Homunculus

Small, human-like constructs made of their makers’ bodies.

Basics

• Taxonomic Order: Constructs

• Alignment: Nommic

• Energy: Mijjit

• Lifespan: 20 years

• Diet: Common mortal fare in small amounts

• Habitat: Anywhere

Origins

Homunculi were created by mortals seeking to create life from their own flesh.

Description

Homunculi usually look like 6” tall humans. It is possible to make them in the form of other species, especially metahumans and others with potent mijjit.

Procreation

Homunculi are created via preformationism, an alchemical practice that draws from the body of the maker in order to fashion a small version of themself. Preformationism is the belief that a tiny version of a person is contained in their seed or egg, and it can be tapped into for enormous body magic. While this is inaccurate in terms of what seed or egg are, the truth that gametes contain enormous amounts of body magic is true.

The standard formula in Jesenranu is to take the germinal fluids of a mortal, place them in a cucurbit or other gourd for forty days, let it rot in a horse’s womb, and then take the translucent, fetal figure out of it after this time. Feed this human blood for forty weeks in the warmth of the horse’s womb. It will be fully formed and no longer translucent after this.

Another recipe, found in Mahad, involves taking a vessel shaped like the living thing one wants to create, filling it with bodily fluids of the living thing, then placing it at the center of a model of the universe while applying heat. This method is also common throughout Dabusen.

Another recipe involves finding a special plant, such as bryony, and removing it from the ground under a full moon just after the vernal equinox. The ends of the roots must be removed, then the plant must be reburied in a dead man’s grave along with some piece of the creator’s body in sanctified ground. For 30 days, it must be watered with bovine milk in which three bats have been drowned. On the 31st day, the root is dug up in the middle of the night, dried out in an oven heated with burning verbena, and wrapped in the dead man’s shroud. It must then be carried everywhere until it awakens.

Other formulae exist, but all require part of the creators’ body.

Powers

Homunculi have the ability to draw on their own mijjit at will, using it to shape other beings’ bodies with their touch. Thus, they can make people bigger or smaller with their touch.

As beings of mijjit, they are often skilled with the other body magicks: haruspicy, bonecasting, blood magic, and chymosian medicine. They have these skills innately.

As artificial constructs, sometimes they ironically lack certain bodily needs - some do not need air, produce waste, or need to drink water. These are rare and are a result of an imbalance of materials in the creation process.

Weaknesses

Being small, homunculi can be easily harmed.

Nations

There are three nations that have developed from independent homunculi:

• Anthroparion: Stayflian homunculi who gained independence, pl. Anthroparia

• Parvulus: the original nation formed in central Jesenranu

• Qizm: a Mahadi nation made via takwin, a Mahadi body magic that imitates creative power and has recipes for everything from minerals to prophets

Culture

The Parvuli are a small nation of homunculi who gained their independence after their creator died. Their creator, Quamcalor, was an alchemist of some skill in the antediluvian times who sought to create life. He succeeded beyond his wildest imagination and kept making new ones out of curiosity and wonder. Eventually, he made so many, he built them a small village, and when he died, he made sure they were free to live their own lives.

As short-lived beings, homunculi concern themselves with making sure their lives are well-spent. They find it important to create new homunculi to replace themselves when they go as well. These two focuses influence their culture greatly.

Among the Parvuli, the custom is that new homunculi are created “full size” (about six inches tall) by multiple homunculi practicing the standard Jesenranic method to create new homunculi. For this reason, they are farmers of gourds and herders of horses. Though horses are immensely huge compared to them, they are very capable of handling them. It takes a small team to do so. Because this method involves rotting animal parts, they keep it very secret.

They use small stones, dried gourds, and odds and ends from other mortals’ homes to create their villages - buckets, boxes, and soon are used for whole structures among them. Similarly, they will use table knives and forks as polearms, napkins as tablecloths, and socks as full-body clothing. They buy these objects from other mortals in exchange for services, such as cleaning between walls, repairing tiny objects, and handling matters in places bigger mortals cannot reach.

New homunculi are trained and taught the basics of their communities within a few days. They are created with full consciousness. Most are farmers and horse ranchers, but other roles include handyfolk, healers, alchemists, body mages (wisin), tinsmiths, gatherers, traders, and cleaners. Every village is run by a mayor who is elected locally.

The Parvuli love good food, drink, and dancing. They love athletic activities of any kind. And they love wrestling. These are their main forms of entertainment - anything that affects their bodies. Their small size means a little alcohol goes a long way. Alcoholism is a problem among them. Because dancing is important to them, they also make music, but it is simply a medium to complement the dancing.

It is said that they are excellent clockmakers and makers of other finely tuned machines that their small limbs and digits are useful in making.

National Cultures

• Anthroparion: in Stayflies, Anthroparia lead similar lives to the Parvuli, but with different focuses on foods, drinks, and preferred machinery. They use different gourds and prefer goats to horses.

• Qizm: the great practitioners of takwin, they hide in urban areas and live on the fringes, being sought out by those who have need of special body magicks.

Esoterica

As beings of mijjit, they are excellent users of it, innately. Aifaellam, humors, blood magic, and Raesian energy are also commonly wielded. They are also fond of tmakikan, livadi, and prasinofos. Any magic that involves body parts, they are capable of wielding it well.

Religion

The Parvuli worship Ficedula, a representation of the body as a Divine force. They believe the body is a temple in a more literal way; they engage in ritual practices that involve exercises as worship.

Gender

Homunculi mimic the gender roles of their original creators, but they believe in bodily autonomy to the point that many alter their outward, biological forms even in their short lifespans.

Economy

The Parvuli live on the fringes of feudal societies and practice communal living.

Military

The Parvuli are capable of defending their homes more capably than most would assume. They can amplify their own strength with body magic.

Language

The Parvuli language is Latin.

Trade

They trade services and some farmed materials with larger mortals.

Occupations

Some common roles in their communities include the following:

• Adulator: tinsmiths.

• Agricola: farmers.

• Chemicus: alchemists.

• Congregor: gatherers.

• Corpomagus: wisins.

• Equesola: horse herders.

• Lautus: cleaners.

• Majoris: mayors.

• Nummularius: traders.

• Reparola: repairmen.

• Sanatore: healers.

Outside View

Most view homunculi as mindless slaves, as that is how most are kept throughout the world.

Notables

• Surculus, Homunculus Manifest, Aeonian

Estimated Populations

• Anthroparion: 5,000

• Parvulus: 10,000

• Qizm: 20,000

• Other: 100,000

Sample Stats

PRO 8
ATH 9
STR 2
AWA 8
WIL 8
PRS 8
STH 14