Sea Hags: The Story So Far Part 1
Posted 2024-10-19 01:42.Day 2
Setting: L'Illes Descargar
Cast of Characters (Additions):
- Atroya
- Senior member of the Hags of Estrega
- Various Shipwrights
- Working on La Carnalis' repairs
Hedwig woke early, around 5 in the morning before sunrise. She found herself drawn to a game of poker being played by some of the crew members, though she admitted to not knowing how to play. The sailors were happy to teach her the Nuran rules, and to their surprise (and perhaps chagrin), Hedwig managed to win 95 silver pieces. The only condition placed on her winnings was that she help clean up before 6 AM.
After cleaning up from the poker game, Hedwig began planning her day. She needed to speak with the captain about Sister Sierre's preaching - a delicate matter, given that many crew members were pagans who might not welcome Orthodox Masochist sermons aboard ship. The crew's reaction to such preaching might remind them too much of their experiences with Poasah, where the Orthodox faith was often imposed rather than welcomed.
She also arranged to go swimming with the hags later, inviting Cotto, Somme, Dom, and Sister Sierre to join. Dom seemed particularly embarrassed by their enthusiastic cheering for the hags, though he agreed to come along.
When they arrived at the Shriek Shack, Atroya was already waiting for them. She knelt in the middle of a ritual circle when Hedwig entered, greeting her with a simple "You have arrived" in formal Estregan. The hag's manner of speech was notably different from the local dialect - more refined, almost aristocratic in its precision.
During their conversation, Atroya revealed more about what she had sensed during Hedwig's massage the previous day. She could tell that Hedwig was a hexblood - specifically one created through the intervention of the Hags of Hama. This was significant, as the Hags of Hama were considered almost mythical, a legendary coven whose powers far exceeded what modern hags like the Estrega coven could achieve. They were known to have helped barren couples conceive through magical means, creating powerful hexbloods in the process.
Atroya admitted that her own coven, the Hags of Estrega, were still rediscovering what it truly meant to be hags. The knowledge and abilities of the Hags of Hama remained largely a mystery to them, though they aspired to reclaim such ancient wisdom.
As part of the demonstration, Atroya produced a bird and released it within the ritual circle. The bird took flight but struck an invisible barrier. When it fell, injured, Hedwig instinctively cast Cure Wounds to heal it. Once restored, the bird attempted flight again, this time successfully escaping when Atroya touched the circle, causing it to disappear.
After the demonstration, they began dressing themselves once more. During their conversation, Atroya explained how the hags used what they called "glamour" - magical illusions that could disguise even something as large as a ship, though she noted it was limited to mere disguise rather than true invisibility. Such magic could prove invaluable for La Carnalis, potentially allowing them to evade the Seneran patrols already searching for them.
The hags served various teas during their conversation - kelp tea, black tea with a dash of milk, and rose tea. As they sipped their drinks, the discussion turned to matters of faith. Sister Sierre explained some aspects of the Divine Masochist church, particularly noting that the Venerable Matron had documented sexual proclivities - most famously becoming a slave to the daughter of the governor of Arzadad.
The conversation then shifted to the Reformist Church, a splinter group of Divine Masochists. Unlike the orthodox church, the Reformists believed the Devil of Hubris wasn't real, claiming everything was part of Orthodoxy. They had even corrupted their own Angel of Delight's teachings, insisting that everyone must enjoy pain. Hedwig, drawing from her Nuran upbringing, contrasted this with how they followed the Angel of Civilization in her homeland.
The discussion grew more serious as they touched upon the Reformists' true nature. In southern Poasah, they had been steadily expanding their influence, working behind the scenes to promote slavery and oppression. Sister Sierre explained that while the orthodox church had its strictures, the Reformists represented something far more sinister - religious tyranny masked as enlightenment, though much of their work remained clandestine.
The contrast between the two branches of faith was stark. Where orthodox Divine Masochists like Sister Sierre sought personal enlightenment through willing submission to pain, the Reformists believed in forcing their interpretation of pleasure and pain onto others. Their insistence that "everyone must enjoy pain" had become a tool of control rather than a path to spiritual growth.
