The Kuru Kemi
"Come, come and listen well! You shouldn't expect this tale to rhyme, For within the desert we haven't the time! So come one come all, and listen well to the cautionary tale Of the Kuru Kemi. There once was a traveler that tread alone upon the sands. His feet grew blistered from the searing heat. Burnt his soles like a hot bed of coals, even through the sandals he wore! But in that time, he found a furtive pygmy. A little shrew, swaddled in cloth with a hood over his head. The man looked weak, and sat with a flask held in hand. Our traveling hero asked him of his predicament, to which the shrew replied that he was lost. Only a single flask of water was given to him, to hold off the thirst. The pygmy asked -- no, begged. He scrambled upon his knees so that he is hands could raise from their sleeves. Gnarled, warty hands came forth. Skin clung upon the bone like freshly stretched leather, the knuckles bulged as knobs while this palms quaked with weakness. The voice rasped and buzzed like a swarm of locusts had nested within his throat, a cough, followed by a strange rattle that clamored out. "May we tread together? After all, it looks like we're both under the weather." The man nodded his head, offering a hand, to which the little pygmy disappeared shortly after breaking eye contact. It was then that our traveler felt two bony arms wrap around his neck, a whisper, spoke to his ear. "I find this heat to be far too oppressive for these feet", said the shrew. And with that, the strange guest faded away. For some time, our weary traveler wandered through. On occasion, he heard voices whisper upon his ear. A warm touch graced his neck; and he saw an arm point towards a cactus...bare of needles! "Well, look over there! A cactus empty and bare! Plenty of juice waits for us, you need only peel back that thick crust." The shrew coughed, and the man knew what he must do. He traveled forwards and placed his fingers upon the part of the cactus, smoothing a finger along the surface. Much to the traveler's surprise, the Cactus remained completely barren. A flat surface with no needle to speak of. Eager, he raked his fingers across its surface...only to feel needles scraping his palm! The shrew laughed, but our hero didn't. He tried pushing the shrew away, but found him simply fading off, nowhere to be seen. The cactus was not truly bare, it was covered entirely in needles. "My my! One moment, it was smooth as skin, the next, it pricked your limb! Hoho." The shrew heckled and rattled a laugh, even though he was not truly within sight, our traveler heard him speak behind him. Scowling, our traveler continued forward, knowing full well that his beloved town of Levia was not too far. When he arrived upon Levia, he was greeted by guards. As he spoke, he'd find that the men looked upon him through rotted helmets. Maggots clung to their face, squelching as yellowed chunks were exhaled from their moving mouths. And when he screamed, as the guards were as normal again. "You can't get rid of me now," The shrew said darkly. "You are mine forever, and you've no choice but to bow..." Time went on, as our once-traveler now-citizen went days seeing these strange images. Loved ones would have their heads snap and stare upon him with dead eyes, speaking as if everything remained normal. His beloved wife's face fell in melted sloughs of flesh as she looked upon him. "You will forever see things that are not there, only to be lead elsewhere." The shrew said. "What do you want?" Our hero, finally replied. "My grave in the desert. I was left to rot in the dirt. Bring me my grave, and no longer, will your back be plagued by a knave." And he went, into the lonely desert once more. It did not take him too long to see the pit that the shrew spoke of. He saw before him: Freedom of this torment. Surely, the shrew could say the same? "This is it?" Our hero asks. He stepped forwards, and he could feel the shrew behind him. Those knobbly hands kept wrapped around his neck, as he kept whispering to him. "There it is, yes. Simply head there and you'll be free from my caress." Eager to be free, he sprinted forwards, only to find the grave growing further with each stride. Every step his legs felt more anchored, until he felt himself walking. "Do not simply stop and stare. Closer now, you're almost there!" The shrew spoke, once again. And our man walked and walked, the desert stretched with every step, shifting and stopping beneath his feet, while that grave continued to be farther, and farther...until he dropped to his knees, out of breath, and tired. "A shame you couldn't make it there...No worries, I'll still get out of your hair..." The shrew stepped off from his back. The traveler reached towards the grave, only to find it suddenly right before his eyes. "Forever." There was a thud!...And from this tale, we learn that not all heroes live. Our traveler's story is over, as he fell within the grave to be buried, rotting and withered away. Yet another victim claimed by the Kuri-Kemi."
