Карга

Карга (англ. hag, переводится также как «яга» или «ведьма», или транслитерируется как «хага») — вид монстра в разных редакциях и сеттингах Dungeons & Dragons, воплощение сказочной ведьмы, русской бабы Яги, шотландской Чёрной Аннис и других подобных ужасных старух, владеющих чёрной магией и занимающихся наведением порчи и людоедством.

История публикаций

Карга принадлежит к числу наиболее старых монстров D&D. Впервые морская карга (sea hag) была описана в приложении «Blackmoor» Дэйва Арнесона (1975 год) для OD&D.

В AD&D морская карга вошла в «Monster Manual» (1977 год). В модуле «Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun» (1982 год) появилась карга аннис (annis), затем она была включена в «Monster Manual II» (1983 год) совместно с зелёной каргой (green hag). Таким образом в D&D появились «три ведьмы», ставшие затем стандартными для последующих редакций. В № 68 журнала «Dragon» (декабрь 1982 года) описывалась пресноводная морская карга (fresh water sea hag). Зелёная карга была подробно рассмотрена в статье Найджела Финдли «The Ecology of the Greenhag» в «Dragon» № 125 (сентябрь 1987 года).

Редакция BD&D имела свои варианты карги: морская карга и чёрная карга (black hag) описаны в «Dungeons & Dragons Master Rules» (1985 год) и в «Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia» (1991 год).

«Monstrous Compendium Volume Two» (1989 год) для AD&D 2 стал первой книгой, куда были включены все три классические карги: аннис, зелёная и морская. Затем они были перепечатаны в «Monstrous Manual» (1993 год). В «Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium Appendix III: Creatures of Darkness» (1994 год) представлены их призрачные варианты (spectral annis, spectral green hag, spectral sea hag). В сеттинге Forgotten Realms появилась bheur hag, описанная в «Spellbound» (1995 год) и в «Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume Three» (1996 год).

В «Monster Manual» (2000 год) для третьей редакции D&D опять появились аннис, зелёная и морская карги. Дополнение «Savage Species» (2003 год) преобразовало всех трёх в монстр-класс. Кроме классической троицы, были описаны также другие варианты: болотная карга (bog hag) — в «Oriental Adventures» (2001 год), bheur hag, вопящая карга (shrieking hag) и отродье карги (hagspawn) — в дополнении «Unapproachable East» (2003 год) для Forgotten Realms.

В D&D 3.5 три карги снова вошли в «Monster Manual» (2003 год). В сеттинге Eberron появилась закатная карга (dusk hag), описанная в «Eberron Campaign Setting» (2004 год). Дополнения «Sandstorm» и «Frostburn» (2005 год) представили соответственно дюнную каргу (dune hag) и марзанну (marzanna). Зелёная карга и аннис были подробно описаны в статьях Ф. Уэсли Шнейдера (F. Wesley Schneider) «The Ecology of the Green Hag» и «The Ecology of the Annis» в 331-м (май 2005 года) и 345-м (июль 2006 года) номерах «Dragon».

В четвёртой редакции D&D в «Monster Manual» (2008 год) описываются другие карги, нежели во второй и третьей редакциях: воющая карга (howling hag), болотная карга и смертельная карга (death hag). Кроме того, в раздел, посвящённый каргам, включена ночная карга, которая в предшествующих редакциях относилась к демоническим созданиям и описывалась отдельно.

Описание

Hags appear as wretched old women, with long, frayed hair and withered faces. Horrid moles and warts dot their blotchy skin, their mouths are filled with blackened teeth, and their breath is most foul. Though wrinkled and skinny, hags possess supernatural strength and can easily crush smaller creatures, such as goblins, with one hand. Similarly, though hags look decrepit, they run swiftly, easily bounding over rocks or logs in their path. From the long, skinny fingers of hags grow iron-like claws. Hags use these claws and their supernatural strength to rend and tear at opponents in combat. Their garb is similar to that of peasant women, but usually much more tattered and filthy.

Hags live alone or in covens of three. They always choose desolate, out-of-the-way places in which to dwell. They sometimes coexist with ogres or evil giants. The former act as servants or guards for hags, but giants are treated with respect (for obvious reasons) and often cooperate with hags to accomplish acts of great evil against the outside world.

While individually powerful, hags are much more dangerous when formed into a covey. A covey is composed of three hags of any combination. Covens have special spells and powers that individual hags don’t possess. To cast one of these spells, the members of the coven must all be within ten feet of each other and the spell being cast must be in lieu of all other attacks.

Covens never cast these spells in combat, instead these spells are used to help weave wicked plots against neighboring human or demihuman settlements. A common ploy by Hag covens is to force or trick a victim into performing some heinous deed. This deed usually involves bringing back more victims, some of whom are devoured by the hags; the rest are used on further evil assignments. Any creature fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to resist a coven is immediately devoured.

