Psychopomp [sahy-koh-pomp]

noun

1 a person who conducts spirits or souls to the other world

If one were to look at history, one might make the assumption that psychopomps are
mythological gods of death. Only deities, like Anubis, the valkyries, and
the grim reaper, could possess such a title. But that would be partially false.

In truth, anyone can be a psychopomp. A child with a runny nose. A murder of crows.
A box of porcelain dolls inherited from a deceased grandmother. The connection
(or lack thereof) to this mortal plane one may have is irrelevant. There is one
simple determining factor to whether or not a being qualifies as a
psychopomp: the ability to escort the deceased to the land of the dead.

It is this misconception that grants a psychopomp more power than anyone may realize.
It is much easier to work under the assumption that you could never be anything
but ordinary. It is most beneficial for psychopomps to maintain a mundane appearance
and demeanor. However, psychopomps that find themselves in a human frame often end up
displaying abnormalities. This is likely due to certain characteristics unique to the psyche
of a man. However, this typically never outs the psychopomp, as they more likely than not
are unaware of their own abilities. It is unusual for awakenings to occur with
humans, leaving the power to remain dormant within the soul.

Similar to that of a midwife, psychopomps carry and deliver a soul from one realm to
the next. When learning to fulfill one’s sacred role as guide of souls, one must understand
that not all souls are passive and peaceful. If the circumstances of life and death
are unfortunate enough, they can disfigure a soul to horrifying extents. It is here that
vampires, ghosts, and ghouls crawl into existence. For souls such as these, special procedures
such as [REDACTED] must be performed.

Ultimately, the job of a psychopomp is to carefully navigate the realms of death
and life in order to provide passage to the dead.