Hag Awakening

Wicked Change

Written by Endrise

Their own flesh and blood is nothing but another pawn to cause misery in this world. A cruel joke born to shatter hope and bring despair.
All they care about is to toy with the life of mortals.

— Inka, Changeling Summoner

Amongst the twisted practises of Hags, their most crucial one is one's awakening. To call upon their Changeling child, lead them back home, and bring forth their true hag nature. All to add another member to their coven and grow its power in the long-run.

The Fall of a Changeling

The Calling

When a Changeling reaches their 18^th birthday, most will be called upon by their Hag mother. From across both continents and planes of existence, they message them to come back home. For most this is in the form of a dream, compelling their mind to obey.

They will then proceed to journey back home, often by all means necessary. Such travels might take days, weeks, even years on end. But eventually, all will meet their birthmother.

Disobeying the call is difficult, requiring a strong will to even go against it. And should a Changeling not be able to go to their mother, their mother might come to them instead. All of which making fighting it an uphill battle.

The Awakening

Once a Changeling arrives at their mother's den, the rituals commence. For each coven and each Hag, it is a different ceremony with different components.

Outside their coven circles, few know what goes into the preparation. Hags prefer to keep it a secret, as any living witnesses are scarce or too scarred to describe it. All that is known is that it involves ancient spells and a stew made by Hag mother.

The stew's ingredients are a mixture of common and uncommon things, from vegetables and meat to the hair of a loved one and a lizard's eye. The stench of it though is unbearable for all, except for the Changeling, who instead is allured by it.

Once they swallow it, the effects are irreversible. It twists their bodies and minds to fully accept the Hag nature, stripping them of their last humanity. A Changeling's body contorts to fit the beauty of a Hag, their past life ends, and a new member of the coven begins.

For many, it is the death of their former life.

Refusing the Call

Not all Changelings accept the call, often with great resistance. They deny their mother's wishes and ignore the voice, often going mad in the progress. But with some luck, they can sever their ties and defy their Hag heritage.

Those no longer tied to their birthmother's influence finally find peace in their existence. Free to decide their own futures, no longer belonging to a coven. For some it is even a moment that lets them learn to use their heritage for greater purposes.