Like any good ancient swamp, Greymantle Marsh has always had a hag problem. In the Lockhinge region, the territories of most hags are well-known to the rangers of the area, and these have either been negotiated with and appeased to the point of having very loose truces established between them, or carefully avoided altogether. One hag that has been particularly difficult to both keep track of and negotiate with is Besottany Herdmother.
Unlike most hags who prefer to have well-established lairs that they viciously defend, the Herdmother is an entirely nomadic being. She is just as craven and greedy as other hags, so to make a wandering lifestyle possible for her, she has cultivated an entire herd of unwaveringly loyal
centaur guards to keep her safe.
This hag doesn't need to hide her presence; she revels in the dawning terror that spreads through the marshlands when her herd is glimpsed appearing from the mists.
The Herdmother
The elite rangers of Greymantle are some of the only living souls who know of the hag's true identity. Most, including her own herd, know of her only as the Herdmother, a mysterious being of great power and fickle motives who leads a small but powerful clan of centaurs on a wide, cyclical migration through the vast wetlands of Greymantle. She is known for her great care toward her herd, and demonstrations of benevolence in seeking out and collecting centaurs who have become disenfranchised or otherwise lack the security of a herd. She isn't quite so altruistic in her dealings with other creatures, though she is occasionally sought out by those who desire her aid enough to brave the swamp and her formidable guards enough to try and speak with her.
In truth, her apparent affection for her herd is almost certainly little more than a ruse to keep them loyal to her, and what seems like reluctance to help others unless they truly put forth effort in seeking her out is in actuality a surprisingly successful tactic to draw others to her--especially those most desperate to make a deal.
The Herd
Besottany's Herd is much more of a guard unit than a true centaur herd, as there isn't the same sort of goals and family structure that is found in natural clans. In collecting orphaned centaurs and those who have been disenfranchised all along her travels, she doesn't have to worry about the strong family ties and unbroken tradition that normally bind a herd together. Some members of her herd do form small family units amongst themselves, but it is not a common practice, and the crone's influence tends to encourage more random and uncommitted pairings than the forming of true partnerships. There are not many juveniles in the herd--only the uncommon foal born to herdmembers and the scant few orphans that she manages to find at a time.
After being collected and rehabilitated from whatever sorry state they were initially recruited in, herd members are encouraged to train and better themselves in order to serve as protector to the Herdmother and the rest of the clan as they are able to. Between the skill of the veteran herdmembers and the hag's own influence, the herd has become a unit of fearsome and self-sufficient warriors who will heedlessly combat dangers to keep their brethren and holy Herdmother safe.
