I think they just got trapped there like everyone else... though I'm thinking this also theoretically limits the number of heart stones in the realm as I understand it they are acquired in exchange for those "evil" souls in hell...
I guess you could put a spin on it that the hags actually have an interest in the adventures succeeding... though in the CoS campaign I'm currently running (for the first time) I don't see their motivations as some higher "purpose" more they rather enjoy their little patch of power manipulating people and deriving some sort of sadistic satisfaction from all the nasty things they do to others and especially getting others to do to each other.
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“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt, It lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills, It comes first and follows after, Ends life, kills laughter.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
Hags sell souls to Devils and Demons. Even if they capture a soul, they cannot carry it away.
From what I have read Devils and Demons have no power over Night Hags. Therefore they themselves are not trapped in Barovia.
I agree there is little more than "deriving some sort of sadistic satisfaction" from playing with the adventurers.
I did allow them to kill one off just so one of the others would spawn a new hag.
Then I had one of the player act as a Hag in disguise and go along with the adventurers as the real player character was still back at the inn in a trance. She really enjoyed playing the "bad guy". The Hag was able to recover the Heart Stone and the Soul Bag.
She cackled and left. At that time the real adventurer caught up and healed the rest.
In this case the night hags aren't there to collect souls merely corrupt the region. There's mention of them perhaps working on behalf of an archfey called "Ceithlenn of the Crooked Teeth" to corrupt a local holy sight but they also seem to enjoy inflicting suffering on people something they can do with some impunity in strahd's domain. As a result these particular night hags really seem to be more fey than fiend and I wouldn't guarantee that their interested in taking souls to Hades.
There is also the option that they occasionally make some kind of deal with Strahd to get transport in and out of the realm like the werewolves also receive. As hags they'd definitely have more means to obtain things than the vistani or werewolves that work for him but he may not trust them.
The text in the book, although brief, gives most of the answers to your questions about why the Hags are here. The monster manual for hags also offers a bit of insight.
However, there seems to be some underlying assumptions about selling souls and dealing with Devils. Although these are one aspect of a Night Hag, it isn't their main motivation based on the monster manual. I didn't look at the YouTube link.
From the monster manual:
"Sly and subversive, night hags want to see the virtuous turn to villainy: love turned into obsession, kindness turned to hate, devotion to disregard, and generosity to selfishness. Night hags take perverse joy in corrupting mortals."
"A soul bag can hold only one evil soul at a time, and only the night hag who crafted the bag can catch a soul with it."
The hags are motivated mostly by taking joy in corrupting mortals. Gathering souls could be considered somewhat secondary and their soul bag can only hold one at a time and with no access to other planes they aren't taking any more.
For Cos:
"The hags are trapped in Barovia, but they like it here."
"The hags are fearful of Strahd and respect his dominion over this land."
"Morgantha gave her coven's hag eye to Cyrus Belview, Strahd's disfigured manservant, so that she could spy on Castle Ravenloft and keep an eye on the vampire."
The hags are trapped just like every other creature and soul except the Vistani and the werewolves. They don't have a choice about leaving. They surreptitiously keep an eye on Strahd likely to make sure they don't antagonize him with their actions. Strahd likely has no objections to some extra corruption and misery in his realm so he just lets them be.
How do the hags corrupt the mortals?
"Using their Change Shape action to look like Barovian women-a frumpy mother and her two homely daughters-the hags snatch children, devour them, and use the windmill's grindstone to crush their little bones into powder. This powder is a key ingredient in the hags' dream pastries, which they offer to Barovian adults who are desperate to escape Strahd's domain."
"When adults can no longer afford the hag's dream pastries, the hags offer to trade their pastries for the Barovians' children, thus preying on the adults' selfishness while acquiring the ingredients they need to make more pastries. This is how the hags sow corruption in Strahd's domain and why they don't take the children by force. The hags are interested only in children who have souls. They prick each child with a needle; if the child cries, that's a sign that the infant has a soul."
The hags have a land with souls that never escape, that reincarnate and which they can then prey on over and over again. They try to corrupt the adults by having them sell their children in exchange for Dream pastries which are made in part from the bones of innocent children. This is exactly the kind of activity hags like to do, there is no authority in Barovia who can stop them and the vampire in charge seems to let well enough alone leaving the hags a free hand to slowly tempt and corrupt mortals. They don't need any souls except those of the innocent to provide them a meal from time to time. I think this is sufficient to explain why the hags would remain in Barovia (assuming there was any way for them to leave - which there isn't - they are as trapped as anyone else in Barovia).
From what I have read Devils and Demons have no power over Night Hags. Therefore they themselves are not trapped in Barovia.
Rather an assumption on what the origin of "The Dark Powers" is and technically Strahd himself is undead and that's who everyone else needs to off or bargain with to get a day pass so to speak...
Anyway if the hags were actually taking "souls" out of Barovia (I realize you said they can't) it would be a big problem for Strahd
“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt, It lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills, It comes first and follows after, Ends life, kills laughter.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
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Reconcile Strahd and Night Hags
Facts as I understand them:
Why would a Night Hag even exist in Ravenloft?
