Hail. I come bearing updates on the buggo conflict, as well as Ithacar in general.

The Caligos Facility:

Ithacar has constructed a structure we've dubbed "The Caligos Facility." Essentially a maximum security mental hospital for special cases. We're utilizing old Pact methods of mana-diffusing tiles to neutralize magically adept inmates and hermetically sealed chambers where necessary. Staff includes on-site resident doctors, nurses, therapists, and alchemists, as well as contracted biomancers of moderate aptitude.
Security is being managed by one of the squads of automaton soldiers purchased from Raesteria to mitigate any kind of biological or hypnotic infection. Automaton guards are under the direct authority of the medical staff and equipped with chemical sedative rounds from Ithacar's alchemist guild in addition to their standard lethal payloads.
Current residents: High Pyroclast terrorist Bombshell Tallulah, Isravi's cat for some reason, a few dozen vigilante mechanical spiders, and of course, around thirty buggo-infected from a couple of different conflicts. If any of our allies capture more, please feel free to bring them or compare notes. All residents are being treated humanely. Top-notch psychiatric and medical care, above average food, free legal council, supervised visitation, and a rec room, library, and community garden for the lower security inmates (of which there are admittedly very few).
Current Findings: The venom buggo uses to brainwash his thralls makes no physical alterations to the brain. Any augmentations are being done manually at their hives. There is a much higher volume of the substance than expected in all test subjects. That means humanoid or insectoid. Living or dead. Finally, humanoid or mostly humanoid subjects that had a chance to return to the hive have had what we believe to be mechanical induction ports for syringes installed on their right arms.
All told this leads me to one likely conclusion: either the mind-control venom wears off in time, or needs to be updated regularly in some way. Other possibilities? The venom may serve a secondary purpose we are currently unaware of, or there is something else being injected we were somehow unable to detect, though I find these less likely. We invite more experienced or specialized biomancers to come and assist with further investigations.

After-Battle Report:

The Paladin Attack: Firstly, even under assault from anti-arthropod enchanted weaponry and high explosives, the main insect troops prove highly durable. They also seem to fight in a largely risk-averse manner, preferring to infect who they can and flee, claiming victory by attrition.
Secondly, Ith'Raal found that the hive appears to be severing connections and killing its own people if they are mentally probed in a direct fashion. No luck there.
https://www.reddit.com/wizardposting/s/tHHbwf14xa
Thirdly, the outer-Ithacar hamlet was completely obliterated by artillery fire. Some insects and infected were forced to flee over-land and were quickly detained. Many were killed. But examining the carnage we find it likely that more than half escaped through the tunnels they dug in from.
Given how infection quickly replenishes their numbers, I consider this skirmish a net win for Buggo. Especially considering they managed to abscond with several of Kardonk's mechanical spiders.
https://www.reddit.com/wizardposting/s/oda9jF54F2
The fact that they believe anything can be done with the spiders, and the recent attack in the Ithacar wilds gives by what we believe to be a mechanical foe, gives credence to the prevailing theory regarding intel extracted by the Mercenary Guild. That they have infected a powerful artificer who may be walking among us as we speak.
For the unaware, the Mercs were able to extract a string of words from a captured soldier before the hive mind cut the connection.
"Artillery, armed, freer, convert, loyal, infiltrator, artificer"
So far, we've looked into Ithacar's own Opifex Rerum Kardonk, Kartoffel, Thrak, and Shrax. The merc guild reports their in-house artificers are also vetted and confirmed clean.

Lower Caligos:

The following report is disclosed only to the highest ranking members of Ithacar's government. Queen Aurethios, Praetor Blake, Spymaster Argios, Opifex Rerum Kardonk, and Speaker of the Assembly Alexandrus. After it's dispersal, the report is disposed of in typical Ithacarian fashion. Meaning that it is burned.
The section of Ithacar's tunnels between the hospital and the Caligos Facility have been sealed off from the rest. Given their own set of wards, separate from the city. Hidden, even to the Academy. Too much of our R&D has been out in the open, and we are miles behind far too many of our enemies in the art of biomancy. Lower Caligos will correct this.
The secure vault that stores Ithacar's most dangerous artifacts has been reinforced. Interior automated guns, better curses, and local seismic sensors will prevent another robbery. The back door the spiders dug is now a second entrance as secure as the front, which leads directly into Lower Caligos.
https://www.reddit.com/wizardposting/s/BTSUWXB7wY
Artifacts like The Seed, Vulkan's obsidian staff, and Tallulah's arsenal can now be studied safely away from prying eyes by researchers and security sworn to geas oaths. In the gleaming white antiseptic halls of Lower Caligos, insects are disected, artifacts reverse-engineered, and beakers brew new solutions to the age-old problem of national security.