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Anima is a broad category referring to all animate creations of the Lesser Gods. All life that existed independently prior to the Age of Aquarius is considered anima. A common misconception is that anima only refers to humanity or terrestrial life. In fact, both extraterrestrial life and nonhuman entities fall under the class of anima. The distinction between anima and neoanima is primarily about timekeeping. The two classes exist to keep record of what existed before the rift and what was created subsequently.
Some would argue that the difference is autonomy - anima are independent creations, while neoanima are agents alone. This is not true. Several neoanima have been known to exhibit personalities, desires, and philosophies that are not in accordance with their makers. Contrariwise, there are many documented cases of anima being manipulated to the point of exhibiting no free will or independent thought. Personality-based typology can occasionally be helpful in profiling, but the diversity within these groups suggests that generalizations are to be avoided.
Neoanima are a class exclusive to Earth. They designate entities that were created solely as a means of acquisition. At this time, it is believed that only the Lesser Gods have been known to create and implant new life on Earth. I am hesitant to claim anything too confidently. Neoanima are critically under-researched due to the difficulty of obtaining reliable data. I’ve found that they are best discussed on a case-by-case basis.
The term rego animus refers to the manipulation of humans by the gods. Rego animus are highly dangerous individuals who have established direct connections to the gods.
The degree of manipulation varies between individuals. In minor cases, the connection appears as a quiet voice, or a small and recurring suggestion. The voice can grow to a crescendo over time. In more severe cases, rego animus may begin to take on the traits and abilities of their patron god. These cases make up the majority of our data pool.
The most advanced cases are those in which a fragment of the god physically resides within the vessel. If left untreated, these instances can escalate to become full possessions, in which the victim is rendered no more than a puppet of their god.
It is impossible to know how many unnoticed rego animus cases may exist at this point in time. The nature of minor cases is that they can easily be mislabelled as schizoaffective symptoms. The opposite is also true. While Menagerie has dedicated an intelligence force towards non-physical manifestations, the general protocol for those on the ground is to identify physical symptoms first.
For more information on identification and diagnosis, see the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual's entry on Rego Animus.
The most well documented cases of severe rego animus are Lola Nikolav and Tara Sill. Lola Nikolav would go on to found the Ground Zero (g-0) faction, whereas Tara Sill is widely considered to be the true patient zero for Rego Animus on Earth.