The conversation turned to more recent matters in Rainoso. Atroya spoke of a group claiming to be the Hags of Hama that had appeared about two years ago. These women had been embedding themselves in various positions throughout the city, particularly as chambermaids aboard Seneran ships - much like spies. However, something about their claims didn't seem to align with what was known of the true Hags of Hama.
Sister Sierre suggested a troubling possibility - that these might actually be Reformist agents masquerading as the legendary coven. The timing of their appearance coincided with the Reformists' expanding influence, and their methods of infiltration seemed more political than magical. Atroya agreed that these women didn't demonstrate the deep connection to ancient powers that true Hags of Hama were said to possess.
During their conversation, Hedwig noticed Somme lurking near the Shriek Shack's entrance. Though he didn't speak Estregan, his voyeuristic tendencies were apparent - he seemed to be trying to eavesdrop on the conversations inside. The hags had apparently banned him from entering the premises due to his perverted behavior, though they still allowed him to wait outside and communicate with clients. As Atroya put it, his presence was "bad for business."
The conversation was interrupted by Cotto, who had followed them to the Shriek Shack despite his earlier reluctance. His presence seemed to intrigue Atroya, who noted that he too appeared to be seeking the Hags of Hama, though for different reasons. As a paranormal investigator interested in the occult, Cotto hoped the Hags might help him understand his own nature as a Cornups.
Cotto shared his own history with the group. His family had once lived along the Poasan border, where territorial disputes were common. He spoke of how nobles would sometimes make sport of the local population, particularly during military campaigns. In one such incident, his uncle and several children were forced to flee into the woods while noblemen hunted them for entertainment. Though such actions were never officially sanctioned, they represented the growing aggression of Poasan forces toward border communities.
Later, in their shared quarters, Hedwig found herself increasingly uncomfortable with Somme's behavior. Though he didn't speak Estregan, he had been lurking around the Shriek Shack, trying to eavesdrop on conversations. The hags had banned him from entering due to his perverted tendencies, though they still allowed him to communicate with clients outside. As Atroya had put it, he was "bad for business."
Now, in their private conversation, Somme's voyeuristic interest focused directly on Hedwig. He kept pressing her about her visit to Cotto's room - #6 - and tried to provoke her by suggesting the possibility of simultaneous sexual encounters with both Cotto and Dom. When this failed to get the reaction he wanted, he offered to lend her a book called "The Flasher Barmaid" - a story about a barmaid whose husband became impotent and whose wife worked at a bar before becoming barren. Despite her strict upbringing as a duke's daughter, Hedwig found herself intrigued by the prospect of such a salacious read. She masked her interest with a philosophical observation that "books should be free" - meaning that literature should be enjoyed regardless of its content or context.
Though she tried to focus on her thoughts, Hedwig remained acutely aware of Somme's presence across the room. His occasional glances from behind his writing desk sent conflicting waves of discomfort and unwanted excitement through her. To distract herself, she turned her mind to what she had learned about hags. They were women who had discovered how to access Ritma through their bodies' natural processes - not just creating life, but sustaining it. Instead of gestating children, they could gestate pure nuggets of energy. A coven, she recalled, derived from the word 'covenant' - a pact between women who shared this power.
Her thoughts turned to the Hags of Hama she sought. There were stories of a group claiming to be them, but something felt wrong about their claims. These women had been operating in Rainoso for about two years, embedding themselves as spies throughout the city, particularly in Seneran households. But the true Hags of Hama were said to have access to all knowledge, could grant temporary fertility, and possessed powers far beyond mere espionage.
Sister Sierre's suggestion that these might be Reformist agents troubled her. The region didn't have many people open with their religion, making it easier for such deceptions to take root. Unlike true hags, these women didn't openly show their enjoyment of pain - a telling detail given the Reformists' particular relationship with pain and pleasure.
