[NAME]: Kushim, "The Undertaker"
Last Known Location(s): Level 990
Known Affiliations: The Lost
Kushim — sometimes known as "The Undertaker" — is a mysterious albeit passive being known to frequent Level 990.
Description:
Kushim appears as a weather-beaten middle-aged man of Mediterranean descent. He stands at a height of 185 cm. (6’1”) and weighs in at 86 kg. (189.6 lbs), with a strong physique and developed musculature. He has long, dark hair with gray streaks reaching down to his waist, and thick eyebrows of the same color. Some wrinkles are faintly visible on his face, as well as a vertical scar running from the edge of his chin to the top of his forehead over the right eye. The left eye is dark brown.
Wardrobe:
Kushim's clothing is predominantly gray in color, being very old and shabby with some exceptions. Notable articles of clothing include:
- High boots with a curved toe resembling ancient eastern shoes, made of dark leather. He may will occasionally wear simpler footwear such as charokhi, geta, and bast shoes.
- Straight-cut calf-length jacket presumably made of cotton, with six hand-carved wooden buttons. The jacket is very loose with wide sleeves.
- Shirt presumably made of linen or an equivalent material. It has a central cutout decorated with nondescript patterns.
- Long, wide trousers with a pleat, similar to a tunic or bloomers. Presumably made of solid silk.
- Gray belt with rare patterns, made of unknown fabric. Usually tied over a jacket. Visibly the oldest part of his wardrobe, having a few patches.
- Straight-cut jacket without buttons, made from a light-silver colored fabric resembling silk. On the back is an aged crescent moon symbol embroidered in silver. Unlike the first jacket, it is not fitting in his usual style. Visually expensive and luxurious, this piece of clothing has by far been preserved the best compared to his other articles of clothing. Kushim simply throws it over his shoulders rather than wears it.
Behavior:
Kushim’s behavior in relation to others depends very much on his mood. His demeanor is usually rather aloof, remaining in a state of silent reverie and not being the one to make first contact. However, he will not refuse a short conversation if offered the opportunity. He can be somewhat impulsive, although he tries to be polite and compassionate. He has been described by some wanderers as "swift in anger and quick to laugh", with emotions typically surfacing only in small bursts before he immediately reverts to a stoic demeanor.
Kushim is not at all opposed to helping others by sharing his knowledge. In fact, there have been rare instances in which he has developed relations with wanderers that may be considered “friendly”. Additionally, some of his stories refer to an old friend of his, a wanderer with the initials “E.M.P.”, whose identity is yet to be determined. Kushim is fluent in many languages — including even non-human ones such as Daxerese, Runic, Opeh, and Omenscript. He never misses an opportunity to speak in the native language of those he interacts with, although he occasionally tends to mix up words between languages.
Kushim has settled in Level 990, in a small hut on a hill at the center of the graveyard. Members of the M.E.G. as well as wanderers passing through the level are welcome in his domain, though are not permitted to stay for an extended length of time. Kushim is usually found sitting on a wooden chair located under a large willow tree near the hut, seemingly admiring the view of Level 990 from the hill, though sometimes he simply sleeps this way instead.
Kushim spends the rest of his time crafting tombstones and digging graves for those who have died in the Backrooms; the massive graveyard of Level 990 is entirely his creation. He regularly walks among the tombstones to check their condition, as well as scatter flower petals over them. He is not opposed to wanderers visiting the graves — in fact, he respects and even encourages such behavior.
Although Kushim rarely leaves Level 990, some wanderers have reportedly encountered him in other levels. Some entities have been observed to scatter in horror at the sight of him, while others remain tranquil. When encountering travelers outside Level 990, he usually passes by without paying attention; yet there have been cases of active assistance on his part — whether by treating of wounds, constructing small outposts, providing tips on how to escape a level, or even occasionally saving wanderers from danger and transporting them to other levels himself. A consistent detail across all known encounters is that Kushim will initially pretend to be a normal human, providing a fabricated identity/backstory and only revealing his true self if necessary.
Biology:
From a biological standpoint, Kushim is formed like an ordinary human. However, his strength, speed, agility and senses are far greater than that of a human with his build.
Kushim does not seem to have any anomalous anatomical features, save for his right eye — through which a dim green light emanates when open. According to Kushim, this eye allows him to "see souls", which also alerts him to the presence of other people in Level 990. This "sight" is not literal so much as metaphorical, as he perceives one's core and essence through abstract forms and colors. This eye is otherwise incapable of normal human sight, having been presumably damaged, and as such he typically keeps it closed/covered unless he wishes to use his "soul sight".
