Cloaker

Cloakers served as a type of semi-protective attire. They were typically chosen when something more robust than robeskin was needed, but the substantial protection offered by vonduun crab armor was excessive. Conversely, a masquer functioned as a disguise, allowing a Yuuzhan Vong to obscure their true identity, frequently by mimicking a member of another species. Reflecting the significance of caste and ritual within Yuuzhan Vong society, certain cloaker and masquer variations carried substantial symbolic and status-related meanings. It seems the masquer's initial purpose was for use in religious ceremonies, only later being repurposed as a means of disguise.

Despite these differences, the primary distinction between cloakers and masquers lay in their outer layer, with the underlying biological structure remaining consistent across all types. These were typically form-fitting, full-body suits. To put one on, the wearer would lay the garment on the ground and step into it. The masquer or cloaker would then begin conforming to the wearer's form, starting at the feet. It would secure itself to the host by inserting minute cilia through the skin's pores, causing a painful sensation.

Once applied, the bodysuit could be worn for extended durations. When the wearer desired to remove the cloaker or masquer—an experience just as painful as application—they would activate the creature by stimulating the seam where it sealed. On versions with hoods, this seam typically ran upwards from an opening at the lips towards the side of the nose.

The most common cloaker was a streamlined, black bodysuit, even given to slaves. It's likely this was the same as the ooglith, which could also provide a hood and transparent face mask. While flexible and close-fitting, the ooglith cloaker also served as a highly effective protective suit. When paired with a gnullith breather, the ooglith provided protection against pressure, atmospheric conditions, and temperature variations found in most dangerous environments, such as deep underwater. However, for use in the vacuum of space, a specialized vacuum ooglith was used, a rust-red variant worn in conjunction with a lungworm to supply air for the gnullith.

The cloak of Nuun, worn by the elite Hunters of the warrior caste, was a specific type of ooglith cloaker. This bodysuit featured photosensitive cilia on its exterior, which visually cloaked the wearer in a near-perfect representation of their surroundings, essentially a personal cloaking device.

Another cloaker variant was the oozhith, worn by members of the Shaper caste. Similar to the cloak of the Nuun, this version had cilia on both the inside and outside. These external cilia sought out and consumed airborne microorganisms, creating a subtle shimmer on the surface as they moved. Only Master Shapers wore the full-body oozhith, while Shaper Adepts wore a sleeveless version ending above the knees. The oozhith included a small pouch for carrying equipment.

The masquer, related to the cloaker, was designed for purposes of disguise. The standard ooglith masquer made the wearer appear Human. Before the Yuuzhan Vong War began, Nom Anor spent much of his decades-long reconnaissance mission within the New Republic and Imperial Remnant wearing masquers of this type. The thought of being disguised as an infidel for such a long time would later evoke a rare emotion, bordering on pity, in Warmaster Tsavong Lah.

Subsequently, other scouts like Yomin Carr adopted ooglith masquers. By the time of the attack on Duro in 27 ABY, Nom Anor had developed a variation called the gablith masquer, which disguised the wearer as a non-Human alien. Gablith masquers were known for both Duros and Givin. Unlike the Yuuzhan Vong and almost all their biots, a Duros gablith masquer could be detected in the Force. It could at least partially conceal the Force void of its Yuuzhan Vong host from Jedi senses. The only other Yuuzhan Vong creatures known to exhibit a similar Force presence were those like Chazrach and voxyn, which were partly derived from species outside their original gene pool. This suggests the gablith masquer may have incorporated bioengineered Duros tissue. By 29 ABY, a masquer type was created that allowed a Yuuzhan Vong to impersonate a reptilian Ssi-ruu, a process that involved dislocating joints and contorting their bodies painfully to mimic the Ssi-ruuk's theropod physique.

Other masquers, possibly the oldest kind, simply concealed the wearer's face behind another Yuuzhan Vong face, often obviously mask-like. During the Yuuzhan Vong invasion, this remained fashionable among the Praetorite Vong, though the Shaper-caste domains had abandoned it decades prior. Onimi wore a masquer to hide his shaming while posing as Kae Kwaad. Conversely, Nom Anor wore a masquer with the features of a Shamed One in his role as Yu'shaa.

An [unmasker](/article/unmasker], a Yuuzhan Vong creature, was designed to identify masquers and force them to peel away from the wearer's skin.

By 44 ABY, Wraith Squadron member Viull Gorsat had bio-engineered what he termed "neoglith masquers" using genetic material from this galaxy. He could create custom masquers to disguise himself and other squadron members as other humans, even a precise replica of General Stavin Thaal, and a fabricated species from crustacean genetic samples obtained on Kuratooine.