Wizards of the Coast. Accessed via the Libris Mortis Art Gallery here
Bloodmote
Cloud A haze in
the air resolves itself into a swarm of miniscule, blood-red insects.
When blood-drinking flies feed upon an undead corpse,
or are exposed to large amounts of negative energy, they can become transformed
into the undead themselves—a bloodmote. A single bloodmote is annoying, but not
functionally different from any mosquito, blackfly or biting midge. When
bloodmotes collect in large numbers, however, they become a threat to any life
in the area they haunt. Bloodmote clouds are most likely to form in
necropolises or battlefields where the undead are common.
A bloodmote cloud follows no normal ecology, and
the cloud may consist of undead versions of flies belonging to multiple
unrelated species. The blood the cloud consumes provides it with no
nourishment, and passes through the flies quickly. As the bloodmote cloud
moves, living insects follow the trail of gore it leaves, feed on it, and are
transformed into bloodmotes themselves. If there are sufficient insects in the
area, such as in a mosquito-infested swamp, the swarm may increase its numbers
so greatly that it reproduces. Multiple bloodmote clouds are typically only found
in areas with plenty of victims—these creatures do not actively cooperate nor
do they attack each other.
The drone of hundreds of thousands of wings
beating in unison is enough to overwhelm many victims of a bloodmote cloud with
horror, preventing them from fleeing the hungry horde. As such, they sometimes attract
other undead that feed on the leavings of the cloud, or on those immobilized by
its doleful whine.
Bloodmote clouds are most common in Egdwen, due to that island’s higher-than-average concentrations of undead and its tropical climate that plays host to mosquitoes. They are often associated with the mambabarang sorceresses, but even these verminous spellcasters can become their victims.
Shores of Swords 