Of Gorse and Granite: Kitty

They say the best stories are the ones with some truth behind them. The folk of the Moor know well to heed the stories, for their origins are all too real. For the unwary, uncaring and unbelieving, the moor poses a cold and evil threat.

Tread careful between the gorse bushes, gaze slow upon the granite, for what you will find here is more than just ghost stories.

What follows in this and other posts like it are keys for locations in a terrifying adventure across a barren and haunted moorland.

These are based on folk stories told by generations of people who have lived on or near the moor.
Each telling is different. Every person emphasizes them differently – their own personal horror.
These are mine.

Kitty

Her shouts are heard above the breeze as it whispers in the Gorse bushes. You’d be wise to steer clear from that nook over the brow of the hill, lest she attempt to take something from you. And certainly don’t tempt her back to town, where she might steal something of someone else’s.

“You can’t trust him”, “Bring her back to me” come the calls from the other side of the valley. By morning, all is still and the only sign of her coming are the fresh flowers on the grave.

Kitty haunts her own grave, situated at a crossroads near Middlecombe. She mourns her unborn child and curses the man who conceived and murdered them.

Many Moorfolk have heard her shouts, oft dismissing them as a misheard creaking of branches and rustling of leaves in the breeze.
Few have seen her and those who claim to might be lying. She hides from prying eyes, to weep in private.

On the darkest nights she walks the streets of Middlecombe, once her home, and looks longingly through the windows at the families in content slumber.
Flowers appear on Kitty’s grave each morning, always the same, always tied with colored ribbon.

Kitty

Stats as wraith.
She speaks in riddles, dodging questions. Her voice is shrill and her demeanor is erratic. Easily angered, confused or thrown into dismay.

Hooks

• A child is missing in Middlecombe. In the morning, their bedroom window was found wide open and a bundle of flowers matching those seen on Kitty’s grave was discarded on the floor. Kitty has taken them to her now abandoned cottage on the edge of the town.
• The party hear crying and shouting while out at night. The spirit will flee from them if they come close.
• The local clergyman asks the party to aid the spirit to a peaceful rest.