If she was to continue her search, Rainoso would be her best lead. The city sat on Raibon Island, the second largest in the chain. Perhaps there, among the winding streets and hidden alcoves of the port city, she might find some trace of the true Hags of Hama.
To break the uncomfortable silence, Hedwig asked Somme about Port Rainoso and Raibon Island, particularly about the recent activities there. Somme seemed to welcome the change in atmosphere, sharing what he knew. His family had lived along the Poasan border, where territorial disputes were common. During military campaigns, Poasan nobles would sometimes make sport of the local population. He spoke of a particularly haunting incident where his uncle and several children were forced to flee into the woods while noblemen hunted them for entertainment. Though such actions were never officially sanctioned, they represented the growing aggression of Poasan forces toward border communities.
This led to discussion of his current work. Somme explained that La Camaraderie lacked access to magic users, making them eager to recruit people with such abilities. He admitted they didn't know the full extent of Hedwig's powers, but her knowledge of infiltration made her valuable as backup. He then spoke of their next mission - liberating prisoners from the Splits, the notorious prison complex atop the Admiralty's Helm in Surrey-on-the-Brams. Something strange had happened there - prisoners had been inexplicably ordered by a Seneran commander to stop their activities and march back to their ship for incarceration.
Somme explained that La Camaraderie's intelligence network operated differently from traditional spy rings. Rather than maintaining direct agents in key positions, they relied on a web of information gathered from various sources - "like leaves in a tree," as he put it. He mentioned they had captured some spies recently, likely from the group claiming to be the Hags of Hama. These women had been embedding themselves as chambermaids aboard Seneran ships for the past two years. The spies proved remarkably well-trained, refusing to talk and only smirking when questioned. Their true nature was only discovered through journals found in their possession.
"Keeping the peace," Somme said with a hint of irony, describing the official reason given for the strange incident at the Splits. But something about the way those prisoners had simply marched back to their ship troubled him. It wasn't natural behavior, suggesting some form of coercion or control that La Camaraderie hadn't encountered before.
Feeling the weight of the day's events, Hedwig mentioned her fatigue and decided to rest for a while. When she awoke later, she found the room empty - Somme had left while she slept. She decided to head to Cotto's room.
During their conversation, Cotto brought up her fighting prowess during the recent Mirian boarding attempt. He had been impressed by her technique. Hedwig mentioned it was Capoeira, though she was deliberately vague about why she had learned it, only noting that it was popular among assassins. The implication hung in the air, adding another layer of mystery to her already enigmatic background.
The mention of assassins seemed to stir something in Cotto. He began sharing his own history, of how his family had lived along the Poasan border, where territorial disputes were common. His voice grew tight as he described how Poasan nobles would sometimes make sport of the local population during military campaigns. In one such incident, his uncle and several children were forced to flee into the woods while noblemen hunted them for entertainment. Though such actions were never officially sanctioned, they represented the growing aggression of Poasan forces toward border communities.
Their conversation was interrupted by members of the cooking staff looking for Hedwig - it was time to prepare dinner.
In the kitchen, Hedwig worked alongside the fish handler - she couldn't quite remember his name, though she knew it was Carl. As they gutted fish for the evening stew, she learned he was from Carlmark. He spoke of Daneland to the north, which he called Topland in his native tongue, where children were allowed to choose their own names. "Everyday I learn a lot of things here," Hedwig mused to herself, feeling somewhat embarrassed at having forgotten his name for so long. He had even taught her an old sailor's superstition - wearing a man's unwashed shirt the next day was supposed to bring good fortune.
Noting there was no sign of Seneran patrols, Carl turned to more practical matters. "How have you cured your seasickness, pal?" he asked, remembering her struggles during the first leg of their journey. He shared various remedies: just smelling whiskey rather than drinking it, ginger tea, a mixture of lemon and ginger, chamomile, and the simple solution of opening a window for fresh air.
When the food was ready, Hedwig helped serve what the sailors jokingly called "slop" - though she noted that their fish stew, fresh and well-seasoned, was far better fare than what most ships offered their crews.