Of Hags and Crones

Written by strawberryAle

Hags. Crones. Witches. All of these words evoke the very same images. A cauldron bubbles below while a warty crone stirs a gigantic ladle below, cackling with her sisters whilst the bubbling basin roils with whatever infernal brew they've concocted. Children go missing at the end of the night, only to be found mere moments later dangling from the cage of a wretched old crone...or worse. To many throughout the world of Veska, Hags are a mere fairy tale. Stories that are told to children to not stay up late at night. Cautionary tales that implore them to avoid strangers and to stay off the streets at dark. Whether they be called Crone, Hag, or Witch, these bizarre creatures have garnered such a nasty reputation that countless poems and bardic folk songs are made in their 'honor'. Some might argue that such tales would disgust or repulse anyone wishing to keep their reputation in tact, but to a hag, hearing these whimsical tales is music to their tattered ears. Ironically; these stories only further make the creatures unbelievable. So dreadful and terrible, that they're hard to possibly give any credit.

Sowers of Misery

The horrible truth is quite simple. Hags are a type of Fae ; specifically Oni, that are living embodiments of Misery itself. Fae all embody a different thing in the world of Veska, be it abstract as time or as physical as the flowing of pure water. Whatever the case; Hags are the embodiments of misery itself. They sow their seeds of hatred and despair without reason; the only desire they carry is to see their victims suffer.

As with many Oni, hags are usually born when corruption takes root in a Fae spirit. Hags in particular are one of the few Fae creatures often born from the soul of a particularly spiteful or hate-filled mortal. In some cases; the Fae themselves may find themselves twisting into a Hag, though such a case is exceptionally rare.

All hags must feed. Fae spirits feed upon the world in many different ways. Those that embody revelry for example, must spread that behavior in order to continue their existence. Hags in particular, are forever driven to spread misery for misery's sake. Though somewhere in their black hearts there may be a reason behind the despair that they sow, the wretched Hag seeks to cause suffering just for the sake of suffering. They are spiteful, cruel, and above all: Unpredictable.

Spiteful and Hideous

Hags come in many different shapes and sizes. The universal trait that all hags carry, however, is their ugliness. Hags are so horrifically malformed that merely glancing upon them is enough to strike fear in the hearts of men. They are as every bit of wretched as their personality; revolting, vile, and difficult, if not impossible, to stand.

As one might expect from such a spiteful creature, Hags usually seclude themselves from human civilization. They make their own lairs, and often recruit other creatures to help do their bidding and carry out their will. Hags frequently hire henchmen willing to help them in their cause; and are more than happy enough to grant power to those that follow them. It is this promised power that makes a Hag, ironically, alluring. Though dreadful to stand beside, a hag is more than happy to grant their knowledge and power upon those they favor.

Hags carry a sense of haughtiness to them; arrogance, even. They like to consider themselves above everything and anything, and though such self-entitlement isn't directly imminent, they usually display it through their actions. They see age as a 'trophy' to wear; the older the Hag, the wiser, and stronger, they grow. Thus; much like the matronly elders they disguise themselves as, Hags happily consider themselves deserving of the very same respect that you'd give to your very own grandmother. They delight in nicknames that accentuate their age and years of wisdom; 'Auntie', 'Granny' finding such titles to be honoring their countless years in gathering knowledge impossible for others to grasp.

What makes a Hag most dangerous, however, is their unpredictability. Their plots and schemes may be well-formulated and thought out, but contingency plans are always made. Hags are always more than prepared, and perform actions without care or reason. To be in the presence of a hag, is to be disturbed. To simply seat oneself at their table, is to be on constant edge; they are more than happy to savor that feeling of dread that swells in those they watch over. Hags are, quite simply, nearly impossible to read. They will never tell of their next action or plot. They simply do.

Hags have a strange respect for each other, and though their flighty and spiteful nature often leads to fierce disagreements, they generally regard each other as siblings. Hags will never cross each other's territory without bringing offerings first. It is customary among what little 'culture' they have to always bring some sort of offering to the hag that they intend to visit.

Similarly, Hags respect Fae as well; though usually not in the same degree as other hags. It drastically depends on the Fae in question, but Hags will usually do their best to recruit other Oni among their ranks, while also staving off or avoiding Fae that would not tolerate their wretched presence.

