Department of Nocturnal Ecology
Field Notes of Senior Mothkeeper, Ellion Virel
Day 03
Finally- After wading through muck and grime for three days straight, I have arrived!
The dockworkers gathered along the river delta of Driftwood Drag reported an unusual clustering of hawkmoths along the tree lines flanking the waters. Initial descriptions include insects bearing silver-shadowed wings, and some sort of ‘smoke-like shimmer’ at twilight. Initial hypothesis: Seasonal variation. Discoloration of wing pigmentation likely caused by autumn dryness.
To gauge the accuracy of these reportings, I’ve conducted a preliminary observation of the river at dusk, and have noted the following findings;
The moths are of noticeably greater wingspan than the common coastal variety- thought not by much.
Wings are of a muted grey-violet iridescence- Rather than the expected sand-gold or vivid purple.
Most peculiar is a lack of fear response; They do not scatter at the sight of lantern light, nor do they retreat from close approach.
These specimens seem to be most active during the liminal hours between full dusk and true night. At present, this seems easily explainable by a rare migratory deviation, but I shall continue to observe without interference.
Day 10
Huzzah! After meticulous study, I have successfully marked three separate formations of these moths in the evening. Each spiral seems to coil around an unseen centre, yet no queen or anchor could be identified. Even so, collisions are strangely absent in their flight patterns- They seem to move with intention and an uncanny amount of spatial awareness. How do they manage such a feat? Pheremones? Air vibrations? Something else entirely?
Further observation is needed.
As an aside, I have also caught wind of the soft but consistent complaints of those travelers camping near the treeline. During my studies, I can overhear them mumbling about these dreams- Not nightmares, they will insist when questioned- But strange. Vivid. Almost lucid. Once describes walking through corridors grown from the roots of the Tangled Woods. Another claims to hear the faint whispers of Wind Song despite sleeping indoors.
And then, there’s also the pollen samples I’ve collected from my bedroll- It shows a faint, iridescent sheen. Under magnification, the grains appear elongated. Barbed. Yet soft to the touch.
Was this a result of those hawkmoths? The coloration certainly bears a striking resemblance, yet I detect no toxins. No soporific compounds, or venom. I make sure my tent is tightly sealed at dusk to prevent unwanted contaminants that may affect my studies- So how could they have gotten in?
Day 19
I have decided to extend the hours of my observation.
It is not insomnia. I am fully capable of sleeping.
I simply find the hour of their gathering… Interesting.
Last night, I have also captured one of the specimens using a glass enclosure. It offered no resistance. It did not thrash or throw itself against the walls of its containment as most nocturnal creatures do. It has instead settled calmly against the inner curve of the glass and folded its wings. When I observed it this morning, the specimen did not move from its position even after hours of study. Yet, when I come back in the evening, the specimen had shifted positions. I feel a sense of forlorn for having missed its movements.
Upon retiring, I dreamt… Curiously.
The memories scatter and elude me once I wake, but I recall having dreamt regardless. That much is certain.
Day 23
I have offered the specimen three separate samples of nectar. Not once have I watched it feed. The capsule containing the nectar doesn’t drain. Yet, it remains alive.
How?
Day 27
The others are not seeing them as I do. Assistant Mareth- She insists that the spirals are incidental. The result of the shifting sea winds. But the winds had not changed tonight, and the patterns are still formed.
The moths seem to cluster nearer when I stand alone. I’ve tested this- When I am accompanied, their patterns widen. When solitary, their spiral tightens.
Curious.
I have also taken to wearing gloves at all times- The pollen. It accumulates even when no specimens are handled. I brush my sleeves clean before entering the study tent. An hour later- There it is again! A faint dusting of grey-violet.
The specimen in the glass still has not eaten. I have long since forgone attempting to feed it. It seems it truly does not hunger. That is impossible. It is the nature of life to feed upon itself. There can be no other form of existence without the sacrifice of another.
So- Just what on Sornieth sustains it?
Day 35
Mareth has suggested I take leave. She says I appear ‘withdrawn’. She insists that I am ‘unwell’. She tells me that I mutter during recordkeeping, that I am seeing patterns where none exist, that the spirals are mere formations driven by a combination of natural instinct and shifting winds.
I tell her to shut her mouth and mind her own damn business.
Those formations- I know what they are. They are maps! I’ve already sketched them out multiple times whenever the moths gather above the treeline at twilight. There’s- There’s something in the trees- In the woods? Within the Driftwood. They are trying to show me-
Is it a threat? A warning?
Or… Divination?
Day 42
They are avoiding the others. Of that, I am now certain.
Mareth had conducted her own watch and reported minimal activity. Meanwhile, I return after nightfall, and they gather around, thick as a layer of billowing smoke.
They are orbiting me.
The pollen- It is everywhere now. It clings to the inside of my glove. The grooves of my sleeve. The seams of my journal. It is… I have no more desire nor motivation to remove them.
My dreams- I have dreamt again. This time, I am not wandering through empty corridors. I find myself standing below the roots of trees. Below slate and soil. A cavern or a ravine. There is-
Below me, I hear the flocking of birds. The sound of feathers seared with blood and fire. Iron and bone collide. Above me, I see the form of a figure. Made of earth and stone. With a deafening rumble, it raises one mighty limb, and then-
The apparition, just like the dream, is gone as soon as I wake. Only the suffocating oppression and crushing dread remains.
Day 53
The enclosure- It is empty. The specimen is gone.
But the glass is intact. I did not open it.
There is pollen along the inside curve- Thick. Pressing outwards.
They’re inside the walls now. I can still hear their wings when the winds still.
They are not pests. They are heralds.
The spirals- They mark the origins! And then, within the roots beneath the treeline-
Something happened there. Something terrible- A massacre- A tragedy! Witnesses silenced and records wiped clean-
The towering one! Now that I know, he’ll come for me next- I have seen- By the sixth! I have seen too much. Should I perish- Should I not return- Know that-
[All further writings are unintelligible.]
Department of Nocturnal Ecology
Addendum filed by Field Archivist, Selwin Marrow
As of my writing this, Senior Mothkeeper Ellion Virel has already been missing for three weeks.
Search parties followed his path from Driftwood Drag down the river delta to no avail. His lantern was recovered at the forest’s edge- Extinguished- But there were no signs of struggle, and no other traces remain.
Following his disappearance, the unusual hawkmoth activity in the area has also increased. Several junior researches have reported vivid dreams following brief exposure, though none describe having nightmares. Despite this, the Department has elected to section off the aforementioned quadrant of the Driftwood and suspend all ecological study in that region until further notice.
I have also personally reviewed Ellion’s Field Notes during the period when he was conducting his studies, and despite his repeated reference to some sort of iridescent ‘pollen’, no traces of such material was ever found even after a thorough search and examination of his study contraptions and other personal belongings. It remains uncertain just what the Senior Mothkeeper could be referring to in his final pages.
With this, the case shall be closed for now. Should any further incidents arise, the barrier perimeter will be expanded accordingly. Until then, the Department advises against lingering alone near the treeline at twilight.
