#ty again for the ask! hope everyone enjoys more mini essays on hagsfiends

[fyngrot]

Thanks for your previous answer, it was very interesting! :>

Do you have any headcanons about what exactly Penryck and Ullryck and their factions of hagsfiends were trying to achieve? It is said about Penryck that he wanted to be someone more than the king of Nyrthgar, but without specifics, and nothing is known about Ullryck at all

i like to believe they actually both did have a similar goal, which was to drive owls from the n’yrthghar and make it into a kingdom for hagsfiends alone (much like most owls wanted the opposite, and ultimately achieved it). penryck has a few thoughts in the coming of hoole about wanting to become not only king of the n’yrthghar but a “god of nachtmagen”, however i’ve always taken the latter to be less literal and more just him being full of himself. he also doesn’t want the responsibilities that would come with being a king at all, but he IS attracted to the attention and power it promises, and power is his main concern. he believes himself to be above all others and will stop at nothing to officially get himself in that position- thus making the n’yrthghar into a hagsfiend kingdom becomes his goal solely so that he can be at the top as its undeniable, heroic ruler. he certainly needs others to make this a reality, but to him they’re nothing more than tools, especially if they’re owls, who he refuses to believe are that big of a deal. hoole this, hoole that, claiming the so-called king’s power will be a piece of cake for him!

on the other talon, ullryck’s goal is a hagsfiend kingdom because she wants to protect her kind- with hagsfiend vs. owl conflicts on the rise after the invention of battle claws, hoole retrieving the ember, and the establishment of the great ga’hoole tree, it would be foolish not to view owls as a serious threat (her looking directly at penryck as she says this). ullryck believes that, strategic and skilled as she is, she is the one fit to lead them in a great victory against owls, and that unlike penryck she has actually proven herself to be worthy. many hagsfiends agree with her, so her following grows quickly, not only because she’s powerful and renowned on par with penryck but because she actually makes the hags who choose to follow her feel respected, valued, and hopeful. though they’re aware they pursue the same goal, much of the resultant hagsfiend infighting is caused by disagreement over who should be king/queen once the owls are defeated- the mighty and brutal sky dragon with his legendary reputation of power, or the sharp-minded assassin and strategic leader who promises a safe haven for all. and then they all get so into fighting over that it’s impossible for both sides to actually get anywhere. rip

(as an extra note, some hagsfiends believe that their rivalry is romantic tension, and they should just become mates and rule together 😭 (a notion that both ullryck and penryck would have their heads for), and others, like ygryk, refuse to choose a side or involve themselves as they wish for peace and acceptance between hagsfiends and owls instead)

one last thought is that i think when the long night happens both penryck + ullryck’s factions would see the initial battle for the ice palace (between hoole + the guardians and arrin + elgobad’s forces) as the perfect opportunity to launch a counterattack on all of them. this creates a massive three-way battle for a time, but then the division between the hagsfiend factions and inability to coordinate leaves them at a disadvantage that ultimately ends with major hagsfiend losses. good job guys