From Furnace October 2018, by Guy Milner – does anyone have a source for Into the Wasps Nest?
The pygmy wasp riders of Wasp Nest used to be allies of Sartar, but you haven’t heard from them in decades. A new threat to Whitewall requires their aid, though, so you must venture into the Troll Wood to find the last person to visit Wasp Nest and come out alive. Either way, you are going to have to brave the flying, stinging guardians of the ancient town in order to save your tribe.
So the Wasp Nest or its ancestors has been around more or less since the Dawn. I am not sure if it moved to its location from somewhere a bit south of its location from the Dawn, say it was maybe above the Footprint?
Possibly there is an old nest somewhere above the Footprint that was abandoned and needs to be investigated? Could the Dawn have changed things and its needed or desired to be investigated?
Looking through the threads there is a lot of good information:
EFF: There are of course Wasp Riders, there are people who exist on the fringes of Uz and various human societies...
French Desperate WindChild: the point about wasp riders is: are they able to transform themselves because they are "people" by nature or because they worship a goddess giving some transformation abilities (so they are not hunshen).
Gallowglass: the Wasp Riders worship Isalla, and I’m pretty sure that her spells allow them to transform into giant wasps, so that also puts them into the shapeshifter category.
Jajagappa: wasp riders, and the like; rescuing captured wind children (from the Lunar menagerie, unscrupulous traders, scorpionmen, etc.)...
Soltakss: Wasp Riders are known to produce paper, from my poor old memory. It is probably niche and the sages prefer parchment, but it exists...
Joerg: Gorakiki-worshiping uz can simply harvest paper from wasps' nests. With that and wax (tablets), Argan Argar merchants provide two major writing materials. The Wasp Riders of Wasp Nest probably trade some of their steeds' paper for metal objects, too - Bee or wasp venom isn't chaotic...
They ride giant wasps, from Hero’s Vol. 01 Issue 03 and Mr. Helsdon’s sketch (I think).
As they make paper, might they also have a library of sorts? Maybe they like libraries via air service for sages somehow? Do they ride as far north as Jonstown about 35 miles I am guessing and so why not also down to Heortland to some of the libraries there? Nochet might be a bit far over water and its not close to their nest as I am guessing they normally wouldn't forage more than 7.5 miles guessing normal wasps are .75" and would forage on average not more than 100m from their nest. If these guys are 7.5' they'd have a much larger range just based on size. If an average wasp flies 25mph one of the giant ones could likely reach Jonstown in about 30 minutes... again hypothetical.
Did Sartar make any deals with the wasp riders?
Do the trolls get along with them as there would likely be a Gorki envoy with them of even a shrine or is that way off?