Preformationist

A preformationist is someone who creates homunculi using the bodily energy of mijjit.

Preformationism

Preformationism is the belief that the form of a living thing exists prior to itself, that each successive generation of a thing is a copy of that which came before, but altered, and that all bodies come from an original, perfect body at some point in the distant past. While this belief has variations and has never been proven, it forms the basis of the practices that allow preformationists to create homunculi.

Homunculi

Homunculi are constructs created from energies derived from the bodies of mortal beings. They vary in size and form depending on who is making them, but the goal is always a slightly more perfect form of the maker, in miniature size, who can perform tasks for them better than they could themselves.

Generation of Homunculi

The original method of creating a homunculi was to take the sperm or egg of a mortal (or equivalent depending on species) and place it in a gourd, usually a cucurbit, and then place that in the womb of a horse for 40 days. The phantom image of the person will generate at this time. If this image is then fed blood or other parts of a body for forty weeks, still within the horse's womb, it will grow into a homunculus. A similar but less messy method is found on the continent of Mahad in a practice called takwin, wherein the preformationist takes a vessel shaped like an animal and combines it with the animal's bodily fluids, then places that within the vessel at the center of a model of the known cosmos and heated. This creates a bestiaculus ("little animal"). A third method is to take the root of a byrony out of the ground under a full moon shortly after the vernal equinox, cut off the ends of the root and bury it in a dead man's grave near to a sacred place. For 30 days, water it with milk in which three bats drowned. On the 31st day, take out the root in the night and dry it in an oven heated with verbena. Wrap this in a piece of dead man's shroud and carry it everywhere. It will become a mandragora.

The modern method of generating homunculi, however, harkens to the original method in that it requires taking a piece of a person's body - usually one's own - and incubating it in special materials. Mijjit is contained within every facet of a mortal's body; the safest piece to use is part that is not necessary or that is created to be given away (sperm, menses, hair, nails, or dead skin). Usually, a mixture of these is taken, along with either blood or saliva. More powerful homunculi can be created using more vital parts, however. The amount needs to be less than a thimbleful, otherwise too much energy is required. The thimbleful is then incubated in a simulcrum womb, usually a red clay or mkwapska pot shaped like a uterus, and fed with smoke from the burning of figs for 40 days. This eventually generates the phantom image, which is then fed for 40 weeks on wisawek, a mixture of grains, spices, and milk consumed by giants. After 40 weeks, the homunculus will have a full body, about 6" tall, in the appearance of the person who donated he germinal material. If multiple people donated germinal material, the homunculus takes on an average appearance of the donors.

Homunculus Care

A homunculus will not survive without engaging in frequent exercises and eating wisawek or other sources of mijjit regularly. Like a wisin, they can alter their form via special exercises and diet, but they usually choose not to, as they consider their birth-form closer to perfect than that of their donor. As long as they are cared for, they remain loyal to their creator.

Inventory

The tools of a preformationist include

• Wisawek: a mixture of a grain called malomen, a form of mijjit-rich wheat; boiled milk called laboia, which comes from moose; and spices that include a special salt called siwan, a form of allspice called tipwabel, and a ground nut powder called skibon.
• Mkwapska clay: a red clay rich with mijjit found in Palhur.
• Donated body parts: sperm, menses, hair, nails or dead skin.
• Thimble: the perfect size for keeping the donated material.

Societal Role

Most preformationists are eccentrics who believe in unproven theories of bodies that society does not adhere to. They are seen as odd, creepy people, and their homunculi are discriminated against in most class societies.

Skills

Common skills include

• Childcare
• Alchemy
• Cooking
• Exercise
• Hygiene
• Medicine
• Philosophy

Stats

Modifiers from base of nation/species

PRO -2
ATH /
STR +1
AWA +1
WIL /
PRS -3
STH -1