D&D General Fleshing out my Feywild sea hag villain

[RoiC.]

After running ToA for a while, I've decided to take short break from zombies and jungles, and threw my party into the Feywild for a nice side adventure. Essentially, the party were thrown into a conflict between two factions: a young adult green dragon, who took control of a fey forest and is planning on conquering more forests and becoming an archfey; and a sea hag controlling a huge lake filled with all kinds of peaceful aquatic humanoids, with her lake sitting between the dragon's forest and the safe, easy route for the other forests in the area, serving as an obstacle for his conquest. Both want each other out of the picture because they pose a threat to each other, but with both creatures being innately controlling manipulative shmucks, instead of going to war, they try to solve their problems remotely and cleverly, without too much collateral damage. The party's motivation to take part in this is that both the hag and the dragon would offer them a way back to the material plane.

Now, I'm cool with how I see the dragon, but I'm still not sure how to run the hag and the lake. Basically, I'm thinking of a gigantic (almost sea-sized) lake, filled with tribes and communities of peace-faring sea elves and merfolk (and maybe tritons and locathah), being bullied by the hag's sahuagin and merrow minions, and demanding each community to send a weekly human(oid) sacrifice each week (or maybe one living sacrifice from each community every day), which they have to comply with because reasons. I'm currently thinking of the reason being the lake's pleasent weather being preserved by the sacrifices (the lake's called "The Lake of Thunder", yet the storm is kept at bay for centuries by the hag's doing), but I don't see what the hag would gain from it. I've also thought of the hag serving an aboleth/morkoth/kraken, but I kinda like the asymmetry of hag/dragon as ooposed to a big monster, and it also kinda kills the Feywild vibe.

I'm aiming for a situation where taking out any of the leaders would also have negative results (the dragon is a megalomanic killjoy dictator, but he's keeping the forest safe from the nearby destructive eldarin-fomorian war; the hag's keeping the lake habitable for it's dwellers), so the party would have to face an interesting choice. However, I'm feeling I'm kind of stuck in finding a proper motivation for my hag, and I'd be happy to have some suggestions for her, but also suggestions, ideas, thoughts and commentary about the general story-arc/gaiden/whatever I came up with. Thanks!

 

[jayoungr]

Now, I'm cool with how I see the dragon, but I'm still not sure how to run the hag and the lake. Basically, I'm thinking of a gigantic (almost sea-sized) lake, filled with tribes and communities of peace-faring sea elves and merfolk (and maybe tritons and locathah), being bullied by the hag's sahuagin and merrow minions, and demanding each community to send a weekly human(oid) sacrifice each week (or maybe one living sacrifice from each community every day), which they have to comply with because reasons. I'm currently thinking of the reason being the lake's pleasent weather being preserved by the sacrifices (the lake's called "The Lake of Thunder", yet the storm is kept at bay for centuries by the hag's doing), but I don't see what the hag would gain from it.

What does the hag gain? Power, of course! An entire sea-sized lake that's basically her sovereign domain, with any thought of rebellion kept in check by the threat of unleashing that storm that only she can hold back.

If you need more, perhaps the lake itself is or contains a source of magical power she can draw upon. Or maybe that's the purpose of the sacrifices--she drains their life energy or their youth or something to sustain herself, not to keep the storm away.

 

[Scott Christian]

I really like hags as a villain.

As far as motivation, I mean power. Hags are evil. They want to harbor power and get rid of any opposing force that might seize power from them. You could have her using the sacrifices as some blood magic, something used to control the merrow. Or maybe she is the merrows way for them to feed off sea elf flesh without creating a war. Or the sea hag (does she have a name?) could be planning something much bigger for the lake and its habitats. Just spit-balling.

As for environment, I like the idea of a sea hag cave. One where she can control the tide. So she can basically, force water through the cavern. Good for skill checks. It might also be the reason the dragon can't get to her. Maybe an indoor lake inside the cave too. Something nasty and big. Giant fey beast or some other pet. (Maybe she can control the tidal flow because this "Lake of Thunder" is actually more like a Yellowstone lake, geothermal, than thunder from the sky?

I know you are good with the dragon, but for some reason the green dragon and water weirds together seems like an appropriate combo. Not sure why.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I don't see what the hag would gain from it.

Hags are fey (most of them). Fey do things just for the fun of it.

What hags find fun is causing mischief, suffering and corrupting goodness.