#splitworld

Blood, dung and bodily matter are mixed with soil to create a mixture called ‘Humus’, in a giant magically imbued ceramic vessel called a Venus Pot, which acts as an artifical womb. Over the course of 30 or so days, the pot develops a fetus, that is then siphoned blood by the wizard, whether it be their own or that of men and animals, to nourish a homunculus. Homunculi are artificial creatures made by magical means, often for testing, labor, or companionship. They lack souls, are typically simple in mind and body (unless a great deal of resources are used) and have short lifespans of up to fourteen months.

Each homunculi pictured is an example of a different type. Of course, these do not encompass all homunculi, as they are immensely diverse and personalized to each wizards will and making.

From the left:

Bestial homunculi - The altered form of a singular existing animal. They are created by placing the corpse of a natural beast into the Venus pot. Here, a hare has been given the skin of a man thanks to the blood from the ‘parent’ wizard, and its body has wrapped around itself into a bipedal form. Due to the wizard creating it being a worshipper of Diane, the moon God, the customary presence of colloidal silver in the ritual has given the homunculi argyria.

Homullus - A ‘little man’, typically made for testing medicines and alchemical solvents meant for human use. They are small, infantile humanoids with basal brain functions.

Jumentum - Homunculi ‘recipes’ patented by the Magostate (wizard council) for purposes such as labor, warfare or communication. The jumentum homunculi seen here are Tapping-Boys, small spider-like homunculi that relay coded messages through dances, taps and whistles.

Chimera - Two forms fused into one being. Here, the crushed remains of a giant snail’s shell have been added to the Humus alongside the wizard’s DNA to create the desired result.

Lutum - A ‘pure’ homunculus made from the blood of other homunculi, typically to ‘breed’ out animalistic or human traits they have accrued. These homunculi get their name from clay, due to their often featureless, globular bodies. They often suffer and live only a few months due to the incestuous nature of their creation. They are typically made for shows and sports, and they are looked down upon and regulated heavily by the Magostate.

An old Azhaarki scholar who left his people after growing frustrated with their customs, which he perceived as shallow and redundant. He migrated to the kingdom of Gomela for a fresh start and new philosophies, eventually landing himself a cushy hot shot job in the royal palace’s vast libraries. Years of the same routine wore him down; locking away world-changing discoveries in a glorified dungeon and witnessing the once progressive and prosperous kingdom descend into ignorance and materialism has made Kree’gaw jaded and cynical about Gomela’s future. His job is lonely and mind-numbing, and his lust for discovery has been buried under layers of hopelessness.

At 19, she was forced to marry an old lord in order to escape destitution. On the day of the wedding, a bloodthirsty mage named Merlice the Mad attacked, brutally massacring the guests and the groom. He took a liking to the girl due to the fact she didn’t panic when she saw him in the crowd, so he decided to spare her. He tore out a crystallized chunk of his rib and shot it into her torso, embruing her with a fraction of his potent magic.

Merlice was detained, and Hedwig was implicated in the crime. She fled to the countryside, eventually settling in a small village called Donvil. For twenty years she worked as a domestic magician, helping the villagers using her newfound powers, as much as she could with her lack of formal training.

Meanwhile in Gomela, the newly coronated King Gregorius intervened with Merlice’s death sentence and had him put into a coma instead. It was the only way to safely contain him alive — he had a reputation for a reason. With him alive, the king could have his blood drawn and used for scientific experiments in hopes to increase the city’s power.

Twenty years, Merlice slept and withered away, until he awoke. Seeing how his body had atrophied, he forced himself back into a dream-like state, seeking out the one place a piece of his body still thrived… within a certain woman in Donvil.

Hedwig began to have ‘fits of madness’. Her powers became erratic, as did she. She fled the village, and Merlice began to possess her and invade her thoughts, hoping to use her as a new vessel to enact his will. The torturous isolation and experiments had made an already insane man veer completely off the rails, and his two-decades worth of hatred and resentment was directed at a list of culprits that he hoped to punish through Hedwig’s body. Those culprits were the Woodland Band, a now disbanded group of mercenaries hired by the royal family to capture and destroy Merlice.

His wants and her mind blend into one, creating a child ego of the two, Hedwig the Mad.

Meanwhile, Hedwig’s having a terrible time of it. Her life has been ripped from her, and she is tormented by Merlice’s possession. Hedwig is horrified by the acts that Merlice has her do and contemplate, and tries to sabotage him in whatever ways she can, and rid herself of the curse.

A quiet, shy and analytical woman. She is soft spoken and awkward, but she is a keen fighter with strong principles. She is stubborn, observant and ideologically disciplined, Hilla refuses to conform to anything that goes against her values, particularly not for the sake of personal gain. This is both a virtue and a fault, making her loyal yet tunnel visioned. Hilla is precise and independent. She is not good in crowds, and prefers her own company.

During her childhood, Hilaire lived alone with her father near a remote monastery. Her father’s name was Soan (like ‘sewn’), and he moved out into the woods due to his discontent with city life. He was good friends with the monks, who were stewards of the river. Their measured and disciplined lifestyle rubbed off on the precocious young Hilla. When she was fifteen, a group of raiders called the Shrikemen attacked the monastery, led by the sublimated wizard Radugan. Soan and Hilla’s lives were ripped away from the, and they fled back to the city of Gomela. Soan tried to make the best out of a bad situation, joining the Protector’s Guild, but Hilla was changed irrevocably. So heartbroken at the fact that the monastery had been attacked despite their pacifism, she joined the knighthood, and eventually joined the Band.