Glimmoths

Name: Glimmoth

Classification: Animals, Flying

Overview:

Appearence:

A Glimmoth is a small creature, usually ranging between two to three nailsbreadths in size, whose floating skeletal frame is silhouetted on all sides by an auburn radiance resonating from its core. The more intricate details of a Glimmoth's body structure seem to vary from individual to individual, although there are a handful of key features which appear to be consistent across the entire population. The first of which being that all individuals are seemingly comprised of an array of very small, very pale bones which are interwoven and seamlessly bound together. The second feature observed by all Glimmoths is the conoidal shape of their bodies. A cursory glimpse of the creature's frame might give one the impression of an impractical, but meticulously designed reed vase or funnel. The third quality observed in all known Glimmoths is the dim russet glow which radiates from within the unnerving mesh of bone that comprise's their body. The meager beams of light which do manage to escape the confines of their eerie prison impose strange, shifting distortions onto the air, imbuing it with a tingling heat.

Diet:

Glimmoths exhibit a strong attraction to the Daoles mushroom, consequently causing the creatures to congregate around large concentrations of such mushrooms in swarms numbering in the thousands. Despite the staggering size these concourses they do not devolve into directionless frenzy, on the contrary, Glimmoth swarms demonstrate an eerily disciplined kind of organization.
Once a swarm has come across a sizable population of Daoles mushrooms groups of nine Glimmoths will begin to split off from the swarm. The members of each group will then anchor themselves to the stem or cap of a single Daoles mushroom by impaling the mushroom's rubbery flesh with the apex of their cone-shaped bodies. After remaining anchored for about three minutes the party will detach themselves from the Daoles and return to the swarm hovering above, prompting a new party to begin 'feeding'. Contrary to most known relationships between predator and prey, there would appear to be no indication that the Daoles are suffering any ill effect as a result of the Glimmoth's 'feeding' rituals. Leading some to question whether the term 'feeding', as coined by Francis Roesler, is an astute description of this behavior.

Behavior:

Upon spawning a Glimmoth will float aimlessly through the dense mists of Osthemangar until it encounters another Glimmoth. This behavior will be repeated until a swarm of about thirty individuals has been amassed, at which point the newly formed swarm will seek out regions with an abundance of Daoles mushroom, collecting new members along the course of its journey. Upon encountering a region populated by Daoles mushrooms, the bulk of the Glimmoth swarm will proceed to hover several peds above their target whilst small 'feeding' parties, each comprised of exactly nine individuals, begin puncturing mature Daoles mushrooms with their apex protrusions. Shortly after, these 'feeding' parties detach themselves from their assigned mushrooms and return to the swarm, promptly dissolving into the greater collective. Immediately after the first set of 'feeding' parties have been disbanded new parties are constructed and deployed, beginning the process over again. This 'feeding' behavior is repeated until the swarm is prepared to reproduce. Quite peculiarly however, rather than being dependent upon the age of the members involved or their environment, the Glimmoth's reproductive processes appear to be triggered by swarm density, that being how many individual members are present in a swarm. Should the appropriate number of individuals have been amassed, generally somewhere in the area of one thousand five hundred to two thousand, the swarm's mating ritual will commence.

Abilities of note:

Territory:

Swarms of these otherworldly creatures are occasionally glimpsed dancing betwixt the dense blankets of mist which shroud Osthemangar.

Reproduction:

Glimmoth reproduction can be described as comprising of three stages: Grouping, Aggregation and Combustion. The first stage, Grouping, involves the Glimmoths seeking out individuals with body structures resembling their own, eventually breaking down the swarm into numerous groups of physically similar individuals. After every member of the Glimmoth swarm has been organized into a group the second stage, Aggregation, can begin. During this stage each group of Glimmoths will clump together forming a rough sphere. As each individual compresses its body into the cluster of Glimmoths the strange heat carried within each of them intensifies by ten fold, and then by one hundred fold, eventually melding their bodies together. This fervid consolidation of mangled, semi-molten Glimmoths will continue accumulate heat at an alarming rate, eventually triggering the final stage of their reproductive ritual, Combustion. During this final phase of the Glimmoth's reproductive cycle the incandescent masses of Glimmoth bodies will burst into flames, eventually being reduced to a pile of smoldering ashes. The next generation of Glimmoth will emerge from these mounds of ash several weeks later.

Researcher:

Francis Roesler

Researcher's Findings: