Eostara the Spring Child -- Persephone the Underworld Queen (E-O-star-a)

Eostara is the Goddess of Spring, Beauty, Dawn, Athletics, New Beginnings, Planting, Birth, Seeds and Precious Youth. One of the aspects of nature. As one of the old faith, is seen as strange by younger gods, more so in her fickle nature, as not all beginnings start well. However, despite her otherworldly nature, she is seen as kind and free-spirited and along with her colleagues balance the seasons and nature itself. She favoured those that dispelled the undead and blessed those who planted new life. But she transforms through the year, as her fickle nature becomes true, and becomes Persephone, the Queen of the Underworld - to honour the oath that was forced upon her by her abductor, Bane.
She slowly turns darker and more cruel inside, until she eventually escapes from her imprisoner and took over part of the plane for herself. Twisted into the goddess of the afterlife and souls. Reflecting her sinister nature.
Part of the Primordial Green. The First of the Season Riders. The Goddess of Spring, New beginnings, birth, seeds and precious youth. One of the Archfey, the Patron of the Spring Eladrin.
"From death, life."

Church of Eostara

The Church of Eostara is known as the Morningstars. They tend to be a nomadic church. The novices of the faith were called the Awakened, while clerics took the name of the Morningstars. The full priests take a new name in their service, when ready to signify that Eostara was personally recognised and accepted by her. This new name could either be used instead of their old name or simply when addressing other Morningstars and when in solitary prayer. Their duties are to bring new life and protect it, plant new seeds and allow nature to grow and give birth to new life - taking care of animals, help with the birth of children and their early care, fostering and nurturing them. Filled with vitality and youth, these tend to be athletic and run across all realms, fit for purpose and travelling all across new lands and areas, finding and aiding those they pass on their journey. Always finding new places to be and grow.
All of Eostara's clergy respected new life, nature and culture: promoting the betterment of oneself, and strove to bring hope to their followers and others. They were intolerant of evil, especially of undead and the inaction that led evil to prosper. But, they kept the balance of nature, and acted only when acts of evil affect the whole community, and not individuals. Most ceremonies were held at the morning, and actions and contracts were agreed to at sunrise that were said to be blessed by her. Funerals, among their followers, were held at dusk, and followed by a wake that lasted until the dawn.
Her church was an approachable one, where it welcomed all irrespective of gender or race. Thought the doctrine tended to attract more female followers than males, due to its preoccupation with femininity, and while female attendees outnumbered men, there was still a range of males that worshipped her.
Every temple tends to be stations and outposts across the world, temporary respites and hospices, even taverns. holds a garden or grove of blooming flowers, trees and plantlife, a childrens nursery where newborn babies are delivered and left to rest and cared for while parents may work and allow their children to play and gain an education and a school. With shrines where new couples could eventually say their vows and marry one another.
She maintained simplicity when it came to apparel. But appreciated individuality and new styles, but all wore a standard livery of a red rose in bloom.

Worshippers

Eostara is mostly worshipped by a diverse collection of followers: by druids, farmers, families, mothers, gardeners, children and halflings. Seen as one of the critical aspects of the assumed cycle of life. Private land owners and destitute farmers visited her clerics for divine suggestions for aiding in the years crops and new beginnings. Resolutions are prayed to her for the new year, hoping to bring in good luck and fortune for the next year in life. They prayed for their spells upon the sunrise, as did druids.

Realm

Eostara rules over the Great Springlands over within the Feywild, and the Garden Resplendent within Elysium.

Tenets of Faith

• Be a good host
• Be a good guest
• Respect Nature
• Hunt for food, not for sport
• Leave the Dead to Rest

Divine Goals & Aspirations

Her great mission is to see life bloom and give birth, and to continue the cycle of the season - regrowing the world after the winters passing, and to revitalise the energies of the Spirit of Life. Prospering on lifes beginnings. Allowing things to begin, and flourish. But also, to end any anathema of life, undead or aversion to nature, monstrosities and the like.

