ECOLOGY

Environment any urban or underground
Organization solitary, pair, or coven (3 hags of any type)
Treasure standard

Nocturnal and vicious, flue hags terrorize communities across the lands. Also known as hearth-witches, these twisted and desiccated crones are rarely mentioned by superstitious folk for fear of attracting misfortune. Living in underground lairs near settlements, they emerge at night to spread mischief and feed on the flesh of innocents. Flue hags also inhabit cities and towns. By day, these urban hags hide in chimney flues, attics and cellars. After dusk, they sneak out in search of victims and opportunities to spread misery. In cities that can support the appetites of more than one flue hag, they join at night to hunt in pairs or impromptu covens of three.

Flue hags are expert climbers, resistant to fire, and have disjointed limbs that allow them to squeeze into small spaces. Cunning and wicked, they disguise themselves using alter self to trick their targets or to spy on their changeling offspring. When faced with resistance, they bellow forth a burst of soot to gain an advantage or aid their escape. A typical flue hag stands 5 feet tall and weighs 100 pounds.

Though they prefer to torment benevolent folk, flue hags also bedevil goblinoid communities, coercing and menacing weaker individuals into servitude.

Flue hags form covens similar to other hags. If a hag coven contains at least one flue hag, when all three hags of the coven are within 10 feet of one another, each flue hag gains a +3 luck bonus to the DC of her aura of misfortune. A creature simultaneously affected by the aura of more than one flue hag suffers no additional penalties.