At the Edge of Humanity {IC}

[~Corvus~]

When he stops convulsing, he gives a single burp. Xylona's dog gingerly sniffs the dwarf and looks at her companion, whines and wanders away from the dwarf to sniff the ground near the sword.

Spoiler: Niellere's sword

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In a weak voice, Bromin croaks out Na all slavers, boy. Tha slavers n 'unters 're HURRggllakkk

paid by the same ones. They wan' the dwarves outtas the--

He gives himself over to a fit of coughing, and blood seems to ooze out of his body: his nose, his mouth, and from unhealed holes in his gaping chest. He heaves weakly, but can do little else than let go his hand upon what is revealed to be the broken stem of a lute.

Tai has certainly pieced together scraps of knowledge about the words he's heard regarding Niellere, the name cursemistress and what the late Steelheart has referred to as cursemakers. As the rat is thinking, it all comes back to him somewhat readily.

Spoiler: He remembers....

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From Spoils of the Grey Waste:
...when hags cannot remain in their covens, they can be forced to undergo a transformation that aims to bring them close to Cegilune [patron Deity of all Hags and a denizen of the Grey Waste]. Very little is known about this process or how it is manifest, except for the following: These curses take many years, but will fully transform all hags, whether annis, sea and greenhags into a true form of their greatest desire; This process forces the manifestation of their vile spirit into a physical focus of their "choice" that represents the Moon in some aspect. It could represent a moonbeam, like a pole or a spear, or it could be a curved object or a necklace, or perhaps a silver-colored dress, and so on.

There is little choice for the hag in the focus, but it becomes a part of both her former self and her new chosen identity. In exchange for greater beauty and power, the transformed Hag becomes a bearer of Cegilune's powerful curses. She must find ways to work her curses upon others every month or succumb to the enveloping wrath of the goddess. The original nature of the hag can be discerned in the aspect of curses she manifests: The green hags work their curses through fell song and music; the sea hags stalk the waters and rivers, bestowing their subtle magics upon those sentient beings that are easy to influence; the dreaded annis whatever paths lead to greater and darker powers. The hags, upon "complete" transformation, become cursemistresses, or sometimes referred to more generally as cursemakers.

The name cursemistress is a misrepresentation of the truth, however, as their curses actually stem from their attendant focus. Should its owner perish (as hags are like to do knowing their nature), this object will serve as an anchor for the Hag's soul. Any creature that physically touches the object within eight moon cycles following the focus-bearer's death risks a powerful possession by the cursemistress. Should the focus be a weapon, one must be especially cautious, as the last creature injured by the weapon is also prone to potential possession.

There was a note in the margins of the page and it read:

It is this writer's opinion that it is better to kill any creature injured by the focus of a cursemistress out of mercy, as this possession can be excruciatingly painful for both the recipient and its companions. In my travels here, our very own Cleric of Yondalla was thus possessed and managed to mentally scar or kill many of my lifelong friends and traveling companions before she was exorcised of the Hag's horrific spirit. I dare not write any more on this subject as it is still painful to recall.

The safest precaution against the focus of a cursemistress is a sheathe (if possible) and many layers of large, heavy wool cloth, sail cloth or soft leather, then multiple wards against evil, especially anti-curse charms. The only truly safe way, however, to rid yourself of such a focus is to reforge the object at near-volcanic temperatures with the presence of a Divine Circle. In our case, we...