Personal History

Eostara is the first of the Season Riders. She embodies new life, surrounded by a cloud of glowing Fey butterflies that shimmer in ephemeral colours and bright twinkling lights. She rides upon a pumpkin wheeled-chariot blooming with flowers and branches pulled by a team of little Wolpertingers (winged, horned rabbits).
Eostara was born before the arrival of the Great Founding of Divinity - as part of the Old Faith. She was present in the world when the Elemental Chaos and the world were intertwined - she was born from the apotheosis of the slain Verdani that fought against the Titanspawn known as the Collossi and Morgoron, the Breakers of Vangolia, that sought desolation and desertification of the world. She was given prominence directly as the first child of Bwom'Sambdi, the Duke of Decay, who wished to restore balance to nature, and spread life and restore the Spirit of Life to the world. She took the part of nature in its beginnings, spreading life in the world and new beginnings, youth and birth. Becoming the First Season Rider, the Spring Maiden.
It was in a mutual agreement, in the Great Founding, that the Prime Divinities and the Primordial Green that the two would defeat the threat of the Titans and weaken the primeval Linnorms of the Elemental Chaos.
She was present when Gazenaroc, the Shapeless One, fought off against one of the Great Linnorm Worms - throwing them into the Elemental Chaos, and through their blood came the spawn of the first Protodagons. Their upbringing harsh and wild. She aided in their upbringing, though only acted as a foster mother, as they were wild and untame - they were effected by the essence of the Elemental Chaos, and she tamed the powers of the air, and helped grant the True Dragon Asgorath power over the first True Dragons. Fighting off against the primordial beings known as the Linnorms. They harboured forms over the dragonoid creatures and their spawn, but they hungered eternally, and wished to rule the world in their own image in eternal savagery.
It was with Asgorath that he gave rise to the first True Dragons, binding their essence to him, and his two great hearts. And set out with these flying dragons, earning their wings with the aid of Eostara, to fight off against the destructive Titans and Giants.
She was first approached by the magical divinity Arvanos. With him, she aided in the conjuring of his essence to be shared out from his starry form, and gave rise to the first race of Aetheus, the Elves. With them, they aided against the heirs of the Titans - the Giants.
Then came Ergo, and unlike other races, he himself created them out of a fashion of stone and earth. But was blessed with flesh from his own Anvil and Forge Hammer.
During the time of the Giant-Dragon War, she was confronted by a new burgeoning deity known as Lorkhan, the Storm Lord and wished the blessing of new life for his kindred. It was an unlikely alliance, as his kind was the children of Morgoron - but nevertheless, she offered this new youth to them and blessed their lands.
Asterion and Hyana were good friends to her, fellow Green spirits - the Horned King offered progeny with the likes of Gazenaroc, and gave rise to the Minotaur, spreading across the lands, particularly in Aetha'Shar and Vangolia - making them strong and brutish, going against the rising signs of civilisation - against the Orcs and Orocs, the Elves, Giants and the Dragons. Hyana bred and suckled the mouths of her hungry Gnolls in the early days, presiding over the primal lands of Vashara at the time - earning the title of the Surrogate Huntress.
Pansophia came and wished to offer her divine essence and personification of curiosity, to form the early Tabaxi - whom would be guided by the Sphinxes, and may be led astray by the Lamias.
From the Feywild, came the deities of Pygmea and Maevericki - and thus came the rise of the Halflings and the Gnomes.
She, her sister Freya, her brothers Vernoron and Boreas, formed the Season Riders - and fought alongside the two Prime Divinities, Pelor and Shelúne. It was at this point, defeating the Titans, that she felt enamoured to Pelor, but did not reciprocate her feelings.
In the small peace that occurred before the Calamity, Eostara spread life across the world - aiding her new foster sister, Melora, in granting life back to the world. With Melora, and the gathering of the Divinities - she was present to see the birth of many of the mortal races.
She had made great friends with many of the other Primordial Green that granted their essence to give new life to the world. In an event known as the Golden Spring of Many Legacies. Toridon, the Tidebreaker, gave rise to the Tortle - a wise and humble race that fared around the coastlines and the rivers and isles of the world. Sekoloth, the Bloodraver - though a domineering spirit, a great predator, sought to spread life in the sea - and gave rise to the cruel Sahuagin, aided by Eostara. Odile, the Primal Saurian - sired and hatched from his own mercurial form, eggs that led to the rise of the Lizardfolk among Zigaura.
Ericerbic however, sought a deed greater than the other Green - and beseeched the aid of Eostara. She sired first, the little Grung, but in the wars of the Divine War - she sought to bring more life to foster the balance, sacrificing more of her essence - though Eostara was fearful of this attempt; it succeeded, but came to spawn the Bullywugs, a larger spawn - this had greatly dismayed Ericerbic and held her in a great lethargy for the rest of her time.
Inspired by the efforts of the other divinities and gods - seeing the beauty in creation and the rise of life. She came to divine her own magical essence to give life to a race known as the Aethallar, which she called her little "Princelings", to populate an abundant jungle known as Aethallasar. The only Season Rider to do so, her kind-hearted nature and naivety, wishing to bless the land with her own children. They grew to be strong, vibrantly coloured, large, medium and small, with wondrous eyes and quite athletic, nimble and cunning, and climbing amongst the trees. Nature being their playground.
