[PE-233-01]

The Mothmen

[Description]

Overview

PE-233-01, known in many cultures that have encountered it as the Mothmen, is a population of sentient entities that are found in and around populated areas throughout the multiverse. All known specimens of PE-233-01 appear as a roughly 7 foot tall humanoid with large wings instead of arms, with an approximately 14 foot span, and large talons resembling those of an owl instead of feet. It’s body is an extremely dark black in color, with no discernible features except large red “eyes” which never close and glow brightly. The rest of the entity’s body is composed of a material similar to densely packed hair with no internal organs. How it is capable of any basic functions or locomotion is currently unknown. On the surface of it’s body this hair-like substance twists together into a feather-like shape and hangs loosely off of the creature’s body.

Function

PE-233-01’s origin is currently unknown, however there appears to be a fixed number scattered throughout the multiverse, as reported sightings and incidents attributed to them have gradually decreased as more have been contained. It is not believed that they reproduce in any capacity, as their numbers do not appear to increase over time. They also appear to have no nutritional needs or environmental needs, capable of surviving in extremely high and low temperatures, complete vacuums and without any food or water for indefinite periods.

PE-233-01 instances are attracted to large reservoirs of potential energy, and will attempt to release that energy into the surrounding area. Examples of this behavior include igniting caches of explosives or fuel, causing bridges to collapse, starting forest fires, initiating nuclear meltdowns and bursting dams. The presence of potential energy causes these creatures extreme discomfort, and they will do everything in their power to be rid of that discomfort. Of particular distaste to them is stars, which being massive reservoirs of potential energy cause them extreme distress upon exposure to daylight, and thus they are typically active at night.

PE-233-01 instances are sentient and capable of speech, though they will typically refuse to speak unless placed under extreme duress, and so very few attempts at interviews with the creatures have yielded results. They generally avoid confrontation if possible, but when pursued may respond with extreme violence, usually by crushing with talons, which are capable of crushing steel, or by simply picking it’s pursuers up and flying high above the ground to drop them to their deaths. It is also worth noting that while in flight, PE-233-01 instances make almost no sound, being impossible to hear without extremely powerful surveillance equipment, and can hide the glow of their eyes making them very difficult to detect at night, though they do emit a very small amount of heat due to friction generated by their movements and thus can be seen with thermal vision.

The most unusual aspect of PE-233-01 is that if one is killed or if any part of it is severed from the main body, it vanishes completely leaving nothing behind except a faint black stain on anything it was touching when it died, which testing reveals to be a conglomeration of soot, ash, and the various substances found within [REDACTED]. Their numbers do not seem to decrease even when killed en masse, and thus it is believed that when one dies it either reappears or a new one take it’s place in a seemingly random place within the universe, though they most frequently reappear near populated areas. The mechanism by which this happens and whether these creatures have any control over where they appear are both unknown. Any tests into the nature of this disappearing and reappearing must be approved by an authorized Shroominati researcher, and must be conducted in a depopulated universe to minimize potential damage when it reappears.

[History and Discovery]

Recovery

Due to PE-233-01’s nature of being alive without seemingly any bodily functions and their ability to “uncoil” themselves into a loose mass, they are exceedingly difficult to restrain without killing, though using liquid adhesives seems to be effective. The first PE-233-01 instance captured by the Shroominati, designated PE-233-02, was the first success in a series of failed attempts at capturing a live specimen. PE-233-02 and all instances following it are housed in Site ██ in Sector ██-████, Universe ████, to be kept in specialized containment chambers which are continually flooded with a slow drying liquid adhesive to hinder any escape attempts. These chambers must be cleaned on a weekly basis to prevent the adhesive from building up and causing the flow to be disrupted.

History

PE-233-01 is responsible for a wide array of disasters, the number of which being impossible to estimate but assumed to be extremely large and having caused immeasurable damage throughout history. It is often difficult to determine whether a disaster is the result of a PE-233-01 instance or of ordinary circumstances. However it is worth noting that when a PE-233-01 instance is known to be in an area, the rate of disasters in that area is an average of 43% higher than similar areas.

[Containment and Testing]

While PE-233-01 instances are known to be capable of speech, they almost always avoid it unless they are forced to, with only one interrogation attempt ever succeeding, that being of PE-233-14 by Researcher A████, which was made to comply after being exposed to sunlight and questioned for seventeen hours. Selected fragments of the interrogation are listed below.

17:14:27

[By this point, Researcher A████ appears to be extremely exhausted and frustrated, and is making liberal use of profanity.]

Researcher A████: Where do you come from?

PE-233-14: The end from which it all began, and the beginning of the end.

Researcher A████: What the [EXPLETIVE] does that mean?

PE-233-14 remains silent for several seconds

Researcher A████: Don’t make me ask you again, what does that mean?

PE-233-14: You could not understand. That which is not can understand that which is, but that which is could never understand that which is not.

Researcher A████: Alright, then here’s a new question [EXPLETIVE]. What do you want?

PE-233-14: We do not want. We simply act.

Researcher A████: Alright then what do you act towards?

PE-233-14: Equilibrium.

Researcher A████: Of what?

PE-233-14: Everything and nothing. Unity between is and isn’t.

Researcher A████: Of course, I finally crack the [EXPLETIVE] and it’s a [EXPLETIVE] poet. [EXPLETIVE] this, I need a drink.

[Researcher A████ leaves the room for several minutes.]

17:23:19

[Researcher A████ returns]

Researcher A████: Alright, new question. Why do you hate pent up energy so much?

PE-233-14: It is our nature. Beavers stop the flow of water. Trees block the light of the sun from the ground. And we correct imbalances.

Researcher A████: I fail to see how breaking [EXPLETIVE] is correcting anything.

PE-233-14: We bring the world back to what it was always meant to be. We make it uniform and even. The universe itself wants to be this way, and we are eager to help it along.

Researcher A████: [EXPLETIVE] what?

PE-233-14: The universe does not tend towards chaos, it tends towards equilibrium, and a greater order in all of existence there is not.

Researcher A████: [EXPLETIVE] Christ, I’m done, end the interview, we’ll try it again later.

[END LOG]

All subsequent attempts at interrogation have failed.