Hellwasp

Hellwasps, also known as hellwasp devils, were insect-like fiends that inhabited the warmer levels of the Nine Hells.

Description
Hellwasps were large insects with a tough carapace and strong legs that ended in natural piercing weapons shaped like scimitars. The wings were thin and appeared to be made of metal. At the tip of the abdomen was a large stinger. Colony guards were somewhat smaller than the "devil" variety.

Personality
Hellwasps were viscous, hateful, and aggressive creatures.

Behavior
The carapace of a hellwasp was susceptible to cold and the creature's metabolism required a warm climate to function properly, so they avoided places in the Nine Hells that were extremely cold, such as Cania and Stygia.

Combat
In addition to feet sharp as talons, hellwasps could sting a victim, injecting a fiery poison on a successful attack. This venom not only burned like drops of alchemist's fire but could slow or paralyze a creature for up to a minute, allowing the hellwasp to carry the victim away to be devoured later. If colony guards were available, they swarmed a group of enemies, attempting to sting them into paralysis for the larger devils to carry off.

Society
Hellwasps lived in colonies, typically with ten to twenty adults that all shared duties equally. They communicated via their own version of telepathy that had a range of. Some sages believed there was a queen that all hellwasps would serve with unswerving loyalty if called upon.

Ecology
Hellwasps colonies built nests for communal protection, food storage, and for raising their young. Adults regurgitated a sticky bile that typically contained fat, bone, and sand that was light, strong, and the color of amber that they used in construction. A nest had multiple chambers connected by twisted tunnels, each dedicated to a single purpose. One chamber contained octagonal cells for individual adults, another (centrally located) chamber was the hatchery where the larvae were tended. Also, there was usually a larder room for storing food (victims, alive or dead). Hellwasp grubs were placed inside the bodies of victims stuck to the walls to feed.

In Avernus, hellwasps preferred to embed dead angels or other magically buoyant corpses in the walls of their nests. When enough bodies were attached, the nest lifted off the surface and had to be tethered to the ground to prevent it from drifting off. Once this was accomplished, the hellwasps made the underside of the nest the only entrance.

History
In the World Axis view of cosmology, sages believed that Glasya, the daughter of Asmodeus and Lady of the Sixth Hell, Malbolge, was responsible for bringing the hellwasps to the Nine Hells from one of the other Lower planes. The theory states that they were a type of fiend, similar to mezzodemons, that followed a wasp-like demon lord. After she defeated their lord in a Blood War battle in the Abyss, they hailed her as their new queen and followed her back home. She transformed them into devils and let them nest in her Garden of Delights. These hellwasps served Glasya willingly and would only take orders from others if she allowed it.

Appearances

 * Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus