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The Annis Hags of Aethoria represent one of the most mysterious and dangerous supernatural entities inhabiting the continent's deepest wilderness areas. Currently, only three known individuals exist: the sisters Grizelda, Mag, and Morgatha, who have recently converged in the Endless Forest after centuries of wandering separate territories across Aethoria. These ancient beings embody different aspects of malevolent power—Grizelda masters poison and botanical death, Mag delights in deadly games and riddles, while Morgatha dominates through nightmare and memory manipulation.
Unlike other intelligent races, Annis Hags appear to exist as unique individuals rather than a breeding population, their origins shrouded in mystery. They possess centuries of accumulated knowledge and magical power, making them formidable adversaries who rarely seek out victims directly, instead preferring to let prey come to them through reputation or accident. Their recent alignment in the Endless Forest—a region with dimensional properties that defy conventional mapping—suggests a convergence of interests or response to some greater threat or opportunity.
Annis Hags are imposing figures standing between 6.5 to 7 feet tall, with distinctly inhuman features that mark them as supernatural entities. Grizelda possesses greenish skin mottled with darker patches resembling pond scum, allowing her to blend perfectly with poisonous undergrowth. Her long white hair falls in greasy strands around her lined face, and she typically remains stooped while tending her deadly gardens.
Mag displays blue-gray skin often streaked with mud and blood, possessing whipcord strength within her gaunt frame. She habitually wears a carved deer skull mask adorned with feathers, antler fragments, and small bones, removing it only in the presence of her sisters. Beneath the mask, she bears typical hag features including sharp yellowed teeth, a hooked nose, and glowing amber eyes that pierce through deception.
All Annis Hags demonstrate remarkable longevity, having wandered Aethoria for centuries while maintaining their physical and mental capabilities. Their appearance often incorporates trophies from victims—Mag notably wears a mismatched collection of jewelry, clothing scraps, and a belt made entirely of human fingers, while maintaining lairs decorated with thousands of tokens taken from those who lost her deadly games.
Annis Hag society, if it can be called such, consists entirely of the complex relationship between the three known sisters. Until approximately thirty years ago, each maintained separate territories across different parts of Aethoria, coming together only occasionally. Their recent convergence in the Endless Forest represents a rare alignment of interests, though each maintains distinct territorial claims within the vast interdimensional woodland.
Grizelda views Morgatha with a mixture of respect and resentment while regarding Mag with condescending affection tinged with genuine fondness. Mag admires Grizelda and maintains a competitive spirit, often bringing her sister "ingredients" for poisonous concoctions and occasionally hunting cooperatively. Their relationship, while dysfunctional by mortal standards, represents perhaps the closest thing to friendship either experiences.
Each sister operates according to distinct behavioral patterns: Grizelda demonstrates methodical patience and clinical precision, viewing suffering as mere data points in her pursuit of toxic perfection. Mag embodies chaotic impulse, actively engaging with travelers through deadly riddles and games while maintaining complex relationships with local forest spirits—tormenting them relentlessly yet defending her territory against outside threats. Morgatha remains the most reclusive, preferring illusion and psychological manipulation over direct confrontation.
Each Annis Hag possesses specialized supernatural abilities reflecting their individual nature. Grizelda has cultivated mastery over botanical death, maintaining gardens filled with nightshade, hemlock, bloodthorn roses, dreamshadow mushrooms, and whispering lilies. Her most prized possession—a golden chalice inlaid with thirteen gemstones—grants complete immunity to all poisons and venoms. As the greatest poisoner, she also understands cures, occasionally providing remedies in exchange for secrets, services, or apprentices for her experiments.
Mag demonstrates supernatural cunning in games and contests, possessing dice carved from a powerful diviner's knucklebones that grant minor prophetic abilities to glimpse probable outcomes. She maintains the ability to shift her lair's location regularly and cheats subtly or blatantly depending on her opponents' cleverness. Her territorial control extends to commanding and tormenting local forest spirits while defending against outside intrusions.
All three sisters possess the ability to travel great distances through unknown means, possibly connected to the Endless Forest's interdimensional nature. This allows them to slip between worlds when it suits their purposes, accessing fresh hunting grounds without establishing permanent territories that might draw unwanted attention. Morgatha specifically masters nightmare and illusion, feeding on memories while adopting the appearance of victims' most trusted companions, leaving hollow shells unable to recall their own identities.
The Annis Hag sisters have wandered Aethoria for centuries, never staying in one location long enough to become part of local legend until their recent convergence. Their individual territories previously spanned different parts of the continent, with each developing specialized hunting techniques and magical abilities suited to their preferred environments. The reasons for their recent alignment in the Endless Forest remain unknown, though it coincides with their discovery of the forest's unique dimensional properties.
The Endless Forest itself defies conventional mapping, existing as a space far larger than it appears on any cartographer's parchment. This dimensional fluidity explains encounters with beings and creatures entirely foreign to Aethoria—visitors from other worlds who stumbled through unseen passages between realms. The forest exists partially outside normal space-time, with boundaries that expand and contract according to undeciphered rules, making it an ideal home for predatory entities seeking to avoid organized opposition.
Historical accounts of individual encounters describe Grizelda's clinical formality—she speaks in archaic dialect peppered with botanical terms, addressing victims as "specimens" or "subjects." Expeditions attempting to map the forest's boundaries return with contradictory information, finding themselves in unexpected locations or encountering impossible geographical features. For the hag sisters, this mystical property provides perfect cover—they remain simply another danger in a place filled with peril, their true nature and history known only to the rare few who encounter them and survive.
Information compiled by the Imperial Academy of Natural Studies.