Daughters of Babayaga

…for many who see her as the first witch. While very little is known about her we do have proof of her four daughters. Each of the daughters are mentioned to have followed one of the paths of Witchery so to speak. While many might assume that the sources of the Aeon of Vengeance and Kaiser could be seen as unreliable, we have everyone’s favorite gossiping Archon Fulgur as an impartial source. On top of several goblin sources for what its worth. All mention her daughters so lets get into them! But first a word from this issue’s sponsor. Ladies, are you tired of finding scales in your bodice?... …Said to have been the first born Boyana is said to have been the closest to their mother in terms of personality. Head strong, arrogant, hateful, and vengeful she takes the form of what many here in the east think of when we hear about witches of the undead lands. An old, withered hag caked in curses and hexes. Though that is a harmful stereotype, one of which two of the sisters buck, it fits for her. Boyana codified much of the current Spôsob Hexov or The Way of Hexes for those not fluent in Hex Speak. Several stories and reports from the time make mention of her hiding away in dark aether rich places attempting to capture the power her mother wielded by any means necessary. She is the daughter we know the least about. While the other three would go on to found what is now Knochenwald she vanished beneath the sands of time… …however, such guesses are better left for Doctor Anders next we meet. Now onto Jalena the second born daughter. The Witch of Whimsy, as she would later be called, is nothing like her mother or older sister. Being the people person of the group, she loved the mystical, mesmerizing, mystery of witchcraft and showing people the fun you could have with it. Many of the traditions done during the Night of the Moon were started with her. The giving of treats, wearing of masks, listening to scary stories and the like. All for good fun of course. She was known to have a veritable menagerie following her. Unsurprising given Jalena codified Cesta Známeho, or The Path of Familiars, and is said to have put on a play for people every year using her illusions and familiars to help her. All the stories were, according to record, horrifyingly scary. Strange how one who is said to be so sweet and bubbly was able to so easily cause people fear. She was also one of the few people to… …Not that I would be drinking anything black and bubbly. Speaking of drinking lets move on to the Cauldron Mother herself. Third born of Babayaga Milana is believed to have been the figure which inspired the stories of the kind ol witch in the woods. The one living in a little house with her potions, brews, and cauldrons bubbling away. She is reported to have been motherly and stern in equal measure. Potions were her thing having codified Cesta Elixírov also known as The Path of the Elixir furthering both witchcraft and alchemy. A common children’s tale about her has her helping the hero, a young axeman’s boy, by giving him a potion to stay warm while yelling at him for being so stupid to have come out into the woods on his own. Sweet woman no? Well there are some stories which paint her as a more devious witch. Brewing up potions for people for what seemed like a steal only for them to learn the true price they paid was much greater. Unfortunately, while she didn’t sink into the sands of time like her older sister the demonic attack on her husband’s hometown of Vysoký Kopec, and thus the family estate, along with the Witch’s revolt against Zander caused many of the pages of history where she was mentioned to be lost… …supposing such dressed even had enchantments. Lastly, let us learn about Charna. The last born of the daughters bucked the traditions of the family and struck out on her own. While she remained within the realms of Witchcraft, she specialized in necromancy codifying Cesta Mŕtvych or the Path of the Dead. Both to understand Necromancy and in hopes of bringing her mother back to life. Though her work would be quickly overshadowed by Zelig Sommer she still spent a lot of time with Zander during the early days of his rule and expansion. Because of this we know the most about her. The key thing about her is she was the one to get her other two sisters to found Knochenwald and formally ally themselves with Zander. In fact, she was appointed as his first Head Necromancer before being replaced with Sommer after her death at the ripe old age of 114. Charna is said to have been aloof and filled with a sense of wanderlust. Always looking for bones and eagerly searching for ways to bring things back to life. While she looked like her mother, she is said to have been rather personable to strangers so long as they gave her the respect she deserved. If you didn’t, well you’d be useful as fresh bones. In fact, there is a story of a Rodentra who…