Once a Hag has reached this stage in her psychological development and has secured power over her minions, she moves in one of two directions. She either seeks to band together with other hags in what they refer to as a “Covey” [A pooling of magical resources and abilities that allows the Hags to weave spells more powerful and destructive than any one of them could hope to do alone] or she succumbs to an almost irresistible urge to bear offspring. The former decision is strictly related to the Hags free will, while the latter is almost assuredly driven by the natural instincts in all species, no matter how unnatural, to perpetuate themselves.
For Hags, the urge to procreate is both physical and psychological. The urge is almost as great as it was to leave civilization when a Hag was entering their change. Such a though may prove appealing to Hags, because the child would likely be very similar to its mother and long be wreaking havoc on the world once the Mother Hag was gone.
Green Hag: The urge to procreate happens once a century after the age of four hundred or so.
Of the three Hag types, the Green Hag is the one most concerned with long term planning. There does not appear to be any particular differences from one Hag type to the other when it comes to procreation, except for a single horrendous ability reportedly possessed by certain Annis Hags.
Annis: The ability to magically transfer their unborn child into the womb of a pregnant female. No evidence exists to prove this myth, but should still be kept in mind none the less.
Younger Hags who join Coveys often manage to suppress the urge to bear children when it comes over them. Once a Covey is formed, the Hags become too jealous of any child that one of their members bears for the infant to survive, unless they can somehow arrive at an agreement which leads to all three of them bearing children at the same time. However there might be those Hags who never feel the need to join a Covey because the continue to have a child every few years. This allows them to increase their ability to spread chaos and pain by the very act of procreation, first by the suffering they undoubtedly visit on the poor unfortunate who fathers their children, and second by foisting yet another hag on the unsuspecting people of our lands.
As there is no male counterpart to Hags, they must be impregnated by males of other species. Evidence indicates that Hags can only mate with Humans or Half-Elves. The most common method in which to secure mates is to lure and unsuspecting traveler into her embrace using her ability to take on a pleasing appearance. Particularly powerful and sadistic hags may use certain abilities that they develop later in their lives in order to cloud the minds of men and lure them to their arms without even cloaking their forms.
A Hag knows the moment she is with child, once she has been impregnated, she slays the father. Much like a Black Widow spider does with her mate. The gestation period for and infant Hag is roughly nine months, identical with that of a human infant. Shortly after the child is born, most hags perform the switch, although few may take steps that are a little more elaborate that that. Despite their biological need to bear young, most hags do not appear to have much of a maternal instinct. Most hags abandon their children soon after birth, usually switching them with normal infants, as mentioned previously. The mother then typically never sees her child again, nor does she give it a second though. Thus does this evil girl [Hag] grow up ignorant of her true nature until the change happens to her and a Hag eventually arrives to tutor her. This invariably causes the new hag to develop a hateful outlook. By abandoning the child to suffer the bizarre ravages of the change, the hag ends up nurturing the attitude that is a defining quality of her race.
The basic Hag Covey consists of three Hags, there is theoretically no limit to the number of hags that can be part of a Covey. However only three are required to execute the mightiest of the covey’s abilities. The base Covey is always composed of three Hags, although they can be in any combination of Hag types. The specific powers and abilities of a individual Covey varies, reflecting the interests and goals of the Hags that comprise them.
Like solitary hags, Coveys dwell in relatively isolated places, typically glens deep with in forests. Here, the Hags inhabit small caves or shack, while their minions live in hovels or caves nearby. Each Covey is guarded by a large number of Hag minions. It is virtually impossible to predict who or what these might be, or how many creatures might be in the service of the Hags, but there does not seem to be a Covey in existence that does not have at least a few minions.
A Covery has more use for minions than individual hags do. Hag Coveys not only tend to take more prisoners than solitary Hags, but they also engage in actives that may open them up top attack by cunning foes. They research unique magical forms, Covey spells and Covey rituals. Prisoners are frequently used as raw materials to further their magical researches. More often than not, those poor souls who are imprisoned by Hags would be better off dead.
Telltale signs allow travelers and Hag hunters to recognize whether they have stumbled onto the dwelling place of a Hag Covey. First, near every Hag Covey is a clearing strewn with the bones of dozens or hundreds of Humanoids, the remains of countless Hag meals. Although this clearing need not necessarily be adjacent to the glade where the Covey lives, it is certainty that it is nearby. Hags never bury their victims remains, leaving them exposed to fate and the elements both as an act of blasphemy and so that they may have a ready supply of bones for use in powerful Necromantic magic.
