The keireke is a ghost from Heronoi mythology.
Characteristics[]
The keireke consists of a round body with dozens of arms, legs, torsos, and heads, screaming and reaching out from its centre. Anyone who touches the keireke will be absorbed and eaten by the keireke, emerging as a new limb or head for the keireke's body.
The keireke supposedly live in a separate dimension, the Kerijeke Mutuki. Although it is a dangerous realm, various daring warriors enter the keireke realm to plunder lost treasures and cursed gold.
It is possible to kill a keireke before it eats you. Keireke can be killed by cutting them open, burning them, melting them with a toxic substance, exposing them to holy objects, or causing them to explode and get damaged as they fly out. However, in doing so, the keireke will split into dozens of souls that will possess and absorb themselves into unborn embryos. These possessed beings will eventually desire to be together, even if they are separated by distance or race, or even if they consist of more than two or three beings. To ensure that its souls will not infect other embryos, special procedures are done to trap the keireke's souls and store them into containers and artifacts. Should two soul-fragments manage to touch each other, they will become a chimeric humanoid: some chimerics would try to be individuals, while others are driven by the keireke's hunger to eat people.
Trivia[]
- The keireke were inspired by the hekatoncheires (a monster from Greek mythology), this webcomic by Markydaysaid (NSFW), and the coronavirus' structure.
- The keireke were influenced by the abominable creatures designed by the Vigefionians to guard facilities. These creatures were created from unfortunate clones and slaves who were punished to be fused, mutated, and mutilated into multi-limbed monsters who tear and eat trespassers.