Deep within the northernmost reaches of Norska, where frost-bitten tundras meet the desolation of the Khaos-marked lands, existed a long-forgotten orcish faith, practiced only by the most devout of the Orcs within Ghuurog Village. This was no simple shamanism or warlock’s sorcery—this was Hoodoo, an ancient, eldritch craft of blood, bone, and prophecy, woven into the very fabric of fate itself.
At the heart of this dark and revered tradition stood the Three Crones, an ancient Witch-Orc Coven, feared and worshipped by the warrior-clans of Ghuurog. These crones were not mere mortals; they were the custodians of prophecy, the speakers of doom, and the weavers of destiny. They held the power to foresee the future through flesh and suffering, glimpsing what had not yet come to pass through the boiling cauldron of fate.
The Three Crones
The Witch-Orcs of the Coven were priestesses, seers, and occultists, each bound by a sacred and terrible oath to the dark forces that whispered through the bones of the earth and the blood of the slain.
The Three Crones wielded powers that few dared to understand:
- The Cauldron of Flesh – The most feared of their rituals, in which they scryed fate through the boiling blood and bones of the sacrificed, seeing into a creature’s future by consuming its essence within their cauldron.
- The Tattered Tapestry – The Crone of Threads would weave tatters of hair, sinew, and bone into a nightmarish tapestry of fate, whispering prophecies of war, ruin, and ascension to those who dared listen.
- The Black Bargain – A soul-bound pact in which the Crone of Tongues would grant power in exchange for something greater—often a warrior’s destiny, their name in history, or their bloodline’s doom.
- The Hoodoo Hex – The Crone of Chains could curse a warrior with ill luck, ensuring their blade would shatter, their allies would falter, or that the very elements would conspire against them.
The orcs of Ghuurog saw these crones as sacred figures, religious priestesses whose wisdom and foresight guided their warlords. No chieftain or warlord of Ghuurog dared to march to battle without first seeking the guidance of the Three.
However, fate is a cruel mistress, and even those who foresee doom cannot always escape it.
Woe of the Witch-Orcs
The downfall of the Witch-Orc Coven was sealed in blood, an inevitable fate intertwined with the coming of the Tides of Khaos.
After the Battle of the Ghuurog Greentide, when the orcs were broken, scattered, and driven to ruin, the Coven stood as the last pillar of their dying faith. But Khaos does not suffer fate-weavers to exist, for destiny belongs to ruin alone.
It was Yavok Starpath, a Chosen of Chaos, who brought their doom.
Once, he had sought their wisdom, standing before the cauldron of flesh, his fate unraveled before him. The Three Crones whispered of his ascension, of his transformation into one of the champions of Chaos. But Yavok, ever the hunter, ever the executioner, saw no further use for the Coven once his path was revealed.
With blade and fury, he struck them down.
The Three Crones fell screaming, their bodies burned upon their own altar, their tapestries of fate consumed by the flames. With them died the last remnants of the old ways of Ghuurog, and in its place, only the will of Khaos remained.
Legacy
Though the Three Crones are dead, their dark magic lingers still. The ruins of their sanctum remain untouched, buried beneath the ice and ruin of Norska, a place where echoes of prophecy still whisper in the howling winds.
Some say their curses still hold power, that those who trespass upon their bones will find their fates twisted and undone. Others believe that Hoodoo still thrives in the shadows, that there are still witches, orcs, and warlocks who practice the forbidden craft, waiting for a new age of blood and prophecy to rise once more.