Lightseeker
The term 'Lightseeker' is used to describe a mothfolk who, for whatever reason, becomes separated from their home colony in a way that prevents them from easily joining another colony in the near-term. Intensely social creatures, mothfolk relate the fervent desire for companionship and belonging exhibited by these poor souls to the behaviour of the more well-known insects to which they are often compared; Lightseekers, like moths, are drawn to the light of civilization even if doing so brings them within reach of mortal danger.
Historically, mothfolk are thrust into the Lightseeker lifestyle through a myriad variety of misadventures. For example, to help spread their kind across the equatorial plains, it has long been tradition among mothfolk that youngsters from each colony are sent forth to seek out powerful leaders, adventuring heroes, notable scholars, and other great personages to serve as assistants and, thereby, bring new knowledge to their colonies. This coming-of-age tradition, known as the 'pilgrimage' or 'apprenticeship' depending on the individual's culture, may result in the youngster returning to find that their colony has been destroyed or scattered in their absence, leaving them itinerant orphans. Another common origin story for Lightseekers involves becoming the sole surviving member of a colony as a result of a raid, warfare, or plague; many lacertans, for example, are known to have no qualms about eating mothfolk when game becomes scarce, and will attack colonies in the hopes of carrying off the weak for later consumption. Still other mothfolk Lightseekers take to the lifestyle as a result of becoming lost or stranded far from home, perhaps as a result of a teleportation accident or becoming separated from ones trade caravan or expedition.
However they came to be, Lightseekers are itinerant adventurers and mercenaries, still seeking out the best and brightest of the world in the hopes of emulating them and, eventually, finding others of their own kind with whom to settle down. The most well-known mothfolk heroes of the New Generica Period are Lightseekers dispossessed in the aftermath of the Dire Silence and the famines of the Frozen Decade, though these become rarer as the cataclysms that doomed the civilizations of old receed ever-deeper into the annals of history.
Culture
Common Dress code
The longer a Lightseeker wanders, the more his or her fashion diverges from the traditional regal garb of their native cultures and becomes substituted for items with strictly pragmatic value. Lightseekers are also more apt to adopt elements of the cultures they encounter or, if sworn to the service of another sentient being, the culture of their master.
Funerary and Memorial customs
Lightseekers dread the though of dying in obscurity, unknown and unclaimed by others of their own kind. For this reason, they are among the most likely of sentient beings to have a will and instructions for how they would like to be memorialized on their person even when they don't expect to die soon. Many Lightseekers keep personal journals or memoirs in the hopes that, should they die before rejoining the community of mothfolk, their story will at least not be forgotten. All but the most heartless of Lightseekers are personally concerned with the proper memorialization of the dead, especially other Lightseekers, and will make efforts to accord the fallen the proper level of respect.
Common Taboos
A Lightseeker is a different sort of entity from a fugitive or exile and, therefore, will endeavor not to become lumped into these shameful castes. An exile is sent out of a colony intentionally; a Lightseeker is hurled into the wider world as a result of tragedy. This is not to say that a Lightseeker is always a strictly law-abiding individual, but it does mean that any dirty dealings they undertake will be the subject of enhanced efforts with regards to subterfuge and obfuscation. Indeed, accusing a Lightseeker of being a criminal is considered 'fighting words,' regardless of whether or not the accusation is true.
Ideals
Gender Ideals
Mothfolk mate for life, and this behavior has a physiological as well as a psychological dimension to it. Until they find a compatible mate, mothfolk lack secondary sexual characteristics even when fully mature; after one finds a mate, gendered traits develop, but the loss of that mate causes escalating emotional distress, nausea, neurological depression, and, in around three-quarters of cases, a literal death by broken heart. For this reason, it is exceedingly rare for a Lightseeker to be found who exhibits gendered traits in the manner in which human observers would normally be acquainted. The dispossessed mothfolk queen Daphne Ashtoreth is one of the only known exceptions to this trend, becoming an infamously flirtatious adventurer as a result of the loss of her new husband to a marauding group of bandits connected to Vitrio Graasp.
Courtship Ideals
Even moreso than other mothfolk, Lightseekers are radically accepting of mothfolk of the opposite sex despite apparent differences in opinion; to the mothfolk, biochemical compatibility can overcome all but the largest of interpersonal gulfs with enough time and effort. Lightseeker heroes hope to put an end to their wanderings by seeking, finding, and proving their worth to another mothfolk colony which has eligible candidates for betrothal. For their part, colonies will often seek out Lightseekers in the wild to bring back to the colony, thus ending their wanderings prematurely, though colonial agents will sometimes 'lay low' for awhile and observe from a distance in the hopes that the local Lightseeker will achieve greater prowess and prestige before being inducted into the family. As with all mothfolk, these bonds of family create territorial holdings defined more by inter-colonial alliences cemented by marriage than by any centralized authority; having a notable Lightseeker adventurer as a son- or daughter-in-law strengthens the political and military cachet of the entire bloc.
Relationship Ideals
Lightseekers take to a lifestyle not unlike that of the pilgrimage tradition, but pursue it with the focus and circumspection of a fully-fledged adult. Therefore, Lightseekers seek out groups or great individuals - ideally ones who align with their ideals - and pursue their interests with gusto. A Lightseeker will shadow a prospective master or teacher for some time, observing to see if the other party will be a good fit before approaching with an offer of service. Many an adventurer has come to rely on the aid of the trusty mothfolk who randomly wandered into their camp one night and swore allegiance to their cause.
Lightseekers are unusual in that they don't have a culture that includes other members of their own kind. If two or more Lightseekers meet, they almost immediately start working on plans to put their itinerant lifestyle behind them as a group and, thereby, eventually cease to be Lightseekers in the strictest definition of the term. Their service of others may continue for a time, but, once their job is done, they effectively 'retire' from the lifestyle. If the ideals of two Lightseekers who meet in this manner are diametrically opposed, then they will likely go their separate ways - but only after a critical mass of other mothfolk have been gathered so that two separate colonies can be formed. Wars between colonies built around former Lightseeker rivals are extra vicious because of the battlefield experience Lightseekers tend to accrue during their wanderings.
by Hero Forge
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