Much later, Eostara was called upon by a new deity, Craevan - unaware of his predilections, she wandered into the garden to which he devoted to her. But, swiftly came a dark chariot rode by nightmares, and she became surrounded by dark shadows - and the Dread Emperor came and took her and imprisoned her in the Forbidden Garden of the Underworld, in Hades. She was horrified, and was terrified for her life - try as she might to summon seedlings - this garden was corrupt and unkept. But Bane was not as dreadful as he may have seemed, under that grim exterior, she noticed some softness and sadness. He had tried granting her gifts, this garden, though he knew not of such things - he made sweet promises, and tried to grant every wish but her freedom. She spurned his initial advances, but slowly softened and warmed to him. For a time, he offered to help her bring life to this dismal plane, and the two parlayed for a time - the dark nature of this place piqued her curiosity, and did so miss the means of the Green. She was filled with a dream to fill this place with life, though evil as it was, her fascinations and works with Bane created many a creature that called her mother at her home. Bane then approached her, and offered her a chance to change and ensure that those that she brought new beginnings to did not suffer a difficult life, rather take it by the reigns, and become strong. His silver tongue and dark promises filled her mind, and soon, she dashed her early children. She incidentally attempted to follow his lead, as he dominated them and bent them to his will, seeing that through this nature, through this cruelty, much like in nature, they grew stronger for this. The pups that she once raised, now fewer in number, grew strong, voracious and loyal, and spoke to her... the first Worgs. She felt this strange feeling, a sinister delight. Soon, she fell to his sway, and began to understand him better. Her form changing, darkening, and embodying a strange new persona she did not know that existed. She abandoned the name she once took, beginning a new life, a new being - Persephone, and relished in the chance to become Queen. Sealed by a oath to Sincainea, that she, Persephone, would take this mantle and share her life with Bane.
In the Material Plane, the seasons had fell out of alignment, and Pelor, her first paramour, had joined with her siblings the Season Riders, and followed the dark path left in Bane's wake, and tracked them down with the aid of her close friend, Hyana. The Surrogate Huntress traced it down all the way to Hades - and upon Bane's departure after Persephone asked for a ring suitable for their union, to be wedded. Pelor and the Season Riders beseeched her, though Hyana did not recognise her and attacked her friend. They stopped Hyana, and took back the Queen of the Underworld to her place in the Resplendant Gardens - Pelor stayed with her, healing her, trying to rid her of the corruption that bound her. Her other persona, Eostara, returned eventually, and the seasons were returned back to alignment... but she was cursed forever more. She could not deny the oath she swore - and consulted with the god and goddess of Law, Venarion and Erathis, against the Vice Maiden, Sincainea. The Oath did bind her to Bane and the underworld - but Erathis, though envious of Eostara's impression upon Pelor, found the loophole that would savour her, and allowed her to spend time with both Bane and Pelor in the two Gardens.
She would retain her persona of Persephone for half the year, and Eostara would begin the world again at the coming of spring at the end of winter.
Thus, ended the time in which she dwelt in Hades, and halted the Long Twilight Years in which the worlds seasons were in disarray, and balance was restored to nature.
For Pelor's aid, Eostara, Freya, Vernoron and Boreas would grant him the patronage of the farmers of their harvest season.
Another legend involved her in a competition between her brother Vernoron the Harvest Lord, and Maevericki the Humble Friend. She and her Season Riders were tricked by the tricky halfling patron, and she was convinced to plant in her gardens a series of painted rocks, and that she should bury herself in the ground to give it life through the spring season. But he did so in the guise of her brother Boreas, who told her that it was a blessing from Vernoron. A great ploy - to which, at the coming of the Harvest Day - she and her fellow Riders were invited to a grand party the day before the Harvest, and rode furiously at the party. She blamed Boreas, who in turn blamed Freya, who in turn blamed Boreas - each of which were told was a blessing from Vernoron. Surprised and dismayed, Vernoron had given a great chuckle at the embarrassing situation... failing upon the eve of Maevericki's challenge. And the deity was granted patronage over the grapevine, to aid in his festivity, and was rewarded with the Harvest Lord having smiled and become humbled by the small being at the same time.
In the Cataclysm, she was horrified by the aversions of nature that occurred - the corruption of her great friends by the actions of Craevan the Dark against Asterion the Horned Bull, and Hyana the Surrogate Huntress. At first, it was a few needless kills - Asterion had warned Hyana to not do this once more. But Hyana could not hold back. She was satiated and warped by the endless hunts she endeavoured in and went on a bloody rampage, slaying all that walked in her wake. Hunting needlessly for bloodsport, killing many... Asterion came for Hyana and had taken it to his charge to slay Hyana, despite Bwom'Sambdi's decree, and sought to combat against her. The battle was vicious, and blood was sprayed across the land. Asterion succeeded, and the Surrogate Huntress was left bloodied and broken, but laughing insidiously. Asterion returned bitter, and saw the spread of civilisation - he saw it as an aversion to the true natural world that was promised. Bwom'Sambdi was wrong, this was not right. The beasts were the ones that should lay claim to this world, it was there's. So, he tricked Hyana to her bloodlust and slaughtered many Elves and even Dragons... but this was the last straw, and her bloodlust knew no bounds - slaughtering her own kin out of hunger, and slaying the beasts of nature, causing great ruin. Eostara witnessed this carnage and consulted Bwom'Sambdi, trying to beseech to him that she should be stopped, but that her children should not suffer the consequences of her actions, they simply follow her mother. Bwom'Sambdi heard her pleas, but coldly denied them... he cast her out and banished them to the Abyss. Asterion, seeing this aversion, was outraged at this failed ploy - and sought to unleash his wrath of nature against civilisation and the realms of the gods. He sent out his Minotaur to devastate and raid the civilised lands, earning the ire of the Divine Pantheon... even asking the aid of Gazenaroc, whom denied it. Eostara pleaded to the good senses of the Horned King, but to no avail, and she was gored upon his tusks.
Gazenaroc and Bwom'Sambdi came after Asterion, seeing that he had violated the treatise between the gods and Green - and bid him the same banishment into the Abyss. Seeing that the deed was done - they left her in her wake, to heal on her own to face the scar that was left when you defy nature, or try to interrupt the balance. Even she had stepped out of line. They were aversions to nature in Bwom'Sambdi's eyes, and disturbed the balance of nature. Eostara was said to have wept in sorrow that spring as she nursed her injuries, aided by Pelor.

