Baba Yaga

Baba Yaga is the most infamous figure of Russian folklore and mythology, hands down, being the only character anyone who isn't Russian can probably name. A hag's hag, Baba Yaga varies wildly between different stories from standard child-eating ungodly abomination to a chaotic trickster mentor, who can be both ally and enemy depending on her mood and how much respect you show her. Some of the few things that remain constant; she flies in a mortar and pestle, she has a sweet-ass house that moves by walking along on giant chicken legs, and you do not fuck with Baba Yaga.

Baba Yaga has warranted occasional mentions in Dungeons & Dragons; for example, the infamous witch of Greyhawk, Iggwilv, is rumored to be one of Baba Yaga's daughters, whilst she was instrumental in creating the Demon Prince Kostchtchie.

However, it is in Pathfinder that she has truly shone, as Paizo has no shame about stealing from real-world myth and folklore to pad out Golarion. Baba Yaga is a central figure of the Reign of Winter Adventure Path, which lays her entire history and power set bare in its final issue. Born on Earth in 75 BC, she managed to become a powerful witch despite coming from humble antiquity Sarmatian peasant girl stock when she was taught the arts of sorcery by a powerful faerie for shits 'n' giggles. As her powers grew over the centuries she became renowned in regional Slavic folktales. She would eventually begin to travel the planes and, about 1,500 years ago, she made a few visits to Golarion before deciding it would be a nice place to put down roots. With an army of ice trolls, giant wolves, frost giants, white dragons and other evil creatures of cold and fey nature, she overran the eastern half of the Ulfen kingdoms. After winning this Winter War in less than a month she carved the new territory into her kingdom of Irrisen, locked the entire country in a perpetual winter, put her eldest daughter Jadwiga on the throne, and then promptly fucked off, a process which repeats every one hundred years. When she returns she collects her daughter and all her children, and installs another one on the throne to rule for another century, and then fucks off again. The only thing scarier than what Baba Yaga does to her daughters once their rule is at an end is what it is like to actually have to fuck Baba Yaga for her to get those daughters in the first place. Occasionally one of Baba Yaga's daughters will attempt to resist being dethroned, knowing that whatever fate awaits them can only be grim, but it generally ends poorly and swiftly for them as Baba Yaga is as wily as she is powerful.

The vampire version of Baba Yaga also appears as a horrendously powerful Nosferatu Methuselah in White Wolf's World of Darkness. She created the magical Iron Curtain that caused the rest of the supernatural world to be cut off from Soviet Russia during the Cold War while she did bad things to those inside. A charming specimen, she was an eight foot tall vampire with iron claws, iron fangs, skin covered in pustules, and a stereotypical long crooked nose. She was later killed by another childe of her sire, a Nictuku (scary Nosferatu-hunting vampire) that took the form of a small girl by the name of Vasilisa. If this sounds like a certain Russian fairy tale, you're paying attention.