The Crones of the South

Who are they

Legends say that there are five Crones (a.k.a. the Circle of Crones), supposedly picked from the ranks of the people who populate Gateway Downs, although nobody can ever recall why this particular idea is part of the lore. Regardless, the Crones (when seen in "mortal" form) have distinctive prostheses that mark them as such:

Lady Watcher: Considered to be the youngest of the Crones, Lady Watcher always has a large ruby where her left ear should be. She hears all that is said in her presence--even thoughts -- and her range of "hearing" is a LOT larger than mortal hearing. She almost never talks out loud, but when she does, her voice is clear though otherwise unremarkable.

Lady Wisdom: Besides having a missing left ear, this Crone is prone to smacking her lips, which can be a bit unnerving to those who may come into her presence. People who claim to have met her have sworn that she doesn't possess the tongue of a mortal, but one that appears to be carved from mother-of-pearl. Her voice is also alternately harsh or dulcet, according to whether or not she is disputing the truth of what is said in her presence. Lady Wisdom is usually (but not always) the only one to speak.

Lady Justice: This Crone not only has a missing left ear and never speaks, she also possesses a right hand of enchanted cold iron. This hand always holds a longsword with an ever-shifting blade. The weapon is called the Allsword, and legend says that the weapon is effective against any sort of being -- supposedly this is why its blade appears to change from being a Flaming Sword to a Crystal Blade to an Energy Saber and so on.

Lady Mercy: The physical oddities for this Crone are: missing left ear, never speaks, a missing right hand ... and her left hand is apparently carved from wood. Sometimes the wooden hand "sprouts" a bloom, leaf and/or twig that the Crone harvests and gives to special recipients. When she does this, the item is always magical in some fashion, and will often confer a permanent magic effect of some sort when consumed by mortals.

Lady Sorrow: Considered the oldest of the Crones and the leader of the Circle, this Crone is the most mutilated of the group. Although most documented encounters with the Crones often have them appear as old ladies wearing hooded robes, Lady Sorrow's robes always appear to be rather voluminous, so that the sleeves always fall over her hands and her hood always covers her face ... at least, they do when she is first sighted. The few who have actually come face-to-face with Lady Sorrow (and not gone mad) claimed that this elderly woman has no eyes -- she throws back her hood with handless stumps at the end of her forearms to pin a person in the all-seeing and unblinking gaze of two large and fathomless black opals. Rumors claim that Lady Sorrow can see the future, and peer into the souls of men to confront what lies there. It is said that evil men whom have locked eyes with those black gems have fallen dead a moment later ... aged 100 years in the blink of an eye!

These five old ladies have remained faithful, whereas the citizens of The Gateway Downs have not. These handless, tongue-less, deaf, and blind ancient women have stood on the field of battle outnumbered 100 to 1 with only their sisters to protect them and have emerged from the piles of dead without a scratch. Whereas they should spread hope and courage amongst the citizens of the Gateway Downs, they have instead seemingly increased the fear and loathing of this region. The Crones, despite being perceived with dread by the people of the area, have repeatedly saved the Downs from threats both internal and external.

Geographic Region

Always around Heranmar and the Gateway Downs. The Crones have an interest in many other locations throughout the Southern Continent.

Relative Strength

Moderate

Domains

Luck Knowledge

Gift ("Whispers of the Crones")

The votary cleric hears voices that give her guidance. Only the character can hear them, and the Whispers of the Crones cannot be detected in any way by another mortal. The voices are enigmatic, mysterious, and helpful. These whispers give the cleric a +1 insight bonus on all skill checks based on Charisma, Wisdom, and Intelligence, including bardic lore and turn undead checks. The voices also give +1 on all caster level checks. The bonus rises to +2 at level 5, +3 at level 10, and +4 at level 15.

Favored Weapon

Longsword -- Lady Justice weilds a longsword. Clerics of the Crones honor her by using this weapon.