Individuality and desire condensed down into a specific material, Anima is what gives Artifacts purpose and power. A crystalline substance, it can take any number of colors, shapes, and powers based on who it is extracted from; such as a person with a fiery disposition would create Anima that is a brilliant ruby color and is imbued with the power of fire. Anima is highly mutable in its form when refined based on what it is used for, such as melting it down to create a liquid for a potion, smashing into a powder to use for ink, cutting its shape into a brilliant gemstone, and the like.   Anima is created by extracting one's essence and trapping it in place until it settles and takes form. The most humane way of doing this is slow, but effective. Through careful and steady drawing of a willing subject's Soulflow, Anima can be created without any harm from the donor save for a bit of fatigue afterwards. This method is largely the favored one, due to it bringing no harm and the subject will recover with time.   The other method, however, is far faster but much more destructive. By killing an individual, their soul can be trapped before it can be carried off to the afterlife. This will forever deny them their ultimate fate so long as the Anima remains, but the product is incredibly potent and quickly made. The only way of freeing an individual soul from this entrapment is destruction of the Anima that now binds them to this world. This method is largely outlawed, but that does not stop nefarious individuals from using it to quickly gain power or money. A trained individual, if they study Anima made this way carefully, will be able to spot a slight swirling texture in the Anima as the trapped soul desperately tries to escape.