Covens

On a rare occasion; Hags may decide to form a coven. Hags are already dangerous on their own, but when forming a coven, they become a far greater threat. Hag covens typically converge whenever they feel that their goals are far more easier to attain whilst working together. Traditionally, hag covens will always have three; one to mediate the two sisters whenever they inevitably find themselves caught up in a dispute. Hags whom have lived for many, many years, often referred to as Great Grandmothers, are said to be capable of sustaining covens of greater numbers. Hags will always desperately seek to replace a member of the coven should they ever become deceased. Should they desire to keep the coven alive, three is always required, as the two remaining sisters will inevitably find themselves bickering or crumbling away with the pact. Crucible: What makes a coven so dangerous is their ability to share knowledge with one another. Once a member of the coven, the Hags perform a vile ritual that binds their collected knowledge into a large basin referred to as the Crucible. Crucibles are magically enchanted basins; typically large cauldrons, that are used by the coven to bind themselves together. The Hags simply spill their blood into the vile brew and drink from whatever vile concoction they've created within the Crucible, and from there, their knowledge is forever shared amongst each other. They share each other's spells, and through the crucible, are capable of scrying on each other at a whim.

Foul Wisdom

Wretched or no, there is one undeniable truth about the Hags: They're wise beyond even their years, and they only grow stronger as they age. With the ability to live forever so long as they sow the seeds of misery, a Hag can thus reach great heights of power. Hags spend most of their time learning how to harness magic from the natural world in ways that no other can. A Hag's lair is quite horrifying; filled with magical items and enchanted objects that they've found themselves somehow creating over the years. Every item may be able to speak. Plates my fly or throw themselves at intruders, and dolls may turn their head or happily speak in the voices of their victims long passed. Each hag learns different bits of wisdom as they age; some may have similar relics or artifacts, but each and every hag has different bits of secret knowledge that they've somehow found themselves gathering over their infinitely expansive lifespan.

Like many Fae, hags are still very impressionable to the natural world around them. But none are moreso impressionable than a hag. Hags absorb the energy from their environment, their bodies react and change based upon where they form. A hag born within a foul mire or beachside for example, may find their bodies growing amphibious, fish-like, or scaly. Hags born within the mountains may develop thicker muscles as they absorb the energy from the earth around them, mutating into muscular brutes. Whatever the case: Each hag appears differently than the next.

Child Eaters

Ugliness, endlessly expanding knowledge, and the ability to share that knowledge amongst each other. Out of these three traits, only their ugliness is known; and even then, the most notorious fact of all is their diet. Hags hunt children for many reasons, with the simplest of all being just how impressionable they are to their corrupting influence. Some hags may choose to instead foster a child's foul urges. 'Granny' Dearest may whisper into that child's ear that it's okay to wander out at night, that it's fine to break things when you're angry. It's fine that they broke their sister's toy in that tantrum. They don't need to worry, because Granny understands; all culminating into the inevitable corruption that leads that child into the life of a killer. Others, may seek to actively torment their parents. They may search for ways to lure children in. A boy may disappear, leaving only signs and hints. With their grief-stricken parents desperate to find their lost son, they will find themselves lost in a tepid mire. It's only when the foul hag reveals their child's demise and sees the tragedy upon their face that she will put them out of their prolonged misery.

Whatever the case; Hags have one distinct trait that makes them stand out from most Fae in the fact that they reproduce through devouring children. Covens seek to eat them in hopes of not only striking grief in those around them, but to also produce offspring.

Masters of Disguise

All hags are capable of disguising themselves as something more ideal. Such a power is what allows them to remain in hiding; some hags have mastered this art to the point that they've learned how to effectively hide their presence in towns or cities. As villager after villager goes missing; that lovely woman at the bakery shop may not seem so innocent when one realizes their famed 'meat pies' contained more than just cattle. Hags are also infamous for seducing or tempting men with their disguises; children they produce from these trysts are always invariably a half-breed, but hags delight in watching as that child spirals into an uncontrollable monster.

In Literature

'Pon the coast far long ago, the tides did calmly sing 'Till one lonely day the sea spray passed and great terror did it bring. A nasty lass with a wicked smile leaving men aghast With sharpened claws that grasp and tear A lure of gold 'pon her head Above wicked eyes that squint and glare Many men followed the gold but all were surely dead. Yellow light 'pon the night means there's no gold t'be found No golden crown No scream or sound Only those who Nasty Nelly drowned.

Hags frequently show up in nursery rhymes or literature. The above tale is a common sea-shanty spoken among the locals of the Smiling Isle. It speaks of a witch named Nelly; a notorious hag that lures men using glowing lures within her hair.

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