Keruma
Keruma lies on the east bank of the Stygian River where it curves through the southern Harh-Ahu-Ra Hills. It is the most southerly town in Khemit proper. (Nampata, which is farther south, is officially in the Nubiar Oversight.) At one time, Keruma was the capital of the Kingdom of Nubara, but since that country was largely incorporated into Khemit almost 4,000 years ago, the city has been slowly but inevitably dwindling in importance. The old city was surrounded by a substantial wall that encompassed a palace and several nearby mansions, as well as houses and workshops for the common people. Today, only the northern part of the old city is still occupied. Most of the original buildings were made from mudbrick and, in the unoccupied sections, have deteriorated significantly over the ensuing millennia. The old palace and mansions were constructed of mudbrick on stone foundations, so large parts of them remain standing.
Outside Keruma are two unusual structures the locals call deffufas, large buildings once apparently used for religious purposes. One is southwest of the city, not far from the river, up against a cluster of hills. Built of mudbrick, though much better preserved than the smaller buildings in the old city, it looks as if it could be used as a fortress. Overall, it is about 160 feet by 80 feet, though it does not define a regular rectangle. In places, the structure seems to be only one story tall (about 20 feet), while elsewhere the roof is as high as 60 feet. Parts seem to have been built right into the hillside. The roof is flat and could have been used for either ceremonies or defense. No one in Keruma will admit to having been inside the structure; while an outsider might be eager to explore, the locals have an aversion to the place and try to hinder anyone who publicly discusses going there.
The second deffufa, smaller than the first and built east of the old city, appears to be in part one story tall and in part two stories, about 40 feet at the highest. It sits at the north end of an extensive necropolis that contains tens of thousands of burials. Some of these are truly ancient, being (as the locals claim) much older than the Kingdom of Khemit itself. The pattern shows large graves — apparently those of important people — surrounded by groups of smaller ones. The oldest ones are covered with mounds of black and white pebbles, while later tombs are surmounted by pyramids in the Khemitian style. At the southern end of the necropolis are four very large, elaborate mounds which the people of Keruma say are the tombs of the last four kings of the free Kingdom of Nubara.
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