The Raven Queen
The Matron of Ravens
The Raven Queen is the goddess of life and death in the Astorian Pantheon. She is the spinner of fate and the patron of winter. She marks the end of each mortal life and mourners call upon her during funeral rites, in the hope that she will guard the departed from he curse of undeath.
The name of the goddess of death is long forgotten, but legends tell that she was a powerful sorcerer-queen in life. She and a cadre of powerful Archmagi performed the Rites of Ascension, raising the sorcer-queen to full godhood and obliterating the then-god of Death, Nerull in the process. Nerull had been attempting to use the power of the souls under his command to overthrow the entire pantheon and become lord of all gods, but the sorcer-queen's ascension put a quick stop to all of his plans. Seeing an opportunity to prevent Nerull's actions from being repeated in the future, the other gods of the pantheon gave the new goddess a choice: either become the goddess of death instead of the dead (essentially becoming only the wayfarer for the deceased, rather than their ruler) and be accepted as a fully-fledged deity, or be utterly destroyed by their combined might. She accepted, and took on the Mantle of the Raven Queen. Abandoning her predecessor's realm (the name of which has also been lost to the ages) she went to The Shadowfell and forged a new land to call her own, naming it Letherna. One of her first acts as a goddess was to destroy Orcus, the Demon Prince of the Undead, sending him screaming back to the bowels of The Abyss. Orcus has spent his entire existence from that point determined to claim the Raven Queen's throne for himself.
The Raven Queen often communes with her followers. As the lady of fate, she is heavily entwined with each of her plans. As such, when she visits her followers in her physical form, she can be seen surrounded by a vast web of thin silver strands, reaching out in all directions. The Lady of Ravens herself is a lithe, hooded female figure with long flowing black hair and porcelain skin. She occasionally wears a blank porcelain mask, giving her a mysterious and passive air. Her true face is not much different, though those who have seen it describe her eyes as fiery embers floating in twin black pools.
The name of the goddess of death is long forgotten, but legends tell that she was a powerful sorcerer-queen in life. She and a cadre of powerful Archmagi performed the Rites of Ascension, raising the sorcer-queen to full godhood and obliterating the then-god of Death, Nerull in the process. Nerull had been attempting to use the power of the souls under his command to overthrow the entire pantheon and become lord of all gods, but the sorcer-queen's ascension put a quick stop to all of his plans. Seeing an opportunity to prevent Nerull's actions from being repeated in the future, the other gods of the pantheon gave the new goddess a choice: either become the goddess of death instead of the dead (essentially becoming only the wayfarer for the deceased, rather than their ruler) and be accepted as a fully-fledged deity, or be utterly destroyed by their combined might. She accepted, and took on the Mantle of the Raven Queen. Abandoning her predecessor's realm (the name of which has also been lost to the ages) she went to The Shadowfell and forged a new land to call her own, naming it Letherna. One of her first acts as a goddess was to destroy Orcus, the Demon Prince of the Undead, sending him screaming back to the bowels of The Abyss. Orcus has spent his entire existence from that point determined to claim the Raven Queen's throne for himself.
The Raven Queen often communes with her followers. As the lady of fate, she is heavily entwined with each of her plans. As such, when she visits her followers in her physical form, she can be seen surrounded by a vast web of thin silver strands, reaching out in all directions. The Lady of Ravens herself is a lithe, hooded female figure with long flowing black hair and porcelain skin. She occasionally wears a blank porcelain mask, giving her a mysterious and passive air. Her true face is not much different, though those who have seen it describe her eyes as fiery embers floating in twin black pools.
Divine Symbols & Sigils
Tenets of Faith
The Raven Queen expects her followers to abide by these commandments:
- Hold no pity for those who suffer and die, for death is the natural end of life.
- Bring down the proud who try to cast of the chains of fate. As the instrument of the Raven Queen, you must punish hubris where you find it.
- Watch for the cults of Orcus and stamp them out whenever they arise. The Demon Prince of the Undead seeks to claim the Raven Queen’s throne.
Holidays
Eve of Ascension, 11th of Yuldena: Though the true date of her ascension to godhood is unknown, the holy day of The Raven Queen is celebrated as the day of her apotheosis.
Title(s)
The Matron of Ravens
The Goddess of Death
The Lady of Ravens
The Dark Lady
The Matron of Ravens
The Goddess of Death
The Lady of Ravens
The Dark Lady
Divine Classification
Deity, life & death domains
Religions
Alignment
Lawful Neutral
Realm
Church/Cult
Children
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