Hellwasps, also known as hellwasp devils, were insect-like fiends that inhabited the warmer levels of the Nine Hells.[1]
Description[]
Hellwasps were large insects with tough carapaces, strong legs that ended in sword-like talons, and large stingers at the ends of their abdomens. They propelled themselves on thin, seemingly metallic wings,[1] creating a droning sound as they flew.[4] Colony guards were somewhat smaller than the "devil" variety.[2]
Personality[]
Hellwasps were aggressive, malevolent and ruthless,[1][3] yet also logical and basically intelligent. They possessed the unquestioning instincts of colony insects, their alien minds always unswervingly loyal to their queen.[2]
Abilities[]
Hellwasps were dangerously strong and protected by their thick carapaces, although they were vulnerable to the cold. They fought deftly in the air with their talons, although they were extremely slow and much less dangerous on land. Their stingers injected a chemical admixture, a fiery poison similar to alchemist's fire which doubled as a paralytic enzyme. Their attacks were magical, and they could communicated via a form of telepathy with a range of 300 ft (91 m) perceptible only to them.[2][1][5]
Hellwasp grubs were about as dangerous as monstrous centipedes.[3] Though generally weaker than the adults, they were notably faster on foot and when climbing (though not fast enough to match the speed of the adults in the air).[6] Hellwasp queens were on the level of young dragons in terms of power.[7]
Combat[]
Hellwasp devils worked in units to kill or grab the foe. If colony guards were available, they swarmed a group of enemies, attempting to sting them into paralysis. From there the larger hellwasp devils could swoop in from behind, skewer the foe and drag them off.[1][2] If a colony's hive was alerted to hostile presences, they usually remained on high alert for about two hours.[3] They used flanking tactics and blocked entrances to ensure the intruders couldn't escape.[5]
Society[]
A hellwasp nest floating above the surface of Avernus, held down by iron chains.
Hellwasp typically lived in communes consisting of roughly twenty-four adults, although the nests themselves could only comfortably fit ten to twenty and 2/3rds of the hive were normally hunting at any given time. All members of the commune shared the nest and their duties, and had equal say in their society.[1][3] Some colonies meanwhile had hellwasp queens, which were known to be protective of their colonies and command lesser hellwasps in the interest of the collective.[8][7]
The first hellwasp colony nested in Malbolge, within Glasya's Garden of Delights, where the devils acted as unwavering agents of her will. Every member of the hive worked towards Glasya's desires, and unlike many of her other minions needed no seduction or manipulation to make them do so, as they saw service to her as an honor and reward in its own right. Such hellwasps found outside Malbolge were either on a mission for her or, on rare occasions, being loaned to one of her allies. By virtue of their unquestioning obedience to her, hellwasps would work with any who likewise served their queen.[2]
Ecology[]
In addition to their presence in Malbolge, aggressive hellwasps could be seen patrolling the skies of Avernus alongside other bloodthirsty insectoid creatures.[9] The creatures thrived in hot climates, but their carapaces cracked and metabolisms slowed in extreme cold, causing them to avoid the icy layers of Cania and Stygia.[1]
Hellwasp colonies built massive nests for communal protection, food storage, and raising their young. Adults regurgitated a light, strong, sticky, amber-colored bile, typically composed of fat, bone, and sand, which they used in construction. The result was a gigantic, wet, papery, somewhat translucent sac in which the entombed bodies of those already dead could be seen. Nests consisted of multiple levels, each effectively being one large chamber with a singular purpose. The levels were connected by twisted tunnels, the absence of stairs mandating navigation by flight or using climbing gear.[1][3]
Known hellwasp chambers included drone cells, which contained octagonal honeycombs for individual adults to reside. There were also the hatcheries, where the larvae were tended to; these areas were always on high alert, and the grubs incubating inside the corpses might burst from their hosts upon detecting foreign presences. Larder rooms were used for storing food (victims, alive or dead). Prey was gummed to the wall with the same bile that formed the rest of the nest, which would be difficult to break out of even if such rooms weren't guarded.[3][1]
