Dragon	-	Monsters	-	Dragon #125
-	-	Notes	-	-

?And,? said Baylock with great relish,
?thus ends the tale of Nex the Archer.
Somehow, he escaped the will-o?-wisps
with his life; how, we?ll never know ? at
least, not from him.? The guide nodded
sagely. ?Aye, he escaped with his life. But
his mind is another story. Nex will never
speak again, I hear.? He glanced at his
employer ? Araman, that was his name ?
huddled nervously on the other side of the
fire. ?It happened near here, they say,?
Baylock continued innocently, with an airy
gesture at the mangroves pressing close
around them. Araman looked about him,
licking his lips nervously. Baylock grinned
to himself. 

 Then he decided to let the other man off
the hook. Araman wasn?t such a bad sort,
not like many of the rich dimwits Baylock
had wet-nursed through the marshes in
the past. Certainly, he was a soft city
dweller, not tempered to hardship like
Baylock and his lads. But he?d come to
Baylock with a fair price ? and without
the rankling disdain that most city dwellers had for the mist-eaters who lived and
worked along the marshes. Araman also
kept up and pulled his weight ? that,
moreso than most. 

?But no worries,? Baylock finished. ?That
was five years ago ? or more ? and nobody?s seen a will-o?-wisp around here
since. Don?t concern yourself with it, sir,?

Across the fire, Araman glanced up with
surprise at the guide?s ?sir,? Since they?d
struck the deal for guided passage through
the marsh, Baylock had addressed him as
nothing but ?you.? What had mellowed the
grizzled mist-eater, Araman couldn?t guess.
But he wasn?t going to question it.

Still, Araman was uncomfortable. He
looked again at the gnarled mangroves
and saw that they seemed to move in the
flickering firelight. Baylock?s three ?boys?
? actually men of Araman?s age ? lay
wrapped in their sleeping rolls, well away
from the fire. Their backs were turned to
the warmth as if to scorn the city man?s
weak need for a fire. But Baylock himself
sat near the blaze. Was he trying to be
companionly? Whatever the reason, if the
guide was suddenly willing to talk, Araman wanted to take advantage of the
c h a n c e .

? S o , ?   A r a m a n   s a i d ,   h i s   v o i c e   w e a k e r   t h a n
h e   l i k e d .   ? N o   w i l l - o ? - w i s p s .   T h e n   w h a t   d o e s
l i v e   a r o u n d   h e r e ?   T h e   m o s t   d a n g e r o u s
c r e a t u r e ? ?

B a y l o c k   s m i l e d .   ? A p a r t   f r o m   t h e   v u l t u r e s
a n d   t h e   g i a n t   l i z a r d s   a n d   t h e   o c c a s i o n a l
m i s t   d r a g o n ,   y o u   m e a n ? ?   H e   t h o u g h t   f o r   a
m o m e n t ,   a n d   h i s   s m i l e   f a d e d .   ? W e l l , ?   h e
w e n t   o n   s l o w l y ,   ? t h e r e   a r e   t a l e s   o f   a   s h e l l y coat.? 

A r a m a n   g l a n c e d   a t   t h e   t h r e e   b a c k s   t u r n e d   t o   t h e   f i r e .   H a d   t h e y   s t i f f e n e d   s l i g h t l y ?
? W h a t ? s   a   s h e l l y c o a t ? ?   t h e   c i t y   d w e l l e r
a s k e d .   H e   w a s n ? t   s u r e   t h a t   h e   s h o u l d   h a v e
inquired.

B a y l o c k   l o o k e d   f o r   a n o t h e r   s t i c k   t o   a d d
t o   t h e   f i r e .   ? M a y b e   y o u   k n o w   i t   a s   a
greenhag.?

