[Fauna] - Homunculus

Alchemical Lifeforms

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[Fauna] - Homunculus

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Alchemy is a powerful tool; in the hands of a skilled practitioner one can achieve almost anything with enough time, resources and study. With it, magicians have pushed the boundaries of humanity's power closer to the domain of the Immortal's day by day, achieving feats once thought impossible without the help of the divine, and in recent arcs certain alchemists have begun to turn their attention towards trying their hand at something only the Immortal's have been able to do so far: creating an entirely new form of life.

A Homunculus is a term for a life form with a body that has been created through alchemical means. These bodies are nothing more than empty shells that will soon die if left uninhabited, however when brought into Emea or a fracture it is possible for an Emean consciousnesses to either willingly inhabit, or be trapped in, these bodies. These consciousnesses are able to leave the fractures and survive in Idalos indefinitely within these bodies, but will not be able to use any emean given powers they once had under normal circumstances. However they are still more than capable of thinking and communicating, allowing them to tell their creator secrets about the mysteries of Emea if they are so inclined.

Due to the difficultly involved in making them, the lack of research and the moral issues surrounding them Homunculi are incredibly rare, probably numbering at just over a dozen in the entire world, and are usually kept so secret by their creators that the vast majority of people will never see or even hear about one in their entire lives. Research on them is heavily restricted, if not outright banned, by scientific institutions, and considered a tool too powerful for humans to wield or an insult to their authority by the Immortals, and so most alchemists attempting to create one do with a level of security and privacy boarding on paranoia in order to ensure their attempts to create life do not end with the destruction of their own. In order to even begin understanding the basic concepts of Homunculus creation an alchemist needs the grandmaster skill 'Homunculus Creation', and would need to spend years researching the theories behind them before attempting to create their own.

As a Homunculus is a classification of monster rather than a species and could potentially be created in a number of different ways there is no way to say for sure what they might look like or what abilities they might have. The "Base" homunculus formula listed below creates a fragile, hand-sized creature with absolutely no special abilities that cannot survive outside of the flask it was created in. However grandmaster alchemists are able to add various reagents to grant special properties to these bodies just as they would for any other idea, allowing them to be made bigger, stronger and able to survive on their own if they had a reason to do so.

They do not possess a real soul but a shallow mockery of one, making them unable to produce ether by themselves and giving them behavior noticeably similar to necromancy thralls, such as a hunger for the souls of the living. They can not hold any sparks of magic or the blessing of an Immortal, and are unable to dream or become ghosts. Perhaps worst of all a homunculus will not pass on to a better place when they die but will simply vanish into nothingness, which is why every homunculus will fight tooth and nail to remain in existence for as long as it can in a world that would almost certainly kill them if it found them. If the homunculus is destroyed then the consciousness within will be dragged back to whatever dark pit of emea it came from.

Among alchemist circles it is said that the first "Base Homunculus" was created by an alchemist in Viden, who was initially hailed as a genius for his amazing creation. However three days after the alchemist destroyed it along with lab and every scrap of research he'd made on the subject, then went into hiding and has never touched a piece of alchemy equipment since.

Creating a Homunculus

As the subject of creating homunculi is still large unexplored, and the sharing of research almost never happens. Perhaps the only formula one might stand a chance of finding a copy of is the "Base" formula apparently used by the videnese alchemist, however players are encouraged to add their own unique twist to the recipe should they attempt to make a homunculus for themselves.
  • Grafter's Blood - The blood of a mage possessing the graft spark. This allows the other materials to be formed and shaped together into a body. If the donating mage possessed any other sparks this can have unintended effects on the homunculus.
  • Eye of Newt - Though it may sound like the hocus-pocus used by fairytale witches, newt eyes are important for bestowing the homunculus with a body that can naturally heal itself at even a normal rate. Otherwise the creation may completely bleed out from just a little cut.
  • Yvitha’s Ether - A sample of ether tied to Yvitha’s domains, usually found in an artifact of her making or the body of someone bearing her blessing or curse. It allows the body to house a conscious mind. (Note: Yvitha shares a mental link with all of her chosen, living or dead, and will know when her power is stolen from one of her servants. She knows from her own research how dangerous a Homunculus can be, and while she might allow one of her followers to conduct such research at Viden under the most careful supervision anyone else should expect to be hunted by her from the moment they claim this reagent.)
  • Corpseflower - Allows the inhabiting consciousness to be properly bound to the body.
  • Large Quantity of Ether - Provides the energy to power the creation process. A powerful well may suffice.
  • Possessed Flesh - The flesh of a creature that died while being possessed by a spirit or soul. It is used as the main material to build the homunculus' body from since it is far less likely to reject a foreign soul inside of it.
  • Moseke Tree Bark - In an ultimate act of self-sacrifice, a champion of Moseke can give their own life by transforming into a tree in order to heal everyone else around them. In order to make a homunculus, the alchemist must abuse the sanctity of that sacrifice. A few strips of bark from such a tree will provide the first spark necessary to bring a homunculus to life once the consciousness is within it, but will probably earn Moseke’s disfavour if discovered.
  • Sentient Brain Stems - Those harvested from any flesh-based races, such as humans or lotharo, will suffice. They will form into the homunculus' physical brain.
Though all work on this abomination is shrouded from public awareness, the above combination of elements and reagents is the only one known to have been committed to written record. There is also rumor of heinous laboratory/prisons where women are impregnated, only to have the amniotic developments removed to embody the source of life force necessary to animate the vessel into which it is placed. As well, the magic principles of Schism have whispered to be under scrutiny by disreputable alchemists as another means of an homunculus' animation.
Off Topic
It is to be noted that an alchemist must reach a 250/250 master level, and then initiate a GM program, to begin working on this unholy project.
And may the Immortals have mercy on your tainted soul.

Homunculus
Approved by Maltruism
Last edited by Tio Silver on Sat May 04, 2019 8:09 pm, edited 8 times in total. word count: 1283
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