Moth

Traveler between realms, collecting spirits and their tales.

[writing-prompt-s]

Most ghosts have cool unfinished business: “Avenge my murder!” “Redeem my sins!” “Reveal my terrible secret!” Yours is…less impressive. But it still binds you to this world, and so you must find a medium who will help you. And not laugh when you tell them what with.

[mothsghosts]

I’m not a ghost. But I can communicate with the dead. I’m going to use this as a form of advertising. If you are a spirit that needs help finishing some unfinished business, I will hear you out and help you to the best of my ability. I will not laugh at whatever you need to need to finish so long as you don’t laugh at me for still looking like I’m like...fourteen when I over two hundred.

[writing-prompt-s]

As an immortal, you’re getting real tired of people assuming you know everything about the past. The internet didn’t exist back then, so how were you supposed to know what happened on the other side of the globe?

[mothsghosts]

I’m not even native to this plane of reality. I just live here because it’s the most comfortable. Don’t ask me about what happened in ancient Egypt because I have no damn clue. And don’t ask me to speak to the long dead mummy. I may be a necromancer, but I don’t like pulling the spirit of someone long dead into a decrepit body. Especially if they died of natural causes or lived a miserable life due to the ill effects of all the inbreeding done by the royals of that time and place.

[writing-prompt-s]

You are a necromancer for hire. No you don’t raise undead armies to take over the world. You are usually contracted out by police to help solve murders. Or you raise those who have passed to settle lawsuits surrounding their will. It’s not much but it’s honest work.

[mothsghosts]

Huh....I never thought about either of these lines of work. But then, my looking like a physical child can be something of a handicap in actually finding real work in some realities. And then there’s the whole ‘black eyed kid syndrome’ thing that tends to happen around normal humans. Still....can’t hurt to possibly look into it, at least.

[mothsghosts]

Just found a new creature and adopted it as a familiar. I'll have to do some research on the little guy, but it appears to be some form of reptile with some kind of crystals growing out of its back. Definitely worth learning about. Rhaegar also appears to have taken an interest. I'll need to keep an eye on these two. Make sure he doesn't try eating the little guy.

[writing-prompt-s]

A serial killer who wishes to terrorise a town. However none of their victims stay dead for long and don’t seem to remember them being killed. In this town lives a serial necromancer who unbeknownst to the serial killer is ressurecting every victim.

[mothsghosts]

One of my favorite hobbies is torment serial killers. I don’t like making the victims remember traumatic deaths, but I greatly enjoy traumatizing their murderer. Have you ever seen a killer become more and more unhinged with each new interaction with something they were just so sure of killing? It’s even better when they go to great lengths to bury, dismember or even cremate the body. They just stand there, dumbfounded as they see their victim whole, intact, without even a scratch and just going about their day as if nothing had happened. It’s the most delicious form of chaos I can conjure up.

[writing-prompt-s]

Finally dead, you wait quietly at the train station of the afterlife. As you watch everyone leave off to face their judgement, you eventually sit alone… waiting. You watch as a scythe-wielding hooded figure starts approaching, and he… sighs? “Aw man… why’d it have to be you?”

[mothsghosts]

This will probably be me. Death already knows I’m something of a brat and knows I’m a ball of chaotic energy while alive. Imagine what I can do while dead. Wait....are necromancers even capable of dying?

[mothsghosts]

My artist decided to surprise me with this lovely piece. I love the addition of the little spirit there. Reminds me of one of the more mischievous ones I’ve run into in some places.

[writing-prompt-s]

There’s a serial killer in your town. Unfortunately for them you are a necromancer and you have fun driving that maniac insane.

[mothsghosts]

As a being of chaotic neutrality, I would take great pleasure in resurrecting each of his victims. And if he kills them again, I’d bring them right back to life. Over and over again until he’s driven right to the point of madness and, possibly, takes his own life out of desperation. At which point, I’ll bring him back to life and do it all over again.

[mothsghosts]

My artist is spoiling me. I look so ominous in this drawing. Can’t wait to see the next one.

