Vespids

I do not remember when the Cataclysm happened. None of my people remember, and none who were alive then live now. But, my parents tell us of the Great Awakening, where Krytthki, weakened, could no longer hold our minds prisoner. It was as though when the pupae burst from the cocoon. Liberated, we could simply walk away, but we would instead fought to our last kin to save the minds still trapped there. This is why, as my parents said, we are so few but why we are so strong.

Appearance

Chitin, antannae, vestigal wings, and as many legs and arms as needed, the Vespid boast the most diverse appearance. Perhaps one of their strangest features are their "feelers"--what we would consider our feet; these are two-pronged "toes" that are their "feet" which allows a Vespid to climb and walk upside down. Additionally, Vespids experience an extreme version of sexual dimorphism, where opposite sexes look differently within the parameters of their species; female Vespids are often much more colorful and much larger than Male Vespids.
Often considered the most bizarre of the race of Tara, Vespids are often greeted with shock, open disgust, or even awe. Whether the Vespid mind this or not is usually a matter of personality, but as this is common, Vespids are often hard-shelled about such matters (the Taran equivalent of "thick-skinned"). As social creatures, same as all civilized humanoid races of Tara, Vespids have a particular disposition to learning new things, cultural oddities and practices different from their own. This interest often makes them the most extroverted and openly curious, and even the center of attention.

Personality

It is rare to find a Vespid without either a chirping-voice or an instrument; a great many Vespids are musically inclined as a means of expressing themselves, being creative, or even connecting with others. Often found at the heart of festivals or in the middle of large gatherings, a Vespid is one to trade tales and entertainment. Extroverted in all senses of the word, Vespids are firm believers that being alive and together is a wonderful thing.
The Vespid is an eternal optimist, finding joy and enjoyment throughout the years of its life. While other races might take their time or worry they might grow bored over such a long life, Vespids live as if they worry they will not have enough time to enjoy all that life has to offer. As such, much of what a Vespid does is rushed; they hurry to speak, hurry to act, hurry on to the next thing. This can make them seem capricious or even as though they aren't actually appreciating the world around them for what it has to offer, but Vespids have a keen memory, able to recall exact pleasures and what bring them joy.

Civilization & Geography

Vespids do not have a civilization or group they can call their own, and any land they had their name to, they've relinquished. Furthermore, Vespids even tend to stay away from other Vespids at the best of times--not out of any dislike, but due to how their creator still affects them; it is a hive mind that dwells in each of them, and after a period of time, resurrects itself in a member of their race and begins to assert its control once more. For this reason, Vespids seek the company of others or no one in particular, and why, more often than not, writers of encyclopedias, atlases, almanacs, and more are usually Vespids. When Vespids do seek or find themselves in the company of others, they often find differences between their kin more interesting (and desirable) than similarities.
Even so, Vespids do maintain an almost cultural philosophy even when miles apart from one another. Their first and most controversial belief is the inherit disrespect of authority; to clarify, they are not rude (generally) to those in places of authority, but it is the concept of authority that Vespids seek to question--which is interpreted as disrespect; as such, authority should always be questioned and power should be rarely exercised over the individual except in the case of the greatest good. This leads into the second belief--that the greatest good is the one that supports individual choice while not harming a group, for while one is powerful, one does not outweigh the worth of another. Small rules and beliefs like this go on, as a universal creed to guard against their hive mind.

Common Names

Vespids, as is the common theme here, are pretty strange when it comes to naming conventions as well, are currently use the most creative sounds they can come up with in order to make names. The cultural thought process is that a Vespid can decide how they want to define their name by their actions and deeds. As such, Vespids have some of the most difficult names to pronounce and take on nicknames. These nicknames are often things the Vespid values.
Below is a pronunciation guide for the Vespid Names: Click to expand

Written Script	Pronunciation Example	Description
Shj	vision	Sounds like Sh and J together
K	clever	Voiceless (velar?) click
Kh	cool	Voiced (velar?) phoneme
Rh	n/a	Velar "x"; sounds like a cat hissing but near back of mouth top of throat
C	"tsk"	dental click
Rr	Spanish: Tierra (land)	rolled 'r'
Ng	dung	n/a
Tth	this	Voiceless "th" / buzzing "th"
Th	earth	Voiced "th"
X	ex: horse click	lateral tongue click
Q	n/a	Palettal tongue click on roof of mouth pulled straight down
a	apple	"ah"
aa	day	"ay"
e	exit	"eh"
ee	eager	"ee"
ii	eye	"aye"
o	oval	"oh"
u	oops	"oo"
uu	you	"yoo"
uh	uh	"uh"

Common Vespid Names: Nyu, Shjvi, Qarivta, Yrruhnyra, Vtuzrrukshjo, Cki
Common Vespid Nicknames: Anarchy, Blaze, Constance, Delight, Earnest, Faith, Grace, Hope, Joy, Keen, Loyal, Mercy, Noble, Promise, Reverence, Silence, Truly, Unity, Verity, Wonder, Zen

Heroic Calling

As adventures, Vespids are often treasure and trophy seekers, be that in jewels, coin, or for material to create a song or story later. They will bring what they have experienced to other races and Vespids, swapping stories and boasting of treasure as a way of both then connecting and on their quests of self-discovery and personal enlightenment.