N o   d o u b t   a b o u t   i t   t h i s   t i m e .   B a y l o c k ? s
m e n   w e r e   l i s t e n i n g .   O n e   s t i r r e d   b r i e f l y   a s
i f   t u r n i n g   i n   h i s   s l e e p ,   b u t   h e   m e r e l y   p o s i t i o n e d   h i m s e l f   t o   h e a r   t h e   d i s c u s s i o n   b e t t e r .   A r a m a n .   l e a n e d   f o r w a r d ,   f a s c i n a t e d
b u t   n e r v o u s .   A n y t h i n g   t h a t   c o u l d   s c a r e
t h e s e   m i s t - e a t e r s   w a s   w o r t h   k n o w i n g   o f. 
? T e l l   m e   a b o u t   i t . ?

B a y l o c k   s h r u g g e d   a n d   w a v e d   a   h a n d .
? N o t   m u c h   t o   t e l l , ?   h e   s a i d .   ? T h e   s h e l l y c o a t
?   t h e   g r e e n h a g   ?   w e l l ,   i t ? s   l i k e   t h e   a n n i s ,
b u t   e v e n   m o r e   d a n g e r o u s . ?

? I t ? s   l i k e   t h e   .   .   .   ? ?


B a y l o c k   s i g h e d .   ? T h e   a n n i s , ?   h e   r e p e a t e d
p a t i e n t l y .   ? A   b l u e   g i a n t e s s .   A s   v i c i o u s   a n d
c r u e l   a   c r e a t u r e   a s   y o u ? d   e v e r   b e   s o r r y
e n o u g h   t o   m e e t .   Y o u   f i n d   t h e m   i n   w i l d e r n e s s   m o u n t a i n s ,   s w a m p s ,   f o r e s t s   ?   a n y
c l i m a t e   b u t   t h e   w a r m e s t .   J u s t   a b o u t   a n y w h e r e   w e l l   a w a y   f r o m   c i v i l i z a t i o n .   S a m e
w i t h   t h e   g r e e n h a g .   B o t h   a r e   r e l a t i v e s   o f
t h e   n i g h t   h a g . ?   H e   l e a n e d   f o r w a r d .   ? Y o u   d o
k n o w   o f   t h e   n i g h t   h a g ? ?

? O f   c o u r s e .   B u t   h o w   ?   h o w   a r e   t h e y
r e l a t e d ? ? 

? S i m p l e .   W h a t   d o   y o u   g e t   w h e n   y o u
c r o s s   a   n i g h t   h a g   w i t h   a   h u m a n   o r   a   d e m i h u m a n ,   e h ?   Y o u   g e t   a   g r e e n h a g . ? 1 Baylock
chuckled. ?You think that every time a
night hag goes out hunting, it?s only to
drag some poor soul off to Hades? Oh, no;
sometimes it?s not a man?s  life  she wants.
Enough to make your blood run cold, it is.?

Araman strained his ears. Nothing: just
the constant background murmur of the
swamp insects. Suddenly, a chilling howl 
broke above the subtle murmur. ?What
was that?? Araman gasped. Baylock?s men
got to their feet in remarkable time, short
swords and daggers free in their hands.
They seemed quite awake.

?A wolf, I think.? Baylock called some
instructions, and his three men sheathed
blades, unlimbered short bows, and melted into the darkness out of the firelight.
?Don?t worry,? he said, turning back to
Araman. ?My boys?ll take care of it, whatever it is. If they can?t stab it, shaft it, or
slice it, they?ll salute it. Now, where were
we??

?The greenhag,? Araman reminded him.
?And the shellycoat, if there?s any difference.? 

Baylock shook his head. ?No, no difference. ?Shellycoat? is just what we call her
when she lives in a swamp or river. That?s
when she?s most dangerous, to my mind.
Sometimes she?ll lie in wait underwater to
rend fishermen ? aye, and mist-eaters, too
? as they pass by.?2

Araman shivered. ?You say ?she.? Are
there no male greenhags??

