OK, she still needs to appear human when meeting the rest of the Dons in the Alta. So she needs be a Mantis as it is the only Queen/Mother that is Fleshform. Using Illusion spells with Masking may work for other Insects in the short term and at low levels, but with the money each Don has, the mages in their employ could easily see through it all.

So I am thinking that she is a Mantid. What do you guys think?

well, it says in the Game Info section that she made her deal with a powerful wasp queen spirit. on that basis, i guess i'd have to disagree.

I'm glad you mentioned that, I had read that but neglected to mention it. So how is she keeping her secret then?

Maybe's she's a social adept!

It says she made a deal that doesn't necessarily mean she is a bug herself.

the larger question is how her goons are keeping the secret. one imagines that there's a basement somewhere full of less-successful merges.

I think an alternative may be that she is not Insect Queen but the Insect Shaman. That way, the Insect Queen and her have a spirit pact.

Aside noting there's been some of the interesting comments so far, I'd just mention that the Alta Commissione doesn't actually bring together the leaders of the syndicates themselves. The book says as much regarding the people who handle the Camorra and the Cosa Nostra representations. There's no reason Fuselli need show her face.

On the other hand, if you prefer she might be a Wasp Queen with a huge level of Aura Masking (extended to her hive via Mind Sharing) and the ability to Mask some Illusion-magic that hides her looks.

Or

Torturi might be on the right track regarding her actually being an Insect shaman (being a female would probably also throw off possible suspicions)...

You do not have to be magically active to form a pact with a spirit.

There are all kinds of non-magical deals she could have cut with a wasp spirit.

Just think of all the conflicting angles the above statements could produce in your game.

blakkie: AFAIK, the merges are always loyal to the Queen or shaman. But, if the hive is destroyed, they have a relatively high chance of becoming free spirits compared to the rest of the insect spirits. But even though they share the host's memories and skills, they are still the same old insect spirit inside.

Based on how other spirits work, I could almost see a good merge who's been active for a long period of time - years perhaps - becomming more and more independant. But it would take a while, if its possible.