"The power of ‘the sight’ gifts attunement with the frightening power of nature, spirits and lifeforces combined into malicious spellcraft."
- —Description of a Hag Witch in Total War: Warhammer III.
A coven of Ungol Hag Witches working their magics in the forests of Kislev as depicted in Total War: Warhammer III.[2]
A Hag Witch is a powerful female witch who can communicate with and wield the power of the nature spirits found throughout their native lands of Kislev. Few Ungol women develop magical powers without first demonstrating "the sight." Thus, most Hag Witches were wise women first.
The Hag Witches' powers are said to be a blessing and a curse, for although the hags can undoubtedly aid their local communities, the spirits demand a high price for their compliance: premature aging. Because of this consequence, most wise women dread the possibility of the spirits answering their call.[1a]
As well as the wise women, those who suffer a great loss -- such as the death of a husband or child -- may also be chosen by the spirit of the Motherland known as the Ancient Widow and gain an intimate understanding of Kislev's tormented spirits. Hag Witches who come to power in this way often live alone, grieving for their lost loved ones and fading youth.[1a]
Quick Answers
What powers does a Hag Witch possess in Total War: Warhammer III?
How does a woman become a Hag Witch in the lands of Kislev?
What is the role of 'the sight' in the development of a Hag Witch's powers?
What is the relationship between a Hag Witch and nature spirits in Warhammer?
Were most Hag Witches wise women before developing their magical powers?
Role[]
"The only thing worse than having a hag in your stanitsa is not having a hag in your stanitsa."
Concept art of a Hag Witch created for Total War: Warhammer III.
Millennia ago, the Ungols of the land that became Kislev learned to cast magic without using the mutating Winds of Magic drawn from the Realm of Chaos. Their spellcasters instead mastered techniques to manipulate, cajole, bully and bribe the many nature spirits of Kislev to use magic for them. However, these spirits are capricious and demand a terrible price in return: a witch's youth.[2]
Concept art of a Hag Witch created for Total War: Warhammer III.
As well as wise women born with "the sight," those who suffer great loss -- such as the death of a husband or child -- may in one way or another also find themselves with an intimate understanding of Kislev's tormented spirits. Hag Witches who come to power in this way often live alone, grieving for their lost loved ones and rapidly fading youth amongst the sparse thickets of the oblasts.[2]
Hag Witches are skilled with their unique Lore of the Hag, the Lore of Beasts (these witches are called Koldunja), the Lore of Shadow (witches called Vorozheja) and the Lore of Death (witches called Znarkharja). In each case, the magic of each lore is actually cast by the summoned spirits for the witch, and then channelled by them according to her intentions.[2]
Hag Mothers[]
"The Koldunja tend the spirits of the land, calling upon them for their placation, summoning or banishment."
- —Description of a Hag Witch skilled with the Lore of Beasts in Total War: Warhammer III.
A Hag Witch using the Lore of the Hag spell Form of the Ancient Widow while leading a group of Ungols to battle.[1]
The legendary Hag Mothers are very powerful Hag Witches, known for their powers of divination, healing, and their influence over the Ancient Widow's nature spirits. Most eke out simple lives in rustic huts far from the Kislevite communities they watch over.
Hag Mothers rarely leave their spirit-haunted homes, forcing those seeking their aid to undertake arduous journeys to reach them. However, a few Hag Mothers do wander Kislev, following wherever the spirits lead them and sharing their knowledge. Although most appear impossibly old and bent -- their twisted spines creaking alarmingly at the smallest movement -- many retain their youthful vigour and can be unexpectedly spry, having surrendered only the appearance of their youth to the spirits.
Lore of the Hag[]
The Ungol Hag Witches have dealt with Kislev's nature spirits for countless generations. In that time, several distinct traditions have formed. The Koldunja, or "Spirit Witches," are hags who tend the spirits of the land and are called upon when the spirits need placating, banishing, or summoning.
The Vorozheja, or "Fate Witches," specialise in communicating with spirits of fortune and are consulted by those wishing to know the future. The Znarkharja, or "Folk Witches," ward against the influence of Chaos and tend to all manner of ailments plaguing Kislevite communities. But no matter what ancient traditions a Hag Witch practices, all are known for one power above all others: their ability to curse their enemies...[1b]
Petty Spells[]
- Charmed - For the cost of a drop of your blood, the Hag Witch attracts tiny spirits of good fortune to an individual's smeared blood.
