A golemancer gains their unique magical abilities from an inner force known as their magical essence. It is honed through meditation on the nature of matter and grows as the golemancer's skill as an artist improves. A major event in the life of a golemancer is the day they first imbue one of their artworks with life. As they work on a project of particular importance to them, focusing all that they are into their work, they feel a portion of themselves slip into the artwork, which then animates as the golemancer wishes.
Some view the magical essence of a golemancer as an extension of their soul, and the act of imbuing a golem with life as 'pouring their soul into their work". At some point in their life, a golemancer learns of their intrinsic division: the number and size of the pieces of their imbuement essence is broken into. They find that they can never imbue more golems than their division allows, and that the size and power of a golem is dependent on the size of the divided pieces. The fewer the division, the larger the size of their golems.
This magical essence has been come to be known as a lacrima. Lacrima's are created when there is a high concentration of magic focused on specific crystals. These lacrimas can grow naturally in large quantities in areas that have a large magic output. These areas include Frecia, The Sylvan Glade, and the Unknown. Cradania used to have a large magic output that created a large crystalline mass now known as The Divine Crystal. However, due to the sheer mass of the crystal, it has siphoned all magical energy within the area and prevents all magic from entering the country.
Users often spend time with these crystals connecting with them and establishing some type of bond. This can also be referred to as a type of unique attunement. It doesn't take much to connect with a natural lacrima but it does take a lot of control and patience to harness it effectively for golemancy specifically. Artificers and other magic users don't need to focus their time and energy as much to use a lacrima for machines and items. Golemancers use the lacrima as a way of bringing life and allowing their golems to grow, heal, and more in a more self sustaining way. Those using lacrimas on machines and other items, need to manually provide upgrades and repairs as their constructs become more dependent of their user. Therefore Golemancers have a stronger hold of their lacrima crystals than Artificers do.
Lacrimas can also be created by a highly powerful magic user. However not just any powerful magic user can create a power source strong enough to be used. Those who have a strong will, pure heart, and sound mind can create a lacrima as a proper power source. Their soul will be bound to the lacrima and in most extreme cases they will become the lacrima themselves. If all of those boxes aren't checked off, the crystal will be deemed as unstable or more than likely not powerful enough to be used.
Lacrimas created by a magic user is extremely rare but very valuable This is due to their link or bond with the magic user's soul, mind, and even blood. These types are the most powerful lacrimas to use as they are considered to be physically unbreakable. The lacrima can only be broken by the magic user that created it. If the user has become the lacrima, it is considered impossible to ever break unless the soul of the user is some how contacted. All users that have become a lacrima are considered to be alive.