?Never,? Baylock said flatly. ?Some say it?s
because the female hag?s blood is dominant; some say it?s because the night hag
mother eats the male babes at birth.
Whichever. No male greenhags.? A thin
smile wrinkled his face. ?Though that?s not
to say the greenhag doesn?t get a yen for
male companionship, if you take my meaning. She just has to look for it outside her
own species, like her mother, though the
greenhag prefers the big boys like ogres
and giants. And that?s where you get the
annis.3 Now, the annis??

Both men stiffened as a bowstring sang
in the darkness. Another twang was followed by a hoarse call of ?Over here!?
Through the clatter of underbrush, a highpitched cry assaulted the evening air. The
cry ended abruptly in silence.

Baylock started to get to his feet, then
slowly sat down again and forced a smile.
?Whatever that is, my boys are giving it
what for.? He nervously eyed the treeline.
?Anyway, the annis follows her mother?s
attitude towards ogres and giants. She
deals with them for the same things: information, provender, and companionship.
On occasion, you even find an annis living
with an ogre or giant tribe as the wife of
the tribal chieftain.? Baylock smiled briefly.
?If that isn?t a case of the power behind 
the throne, I don?t know what is.? 4

The sound of combat again stirred the
night. A commotion in the undergrowth
was followed quickly by another twanging
bowstring ? then by a cry hoarse with
agony: ?Help me, Baylock!?

The guide was on his feet in a moment,
his blade drawn. ?Stay put,? he said grimly.
?I?ll be back.? Rushing off into the brush,
Baylock disappeared into the blackness.

Araman wrapped his cloak closer
around him. He glanced down at his
hands; they shook as though with the
palsy. He clenched them, and the shaking
stopped. The night grew quiet and long.

Araman didn?t see the figure until she
had stepped into the clearing, squinting
her orange eyes against the light of the
fire. Her rags were tattered, and dark
blood ? not hers ? fell from her black
claws and splotched her green skin. Withered lips drew back from needle-pointed
fangs in a mockery of a smile. When she
spoke, it was in the same pain-roughened
voice Araman had just heard, but black
with irony. ?Help me, Araman!?

Araman knew it would do no good to
scream.


But he screamed anyway.

Notes
1. After mating with a human or demihuman male, a pregnant night hag
remains in Hades throughout the 13-
month gestation period. Following this
time, she returns to the Prime Material
Plane to give birth. From the moment of
delivery, the newborn greenhag is able to
fend for herself (which is just as well,
since the night hag mother abandons the
infant immediately). The greenhag, which
is always female, is similar in appearance
to a human infant; only her long black
fingernails and the greenish tinge of her
skin give away her true nature.

At birth, the greenhag has only 2 HD,
and does limited damage (1-2/1-2; no
strength bonus). She maintains her characteristic armor class of -2, however. The
greenhag originally has no spell-like
powers or mimicry ability, and so depends
on cunning and stealth to catch her food
? generally, anything that moves, with
humans and demi-humans preferred. The
greenhag grows rapidly, reaching her full
size, strength, and powers at the age of 18
months.

The greenhag?s alignment is always that
of the mother: neutral evil. Her intelligence, which ranges from low to very, is
equal to the father?s intelligence score
minus 1d6 (as long as this figure does not
put it out of the allowable range: 5-12).
The language of the night hag, which is
wrongly reputed to be a dialect of annis, is
actually a degenerate form of the tongue
spoken by night hags. The greenhag?s
knowledge of her own language is innate;
other languages (and sounds she can mimic) must be learned. 

The greenhag?s spell-like abilities and her
inhuman strength are also degenerate gifts
of the monster?s mother. Dilution with
human or demi-human blood has weakened the night hag?s extraplanar powers,
making some abilities mere shadows of the
original powers  (invisibility  instead of
etherealness, change self  instead of  polymorph self, weakness  instead of  enfeeblement).  Some of these powers are removed
altogether (e.g., the night hag?s ability to
gate  in demons or devils and her resistance to nonmagical weapons). As if in
recompense for this, some new powers,
which are more in tune with the Prime
Material Plane, have been given to the
greenhag (e.g.,  pass without trace, speak
with monsters, etc.). A greenhag?s lifespan
is usually around 500 years (less than her
mother?s 1,000-year span because of the
diluting effect of human or demi-human 
blood). 

