Túruwath

"The keytar, the pyrophone organ, the cello horn—all of these are very niche and unusual musical instruments. Write about a niche musical instrument in your world."
The túruwath (meaning: Blood Flute) is a musical instrument from the Shkai Mountains. To describe it as "musical" is a somewhat lenient use of the word, for this instrument does not produce standard melodies, but rather various screams. The instrument serves its main function in a ritualistic context, but is also used during hunts to scare away predators when returning to the village, to frighten enemies in battle, and even on rare occasions to intentionally set off avalanches.
The instrument is made of bones derived from a kasikivginstr. The instrument is decorated with paint made from blood and alcohol, with spiraling or swirling patterns which are unique to each túruwath. Standardly, a new túruwath is made when a man's kasikiv dies (as these are highly sacred beasts, they are not killed) and is passed on to his eldest son. In this way, many of the men of the Shkai tribes possess a túruwath but not all.

Item type

Musical Instrument