Weapons and Items:
The rest of Kushim’s anomalous abilities manifest through the usage of his items. These objects do not manifest their anomalous properties when used by normal human beings, indicating that they are directly tied to Kushim. Among these items are:
- An old single-edged curved sword. Its general shape is reminiscent of the kriegsmesser, though with some uncharacteristic elements such as a clutch at the base of the clique, at the intersection with the guard. The clutch itself is shaped like a habaki, yet is much larger than a traditional one. The guard itself is similar to the classic cross-guard, but with an additional metal oval protecting the hand. The blade is patterned similarly to Damascus steel. The edge of the blade is covered with notches, but remains anomalously sharp. This blade allows Kushim to control an unknown form of matter, reminiscent of black ink. This matter is produced within the scabbard of the sword, and bears many anomalous properties; Kushim uses it to visualize his thoughts via writing/drawing, dampen anomalous properties of covered objects, and even "teleport" by passing through a sufficiently large clot of "ink". Kushim claims that his sword has the power to alter local reality, in the way an artist alters a blank canvas with their creation. However, in order to be able to perform such a feat, the blade must first be sheathed “as a quill must first be dipped in an inkwell” for an extended period of time, in order to collect enough of the anomalous matter. Upon unsheathing the blade, Kushim can typically make four strokes before depleting all of the "ink", upon which the blade must be sheathed again to collect more. The residual matter left behind by the blade’s strokes will quickly dissolve unless manually sustained by Kushim.
- A spear whose shaft is made of "living wood". In its normal state, the shaft is only several centimeters in length, in which case Kushim uses this weapon more like a dagger. The blade itself is presumably made of steel, yet its color is slightly darker than normal steel from The Frontrooms. The spear interacts with organic matter in a unique way, causing either rapid decay or rapid regeneration. This effect extends both to Kushim and to other organisms of all types. The shaft is mostly hidden under the metal surface of the blade's attachment, but it can lengthen by growing or shorten by rotting. Most of the time, the spear is kept in its shorter form for easier transportation.
- A clay bottle filled with honey. The honey itself is sweet and slightly cold, with strong healing properties. It can be both consumed and applied to wounds, speeds up the healing process with the downside of becoming much more painful. The bottle appears to naturally replenish its supply of honey over time. Kushim confirmed that he did not create this but rather found it, and that such bottles were in fact once common long ago, serving as an ancient counterpart to Almond Water.
- A small smooth stone, half of which is white while the other half is dark grey. Upon contact with a person, this stone noticeably slows down their perception of time, negatively effecting their body. After an 8 to 10-minute period of use, there are complaints of severe headache, exhaustion and fatigue. Kushim has been known to use use it to induce a trance-like state, akin to meditation. It is speculated that he does this to hone his own efficiency in detecting and monitoring nearby souls.
Kushim possesses a large arsenal of anomalous objects and weapons besides those that are listed. While some of them are common objects that can be found in the Backrooms, the properties of other objects remain unknown.
Discovery:
The exact date of Kushim’s discovery is unknown. Texts from The Lost indicate that he already existed at the time of its formation. While not currently affiliated with The Lost, Kushim claims to have once been part of them, stating that every human within the Backrooms was once considered a part of this group. He claims to have once been a human, but each account of his life before entering the Backrooms differs from the last. When questioned on his origins, he will often confuse time periods in his memories; dates tend to range from about 1000 to 2000 BCE.
Memories of the past are almost always uncomfortable for Kushim to remember. He can show a wide variety of negative emotions, and has even been shown to fall into a panic-like state when discussions or questions concern Level 0. As such, it is discouraged to question Kushim on his past, or discuss Level 0 in his presence. Kushim's phobia of Level 0 is a major reasons for him to live in Level 990, since he claims it to be “one of the farthest places [he] can get away from it”. Despite level 0 not posing any danger to him, he refused to enter it unless there is a necessity to do so.
Role:
As "The Undertaker", Kushim archives people's deaths throughout the Backrooms, though his intentions behind this are generally unknown. In the majority of situations, Kushim is unable to claim the body of a deceased, which results in him making only a tombstone — thus revealing that the most important part of his duty is actually memorializing the dead. All the decorations and rituals for each grave is individual, based on the culture and the background of every person, in an attempt to make one's memorial fitting their beliefs.
