Miragewing Stinger

Wiragewing stingers harvested from dead Miragewings have long been used in creating weaponry, art and tools.

Physiology

Unlike most wasps, miragewings do not use their stingers as ovipositors. In ancient ancestors of the miragewing, it was likely that they did use ovipositors. Over time as they evolved to be bigger and bigger, the creature's sheer size meant that laying the large eggs required though the stinger was not feasible and they evolved a separate egg-laying tract. This process has allowed the stinger of the miragewing to evolve into a highly specialised weapon. The stinger's structure and curved shape makes it incredibly efficient and damaging, and allows the miragewing to sting without bending its waist too dramatically. Most average stingers range from 30cm to 45cm long, and can have a diameter of 10-15cm at the widest point.

The make-up of the stinger includes a hard outer casing, filled with a flexible pulpy interior which allows the stinger to be light and bendable. The tip is incredibly fine and sharp, and a tiny pore can be spotted near the tip, where their specialty enzyme is secreted during an attack. While the sting is quite flexible toward the base, the fine tip is a lot harder and made of a very dense material. This allows the stinger to be flexible enough not to be brittle, but hard enough that the tip doesn't chip or scratch. The stinger is unbarbed and has an incredibly smooth surface, allowing the wasp to sting repeatedly without damaging it.

Common Uses

The tips of miragewing stingers are hard and almost unscratchable, and are greatly sought after for weaponry, tools and jewellery. The hard end of the stinger were prized by orcish people in Sedia to tip spears, though only very straight specimens can be used for this function. The less hard casing of the stinger though the middle portion and the base has an almost tortoiseshell, mottled colouration when the pulp is removed, and is flexible enough to be used in a very similar manner. It polishes up better than tortoiseshell, and has a more broad range of colouration, making it incredibly attractive as a decorative material in fashion. It is much more expensive than tortoiseshell, however, and is therefore a lot less common.
In tool making, the hard tip of the stinger can be broken down into fine flakes, and can be used to make very durable and powerful sandpaper, filing material or chisels. Miragewing stinger woodcarving tools are highly prized and expensive and are often favoured by artisans over metal to this day.

As a trophy

Aside from their functional uses, miragewing stingers are also popular trophies for monster hunters and adventurers, and are often displayed on shelves or mantles in hunting lodges. Sometimes decorated with gold and gems or painted as a decorative piece, they can be very valuable to the right people. The trophies are so sought-after in hunting collections that there are often dupes and fakes made by scam artists hoping to make some quick gold off of less experienced hunters. Made by sanding and polishing large goat horns or even wood, they are usually easy to spot with a little knowledge, through the weight and grain of the surface texture.