To create an admirable and untiring Servant is the whole Purpose of Pumpkinhead crafting. If done with Care and Dilligence, the resulting Creature will posess both Loyalty and Strength and be easy to repair with even the simplest Tools.
First, one must craft the Creature’s Body. This is the most important Step, as the Wood chosen will greatly affect the Temperament and Personality of your Construct. Yew is the traditional Wood of choice, but Oak, Elm, or even Maple can be made to work if One does not mind the Scatterbrained, Delicate, or Mercurial constitution they impart–Yew being the choice Wood due to its imparting of both Flexibility and Strength.
The Body may be of any shape, but it must be capable of being clothed. Some ambitious Conjurers have made Pumpkinheads in the Form of Arachnids or Centaurs and had Clothing tailored for these; normal Raiments will generally suffice.
After coating the Wood with a Resin made from the Ashes of a Fire Temple’s Pyre, One must then carve the Pumpkin itself. The Gourd must be large and Hollow enough to contain a lit Candle, but that is all; many Conjurers coat the Gourd in Wax to give it Strength and protect against Rot.
The Candle itself is of utmost Importance. Its Wax must be native Beeswax, and it must contain a Wick soaked in the Oil of an Elderwood Tree. It must not be lit until the Ritual is complete.
Assemble the Pumpkinhead over a sacred Circle. The Body must be Complete and Articulated and fully Clothed before the Gourd is placed and the Candle lit. Once this has been done, Command the Pumpkinhead to arise and give it a Name. If it responds, the procedure has been a Success.
Pumkinheads must have their Heads replaced regularly. The exact Form is immaterial, and many Conjurers take the Opportunity to revise their Creation’s Features. The Pumpkinheads themselves, especially those made from pricer Woods, will often request a new Head with specific Features; it is of course up to their Creator whether said Request is honored.
The Pumpkinhead will endure until its Candle is extinguished. Heads, Limbs, and Clothes may be replaced, and an extinguished Candle can be re-lit or re-dipped in the same Wax to prolong its life. Pumpkinheads seem to regard their Extinguishment in the same way a Mortal regards Sleep, though should the Candle be destroyed the Pumpkinhead will forever expire. Even if a new Candle is created and placed within the same Body, it will be as if an entirely new Creature had been created and whatever Memories and Experiences it had will be lost.
June 24, 2015 at 1:15 pm
I think I’m going to rename my memoir to “Build Thee a Pumpkinhead.” Of course, I might have to spell it Punkin.
June 24, 2015 at 3:18 pm
I await “Build Thee a Punkinhead” on the NYT bestseller list! If you need suggestions for the sort of gourd to wear on the cover, I recommend a Howden cultivar.