Hag
In the heart of a forbidden forest, a lost hunter sees a
modest cottage nestled among the trees. A bewitching
maiden greets the hunter, offering him a bowl of stew to
stave off both hunger and the chill night air. Seconds after
eating the first spoonful, the hunter begins to feel
unnaturally drowsy.
In the dark alleyways of the city, a woman hurries home
from a long day at the marketplace selling her bread. A
feeble man in filthy clothes asks her if she can spare a crust
for a down-on-his-luck traveler. She scoffs at the request,
spitting a curse toward the vagrant. Before she can round
the next corner, she feels a cold shiver wrack her body.
She is unable to take another step.
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Hags of Etharis take many shapes and forms, and their
powers and goals are as diverse as any other creature who has connections to the Realm of Faerie. What is true of them all, however, is that they are as fickle as they are dangerous, and they often serve a special form of justice based on their own strange and sometimes contradictory codes of behavior. Hags revel in despoiling purity, whether it resides in nature or a mortal’s soul. While those that do not respect a Hag can find themselves in a stew or forced into service, Hags can be persuaded to forge dark bargains with those who offer polite deference.
Hags often have knowledge, power, and skills that are much sought after in Etharis. Dealing with them to gain their help, however, often comes at the steepest of prices. Many have lost body, mind, and soul to a Hag’s deal. Others become Hags as payment for a curse or bargain.
The following are examples of possible level milestones for the Hag​
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• Striking a bargain with a powerful Hag
• Cursing or killing an innocent being under the new moon
• Drinking a poisonous draught from a dead Hag’s cauldron
• Becoming the victim of multiple curses at the same time
• Consuming the flesh of the innocent
• Crafting a Hag’s Eye or creating a Gasdra
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These are few events that staff will consider during the decision to progress your transformation.
Stage 1 Flaw - Hideous Appearance
Your appearance is grotesquely transformed. Your body, hair, and eyes change in ways mortals find abhorrent. Most creatures witnessing your true form become Hostile and no one is likely to trust you.
Your appearance changes based on your Sisterhood:
- Green Sisterhood. You wither or bloat as your body struggles to deal with the ravages of age. Your hair becomes white and several feet in length. Your skin becomes green and covered in warts and boils.
- Red Sisterhood. Your eyes have turned entirely red, and your pupils are narrow like a cat’s. Your skin becomes blood red.
- Sea Sisterhood. You have slimy scales and the pallid skin of a dead fish that sags from your emaciated body. Your hair resembles seaweed, and your eyes are glassy
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Stage 2 Flaw - Iron Sensitivity
Your body and soul connect back to the Realm of Faerie, and iron and steel forged items of the mortal realm cause you pain.
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Stage 3 Flaw - Purity's Pain
Unspoiled, pure things cause you physical pain to witness. A child hugging their parent, a loyal dog laying its head upon a sick man’s lap, a work of religious art devoted to an Arch Seraph, a baby’s laughter: these things make you physically ill. When you are in the presence of a pure act or object you are wracked with pain.
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Stage 4 Flaw - Arch Crone's Hunger
You develop a taste for strange, cursed, or vile foods, and normal food no longer nourishes you. You must consume one of these unusual foods at least once every day or you feel exhausted, which does not relent until you feed your vile hunger. If you are forced to eat or drink normal food, you must are likely to throw or vomit it up only to become more exhausted.
Examples of vile foods include the following:
• The flesh of sapient creatures (Humanoids, Fey, or Celestials)
• Magical ingredients (rare herbs, dragon’s blood, etc.)
• The pain and suffering of others
• Pages of a cursed tome
Becoming an Hag
Few creatures are born Hags. Humanoids can become a Hag as a result of a ritual or a curse. Sometimes the offspring of a cursed individual becomes a Hag after reaching the age of maturity. Hags have ways of spawning fully mature Hags, but only the most depraved individuals would consider that any sort of birth.
Other Fey creatures see Hags as pitiful, revolting creatures who can never enjoy the blessing of an existence in the Realm of Faerie, so cursing a mortal to become a Hag is a particularly harsh consequence for angering a Fey. Hags themselves are fond of creating other Hags to join them and form a coven.
Very few people are twisted enough to seek to transform themselves into a Hag. The power it provides is not worth the pain and anguish that comes with it. Yet that power is attractive to some, who seek out the rituals to make the change or entreat Hags to twist them as part of a bargain
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