- Curse - For the cost of a fingernail from the victim, Hag Witch speaks terrible words, invoking the spirits to curse a single target within range.
- Fate of Interlopers - Every time a Hag Witch casts a spell of the Lore of the Hag, those who trespass upon the ground covered by the area of the spell soon find their fate is completely sealed; their end decided, as enemy forces lose their morale, and those troops aligned with Kislev find their resistance to enemy magic increased.[3]
- Resist Corruption - For the cost of spittle, the Hag Witch utters an invocation to the spirits to gain their protection from the Ruinous Powers.
Lore of the Hags Notable Spells[]
- Banish Spirit - For the cost of two of an elk's inner organs, the Hag Witch banishes an ethereal creature back into the Aethyr or from wherever it came.
- Cleanse Body - The Hag Witch's target eats two fistfuls of fish guts as she cackles her spell. The guts attract healing spirits to help drive out the evil spirits of disease and hurt.
- Cleanse Soul - The target drinks three cups of bear's urine, allowing the Hag Witch to attack any spirits of the Dark Gods inhabiting them.
- Command Spirit - For the cost of two fox's brains, the Hag Witch bends a spirit to her will.
- Cursed Pledge - For the cost of two items personal to the target, the Hag Witch demands the target enact a deed or suffer her wrath.
- Deny Spirit - For the cost of two newt spines, the Hag Witch can banish a spirit to anywhere beyond the spell's affected area and force it to remain outside of said area.
- Form of the Ancient Widow - For the cost of six fistfuls of Kislevite earth soaked in the Hag Witch's fresh blood, she invites the Ancient Widow's most powerful allied spirits within her. The Hag Witch transforms, along with her trappings, into a grey-haired monstrosity over eight feet in height, with glowing eyes, rusted metal teeth, and long, iron talons.
- Fortune Told - For the cost of two items directly applicable to the question asked, your eyes turn blue as you enter a trance (rendering you helpless) and commune with the spirits. Any single person may ask a single question about some future happening. The spirits convey the answer in a cryptic phrase.
- Greater Curse - For the cost of two items personal to the target, the Hag Witch calls the spirits to curse someone.
- Hag's Curse - For the cost of one lock of the target's hair, the spirits grant the Hag Witch insight into the target's fate.
- Haunting - For the cost of two fist-sized items from the target location, the Hag Witch curses a specified building (or section of it, for large buildings) or small geographical feature (such as a hill or copse) to attract malevolent spirits.
- Lucky Claw - For the cost of two claws of a three-legged dog, the Hag Witch attracts a luck spirit to the ingredient and binds it there.
- Past Revealed - For the cost of two items directly applicable to the question asked, the Hag Witch's eyes turn red as she enters a trance and sees the past through a crimson haze. Whilst in the trance, the Hag Witch is helpless. To receive a vision, the hag must first ask a question of the spirits (e.g. What happened here three years ago? or How did this man die?). However, as the vision comes from the point of view of local spirits (which may include the dead, nature spirits, malignant spites, or similar), the results are often confusing, unsure and hard to interpret from a mortal's point of view.
- Resist Chaos - For the cost of two snowy owl's gizzards, the Hag Witch's incantation summons spirits that hate the Dark Gods of the north.
- Summon Spirit - For the cost of an ingredient dependent upon the type of spirit, the Hag Witch summons a spirit to an unoccupied spot within the spell's range.
- Whispers of Taint - For the cost of two hands taken from a worshipper of the Dark Gods, the spirits whisper dire warnings whenever servants of the Ruinous Powers or things tainted by their evil draw near.
