Homunculi

Homunculi are sapient organisms created using alchemy. Originally, they were expected to work as servants and laborers for the human population. However, they began to question their position and eventually rebelled against their human masters, securing a small but well-defended section of territory on Peraith.

Traits
All homunculi are bald, with pinkish skin and pale yellow eyes. They lack a nose or distinct lips, and their mouth is wide and fish-like. The function of the nose and ears are maintained by small holes in the sides of the neck and head.

Internally, homunculi are very foreign to humans. Due to alchemical tampering, their organs are much simpler and more durable than human equivalents. One example of this is their gut, which has been shortened to save space. Homunculi can only digest a nutritious paste (as well as candy and junk food). In addition, all homunculi have an access door or multiple somewhere on their body. This improves surgical outcomes because opening the patient is as easy as undoing a latch

Broadly, homunculi can be divided into two categories; large and small. Large homunculi are greater than seven feet tall, and require mechanical augmentation to support their weight. Small homunculi do not, and are often designed to be more attractive-looking to humans.

Reproduction
Being artificial beings, homunculi are not born but made. The process begins with an alchemist preparing a "seed" (actually an artificial embryo) from an existing fragment of human or homunculus flesh. This "seed" is then suspended in a large vat of nutrient solution, manufactured from any raw organic material. While this first step takes only a few hours per batch, the majority of the time is spent allowing the homunculus to grow. For ordinary human-sized homunculi, this takes only nine months; for larger ones it takes somewhat longer, though not proportionally so. The smallest functional homunculus can be made in a month.

After they are fully grown, the homunculus is removed from the vat and operated upon to install vital mechanical and chemical components. The severity of these operations varies with every model, but this step is never skipped since it also involves making the access ports openable without pain or injury. Once fully constructed, the homunculus is woken with a pulse of electricity to the brain-stem, and packed up for further distribution.

Free homunculi are presumably unable to reproduce, but there is some evidence that they have discovered a method of producing offspring that requires no magic.