Magic & Technology

Vespids see magic as they do most everything else on a first-pass; fascinating, and a joy to experience (or at least an experience to witness). Additionally, Vespids do not have an inclination toward any magic in particular, though they usually are not Conduits. For this reason, a Vespids views on magic is not as concrete as the other races around them. Often, they will use metaphors: 1) The mortal word is combined into one homogeneous mass of dirt, which means magic, that has to have a source, is like the roots of a tree winding around us and particular areas; 2) We are like a tapestry, and magic is but one of the many threads that make us up (thus creating the theoretical concept of The Weave 3) Magic if like the foundation of a house, except for us, the foundation is covered up, so we don't yet know if it is a good or bad foundation; etc.
And yes, again, Vespids do not have a civilization to themselves, so they are responsible for no technological breakthroughs, right? --Well, that's not entirely correct, actually, but good guess.
Vespids are trailblazers in the sense that they have not quite developed a mortal fear of failure, defeat, and death. They also haven't developed the definition of insanity, and thus will repeat a task with no or only small variations in a effort to get something to work. This is why a majority of the catalogs of known sciences are, again, written by Vespids (Though they are more informal case studies. Myrrdins and other like intellectuals loathe that these materials aren't even edited or peer reviewed). A Vespid yearns to collect and catalog experience, and to use these technologies they develop to assert who they are as individuals, not even just for an identity but to mark that they lived.

Religion

When most think of religion, they might envision a set of tenets, rules, or guidelines that a divine figure asserts and is supported by the surrounding mythology in text, oral history, or record. For some, this is how it still works, and they use divine figures to represent some desired trait or value for the culture. But those cultures are the ones who are not invaded and destroyed by that same divinity. The Vespids, thus, take an antagonistic approach toward their creator, and have build up a surrounding philosophy to help make sense of their wayward world.
First, it is important to recognize that all accounts of the Hive Mind believes it is doing the right thing by bringing the Vespids back together, but it also sees no issue in eliminating what makes the individual unique in order to accomplish this assimilation. As the Vespids have learned to recognize their individuality and see it as a boon that makes existence more enjoyable, they see their Hive Mind in a antagonistic light. But not everyone fights back against the Hive Mind, and others still are taken despite their will to fight it off; thus the Vespids have developed a philosophy of civilazation around this:
The Vespids believe there are four groups of people: 1) The Fighting; 2) The Weary; 3) The Shells; 4) The All-Soul.

1. Those that fight have it in their personality, their souls, in some faculty they have cultivated to enable them to ward off the Hive Mind. They might not always be able to maintain a fighting spirit, and can even slip back into weariness should they forgo taking care of themselves and solely focus on others.
2. The Weary might have it in themselves to fight, but they have been worn down, and might no always be able to resist the All-Soul of the Hive Mind; these make up the majority of their race, according to the Vespid, as a fighting spirit is something that must and very well can be cultivated.
3. However, the shells are those who yearn to be filled with purpose and have been taught or feel that others can give it to them; those of the shell mentality will ask for things without ever returning the favor, or who will tolerate cruelty so long as it gives them a reason to exist; these are the ones most susceptible to the Hive Mind, and the ones they have failed. With no one to teach The Shells they are more then vessels, of course a Shell would be filled by the All-Soul.
4. The All-Soul is not the Hive Mind at first, but one whose will and influence dominates others. This can manifest in several ways, from arrogance gone unchecked, to magical prowess than infects minds, to a dominating personality type that has been encouraged to see their views as all that matters and is right. The common theme is a disrespect for boundaries, personal autonomy, and a desire to dominate. Vespids, however, do not inherently hate or seek to destroy an All-Soul. Instead, Vespids, in all capacities, believe that this mentality is a cry of their soul to be filled with something it is lacking. Some Vespids will go out of their way to help mentor and correct this behavior and discourage it with firm kindness, rather than a whip or blade.

The Vespids have an almost cyclical approach to these modes of personhood and encourage acts of vigilance, kindness, and growth in order to guard against the Hive Mind, who always arrives regardless.
Other races, Tarans especially, might see the existence of a Vespid as an lesson in futility, to always work against the inevitable. A Vespid hearing this would laugh and reassure them, "You think you need unchanging results to live comfortably, so no wonder you are not happy. Friend, you have grown weary working against what you cannot control--the world around you. Focus inside first. Look in you and find out why you are still here living. You will find something you care about, maybe something you would fight for. And if you find nothing we should travel. My feet have been itching since we stopped walking."