I think they just got trapped there like everyone else... though I'm thinking this also theoretically limits the number of heart stones in the realm as I understand it they are acquired in exchange for those "evil" souls in hell...
I guess you could put a spin on it that the hags actually have an interest in the adventures succeeding... though in the CoS campaign I'm currently running (for the first time) I don't see their motivations as some higher "purpose" more they rather enjoy their little patch of power manipulating people and deriving some sort of sadistic satisfaction from all the nasty things they do to others and especially getting others to do to each other.
“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt, It lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills, It comes first and follows after, Ends life, kills laughter.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
This is more of a "wonder why" thread.
Hags sell souls to Devils and Demons. Even if they capture a soul, they cannot carry it away.
From what I have read Devils and Demons have no power over Night Hags. Therefore they themselves are not trapped in Barovia.
I agree there is little more than "deriving some sort of sadistic satisfaction" from playing with the adventurers.
I did allow them to kill one off just so one of the others would spawn a new hag.
Then I had one of the player act as a Hag in disguise and go along with the adventurers as the real player character was still back at the inn in a trance. She really enjoyed playing the "bad guy". The Hag was able to recover the Heart Stone and the Soul Bag.
She cackled and left. At that time the real adventurer caught up and healed the rest.
In this case the night hags aren't there to collect souls merely corrupt the region. There's mention of them perhaps working on behalf of an archfey called "Ceithlenn of the Crooked Teeth" to corrupt a local holy sight but they also seem to enjoy inflicting suffering on people something they can do with some impunity in strahd's domain. As a result these particular night hags really seem to be more fey than fiend and I wouldn't guarantee that their interested in taking souls to Hades.
There is also the option that they occasionally make some kind of deal with Strahd to get transport in and out of the realm like the werewolves also receive. As hags they'd definitely have more means to obtain things than the vistani or werewolves that work for him but he may not trust them.
The text in the book, although brief, gives most of the answers to your questions about why the Hags are here. The monster manual for hags also offers a bit of insight.
However, there seems to be some underlying assumptions about selling souls and dealing with Devils. Although these are one aspect of a Night Hag, it isn't their main motivation based on the monster manual. I didn't look at the YouTube link.
From the monster manual:
"Sly and subversive, night hags want to see the virtuous turn to villainy: love turned into obsession, kindness turned to hate, devotion to disregard, and generosity to selfishness. Night hags take perverse joy in corrupting mortals."
"A soul bag can hold only one evil soul at a time, and only the night hag who crafted the bag can catch a soul with it."
The hags are motivated mostly by taking joy in corrupting mortals. Gathering souls could be considered somewhat secondary and their soul bag can only hold one at a time and with no access to other planes they aren't taking any more.
For Cos:
"The hags are trapped in Barovia, but they like it here."
"The hags are fearful of Strahd and respect his dominion over this land."
"Morgantha gave her coven's hag eye to Cyrus Belview, Strahd's disfigured manservant, so that she could spy on Castle Ravenloft and keep an eye on the vampire."
The hags are trapped just like every other creature and soul except the Vistani and the werewolves. They don't have a choice about leaving. They surreptitiously keep an eye on Strahd likely to make sure they don't antagonize him with their actions. Strahd likely has no objections to some extra corruption and misery in his realm so he just lets them be.
How do the hags corrupt the mortals?
"Using their Change Shape action to look like Barovian women-a frumpy mother and her two homely daughters-the hags snatch children, devour them, and use the windmill's grindstone to crush their little bones into powder. This powder is a key ingredient in the hags' dream pastries, which they offer to Barovian adults who are desperate to escape Strahd's domain."
"When adults can no longer afford the hag's dream pastries, the hags offer to trade their pastries for the Barovians' children, thus preying on the adults' selfishness while acquiring the ingredients they need to make more pastries. This is how the hags sow corruption in Strahd's domain and why they don't take the children by force. The hags are interested only in children who have souls. They prick each child with a needle; if the child cries, that's a sign that the infant has a soul."
The hags have a land with souls that never escape, that reincarnate and which they can then prey on over and over again. They try to corrupt the adults by having them sell their children in exchange for Dream pastries which are made in part from the bones of innocent children. This is exactly the kind of activity hags like to do, there is no authority in Barovia who can stop them and the vampire in charge seems to let well enough alone leaving the hags a free hand to slowly tempt and corrupt mortals. They don't need any souls except those of the innocent to provide them a meal from time to time. I think this is sufficient to explain why the hags would remain in Barovia (assuming there was any way for them to leave - which there isn't - they are as trapped as anyone else in Barovia).
Rather an assumption on what the origin of "The Dark Powers" is and technically Strahd himself is undead and that's who everyone else needs to off or bargain with to get a day pass so to speak...
Anyway if the hags were actually taking "souls" out of Barovia (I realize you said they can't) it would be a big problem for Strahd
"Strahd periodically feeds on the blood of Barovians who have souls, but he can’t draw nourishment from the blood of the soulless." Curse of Strahd - Chapter 2: The Lands of Barovia Souls and shells
“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt, It lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills, It comes first and follows after, Ends life, kills laughter.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again