Second, every Hag Covey will have one of more pits within which they keep their prisoners. While Goblins and other humanoids may keep prisoners in pits as well, those pits rarely as heavily guarded as those found near a Covey lair.
Least vile among the activities that a Covey undertakes is spell research. In the claws of Hags, magic is only used for twisted and evil purposes. As solitary Hags devote much their time to devising traps for unsuspecting victims, Hag Coveys likewise spend a substantial amount of time in evil-natured spell research.
Coveys focus much of their attention on wizard magic, but many mages scoff at the quality of a Hags spell books. Adapting spells used by other types of weave users to their own, as well as inventing new spells or improving already known spells. Covey spell books are primarily devoted to the recording of powerful magical incantations that Hags refer to as “Covey Rituals”. Covey rituals have their origins in the same hazy past that gave birth to the Hag races. Only a Hag is able to cast Covey Ritual spells.
One of the most remarkable and disturbing benefits that a Hag gains from banding together in a Covey is the ability to create magical devices known as a “Hag Eyes”. These are created by magical rituals that are closely guarded secret. A “Hag eye” permit’s the Convey members to view the surroundings of its bearer, no matter where the bearer of the device is. A Hag eye also allows Covey to dispatch its minions on spying missions and to be sure of receiving accurate information so long as the minion bearing the Hag eye reaches the location of interest to the Hag.
All that is known about the creation of the Hag eye is that the ritual requires a gemstone. And the left eye of a humanoid being. The rest of the method of their creation remains unknown, but the item clearly yields an effect similar to that of a Wizards crystal ball, or scrying pool. By focusing their will, the Hags who created the Hag eye can view the are around eye by gazing into a cauldron filled with liquid.
Hag eyes appear to be gems of fairly low value they usually set in medallions or brooches of steel, impure silver, or bronze. While Hags typically outfit their minions with the Hag eye they might also, while cloaked in illusions give Hag eyes to their unsuspecting enemies, so Coveys will know their every move. Hag eyes radiate magic and even possesses a curious semblance of life. The attack on a Hag eye that results in its destruction is more devastating than most direct attacks will ever be, particularly against creatures such as Green Hags.
Undoubtedly, the most obscene ability that a Hag Covey bestows on its members is a way to create more members of the foul Hag races. Once a joins a Covey, she can transform females of humanoid races into mature hags, brining the change to them through magical means. They can appear to be able to identify females suitable for the transformation by scent. Spawning rituals are the only ritual that a individual Hag can use if apart from a Covey. However, the ritual never works unless the Hag has been part of a Covey at some point.
Females who are transformed by spawning rituals become slavishly devoted to the Hag who so twisted them, much like a newly risen vampire is loyal to the creature who brought the curse of undeath upon it. Since Hags who come into existence through more natural means are supremely arrogant, a covey that consists of a single “real” hag and two that are created through the use of the spawning rituals will be a Covey that poses a tremendous threat to all innocent people unfortunate enough to dwell near it. Such a Covey will work toward a single goal because it has a clear undisputed leader who’s decisions and goals are never called into question. Hags that come into being through the spawning ritual remain under the control of their creator until they creator is slain. At that time they become their own masters and carry out their own evil schemes. While most Covey rituals are the same regardless of which Hag performs them, though the ritual to transform a maiden into a hag varies according to the type of Hag, the one common denominator between the rituals is that the females they use are always ones of great beauty. Any woman would be suitable, but the Hags great hatred for all things beautiful causes them to target only attractive females.
Annis Hag: Performs the ritual on the night of a new moon, when she can transform a pure hearted female of any race into a Annis. The Annis picks the victim very carefully, using not only great beauty as a criterion but also selecting women who are widely admired and loved by members of their community
Green Hag: Performs the ritual on any night during which the moon is full. However, the Green Hag ritual can transform only Elven women. Like the Annis, the Green Hag selects women who are well loves in their communities, so they can spread sorrow while gaining a minion.
Sea Hag: Perform the ritual using Hin, Gnome or Dwarf females when the moon slips into full night time eclipse. The sea Hag hold their foul rituals and condemn the poor captives to an existence of horror and misery.
Of the three rituals, the Sea Hag’s is clearly the most difficult, with her victims being more rare the Elves, and even more rarely found in the same area as a Sea Hag. As well as the fact a Lunar eclipse occurs only once every five to six years, means a Sea Hag only rarely performs their spawning ritual. Of course, when the lunar eclipse draws near, there is a good chance that Sea Hags will travel inland to Demi-human communities in search for victims. Unlike their counter parts Sea Hags are not concerned with the beauty of their victims, on that they are pure of heart and of the proper racial stock.
