This thread is meant as "read-only", that is, you can look here for the guidelines to write articles and make artwork for "Of Darkest Gray", but please ask questions and start discussions in the according thread:
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Guidelines for writers and artists
Fri, 2007-08-10 03:48
#1
Guidelines for writers and artists
Fri, 2007-08-10 04:11
#3
Night Hags
Night Hag backgrounds
Everyone knows evil witches, old crones that feed on human flesh, and the like. While these hags are nasty, Night Hags are like their ancient, ultimate predecessors: The ultimate evil witches. A normal hag is like a child playing evil compared to a Night Hag.
The Gray Sisters, as they are also called, appear nasty, but harmless, but this is only a mask: They have ancient knowledge possibly older than the birth of the first fiends as we know them today. While not every Night Hag is ancient, the race as a whole is, and they have gathered power within their eons of existence.
Opposite to balors, pit fiends and the like, the power of Night Hags isn't too obvious: They are creatures of subtlety. Some see them as "perverted druids of the Gray Waste", bending and twisting the natural ressources to fit their personal goals. And to them, bodies, minds and souls are just one more natural ressource - like their trade with larvae shows.
While the Night Hags prefer their mysteries well-hidden, they themselves always seek hidden knowledge - and often solve puzzles better left unsolved. There are few creatures that have such a vast array of vile, forgotten knowledge, and even fewer that put that knowledge to use as much as the Gray Sisters do.
The "official powers" of Night Hags might let them appear weak compared to mighty fiends, but their true magic is ancient, and their innate powers are merely supportive powers for their real magical might. That ancient magic usually comes in the form of rituals, and in many cases means putting things together in a cauldron. This might be a matter of taste, but it's more probable there are deeper reasons for how the Gray Sisters perform their rites - most probably, it's got something to do with extracting and merging essences (which, of course, fits to the "perverted druids" theme that bend nature to their will).
It is very probable that Night Hags have direct or indirect ties to the Planes of Dream and of Shadows. They are masters of nightmares, and they are subtle nightmares themselves.
Mon, 2007-09-03 02:45
#4
Guidelines for writers and artists
Night Hags in short:
The Gray Sisters are masters of the Gray Waste, feeding on hope and desires, rather than being victims themselves. Their minds are like mazes with infinite trapdoors and hidden vaults. They are the nightmares you couldn't dream up yourself. Indeed, most of their evil actions and rituals include dreams and nightmares.
Imagine someone knowing the truth behind reality, and the truth behind you. And imagine that someone to use it against you in the nastiest way possible.
Mon, 2007-09-03 10:08
#5
Guidelines for writers and artists
Hordling backgrounds
Hordlings are commonly seen as mindless, ravaging beasts, and it seems the powers-that-be like this image of Hordlings to stay. But it's not true (not in all cases, at least). Hordlings are full-grown fiends, including everything that this means.
Chant is that, eons ago, there were three fiendish races: The Yugoloths, the ancient Baatorians, and the ancient Abyssals (the names of the latter two forgotten nowadays). They existed before the birth of the first mortal.
When mortals came into the multiverse, their souls were drawn to the Outer Planes after death. And the most evil ones of those souls turned into fiends themselves. One way or another, three new fiendish races appeared, rivalling the original fiendish races. Those new races were the baatezu, the tanar'ri - and the hordlings.
After eons of war and intrigue, the ancient Abyssals and Baatorians disappeared, with only the Yugoloths as the last original fiendish race remaining. They, as the only original fiends, won over their mortal rivals, the Hordlings. But they couldn't wipe out the new race, they only subdued it - keeping the Hordling race from taking the same power as baatezu and tanar'ri did. To this day, the Hordlings are probably the greatest danger to the Yugoloth race.
At least, this is the myth told among planars...
The basics
First of all, there is a difference between the theme of the Gray Waste, and the themes fitting to Night Hags and Hordlings. With these guidelines, I try to combine both common understanding of these creatures / races, and what's been written in official sources.
The Gray Waste is gloomy, hopeless and apathetic. Night Hags, on the other hand, are considered prosperous dealers of larvae, actively pursuing their evil goals. The Hordlings - often displayed as ravenous beasts that tear everything apart that comes their way - sure are active in their own ways, too. So we need something special for each race, Night Hags and Hordlings, while still having it tied to the mood of the Waste.
Mysterious and overlooked
This might be the most obvious tie between Night Hags and Hordlings, safe for their presence in the Gray Waste: Both races are given only a spark of the attention they deserve. It seems like the multiverse doesn't care much about them, despite the fact they belong to the most important races of the Outer Planes.
There are secrets out there. There's a reason why noone cares about Night Hags and Hordlings, and it's entirely possible both races like it that way. Then again... maybe not.
Both races are mysterious, and once you solve one mystery, all you find are more secrets and mysteries. To find truth is a hopeless endeavour, and a dangerous one at that. Both races like their secrets well-hidden...