Covens often use one or two ogres as spies, sending them into the world beyond after polymorphing them into less threatening creatures.

These minions frequently wear a special magical gem called a hag eye. A hag eye is made from the real eye of a coven’s previous victim. It appears to the casual observer to be no more than a low-value gem, but if viewed through a gem of True Seeing, a disembodied eye can be seen trapped in the hag eye’s interior. This hidden eye is magically connected to the coven that created the hag eye. All three members of the coven can see whatever the hag eye is pointed at. Hag eyes are usually placed on a medallion or brooch worn by one of the hag’s polymorphed servants. Occasionally hag eyes are given as gifts to unsuspecting victims whom the hags want to monitor.

Hags commonly inhabit bone-strewn glens deep within forests. There is a large chance that hags are keeping one or two captives in a nearby earthen pit or forcecage. These prisoners are held for a purpose known only to the hags themselves, though it will certainly involve spreading chaos into the outside world. Prisoners kept in a pit are guarded by an evil giant or one to two ogres; those in a forcecage are left alone.

Most hags worship the dark goddess Cegilune.

Hags have a ravenous appetite and are able to quickly devour man-sized creatures. They prefer human flesh, but settle for orc or demihuman when necessary. This wanton destruction has earned hags some powerful enemies. Besides humanity in general, both good giants and good dragons hunt hags, slaying them whenever possible. Still, hags multiply rapidly by using their magic to appear as beautiful maidens to men they encounter alone. Hag offspring are always female. Legends say that hags can change their unborn child for that of a human female while she sleeps. They further state that any mother who brings such a child to term is then slain by the hag-child she carries. Fortunately, such ghastly tales have never been proven.

Hags hoard fine treasure, using the jewelry and coins to decorate the bones of their more powerful victims, and the finer gems to manufacture magical hag eyes.

Разновидности

The following are different varieties of Hags in the D&D game:

• Annis — The dreaded annis commonly uses magic to disguise itself as an exceptionally tall human, a fair giant, or an ogre.
• Bheur — A bheur hag is capable of bringing winter’s chill to any place in the land.
• Dune Hag — Wasteland cousins of the annis, dune hags use their disguise self and enthrall abilities to lure victims to their deaths.
• Dusk Hag — Accursed offspring of night hags, can see visions of the future in her dreams and can influence the dreams of others.
• Green Hag — Green hags are found in desolate swamps and dark forests and are able to weaken foes simply by touch.
• Marzanna — This winter hag is the personification of death and winter.
• Sea Hag — Sea hags are fully aquatic, with an appearance so horrific that it saps the strength out of living creatures. The sea hag is also able to use her «evil eye» to kill or daze victims.
• Shrieking Hag — Shrieking hags are horrible, spiteful monsters who haunt desolate wastelands and barren plains.
• Xtabay — A foul hag from Mayan legend.Шаблон:Citation needed

Related creatures

• Hagspawn — The usually male children of hags, hagspawn are normally brutish and ill-tempered creatures. Hagspawn born from night hags do not appear brutish nor ill-tempered, and they resemble much more their father than their mother, save for their skin, which often has a violet, grayish and/or blueish tone. Female hagspawn also exist, however, these only exist when the mother is a night hag; night hags are not born night hags, but are instead born as female hagspawn, which like the male offspring from night hags, are not brutish nor-ill tempered. In order to become a hag, a female hagspawn has to pass 13 rituals that have to be performed by her mother — if these rituals are not taken, or are interrupted, then the female hagspawn won’t become a night hag.

• Night Hag — These are actually fiends, and are outsiders which are native to the Lower Planes, like Devils and Demons, rather than monstrous humanoids, like centaurs and medusae.

• Brujah — First introduced in the Ravenloft campaign setting, these are Hags that have undergone a startling spiritual metamorphosis, becoming creatures of Good rather than Evil.

Другие упоминания

A Night Hag named Ravel Puzzlewell plays a major role in the PC game Planescape Torment — she is responsible for the immortality of the protagonist: The Nameless One. A large section of the quest involves searching for her, she is eventually found to be imprisoned by the Lady of Pain.

Hags also feature prominently in Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer. Various Hagspawn are encountered throughout the game, most notably 'Gannayev' a Spirit Shaman who can join your party. Later in the game the player visits a Hag City as part of your quest and eventually encounter Gannayev’s Hag mother.

Литература

• Schneider, Wesley. «By the Hands of Hags» Dragon № 300 (Paizo Publishing, 2002).
• Alvarez, J.C. «Beasts of the Sun: Central American Monsters.» Dragon № 317 (Paizo Publishing, 2004).
• Ward, Kyla. «The Petit Tarrasque and Other Monsters.» Dragon № 329 (Paizo Publishing, 2005).