Being A Recipe, Most Complete And Correct, Prepared By The Willing And Allied Hands Of The Grand Alchemist of Neverwinter, Askrim "The Bold," And The Wizard Dauntus, Seneschal of Sylverymoon: The Making Of A Homonculus.

First, an acidic base of water into which is crushed a thousand ants, and out of which is strained the ant remains, is prepared in a black iron cauldron. Secondly, the following herbs must be crushed and powdered together in a separate vessel: an acorn and a whole plant each of balmony, birthwort, fennel, and ginseng. Thirdly, a brass brazier must be lit, stoked with charcoal, and over the flames must be cast a handful of rose petals, incense, and a pinch of fine sand.

The caulsron of acid must now be placed on the brazier and heated. Straightaway,ere it comes to the boil, the powdered herbs must be stirred into it (mind that a dipper or ladle of wood and not metal is used), and the following ingredients must be introduced into it, in the order given: the whole skin of any reptile, a human eye, the brain of a mind flayer, the wings of a bat, and the mouthparts or whole head of a vampiric bat. These may be agitated as necessary-- they must be wholly dissolved ere the mixture comes to a boil.

As the mixture begins to bubble in earnest, the wizard shall let fresh blood from hi own body into a vessel by means of an incision, and one pint exactly must be added to the pot.

The alchemist then must tend the mixture constantly, allowing the brazier to burn out and the mixture to slowly cool. When the side of the cauldron is no warmer than the room, the mixture may be covered (tightly, with stretched and tarred hide sealed with wax, to keep the air out) and left undisturbed for 1-4 weeks. When it is deemed ready by the alchemist (by the smell of the seal, which should be sharply spicy), the mixture shall be uncovered and put once more over a brazier of charcoal and incense.

As it heats, the wizard must cast a mending spell upon the fluid, a mirror image, and then wizard eye. He must remain within the presence of the cauldron, or at least within 10 feet, as the mixture is heated to a boil. The alchemist shall then stoke the fires hotter, and when much of the fluid is boiled away, the completed homunculus will be revealed in the cauldron.

When it has cooled (the vapors from the cauldron passing away), the wizard must touch it. It will then be animate, and will survive (barring physical attack or misfortune) until the death of the wizard, when it will dissolve into boiling vapor and pass into nothingness. If it should die first, and the wizard should survive its death, guard and hide its corpse well, for whatever is done to the carcass shall happen also to the spell caster-- do not burn the remains unless magic to protect against fire are to be had. The homonculus can see in the darkness where the wizard cannot, guarding while its creator sleeps, waking the wizard at the approach of any creature.