The Raven Queen

Matron of Death

Demi-Goddess of Death
For nearly all citizens of Emergo, the existence of the Raven Queen is a complete mystery or a fanciful tale. Her whole existence is often disputed by scholars and nobles, especially those who would covet such a title for themselves. Rumors say she is a powerful being of magic from another realm, while others posit that she is a new aspect of the previous death god, the Lord of Bones.

The Raven Queen's Influence

Is it said that the Queen of Ravens appears differently to each observer. He ancestry, facial features, and skintone may change, but she invariably has lustrous, black hair. Beneath her outward calm, she seethes at the way mortals and gods alike have pulled apart and rearranged the threads of destiny to feed their petty ambitions. Her peaceful veneer falls away in the presence of such villains.
Unlike the other gods, it is whispered that the Raven Queen does not need worship to sustain or empower her. It is said that she has eyes everywhere, and appears as needed to those who will be most impactful to history.
Audience after Death - When an adventurer dies, the Raven Queen sometimes enlists them on a quest before they are resurrected by their allies. "Some sages posit that she is using people as pawns in an inscrutable game, the rules of which are known to only her and the Lady of Pain."
The arch-mage Mordenkainen describes the Raven Queen alternately as:

• A terrible shadow that claws at your innermost thoughts.
• A pale and regal elf who explodes into an untold number of ravens.
• A shambling tangle of slick roots and sticks that overwhelm you with dread.
• An unknown presence that pulls you blindly into the gloom.

Worshipping the Raven Queen

Priests and Priestesses of The Raven Queen are usually older, and this has led to many inaccurate assumptions by outsiders. Many claim that the Goddess sucks the life from her followers to speed their arrival to her kingdom. This is not the case. Younger, able bodied followers are required to serve the Goddess as Paladins. It is only in their old age or after injury that these warriors retire to the life of the priesthood.
The followers of the Goddess often turn to her after suffering a great loss or a brush with their own mortality. Dark colors are preferred by Her worshipers, and they usually have raven feathers somewhere on their person so show their loyalty. The rites and rituals they perform are shrouded in secrecy.

Ideals of the Faith

Not much is known about the tenets of the Raven Queen's nascent faith. From what has been observed, to follow her is to accept your place in the natural order of things, and your role in the ever-marching procession of time.

• Stewardship - Preservation of the natural order supersedes the needs of civilization
• Humility - It is hubris to aspire to a higher place in the natural order than we are given.
• Vigilance - Those who defy or manipulate death are menaces that must be stopped
• Mystery - The cosmos is more beautiful if its greatest truths remain unknown.

Myths of the Raven Queen

The Raven Queen's origins are shrouded in mystery. Some whisper that she has always existed but until recently remained indifferent to the lives of mortals. Otherwise indicate that she may have evolved from some other powerful being and taken on a more understandable form to better gather worshippers and adherents.
She is said to have forged the first weapons infused with shadow magic. These sentient blades were found in many locations and capable of binding with their wielders.

Temples / Seats of Worship

The Raven's Den - This shrine is located in the center of the graveyard and dedicated to the The Matron of Death. The outside of the shrine consists of an iron and obsidian archway that stretches up to a height of about 20 feet to frame the small shrine. Topping this shrine is a large statue of the Raven Queen wreathed by carved ravens in flight. This statue is made in its entirety of black obsidian. At the base of the statue are a number of bowls where offerings can be left.
Most Raven Queen temples feature a lamp at the front doors. When the temple clerics conduct a funeral or wake, the lamp glows with a pale yellow light as a signal. When the temple is quiet, the lamp remains dark. It is considered a bad omen for the lamp to remain lit all night, as this usually indicates the temple expects a great many deaths in the near future (such as during a plague or natural disaster). According to folklore, this “light of the Raven” provides a beacon to souls of the newly departed. When an individual dies, his soul abandons its mortal shell and is drawn to the light. Souls refusing to travel towards this beacon become ghosts, revenants, or worse. A number of common sayings connect to the Raven Queen’s light, such as “Leave a light burning for me,” meaning the speaker does not expect to return.

The Raven Queen's Champions

TBD

Earning & Losing the Raven Queen's Favor

• Putting down an undead or demon (+)
• Teaching people about the Raven Queen (++)
• Acts of cowardice (-)
• Undoing a deserved punishment or curse suffered by another creature (-)
• Willfully destroying a natural wonder (--)

Divine Domains

• Death
• Grave

Holy Books & Codes

Liber Mortuorum (From the Book of the Dead). This codex is written in an ancient language and further obscured with codes and ciphers. Only priests of a certain level within the Raven Queen’s church are taught how to read or interpret the Liber Mortuorum. Possession of this book by any outside the Queen’s clergy is viewed as worthy of swift death. It is likewise forbidden for those who are not priests to know how to read the text. There are a number of stories that describe the strange and tragic curse that seems to befall unauthorized readers or owners of the Liber Mortuorum.
For the most part, the Raven Queen’s clerics remain silent on what the holy book contains. In the absence of facts, people have formulated an astonishing number of stories and fables about the work. Priests of other religions have long postulated about what dark and horrible secrets lie within its pages.
For their part, clerics of the Raven Queen indicate their holy book consists primarily of prayers, rituals, and ceremonies designed to consecrate the deceased and speed the journey of the soul on to the Death Goddess.

Divine Symbols & Sigils

• Ravens
• a death mask
• an obsidian crown

Tenets of Faith

• Death is the natural end of life. There is no pity for those who have fallen
• The path of Fate is sacrosanct. Those who pridefully attempt to cast off their destiny must be punished
• Undeath is an atrocity. Those who would pervert the transition of the soul must be brought down

Holidays

Night of Ascension - The Raven Queen's holy day celebrating the beginning of her worship in Emergo. Celebrated on the 13th day of Reaping (10th month), it is an occasion to burn effigies and decry those to have an unnatural relationship with death.  The timing of this festival typically marks the onset of autumn.

Divine Goals & Aspirations

Though not much is known of her active goals, it is said that her followers strongly oppose all demonkind, especially the minions of Baphomet and Orcus. She is a devout enemy of Vecna, who has envied her for her unique abilities just as she despises his avoidance of death.

Divine Classification

Demigod

Religions

• Theocracy of Sirastir

Pronouns

She/Her

Gender

Female

Hair

Raven Black

Belief/Deity

Self

Related Myths

• Kiirshi's Tale