[mothsghosts]

Someone was kind enough to draw a picture of me. It’s not often someone isn’t uneasy around me but this is someone I’ve had a fairly good friendship with. She jokingly calls me her little black eyed kid, which you can see why. And while this isn’t my favorite style of dress, it is much less...eye catching by the general public when I do venture out of the home. Hopefully she’ll do one of me in something I would be happier wearing.

[writing-prompt-s]

You find a girl crying next to a grave. “What’s wrong?” You ask. She cries harder. “Nobody came to my funeral.”

[mothsghosts]

This is one of the most heartbreaking encounters I have ever had. This poor girl couldn’t have been more than twelve, with soft, gentle curls and the biggest brown eyes you had ever seen. Her skin was the color of ebony and her voice was like a tiny bell twinkling. The dress she wore was old and covered in a variety of mismatched patches and her shoes were scuffed and well worn. I wanted nothing more than to help this lost child find her way to the next life. But first, she needed closure. A chance to say goodbye to those that she loved and that had loved her.

I offered her the friendliest smile I could muster, knowing full well that she had to see how saddened I was at her plight, and held out my hand to her. Her touch was light but left a not so unpleasant tingle against my skin. She hadn’t passed very long ago. Her touch would’ve been like ice if she’d been dead for more than a year. This gave me hope of finding her family and friends. I only needed to know where to look.

“What’s your name? Mine’s Moth.”

“Gabby Williams.”

“Well, Gabby, let’s go and find your family. Can you show me where you lived?” I asked her as I guided her to the gate of the cemetery, which was only a few feet from the grave.

It had taken a few moments for her to remember the way to her home. She had never been to the graveyard before, so didn’t recognize the way. It wasn’t until we came up to the church that I saw her expression change from that of a sad, lost child to one full of hope and happiness. Her grip on my hand tightened as she picked up speed and began to run to a rickety house covered in ivy with a tire hanging from an old oak by a weathered rope.

I had been unable to hold back my own smile as I watched her break away from me to run and swing on that tire, shrieking gleefully in laughter. I watched her from the gate, not wishing to interrupt her moment of fun while I thought of a way to approach her parents.

My thoughts were interrupted by an excited cry of “Mommy!” It made me turn my gaze over to the back door to see a wide eyed woman with dark skin and the same gentle curls and eyes, staring wide-eyed at the moving tire swing. No doubt, she was wondering how it could possibly be moving when there was not so much as a gentle breeze that warm summer day.

“Excuse me, Ma’am.” I called over, getting her attention. She was a younger woman, but with a lock of silver at her temple. The whites of her puffy eyes were also red, no doubt from crying. I saw her surprise change to an expression of unease, something I’ve become quite accustomed to when normal humans met me.

“Can I help you?”

“Actually, I was hoping I might be able to help you.” As I spoke to the woman, Gabby leaped from the swing and rushed over to hug her mother. I had to watch as the poor child went right through the woman and fell to her knees on the grassy earth.

“I’m not so sure you can,” The woman replied, looking away to watch the swing as it slowed to a stop.

“I’d like to try, if you’ll let me.” I watched as the woman sighed and turned back to me.

“I don’t have any money. If that’s-”

I cut the grieving mother off by raising my hand and then turned to Gabby, helping her to her feet. “I think I understand now, the lack of inscription on the headstone and why no one came to tell her goodbye.” As I spoke, I cast a spell that would allow mother and child to interact.

“Gabby?” The woman gasped, covering her mouth as her eyes welled with fresh tears, my magic allowing the girl to be visible to the living.

“Mommy!” Gabby ran to her mother, the two embracing one another in a tight, tearful hug.

“I’m so sorry, baby. I’m so sorry.”

Gabby shook her head, burying her face against her mother’s chest. “I didn’t mean to leave. I tried to stay.”

Mrs. Williams looked up at me, her expression clearly wondering how this was possible.

I simply smiled at the woman. “I saw Gabby while passing the cemetery and she explained her situation. I just want to help give the two of you the chance you both need to say goodbye.” I didn’t need the details behind Gabby’s death. I only needed to reunite parent and child.