- Forbidden Fens - The Hag Witch beseeches ethereal forces deep underground to seep upwards and hamper the progress of her enemies, draining all momentum from them.[3]
- Witchbrew - The Hag Witch's cauldron erupts in a bubbling crescendo, splashing its contents -- and the Motherland's boundless wrath -- all over her hopeless enemies, unleashing a terrible, vitality-sapping poison upon them. The same substance boosts the vigour of any Kislevite-allied forces caught in its wake.[3]
- Curse of the Ancient Witch - A hooded figure summoned by the Hag Witch whispers words of terror, both mortal and immortal, to those who should never, ever have gone wandering in the woods... The spell acts as a hex upon all the enemies of the witch, destroying the capacity of their armour to protect them and increasing their likelihood of being struck by Kislevite missiles. At the same time, it greatly increases the effectiveness of any Kislevite-allied missile troops.[3]
- Vengeance of Spirits - The Hag Witch channels a malevolent nature spirit into an enemy's soul to saturate their being and gradually tear them to bloody, miniscule shreds from the inside out. It also silences any enemy spellcasters, which stops the affected units from being able to use their abilities or cast spells. At the same time it grants the allies of Kislev greater access to the Winds of Magic for their own spells and magical abilities.[3]
- Cursed Cauldron - Conjured up from the Hag Witch's cauldron, spectral missiles shoot upwards to rain carnage down upon the foe, though these magical missiles will not damage any Kislevite or allied forces caught in their assault.[3]
- Malediction of Madness - A sudden rush of nightmarish visions floods the victim of this spell's psyche, driving them to a fleeting madness that debilitates even the hardiest warrior. However, Kislevite forces and their allies find their assaults magically enhanced to produce greater damage, though they also find themselves losing control of their actions to a berserker rage.[3]
Curses[]
"The Vorozheja communicate with spirits of ill-fortune to twist reality and manipulate the future."
- —Description of a Hag Witch skilled in the Lore of Shadow in Total War: Warhammer III.
From minor nuisances such as boils or flatulence, to greater blights such as disease or premature old age, the range of magical curses employed by the Ungol Hag Witches is almost endless.
- Hag's Curse - The victim is cursed to age at an incredible rate as the Ancient Widow's spirits leech their youth away. Their hair greys and lengthens, their nails yellow and extend, their muscles atrophy, and their eyes and mind weaken.
- Misfortune Curse - Malign spirits dog the victim's every step, tripping them at important moments, poking their eyes when they need to see, and forcing them to bark obscenities when they try to be charming.
- Madness Curse - Tiny, malicious spirits settle in the victim's mind. Once they become insane, the spirits cease their torment.
- Sickness Curse - This curse attracts disease spirits. This curse only imposes one disease at a time on the victim.
- Witch's Curse - Spirits swirl around the victim, wearing away at the barrier between the material realm and the Aethyr, making the dire effects of exposure to magical mishaps and mutations more likely.
Hauntings[]
"The Znarkharja have deep knowledge of all ailments and can tap into life-forces to heal or debilitate."
- —Description of a Hag Witch skilled in the Lore of Death in Total War: Warhammer III.
Kislev has always been a haunted land. All manner of spirits gather in its dark forests, open oblast, and high mountains. The Ungol Hag Witches have long treated with these entities and have learned ways to attract and influence them, allowing them to curse an area with bad luck, nightmares, or worse.
Most Hag Mothers attract spirits to haunt the territory about their homes. However, they are careful to ensure there is a safe path through, for they are not themselves immune to the effects of haunting.
- Cursed - Simple but malicious spirits haunt the area and punish any that draw close.
- Distracting Curse - Minor spirits flit through the area, tugging at extremities.
- Mishap Curse - Childish spirits giggle throughout the place, unhitching buckles, loosing belts, pulling down pants, lifting skirts, and pinching bottoms.
- Nightmare Curse - After five minutes sleeping in the cursed area, the victim of this haunting suffers from terrible nightmares as spirits rip through their mind.
- Rotting Curse - Spirits of decay are drawn to the cursed locale. Any perishables rot quickly. Fresh food moulders in minutes, preserves may last as long as an hour, and other materials rust, decompose, or corrode in little more than a day.
Notable Hag Witches[]
- Baba Khubleya - Baba Khubleya was a prodigal child Hag Witch with great powers of divination.
- Baba Osuleg - Baba Osuleg is a mutated Hag Witch of Troll Country.
- Sea Hag - The Sea Hag is a fabled Hag Witch said to torment descendants of the Gospodars, the nomadic people who founded present-day Kislev by taking lands from the original Ungol inhabitants.
Sources[]
- 1: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Realm of the Ice Queen (RPG)
- 2: Total War: Warhammer III (PC Game)
- 3: Total War Blog - Patch 4.2 Shadows of Change Content Additions – Part 3: Kislev
Gallery[]
