with the powerfl annis hag having iched her ever-filing, semiconscious sisters upon her ba Despite their self-superiority, annis hhags prove most likely to acknowledge grater powers than themse especially when doing so promises to benefit them. As such, these hags are quick to appeal to potentially ympathetic powers such as bitter Cegilune, ancient Baba Yaga, the archdevil known as the Hag Countess, any number of other dark deiti While just as intelligent as green hags, annis hags’ obsessions with physical strength and personal power lead many to perceive them as mere savages. In battle, such assumptions often prove fital as these hags use their innate abilities to disguise their forms and create clouds of fog to dis orient opponents who might other- wise be able to defeat them. Their need to possess undisputed strength within the territories they claim—usually an entire bog or forest surrounding their ruin or cavernous Tairs—often leads them to perform feats of blatant sav- agery other hags would never dare ‘The annis hag called the Welt Mother once rampaged through three settle- ments bordering her moor, killing all female young merely on the sus- picon that another hag had sceded her changeling—potentially a fature ‘threat—among the villagers. THE CHANGE: ABERRANT ADOLESCENCE De ee er et ee cn Tr races to propagate. Upon giving birth, a hag mother seeks out suitable parents of Cee eC ene are! eee ea ee eee ea et her true nature begins to impose upon her personality. Yet even these selfish and bullying tendencies never seem so outlandish as to mark the young hag as Dun ee eee ere Cee cee For the first forty years of her lif, a juvenile hag blends in with her adopted culture. Most live unextraordinary lives, marked only by predilections toward the traits and habits ofthe hags they'llone day become. Swarthy, physically powerful, ee juvenile green hags o healthy, and strong, the kind of Se eat en tT eee ‘marred by their prima donna vanities. Young sea hags tend to be hale, plain arcs ee eee Ca See anes ee ee a ee eee ed the change,” culminates in the young hag's Ree eet eee rere Hags frequently use such tactics of spreading suffering by targeting the weakest members of a community, both the eldest and youngest, as such losses often prove the most painfl For example, the tragedy at Hobb’s End is widely thought to have been orchestrated by a sorcerous hag haunting the nearby swamp. That grim ‘morning the townsfolk woke to find their children replaced by crudely carved, child-sized manikins, each missing a limb, several digits or other vital part. Despite much searching and the villager’s many prayers, though, the children were never seen again. POWERS O€ THE COVEN HAG BREWS ‘As much a part of hag mythology as cruel coveys and grotesque hag eyes are these creatures’ terrible cauldrons and the foul concoctions that bubble and writhe within. Part dark ritual, part cannibalistic feast, what screams and July 2008 oRAGON 345 AEE