The Wasp

The Wasp is the pseudonym of a prolific blackmailer currently active in the north Kijarlean Empire, Kisia, and Leide. Their true identity remains unknown and is the subject of wild speculation in the news media.

History

The Wasp's iconic sigil was first mentioned in court documents detailing the trial of an Alvan chieftain's daughter accused of treason in 5.734. The blackmailer was never found but the sigil has continued to be mentioned in high-profile cases periodically over the next two hundred years.

Method of operation

Initial contact is always made in wiritng. A handwritten letter in the victim's primary language, sealed with black wax and stamped with the sigil of a wasp, appears somewhere obvious and impossible - inside a pocket when the vitim has never left the house, on their pillow when they wake, on the driver's seat of a automobile kept in a locked garage. Once read, the letter rapidly disintegrates into dust. The demands are reasonable - at first.
Victims may be asked to deposit or receive a nominal sum of money into a bank account, deliver a package, or leave a light on in an upstairs room but, once done, the requests continue to come. The new demands may not be more arduous than the first but, should the victim refuse at any point, further communication will outline the effects the victim's previous actions have had. The blackmail builds on the compromised position the victim has placed themself in until they find themself hopelessly ensnared in a web of seemingly-innocuous actions that have had profound consequences.
The Wasp takes great pains to keep their victims isolated but, on occassion, they are asked to make contact with one of the Wasp's agents. In cases where these agents have been apprehended, they invariably turn out to be a missing person with no prior connection to the victim or any other aspect of the case. Their memories between the point just before they met the Wasp and their arrest are entirely blank, but arcane forensics have been able to construct a pattern of behaviour in the Wasp's recruitment of agents.
They approach their target in public and strike up a conversation, acting as if they already know their target. This never strikes the recruit as odd and the Wasp's manner of speaking puts them at ease; they are described as "agreeable" or "like an old friend". The Wasp then offers the recruit some kind of beverage, which they accept. In almost all cases, following this conversation, the agent simply walks out of their existing life, seemingly of their own volition.

Arrests

Over the years, a handful of blackmailers claiming the identity have been arrested, but the blackmail continues. Of grave concern is that all would-be-Wasps have died in custody after suffering a fatal reaction to an insect bite or sting.

by Simona Sergi

Identity

Professional opinions are divided as to whether 'The Wasp' is a signature handed down from person to person or a pseudonym used by a conglomeration.
An analysis of the Wasp's likely background has been compiled, on the assumption that they are a single individual. They Wasp is believed to be a charismatic and well-spoken individual, almost certainly an ialy, possibly with a military background, but their age and place of origin are uncear. Their written communications are described as unfailingly polite, even when discussing the most sordid actions, but with a somewhat outdated vocabulary.