Physical Description

Seen as a beautiful young maiden with fair white skin, and long bushy wild-unkempt hair growing with twigs and branches outward, her heart-shaped face the epitome of young beauty. Often wearing long-flowing clothing made of a living leaves and flowers, with a wreath of flowers around her head. Green emerald eyes.

---

PERSEPHONE THE UNDERWORLD QUEEN

Persephone, the Queen of the Underworld, the Dread Empress, the Maiden of Death. A Goddess of Death, Dread, Nature, Goblinoids & Dominance. The darkened nature of the Spring Maiden, Eostara, the Season Rider of Spring. Abducted and corrupted by the darkened words and actions of Bane the Dread Emperor. She encourages the end of the world in order to start it anew, in her own image, and one in line with what her former lover Bane desires.

Church of Persephone

Worshippers

As a mostly forbidden goddess Persephone isn't worshiped openly. Most of her worshipers are death or apocalypse cults. Only a limited number of her followers worships her in the hopes of blessings and prays for her gift, the gift of magic, change and control. Persephone is sometimes worshiped by rulers who wish to get her aid in controlling their domain, merging her natural past with her cruel present. As she is in fact the progenitor of the Aethallar, and in turn, the goblinoids of Banaethlin - she is in turn worshipped as the true Queen of Bane, and revered highly by the Banaethlin Empire.
Some do in fact worship her in the Bronzimm Concord, still being their estranged progenitor - but do so in the wish to pray for her blessings and gifts of magic and control.

Temples and Priests

Persephone has very few temples, one of the most prominent standing... where worship of her is still practiced, even though it is forbidden by royal degree.
Most of her priests dress in green and black robes and are often sought out for for their blessing when things start going south. Their radical nature makes them cruel, yet effective at solving problems. They are especially favoured for their ability to help or hinder the growth of farms and local flora and fauna as well as influencing the harshness of coming seasons.

Realm

Persephone rules over a layer of the Grey Wastes of Hades, known as the Underworld. There she resides in the Forbidden Garden.

Divine Domains

Arcane - Nature - Death - Grave.

Tenets of Faith

Persephone only has a few commands for her followers:

• Be always open for change. It can only help you get stronger.
• Adapt to your situation when you must, but always keep a tight grip on where you want to end up.
• Cruelty is not a bad thing. It is a tool for achieving one's goals.
• Death is a natural order of life. Only through death can we help new things prosper.

Divine Goals & Aspirations

Persephone is a vain and fickle goddess. She still hasn't lost her connection to nature and life, but she has corrupted it into a twisted vision of death and decay. She is more than happy to see the material plane wither and die, as she believes only then can the world be reborn in a new and better form. For this end her priests are ready to bring death at every opportunity and destroy everything that they deem tainted, weak or foul.

