(Part 1/4)
On curses and those crafting them
There are many breeds of curses and their potency varies as much as those who are able to cast them. On multiple occasions throughout history there have been people and even families cursed one way or another: thus one can conclude that the phenomenom of cursing is nothing new. Curses are often mixed with possession of sort, with common superstition being that an "evil entity haunts them" to explain all of their bad luck and other occurrences of the said curse.
Lowliest and easiest to deal with curses are those set up by beginner spellcasters. As loathsome as being lame or weakened into inability is, one should not worry: These curses most commonly end within ten minutes to eight hours. They are not unlike a sudden flu or any other sickness. If one believes themselves to be afflicted by a curse of this sort, they should avoid exhausting themselves and just rest. One should as well be aware that a curse of this nature often requires the cursecrafter to touch their victim and to speak unsacred words, so a curse cast at this nature would most likely not go unnoticed as long as the victim was not asleep the time the curse was cast.
(Part 2/4)
Certainly more difficult curses to lift are those set by monsters with special capabilities of crafting them. A long time the stare of a basilisk has been mistaken for a curse, compelling peasants and the like to seek out "petrified princes" and to kiss them under the moonlight for them to return. As a sidenote, while a curse of this nature is entirely possible, the status caused by a basilisk is indeed not a curse. Of a much more serious and nefarious origin come the curses planted by Hags. These creatures that resemble old, crooked women. Some of them moist with skin, others have protruding horns from their hair but all of them unfathomably ugly, mischievous, evil and intelligent.
Hags often rise up as nearly the main source of curses that require a specialist to deal with them. As a most certain rule of thumb one should never agree on a wish or a deal with a hag, for they nearly always have endless loopholes or sideplots to keep their victims rendered to their service for eternity, or to cause more pain and suffering than relief. Hag's magic is powerful and weird and rare who study them have had their minds remain intact. However, the curse of a common hag most often only reflects the wishes of a person and rarely is able to force any other fates into the fate of that who chose to spell out the wish. A hag's victim might wish for the love of their life to love them back, but the hag yet has to brew a concoction and to sneak it into the said love's drink to get the wish to fulfill. Hag's are not omnipotent and their curses are often ended either by ending the life of a hag who performed the curse, or by fulfilling some hidden exit often worded out as part of the curse.
(Part 3/4)
As curious as these contracts issued are, hags seem to be compelled to follow their own contracts. Like evil, shackled with words it itself has offered. Their contracts rarely affect any family members, and therefore those are the first people to be harassed at the wrong end of a contract. A smith may never wish for her childrens well-being, but could form a pact to ensure that she is able to fend off any assaulters from her family. However, in this case as is the lowly nature of hags, it would be likely for an issue or a threat to rise from inside of ones family rather from outside... and that would be the hags doing, no doubt.
Curses and contracts of the hags seem to be unable to be inherited as well, without the receiving participant willfully accepting the continuation of their bloodlines burden. It is a common misbelief to think that a child is ill or evil because of the deeds of their parents, for atleast with the vile hags this is not the case. Therefore the most twisted and cruel individuals end up harming those close to them as part of their contracts, because hags despise love and beauty in all of its forms. A twisted creature of the woodland realms and of the trickery-loving fey, a hag loves all things disgusting and sickening and is enthralled as it performs things any good man or woman would consider abhorrent. For this jealousy, they often command their servants to abandon their families, to hurt their young or to be dishonest to their partners. To tear the very tether of love in these families to ribbons.
(Part 4/4)
Speculations
Considering seperate entities that roam beyond our reality and the influence of hags, one would assume it to be completely plausible to counter-curse a specific curse through another, less malevolent deal. However when considering counter-cursing, it must always be taken into account to form a favorable curse and to avoid getting jinxed a second time with a worse outcome. Records over any successful counter-curses do not exist, but especially the twisted deals offered by hags would in theory make counter-cursing an actual possibility.
An example: A deal with far-southern hags of the Cauldron of Creation has forced a man to bark always when they're in the company of the gender that they desire sexually. If the man was to find another twisted deal from the hags of Capra Copse, he could form a pact that enforces him superior intellect, but as a downside he looses all of his sexual desires. The later curse would, in theory, nullify the effects of the first curse and therefore free the man of the socially awkward gimmick, even if that would lead him to a life of an another unsavory curse.
Further information can be acquired either through a membership in the Order of Delivered Steel, or through the archives of Arcana Omen. If you are contracted by a curse, seek a professional like you would with any disease - Curses are not embarrassing to those who understand their nature and how to handle them.
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