2. A greenhag often makes her lair in an
underwater cave, using her  water breathing ability (which lasts for 27 turns, or 4½
hours) to dwell therein. If no suitable body
of water is available, the lair is usually
concealed (for example, screened by overhanging plants or shielded from view by a
large boulder). Being a cowardly creature
at heart, a greenhag will go to great
lengths to prevent her lair from being
found, often going so far as to enter and
leave it only while  invisible.

This innate cowardice also dictates the
greenhag?s favored methods of hunting:
lying in wait while  invisible or otherwise
concealed, or using her mimicry ? which
is often coupled with her  change self
ability ? to lure prey into an indefensible
position (for example, into quicksand) or
away from comrades. Although physically
very powerful, the greenhag is a bully
who often shuns a fair fight. If confronted
by strong, determined opposition, she will
flee. Conversely, if her prey is much weaker than she, a greenhag will cruelly ?play?
with it (in the same manner that a cat
plays with a bird or mouse) before killing
and eating it.

3. Although basically solitary creatures,
greenhags sometimes deal with ogres and
hill giants (usually those of lower intelligence who are easily dominated), trading
baubles looted from their victims for infor
 mation, food, and protection as necessary.
Quite frequently, greenhags also mate with
smaller members of ogre or hill-giant
tribes. Any male ogre or giant may father
the greenhag?s child.

After a seven-month gestation period,
the greenhag gives birth to an annis. Like
the greenhag, the newborn annis (which is
always female) is similar in appearance to
a large human infant, again except for skin
color. At birth, the annis has 1 HD and can
attack by bite only, doing 1d4 hp damage
(no strength bonus). Her armor class from
birth is 0. Like the greenhag, the annis
infant has no spell-like powers, but can
sometimes depend on her ogrish or giantish father to feed her for a brief while.
The greenhag provides nothing for the
baby annis, which the mother abandons at
birth. The annis grows even more rapidly
than the greenhag, reaching full maturity
at the age of 12 months.

As the night hag?s characteristics are
diluted by breeding with a human or
demi-human, so are the greenhag?s characteristics weakened by the addition of
ogrish or giantish blood. The annis?s innate
knowledge of language is even more
imperfect, so her tongue becomes a further degeneration of the original night hag
speech. The annis?s resistance to punishment is decreased, and more of the night
hag?s powers have vanished. The annis?s
lifespan, too, is lessened, dropping to
approximately double the lifespan of her
father?s race. Even the annis?s alignment is
changed from neutral evil to a more selfish, chaotic bent.

Apart from size, the only boon the annis
receives from her father is increased
strength. The annis?s enhanced range of
intelligence (to a maximum of exceptional)
is a special case, resulting more from the
recessive inheritance of night hag intelligence; the higher range of intelligence has
skipped a generation. This throwback
situation also explains the annis?s return to
the night hag?s purity of complexion. 

4. The annis shares her mother?s bullying nature ? although she is not as much
of a coward ? and will often be found
amongst a tribe of non-humans if she can
dominate them (usually by dominating the
leader). An ogre or giant clan that includes
an annis is generally more cunning and
cruel in nature than the norm.


An annis will mate with an ogre or hill
giant, if one can be found. Such a mating
rarely (10%) results in live offspring.
Although not strictly a mule, the annis is
not a very fertile strain. When the annis
does produce offspring, the infant is
always the same race as the father, and
always female. The only legacies of the
mother are increased resilience (i.e., the
offspring always has the maximum hit
points for the species in question) and a
bluish tinge to her complexion. All other
characteristics are derived from the
father. Unlike the night hag and greenhag,
the annis usually succors the infant as 
would a female of the father?s species.