The Legend of the Border Lurker

Summary

The Border Lurker lives in a cave high, high in the mountains of the border, where it can hear all things that children say. It listens closely to any naughty children saying or doing naughty things. When it hears one, it slides out of its cave and slithers along the ocean floor, right to the children's home where it slips into their room and eats one of their legs. Afterward, the Lurker slithers back to its cave, where it spits out the bones into a vast pile of leg bones from all the other naughty children it had visited. The child would never know when the Lurker was coming or when it was there until it was too late, and their leg was already missing. The Lurker is rumored to be invincible, unkillable by time or Gods alike. However, the legend also states that the Lurker's only weaknesses are chicken blood and sunflower oil and that mixing the two and spreading the mixture over your doorways and windows is guaranteed to keep the Lurker away.

Historical Basis

There are a few small, unrelated events that lend themselves to the possibility that the Lurker exists. Some scattered femurs were found in a cave in the Borders, but they were adult-sized and had been chewed on by something. A sailor also once reported seeing some sort of mass crawling out of the water, but it was believed to be a swimmer or a dog, and the report was quickly dismissed. The most solid piece of evidence was a black, sludge-like material unlike anything found before washed up on the shore of an island that was rumored to be visited by the Lurker, as the notoriously vile child that lived there had suddenly become extremely nice and apologetic of his previous actions. No one can confirm if he was missing a leg, though.

Spread

The legend is one of the most famous scary stories used by parents, reaching even the northlands where they often stay isolated from the rest of the world. The legend dates back hundreds of years, and almost every person can remember being told the legend of the Border Lurker at least once. It's a popular story to tell when children have a sleepover, usually the host's older sibling telling the story to tell the younger kids.

Variations & Mutation

The body part that gets eaten changes depending on where you're from. Some swear it's the ear that gets eaten, others an arm and some folk promising the story said that the kid lost both their hands to the Lurker. Alternatively, the Lurker doesn't spit out the bones--which explains why so few have ever been found--and instead digests them with the rest of the leg. One version states that instead of children, the Border Lurker targets unfaithful adults, though most dismiss this claim.

Cultural Reception

For the islands closest to the Borders, they take the legend very seriously and children are careful to behave their best. For some Igkei citizens, they dismiss it as fantasy and scoff at those who believe the story. Those who live near the Borders often will spread a mixture of chicken blood and sunflower oil on the windows and doorways of their home, as the Lurker can't stand either substance and is caused physical pain when it touches both mixed together.

In Literature

The Lurker, or versions of it, have had a few stories where a young child manages to finally slay the beast and is deemed the world's hero. There are also several poems about how to keep the Lurker out of your home and what it does when it finds you.

In Art

Paintings of the Border Lurker depict it as a large, pulsing black monster oozing sludge with a wide, gaping mouth filled to the brim with teeth and blood-red eyes. Tapestries often depict it as a large black blob with blood-red eyes. A song native to the Border islands is sung about the legend of the Lurker. No statues currently exist of thee beast.

Date of First Recording

5 of Zudil, 313 ORTE

Date of Setting

30th of Gilasp, 207 ORTE