In Avernus, hellwasps preferred to embed dead celestials into their nests. The very sight of such things were known to drive mortals[3] mad from the overwhelming despair,[10] as the angelic figures stuck to the surface like flies in amber, seemingly struggling to escape the filth, were in truth already dead, and only writhing unpleasantly from the larvae feasting on their insides. Regardless, the magically buoyant corpses in the walls of Avernus's hellwasp nests, once enough bodies were attached, lifted them off the surface. This demanded they be tethered to the ground to prevent them from drifting off, often with iron chains attached to the underside of the nest. Removing the cocooned carcasses caused the nest to slowly sink back to the ground. These nests were known to have the entrances on the undersides, which lead into entry levels they mostly kept tidy despite the build-up of gory waste and discarded rubbish expelled from their consumed victims.[3]
Uses[]
The toxic bile of hell lice was a known deterrent against hellwasps, as well as rot grubs and carrion crawlers.[11] With the correct process, the bodies of two hellwasps could be mixed with tar to create a vial of the poison known as midnight tears.[12]
History[]
Hellwasp devils were once fiends similar to mezzoloths, demons of the Abyss that served a wasp-like demon lord. After Glasya defeated the demon lord during the Blood War, its curious spawn hailed her as their new queen, and she took them back to the Hells where they were remade into devils.[2]
The owl-headed deva advisor of the solar-turned-archdevil Zariel followed his mistress into the Nine Hells despite her pleas she reconsider her course of action. Eventually he was torn apart by hellwasps and used as the center of their new nest. Some time after Zariel's failed attempt to absorb the city of Elturgard, the heart began beating with increasing speed, driving the hellwasps into a frenzy that caused them to attack all they saw.[13]
Appendix[]
See Also[]
Appearances[]
Adventures
Video Games
Miniatures
Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Adam Lee, et al. (September 2019). Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus. Edited by Michele Carter, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 236–237. ISBN 978-0-7869-6687-5.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Mike Mearls, Greg Bilsland, Robert J. Schwalb (June 2010). Monster Manual 3 4th edition. Edited by Greg Bilsland, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 58. ISBN 978-0-7869-5490-2.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Adam Lee, et al. (September 2019). Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus. Edited by Michele Carter, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 94–95. ISBN 978-0-7869-6687-5.
- ↑ Mellanie Black (2020). Tipping the Scales (DDAL09-10) (PDF). D&D Adventurers League: Avernus Rising (Wizards of the Coast), p. 4.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Bianca Bickford (2020). The Swarmed Heart (DDAL09-13) (PDF). D&D Adventurers League: Avernus Rising (Wizards of the Coast), p. 8.
- ↑ Bianca Bickford (2020). The Swarmed Heart (DDAL09-13) (PDF). D&D Adventurers League: Avernus Rising (Wizards of the Coast), p. 14.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Bianca Bickford (2020). The Swarmed Heart (DDAL09-13) (PDF). D&D Adventurers League: Avernus Rising (Wizards of the Coast), p. 15.
- ↑ Bianca Bickford (2020). The Swarmed Heart (DDAL09-13) (PDF). D&D Adventurers League: Avernus Rising (Wizards of the Coast), p. 10.
- ↑ Adam Lee, et al. (September 2019). Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus. Edited by Michele Carter, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 76. ISBN 978-0-7869-6687-5.
- ↑ Bianca Bickford (2020). The Swarmed Heart (DDAL09-13) (PDF). D&D Adventurers League: Avernus Rising (Wizards of the Coast), p. 7.
- ↑ Mellanie Black (2020). Tipping the Scales (DDAL09-10) (PDF). D&D Adventurers League: Avernus Rising (Wizards of the Coast), p. 3.
- ↑ James Introcaso (2020). Losing Fai (DDAL09-11) (PDF). D&D Adventurers League: Avernus Rising (Wizards of the Coast), p. 10.
- ↑ Bianca Bickford (2020). The Swarmed Heart (DDAL09-13) (PDF). D&D Adventurers League: Avernus Rising (Wizards of the Coast).
Connections[]
Least: Lemure • Nupperibo • Spinagon
Lesser: Abishai (Black • Blue • Green • Red • White) • Barbazu • Bueroza • Erinyes • Excruciarch • Falxugon • Ghargatula • Hamatula (Stony devil) • Kocrachon • Merregon • Osyluth • War devil • Xerfilstyx
Greater: Amnizu • Brachina • Cornugon • Gelugon • Logokron • Narzugon • Orthon • Paeliryon • Pit fiend
Baatezu of unknown rank: Advespa • Ayperobos • Dogai • Gulthir • Jerul • Remmanon
Araton • Brazen devil • Burning devil • Fimbrul devil • Gorechain devil • Hellcat • Hellforged devil (Coal • Glass • Lead • Obsidian • Sand • Spiked) • Hellwasp • Imp (Assassin • Bloodbag • Book • Euphoric • Filth • Gilded) • Indwelling devil • Infernal armor animus • Kalabon • Kyton • Misfortune devil • Passion devil • Pillager devil • Seared devil • Shocktroop devil • Slime devil • Soulrider devil • Stitched devil • Storm devil • Swarm devil • Succubus • Tar devil • Vizier devil • Withering devil • Warder devil • Wrath devil