Haroth Mask [Contest Entry]

Entry for Aivomata 's Haroth Contest!
Hope I'm not too late heh /last minute

Anyways!

The Opponent:
    A small swarm of not-so-small vespidae-type insects.. These bugs, nearly half the size as the haroth itself, are quite intimidating. Their thick exoskeletons and wings glisten with an opalescent iridescence, a beauty that betrays their deadliness. Large mandibles and stingers equip with potent, necrotic venom make up the weapons of the vespids, and that combined with number creates a foreboding enemy. These creatures are not known to be the docile type either, they defend their hive, queen, and territory voraciously.

The Battle:
    To face one of these insects is a challenge in itself, but to combat against a swarm is certainly a battle that would end in one's demise. It was an unfortunate twist of fate for the haroth to happen upon a foraging group of vespids whilst exploring the forest in which these creatures live. They were well aware of its presence, buzzing and prepared to defend their territory. Staring down four of these insects, there were two options: flee and be chased down, or fight and perhaps escape with the breath of life still in its lungs.     The haroth chose fight. Armed with a lance, rudimentary knowledge of white magic, and its talons, it fought. Although a lance is a rather good weapon for piercing armor, the chitin of the vespids was thick and tough, making it difficult to wound the insects. Not only that, but the fast speeds of the bugs were overwhelming. The insects targeted the head and torso- pinching mandibles to the face, venomous stingers to the core. The wit of the haroth was perhaps its saving grace, making full use of its wing feathers to buff the insects stings, and its lance to cut their buzzing wings. It was a dance to behold, but the haroth would prevail.
    The haroth was not without its losses, however. Its mask was destroyed by the powerful bites of the beasts, its feathers were shredded from blocking, and its body was riddled with venom that ate the flesh. If not for its slight knowledge in white magic, it would've certainly succumbed  to the venom in its veins. It was no doubt left crippled and weak from this plight, but it would live.

The Mask:
    As a memory of the most difficult battle it has faced, the haroth designed the mask in the image of the very creatures that nearly took its life. The base is wooden, carved from the remains of a fallen tree. Upon it lays three layers of carefully extracted chitin of the defeated vespids. It has been carved to best resemble the face of the insects. The chitin glistens with an opalescent glow in light, sometimes giving the illusion of sparkles of rainbow. The top layer of the exoskeleton has been adorned with three solid marbles, from the haroth's own collection of trinkets kept on itself. This part of the mask mirrors the ocelli of the vespids.
The horns of the mask were retrieved from the sheddings of some sort of animal that resides in the forest where the battle took place. They've been dyed blue using the juices of several kinds of plants and flowers, then painted with a few small markings using pigments from the chitin of the vespids. It also gives a slight sparkle to the horns, when cast in sunlight just right.
Finally, the last touch to the mask is jewelery strung off one of the horns. This jewelery is actually small bits of the haroth's destroyed mask, broken and shaped into small accessories as a reminder of what once was.

S'it!

Paint Tool SAI
Working size as shown
Time approx idk
Art by me, Aevix
Haroth belongs to Aivomata 
Don't use, steal, copy, trace, or otherwise kplzthx~