Nubeb the Gesturer

by Anders Sandberg

Fetishes can be as dangerous for the owner as for his enemies. The statue of Nubeb the Gesturer is infamous for its abilities and pure maliciousness.

Physically the fetish is around 10 centimetres high, a crude wood and bone idol held together by thin straps of leather. Its style is primitive but not traceable to any known culture; the huge hands seems to imply an origin somewhere among the little known tribes in the western Amazon basin, but the eyes made by pink pearls suggests an coastal area. And Nubeb wonąt tell anybody anything about its origins.

Most sensitive people who see the fetish notices it directly; the opalescent and indistinct reflections in its eyes seem to follow you around the room, and the huge hands seems to quiver slightly as if in anticipation of action. It has a nimbus of malevolence and impishness, making most mages leery of touching it.

The spirit imprisoned within the fetish can only leave when ordered to kill a person. If someone orders it against somebody, and makes a complex series of gestures (which are recorded on an yellowed piece of paper bound to its left leg), Nubeb responds by repeating them, doing a small dance and the keeling over as an inert piece of wood. The spirit quickly sets out to destroy its victim, moving quickly through the Umbra. When it finds its goal, it waits for the right moment to use its telekinetic abilities to cause death; this can range from a thrown kitchen knife to strangulation during sleep. It prefers coincidental effects, but if the victim is alone Nubeb sometimes play with it for a while by gradually building up a tense mood before moving in for the kill.

After the deed is done, Nubeb is entitled payment: another killing, this time of its own choosing. Apparently the evil being takes perverse pride in finding someone near and dear to the master and cause his or her death. It never attacks the master directly, but if possible it ruins his or her life by killing supporters or lovers. After the second deed is done, the spirit has to return to the fetish. It stands up, dances and then reports what it has done using vivid gestures.


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Anders Sandberg / nv91-asa@nada.kth.se