The Basilisk
Intent: To create a spiritually significant non-sentient species native to Vaal that adds depth to the planet's culture and environment.
Image Credit: Created on Midjourney
Canon: Vaal
Permissions: N/A
Links: Vaal,
GENERAL INFORMATION
Name: Glowmote
Designation: Non-sentient
Origins: Vaal
Average Lifespan: 1 standard year
Estimated Population: Planetary (native to Vaal only, extremely rare off-world)
Description: Glowmotes are small, bioluminescent insects native to the grasslands and valleys of Vaal. Their slender, glass-winged bodies emit a soft amber or pale white glow during dusk and night. They are widely considered sacred by the local population, believed to guide the souls of the dead through the veil between life and death. Their appearance at twilight is associated with memory, mourning, and rebirth.
PHYSICAL INFORMATION
Breathes: Type I (Standard atmosphere)
Average Height of Adults: 0.02 meters
Average Length of Adults: 0.05 meters
Skin color: Translucent gold, pale grey, or soft white
Hair color: N/A
Distinctions: Glowmotes have translucent wings with refractive surfaces that appear metallic in daylight and soft-glowing at night. Their abdomens glow in pulses, especially at dusk or during emotional disturbances in the Force. They possess no mandibles or stingers and are completely non-aggressive. Males and females are visually identical to most observers.
Races: N/A
Force Sensitivity: Non-Sensitive
STRENGTHS
– Bioluminescence: Glowmotes emit rhythmic pulses of amber and white light, often in complex patterns that vary by swarm. These can sometimes interfere with low-grade optics or droid sensors.
– Cultural Importance: Glowmotes hold deep spiritual significance on Vaal. Their presence offers hope, mourning, and a symbol of continuity among local populations.
WEAKNESSES
– Delicate Physiology: Their bodies are extremely fragile, with gossamer wings that tear easily. They are vulnerable to even mild changes in temperature or chemical pollution.
– Ecological Dependency: Glowmotes require Vaal's native storms and specific valley biomes to reproduce. They do not survive long when removed from their natural habitat.
CULTURE
Diet: Micro-pollinators. Feed on the nectar of rare Vaalan dusk-blooming grasses and fungal spores.
Communication: Silent. Communicate through synchronized light pulses during mating and migratory swarms.
Technology level: N/A
Religion/Beliefs: Vaalan culture reveres Glowmotes as spiritual guides- psychopomps who carry souls between life and death. Their presence during dusk is interpreted as the arrival of ancestral spirits.
General behavior: Glowmotes emerge only at dusk and remain active through early nightfall. They exhibit calm, coordinated swarm behavior, flying low to the ground in slow, spiral formations. During the spring season, massive swarms gather during lightning storms, a phenomenon known as the Storm-Wake[/i, to mate mid-flight. After mating, females lay eggs in scorched earth near lightning strike points. These bioluminescent nests glow faintly for several nights before fading. Glowmotes die shortly after mating, completing a cycle of light, loss, and renewal that resonates strongly with Vaalan funerary traditions.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Glowmotes have existed on Vaal for millennia, their presence recorded in ancient cave art, clan poetry, and tribal myths predating Republic contact. While often overlooked by offworld biologists, Vaalan oral tradition credits Glowmotes with spiritual duties, carrying the souls of the dead across the Twilight Veil, and marking sacred ground for the return of ancestral spirits. During the Imperial era, Glowmote nests were destroyed by military operations, contributing to local unrest and mythic interpretations of "the light failing."
Jedi records from traveling scholars note Glowmotes appearing near battlefield aftermaths, trauma sites, and even Force echoes, leading some to believe the creatures may be drawn to emotional resonance. Whether this is a Force reaction or natural response remains debated.
In the modern era, the Glowmotes are seen less frequently, but when they do return, they are considered a sign of spiritual balance on Vaal. Some say they glow brighter around certain Jedi. Others believe they gather only when a soul still has something left undone.