Stage 31: Hitting the Books

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Hags

An Overview
Hags are ancient, malevolent creatures that blur the line between human and monster. They are predominantly female and are often depicted as grotesque, withered women, though they possess the ability to disguise themselves as beautiful or unassuming figures to lure victims. Hags are deeply tied to dark magic, curses, and bargains, often preying upon the desperate, lonely, or greedy.

Life Cycle
Hags are not born but created, typically through dark rituals or deals with infernal entities. A mortal woman, often a victim of despair, corruption, or a twisted pact, transforms into a hag over time. This transformation begins with the implantation of Mind Slugs—larval parasites that corrupt the mind and body, eventually replacing the host’s essence. This process is often referred to as the change and occurs on the 16th year of the victim.

Once a hag is “born,” she becomes immortal, capable of existing for centuries unless deliberately destroyed. While hags can function independently, many form covens, abiding by the rules of three, which amplify their magical abilities and provide mutual protection.

Reproduction
Hags reproduce through the use of Mind Slugs, parasitic organisms that they implant into human hosts. These creatures burrow into the victim’s brain, gradually eroding their thoughts, memories, and willpower until the host’s personality is entirely subsumed by the hag’s essence. The result is a full transformation into a new hag, effectively continuing their species without traditional reproduction. While traditional reproduction is possible, the resultant child is not a hag.

Hag Items

Dolls
Hag dolls are cursed constructs crafted through ancient rituals, each designed to torment, control, or replace their victims. These effigies carry fragments of the hag’s dark essence and can be nearly impossible to destroy without precise countermeasures.

Reflection Dolls (Possessive Doppelgängers)
Description: Reflection Dolls are faceless at first but gradually take on the features, voice, and mannerisms of their target. They exist to replace the victim, feeding on their essence to grow stronger until they can fully supplant them.

Abilities:
○ Mimics the target’s appearance and actions when unobserved.
○ Causes the victim to experience weakness, nightmares, and loss of identity.
○ Attempts to lure the target into dark, isolated areas (such as forests) where the hag’s magic is strongest.
○ Their eventual goal is to replace the victim.
Countermeasures:
Breaking the Bond: Reflection Dolls are linked to their targets through hair, blood, or personal belongings used in their creation. Destroying these materials through fire can sever the link. However, if not burned completely, they will become resistant to flames.
Unmaking the Doll: Shattering the doll’s core (often a hidden gemstone or shard of bone) can dispel the curse.

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Binding Dolls (Control Puppets)
Description: Created to enslave and control their victims, these dolls are often wrapped in thread or chains to symbolize binding. Victims experience paralysis, hallucinations, and a gradual erosion of free will.

Abilities:
○ Causes physical pain or injury when manipulated.
○ Allows the hag to mentally influence the victim’s thoughts and actions.
○ Gradually converts the victim into a servant.
Countermeasures:
Cutting the Threads: Physically removing the bindings while invoking counter-curses can release the victim.
Purification: Immersion in saltwater combined with a cleansing ritual can neutralize the doll.

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Whispering Dolls (Tormentors)
Description: Whispering Dolls are designed to drive their victims insane. They whisper secrets, threats, and lies only the victim can hear.

Abilities:
○ Causes auditory hallucinations that grow louder and more hostile.
○ Erodes mental stability, inducing paranoia and fear.
○ Due to mounting psychological tensions victims often self-isolate, making them easier to attack.
Countermeasures:
Shattering the Voice Box: These dolls have a hidden compartment containing an enchanted voice box. Destroying it renders them powerless.
Silencing Rituals: Casting spells of silence or anti-possession charms can break the doll’s hold.

Hag Artifacts and Cursed Items

Hag Stone (The Eye of Deception)

Description: A smooth, naturally holed stone used to see the unseen—ghosts, curses, and illusions.
Curses:
○ Compels the holder to look through it obsessively, distorting reality and inducing hallucinations.
○ Causes visions of horror or glimpses of the hag, breaking the victim’s mind over time.
Countermeasures:
○ Burying the stone in the earth, but if unburied it could effect others.
○ Shattering it under moonlight.

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Mind Slugs (Seeds of Corruption)

Description: Parasitic larvae implanted into victims, slowly transforming them into hags.
Curses:
○ Induces nightmares, paranoia, and physical decay.
○ Fully consumes the host’s mind, leaving them a vessel for the hag’s will.
Countermeasures:
○ Early removal.
○ Burning the slug in fire if extracted intact, otherwise crushing them.

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Shadow Veil (Cloak of Obscurity)

Description: A cloak woven from shadows, allowing the wearer to vanish into darkness.
Curses:
○ Weakens the wearer’s connection to light and sanity.
○ Gradually binds them to the hag’s will, turning them into thralls.
Countermeasures:
○ Exposure to sunlight or fire can unravel the cloak’s enchantment.

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The Glove (Manipulator’s Gauntlet)

Description: A magical glove bound to a mask that allows its wearer to control others.
Curses:
○ The glove takes partial control over its wearer, forcing them to commit dark deeds.
○ Causes mental erosion, eventually turning the wearer into a puppet.
Countermeasures:
○ Must be removed by severing the connection to the mask with a curse-removing charm or consuming a potion that counters curses.

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Blood Mirror (Reflections of Despair)

Description: A mirror that reveals a person’s worst fears and failures.
Curses:
○ Traps the victim in endless reflections, draining their soul.
○ Allows the hag to watch and manipulate the victim remotely.
Countermeasures:
○ Shattering the mirror under moonlight disperses its hold.

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Wailing Bell (Death’s Chime)

Description: A bell used to summon spirits or mark the hour of death.
Curses:
○ Attracts hostile spirits to torment the ringer.
○ Marks the victim for misfortune and fatal accidents.
Countermeasures:
○ Must be buried with salt and iron.

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Grasping Roots (Hag’s Snare)

Description: Enchanted roots that entangle victims, draining their life force.
Curses:
○ Restrains and slowly suffocates victims.
○ Creates fear and hallucinations of being buried alive.
Countermeasures:
○ Fire or saltwater can burn away the roots and neutralize the magic.

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Tooth of Hunger (Devourer’s Relic)

Description: A cursed fang that causes insatiable hunger in its bearer.
Curses:
○ Drives the victim to consume anything, even inedible objects.
○ Leads to madness and eventual self-destruction.
Countermeasures:
○ Extraction and destruction with fire.

Note: While the work is mine, this was run through Chat GPT for formatting and cleaning because this is a textbook so should not be reflective of my writing.

Do You

Do some additional research on news articles that have something to do with "dolls."Stage 88

Talk to a friend about what you know? Go to → Stage 21 Please note, you can also arrive at this thread from Stage 21, you can use this as an excuse to get more friends involved.

Investigate the Owlery to see if you can learn more about who or what has been sending this? Stage 22