The Crones

The Crones are major antagonists in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

The three women, named Whispess, Weavess and Brewess, are witches living in Crookback Bog in Velen. Despite their evil nature, the people of Velen depend on them. At one point, Geralt encounters them on his search for Ciri.

Past
Legends claim that the Crones were created as daughters of the Lady of the Woods, the sole ruler over Velen. When the Lady descended into madness, resulting in the death of people of Velen, the Crones banished her underneath Whispering Hillock.

Over the years, the people of Velen started coming for the Crones for help. Although the Crones agreed, they always asked for something in return, for example servitude or body-parts of the ones they helped. Also, each year they celebrated a sabbath on the Bald Mountain where the people from Velen were invited to the mountain village to celebrate. During the celebration, three beautiful young men and women were allowed to the mountain where they would meet the Crones. However, those three were killed by the Crones and made into soup by the Brewess. In return, the Crones would gift the people of Velen with enchanted acorns.

People from Velen who were unable to feed their children would also send their children on the 'sweet path' which led to a village in the bog. There, the children were expected by the Crones who gave them food. However, once the children were fed they would eventually be eaten by the Crones.

Months before Geralt's arrival in Velen, Anna Strenger, the wife of Philipp Strenger had enough of her husband's abusive behaviour. She made a deal with the crones to get rid of Strenger's unborn child. She expected that the Crones would simply vanish the child but in their cruelty, the Crones made her suffer through a miscarriage. Unwilling to keep her part of the deal, which meant a year of servitude for the Crones, Anna met with an alchemist. The alchemist gave her a pendant which saved her from the Crones but she lost it in a fight with her husband. This allowed the Crones to send a fiend which fetched Anna and brought her into the village in the bog. There, the Crones forced her to care for the children (which they planned to eat) as well as to act as a medium between the people and the Crones.

When the Wild Hunt started searching for Ciri, their general Imlerith met with the Crones. Imlerith told them to keep an ear out for Ciri and they promised to do so, forcing the people they helped to cut off their ears as payment. They Crones then planted these ears all around the bog and used it to spy.