[PMárk]

Hi all!

 So, We've gotten a little bug problem for us, in our current campaign. That got me thinking: how fast bugs could spread, exactly?

 Because you see, I can't see how the iconic image of a throbbing, egg-filled hatchery could be a thing, if there aren't multiple shamans working together. Since "Living Vessel Preparation" is a ritual taking many days, a solitary shaman should do only one at a time.

Or, am I missing something? Could a magician manage multiple rituals at the same time?

[DigitalZombie]

No, youve got it right.

And while you wouldnt be able to have the throbbing egg-filled room. You could have a throbbing cocoon like room where the fleshforms, and hybrid was resting in.

And while an insect nest wouldnt be able grow by more than a single member pr shaman pr week (ish) organically. Nothing would stop the nest to draw in other insect spirits from a former nest from somewhere else.

Say an ant insect shaman has only been active for 2 months, and has only invested 5 people by himself. But his nest then assimilates a second nest that sadly lost their shaman. Boom he now had as many as the plot requires.

[PMárk]

I see, thanks!

Another question: Queen insect spirits have the Astral Gateway power, so they could open a rift. Does that mean any number of insects could come through, indefinitely, so killing them isn't permanent at all and evanescence isn't a real problem either? Or does she still have to summon them one-by-one? If the later, how many she could maintain at the same time?

Also, the Queen still has to do the Preparation ritual, to inject a spirit into a vessel?

[Reaver]

I see, thanks!

Another question: Queen insect spirits have the Astral Gateway power, so they could open a rift. Does that mean any number of insects could come through, indefinitely, so killing them isn't permanent at all and evanescence isn't a real problem either? Or does she still have to summon them one-by-one? If the later, how many she could maintain at the same time?

Also, the Queen still has to do the Preparation ritual, to inject a spirit into a vessel?

No evanescence does matter. Without a host to inhabit, the Insect spirit will slowly wither and die.. (Die, in this case means sent back to their realm.) So, while a Queen can call forth a huge host of spirits if she choose to with the gateway power, doing so is mostly mute without hosts to inhabit. There is no limit to the number of spirits that can come through as that is not how the astral gateway works. Astral Gateway forms a "bridge" between to planes; the material plane and the Insect spirit's home plane. while Astral gateway is sustained, ANY NUMBER of entities can travel between the realms. Once the gateway is no longer sustained, it closes trapping those on the respective sides. (pages 194 and 28 of Street Grimoire)

The queen still has to prepare vessels as per normal for her minions to inhabit. All this is again found in the Street Grimoire book, pages 93-100.