Should you tread alone, you best stay away from the bones! Should you come upon pygmy or hag, run to water so you don't get dragged. When you step upon the river, take away its water. With one thrust of the flask, splash them so that they may turn to dust. Should you tread with a skeleton clinging to your back, never fear. Simply jump into the lonely river flowing near.
Summary
The Kuru-Kemi, also called the 'Dry Bones', is a strange and malevolent spirit said to haunt lone travelers that dare tread through the deserts of Devkarth. They are a cautionary tale to always bring comrades into the unforgiving wastelands. The Dry Bones are said to be a strange spirit brought forth by more of their kind; the first Kuru Kemi's origins are never really explained.
When travelers wander the road, they have a chance of encountering the Kuru Kemi, a strange gaunt and emaciated creature that wears ruddy, drab robes that swaddle and cloak their bodies. The Kuru Kemi's face is always hidden; when one looks within the hood, they see nothing more than an endless tunnel of darkness that deepens into an eternal void. They will appear as furtive and lost shrews; pygmies with no place to call home. The first thing the Kuru Kemi will ask is to accompany the weary traveler. Should the creature be denied, it will then offer a flask of water as a form of payment. Such an offer is seldom refused in the harsh heat of the desert; water is just as valuable as gold in the empty wastes of Devkarth. Accepting the flask will lead to the pygmy disappearing shortly after taking it, while denying them will end the same. Should they open the flask and drink from it, they will find nothing but sand inside.
From there, they feel the creature's arms latch upon their neck, claiming that they must be carried, before fading away once more. Even though the traveler will feel as if the creature is no longer attached, the Kuru Kemi will begin to constantly whisper maddening thoughts or words into the ear of the traveler. Should they somehow make it to civilization, the Kuru Kemi will remain attached and continue to speak to them. A warm touch will be felt upon the back of their neck from time to time, followed by a voice that urges them to commit heinous acts.
Talking to loved ones will lead to their faces occasionally appear rotted or putrefied, as the Kuru Kemi begins to work its magic on forcing the victim to witness things that are not truly there. Food will begin to taste of sand, while any water will dry the throat. When the victim of the Kuru Kemi finally pleads to let go, the creature will agree to do so, on the condition that they bury them within their old grave nearby the desert.
From then, the traveler will wander back onto the desert and find the grave to be only ten feet nearby; only for it to stretch further. It will remain in the same place, never growing closer as the Kuru Kemi whispers and encourages the traveler to keep bringing it to the grave, until the traveler inevitably runs out of exhaustion.
The Kuru Kemi will then heckle the traveler one last time, allowing them to see their body wither and deteriorate away, before burying them within the grave they stepped to.
There are ways of combating the Kuru Kemi; and it is simple: It is said that the Kuru Kemi is made of bones so dry that splashing water upon them will cause their brittle bodies to wither to dust.
Historical Basis
No real historical basis can be found on the Kuru Kemi's spread; rumours of the creature's existence have been found traveling across the land long before the Devkarti people took over the island. It is one of those ancient tales that were spoken to travelers to remind people to always keep close to a fellow comrade, lest they find themselves alone to be tormented by the mischievous spirit of the Kuru Kemi.
Spread
For the most part, tales of the Kuru Kemi stay within Devkarth, though slave traders and pirates often know of the tale due to them frequenting the nation for trade. It is seldom spoken among pirates; not because Kuru Kemi isn't feared, but moreso because of its crippling weakness to water.
Cultural Reception
Tales of the Kuru Kemi are very frequently told at night; scary stories shared among fellow travelers by word of mouth. The creature's tales are also told to travelers on occasion, but is generally best left for an interesting story to speak of by the fire.
This left me thoroughly spooked! I think this article could benefit from one or two images to really make this article pop. You don't need to show the monster if you prefer the story doing most of that imagery, but maybe a picture of something nightmarish in the desert could work? There's a lot of text here so it would be easier to stomach it with some stimulating visuals. Maybe a spotify link for some music could also work there?
I'll have to keep that in mind! I'm relatively new to using worldanvil and formatting has never been my big specialty, but I really appreciate you reading it regardless of the lack of pretty pictures. Thank you!
No problem!