Letherna

The forbidding realm of the Raven Queen, Letherna lies in the frozen north of the Shadowfell. Here the spirits of the dead are drawn to seek their ultimate fate. Wherever their mortal bodies perished, most souls inevitably come to Letherna and pass through the Raven Queen’s stronghold. It is not a place for the living. And yet, despite it’s vast array of dangers and powers, adventurers come to Letherna seeking ancient treasures or the fulfillment of great quests.
The vast, frozen mountain range that makes up Letherna has few navigable routes to it or through it. A great valley called the Bleak Fallow lies in the northeastern part of the domain, where an even greater mountain once stood. At the southern end of the ring of mountains around Letherna is the temple of Zvomarana, guarding entrance from that direction. Deep in a canyon in the extreme northwest lies Farad Exitis, where the Raven Queen’s exarch, Vorkhesis, presides over pilgrims who would prove their faith by embracing the god’s greatest tenets in a difficult trial.

Geography

THE BLEAK FALLOW

A frozen wasteland of tundra, stunted and shattered crags stretch as far as the eye can see. A colossal, shallow valley, like something that might have been caused by glacial activity, seems anomalous against the backdrop of the mountains that ring it to the north and east.
Far above the valley floor, processions of disembodied spirits spiral toward some destination to the southwest. Every so often, one falls away from the pack. The lost soul plummets to the ground like a shooting star, followed shortly by howls of terror as dark shapes move towards it.

The Bleak Fallow is a forsaken stretch of badlands where devils and other cruel creatures harvest unclaimed souls. The land inside the vast depression is far from featureless: Terrain bunches up into craggy hills and dives unexpectedly into deep pits hidden by snow. One wrong step can send a traveler hurtling down into a drift, never to emerge.
Two great glaciers gradually sweep the Fallow clean of its scarred ruin. They have met in several places, creating fantastic upthrusts of ice that form natural towers reaching far into the windy heights. The towers offer natural shelter against roving Sorrowsworn, so insubstantial undead creatures often hide within these refuges. Their ghostly bodies face little danger if an ice tower suddenly collapses.

THE PALACE OF FATE

To gaze upon this edifice of black ice is to leave the light of life and hope behind. The might fortress wears darkness like a shroud, radiating a chill even colder than that of the surrounding mountains.
High above, streams of souls approach from all directions and coalesce in a maelstrom of writhing incorporeal forms. Souls trickle down steadily toward the palace gate, and every so often the black-winged form of a mighty Sorrowsworn rises to the storm and draws one forth.

In the heart of this black palace, the Raven Queen holds court, presiding over the souls of the deceased and musing upon the secrets of life and death that are her purview. Adventurers who reach Fate’s Palace are either utterly committed to the cause that drew them here, or they’re in far over their heads. Sorrowsworn guard the entrance to the palace, presided over by the deathlord Delatoth. She receives visitors and decides whether their business deserves the Raven Queen’s attention.

FARAD EXITIS

Billowing flocks of ravens take flight as visitors approach this great stronghold, an impenetrable fortress built into sheer mountain walls. Even seen from a distance, the edifice is visibly withered with age and gloom, though it retains the majesty of years. Crafted out of black ice, the building is partially melted in places. Buttresses hang limply, windows are half obscured by dropping architecture, and overhangs drip like icicles.
Most mortals regard the temple of Zvomarana as the Raven Queen’s holiest of holies, but the lesser-known Farad Exitis also attracts devoted pilgrims and adventurers. Pilgrims come under the promise of having their deepest, most pressing questions answered.
Also called Fate’s Bastion, the temple is carved into the side of a canyon. The only way to reach Farad Exitis is by navigating a series of caves, then crossing a bridge that spans the chasm. Those who would enter must endure three tests to prove their devotion to the Raven Queen. Each test echoes one part of her portfolio. By undergoing a series of challenges, a person can gain access to the heart of Farad Exitis and meet its Lord, Vorkhesis, Exarch of Fate.

TEMPLE OF ZVOMARANA

Most of the living creatures that reside in Letherna can be found in Zvomarana, the holiest of temples to the Raven Queen. Here, Shadar-kai undertake grueling quests to become Sorrowsworn. They must venture away from Zvormarana, crossing Letherna in the ultimate test to prove their worthiness to the Raven Queen. Such a quest requires fulfilling some great task in Letherna (typically the destruction of a powerful undead creature) and then finding one’s way into Fate’s Palace, where the potential Sorrowsworn seeks to enter the deepest communion with the god of death.