The woman mouthed her thanks and tightly held her daughter while I excused myself and kept my distance and gave them their privacy.

It was a few hours later when Gabby’s mother approached me, alone. The girl had clearly gotten her closure and was able to move on to whatever afterlife awaited her.

“Thank you. You have no idea how much this meant to me. How much it would’ve meant to her father.”

All I could do was smile and say “I’m glad I was able to help. If you’ll let me, I’d also like to pay for a proper headstone for Gabby.”

[dnd-prompt-s]

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[mothsghosts]

The bones were of a baby dragon. Even babies deserve a chance at life, though, so I resurrected him and gave him the name of Rhaegar. Since then, he’s been my loyal and adorable companion. A lot of the time, he acts like a playful kitten, so I wonder if dragons are actually more in line with a cat as far as behavior goes. Maybe I’ll go out and research dragons in the wild to find out. For now, though, I need to keep a close eye on this little guy because he’s started spitting little bits of flame. While I wouldn’t be too concerned about this, the vessels that hold the shades I’ve collected are made of flammable materials and the last thing I need is violent and angry shades released on top of my home burning down. As for making people pay?

This is him in front of my computer. That’s how small he is. By the time he’s old enough to go around and actually make anyone scared, those people will have been long dead. Plus, I live quite comfortable in this plane of existence and no one has really tried chasing me away, even when my presence makes them uneasy. So no reason for revenge or anything like that.

[writing-prompt-s]

You’re the kindly old necromancer of the village. Everybody loves you for how you help out with your magic—reanimating people’s pets, partially animating the bones of the disabled so they may walk, and assisting people with their day-to-day tasks using your skeletons.

[mothsghosts]

It occurs to me that I could actually do something like this. I have brought back the odd pet or two that’s been hit by vehicles outside my house and no one’s noticed. But I’m not sure how people would think to learning I’m over two centuries and still look like I belong in middle school. But then people most people are already uneasy around me because of my eyes. I kind of call it ‘Black Eyed Kid Syndrome’. Maybe someday. Would certainly be nice to not feel like I have to keep hidden away inside all the time. And it would also be nice to be able to openly practice my skills without having to travel to another plane of existence to do so.

[mothsghosts]

There’s a local shade that’s been causing some trouble. Normally, I’ll leave them alone as they, typically, aren’t very violent or hostile. This one, on the other hand, is on the more volatile side. So, to try and minimize the damage, I’m making it a fabric body to inhabit. This way, it has a solid form to interact with others, but it’s a harmless form so will be unable to cause anyone any harm. Once properly sealed, I’ll probably keep it at home where I can better monitor and rehabilitate it.

[dnd-prompt-s]

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[mothsghosts]

You know, this has happened to me. While I don’t play harp, I do play the pan flute and I sing sea shanties. The group was quite surprised when we were facing a rather malicious shade and I used my magic to trap it inside a bottle. Come to think of it, I still have that shade running around here in a rag doll.

[mothsghosts]

Introduction

Hello. My name is Moth. That’s it. Just Moth. We don’t have ‘family names’ or ‘surnames’ where I come from. Where am I from? Well, it’s hard to explain. See, I’m a traveler. I go where I want, often flitting from one realm of reality to another. How? Well, here’s an example:

Still getting used to the tech but I love these moving pictures. Anyway, yes, I travel through full length mirrors. Well, that and any reflective surface that’s easy to step through. This includes windows and some metallic surfaces (though mirrors are easiest).

Now, you may be wondering why I travel. That’s an easy one to answer. You see, I’m a necromancer, as well. I enjoy finding spirits and learning their stories and secrets. Also, I will provide some spirits a type of vessel. Usually in the form of a fabric doll. Something that can house something more malevolent but be rendered quite harmless in physical form. Oh! I also have a pet! He’s a dragon that I named after my favorite literary character of this world. Here he is! Isn’t he cute?! His name is Rhaegar!

Well, I think that’s enough of your time, for now. Feel free to ask me questions. I love to have a good conversation.