Personal History

After her kidnapping, and the banishment of Bane - Persephone was left abandoned and lonely in her realm of the Underworld.
As her coming to form as Persephone, the Season Riders had come to beseech the aid of Bwom'Sambdi the Duke of Decay to retrieve her from the unnatural plane of Hades. He came to her, and he beckoned her to come home. She denied him this, but rather, invited him to come to her garden and she will give him a answer as to why. He agreed.
Being shown the Forbidden Garden, he saw how she had changed her ways - but she did not in essence, falter away from the balance of nature. Rather, she embodied a greater essence that Bwom'Sambdi, and that life's cycle must eventually end in order to start anew. Bwom'Sambdi accepted this with a nod. And left her to her domain. To the dismay of the Season Riders.
Her believers are in constant schism with the same Church of Eostara, those that value life, and her own death cult. Much like nature, she tries to keep a balance - but is thwarted toward every turn.
As an entity of death, she has often at times come at blows between Null the Unborn Godling, Vecna the Undying King and the Raven Queen. Persephone has a deep hatred over Vecna, as he is an aberration to the balance of nature - and offered her aid to Pelor as his armies known as the Lords of Sol, worked against him during his rise to godhood. To her delight, to torment her former lover, and to attempt to halt the rise of this arrogant heretic of the gods and nature. She ensured that the bodies were left to decay and not rise into undeath for the Undying King, and let a blooming dark grove grow over their corpses - a gift and a taunt to the Dawn-Father, allowing it to wash over his armies.
The Raven Queen and Persephone often come at blows with one another, as they wander in the purviews of those that die in the mortal world. Persephone takes the souls of others that have lived a dark life and brought dread, and take their souls to reside within Hades, dealing with devils, hags, and fiends - allotting them to whether they should be judged as befitting the hells, to wander Hades, to be seen by Null, nor be released into the world once more to bring new life. Persephone more so does the latter of the options. Persephone actively seeks out the death and decay of the world to be remade into life. Whilst the Raven Queen arrives upon the moment of death, and never before. She only intercedes then, and watches the lives of all until their lives flicker and extinguish, and then comes to take them through the gates of death, to not taint their souls or their spirits, and fulfil death completely. With their portfolios overlapping, there have been many schisms between the death goddesses - many times, Persephone has been on the losing side, but even the Raven Queen has been outdone by the Queen of the Underworld in her provision of souls. Their greatest fights occur within the winter. But the only time in which both goddesses had worked together - was in repelling the Lord of the Undead, Orcus; where each of them worked against the spread of his undeath across the world during the Divine War and Cataclysm. They brought him down and were aided by the outcries of Null.
Out of all the beings in the universe, she fears Null the most. He is an oddity, an aberration, but yet a child. Wielding power beyond her dreams, and though she abhors the rise of those into undeath, rather than decay into new life - Null's chosen Grim Reapers haunt her, and stalk her in her halls, keeping watch over her and the dead under her tow. Being a stewardess of the dead, that arise into the River Styx.
Persephone did not lament at the death of Bane by the hands of Erathis - but she did rejoice in the sudden influx of souls that reaped into the Styx and over the world, the Martyr's Progeny. Denying it to Null and the Raven Queen, instead, she bargained her potential power alongside Erathis - as she had obtained the power of Bane's divinity. She wished to bargain for the livelihood of her worshippers souls, as she had committed quite a heresy - in exchange for her former lovers divinity. Erathis buckled, enraged by this, and filled with sorrow - but she did so, and the Queen embodied a new essence of Dread. Becoming further empowered by the full patronage of the goblinoids, and the power of domination and tyranny. But she was not as empowered as she thought she would be... the power that streamed through her was nothing like that she felt on the nights she was alone with Bane. To that, she wondered, what her former lover was plotting... and meanwhile, she would take the mantle of the Dread Empress.
From then on, as she had accumulated her power, she had began to honour those that swore loyalty to her and to her dominance in the tumultuous periods that her transformation remained within. She began to marshal the expectations for the female goblins of Banaethlin and even the Bronzimm Concord; and started to create her own honour guard, after the Black Hand of Bane, known as the Handmaidens of the Black Rose. They would tend to her, guard her, and be her champions to sink the heel of her boot to those that did not follow her command.

Physical Description

Persephone is often describes of a woman of otherworldly beauty. It is said that it was this very beauty that made Bane unable to resist her and eventually led to her abduction by him.
Other voices tell of a dark and twisted woman, otherly inhuman and dressed in black robes adorned with skulls. Fearsome yet irresistable. Her eyes darkened and her irises a terrifying and alluring blood red.

ASSOCIATED READING