The Raven Queen
The God of Death
Her most common servants are the Shadar-Kai, a subspecies of elves that almost exclusively live in the Midnight. It is also commonly thought that ravens are her servants, and a sign of her favor or attention.
The Midnight is where the Raven Queen dwells, but is not itself her realm. It is the Plane of Shadow, the land of death and Undeath, and where the darkest mortals and immortals are imprisoned for all time, instead of getting the release of death.
Divine Domains
Official Cleric Domains
- Death
- Grave
- Twilight
Other Domains
- Fate
- Memory
Artifacts
Divine Symbols & Sigils
Tenets of Faith
- Death at the proper time, not before, not after
- Undeath has its purpose, but do not abuse it
- Experience strong memories, so that in death the Raven Queen may experience them as well
- Hold no pity for those who die, for death is the natural end of life
- Bring down the proud who try to cast off the chains of fate
- Punish hubris when you find it
- Beware the servants of Vecna, as the god of secrets desires the Raven Queen's throne
Divine Goals & Aspirations
- Acquire powerful memories and mementos, especially of loss and tragedy
- Maintain the balance of the universe by ensuring that death flows as it should
- Punish Vecna and their servants for the hubris of attempting to take her throne
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Amongst them however, a group of 13 wizards instead tried to amplify their own powers by siphoning power from the ritual. Just as the Raven Queen ascended to divinity, they acted, foolishly believing they could contend with the power of a god. The Raven Queen smote them where they stood, cursing them forevermore. However, the damage was done. The ritual was corrupted, and nearly destroyed the souls of the Raven Queen and her servants, dragging them into The Midnight. The echoes of this were devastating. The birth, and then subsequent death of a new god sent ripples throughout the Feywild, shattering it irrevocably. The plane split in two in order to survive at all, creating The Everbright and The Everdawn, splitting the elves, the shifters, and other denizens of the Feywild apart. However, as a newly born god, the Raven Queen brought herself back, pulling her followers back from the brink, creating a new species of elves, the Shadar-Kai.
The act nearly destroyed her, scattering her form, making her into disconnected sensory perceptions. Worse, Corellon, whispered to by the remains of the cursed wizards, believed the Raven Queen's act to be one of treason, and wiped the memory of her from all elves, including herself. To survive, what was left of the new god drew upon the memories of the Midnight, creating something new from the essence of the elven queen, and the plane itself, known as the Raven Queen. Though the Shadar-Kai do not remember who she is, they understand that she created them, saved them from the nothingness, and serve her faithfully.
Social
Contacts & Relations
Relationships
Relationship Reasoning
The Raven Queen secretly resents Mystra's meetings with the mortal dead. She would rather have complete control over their fates, and desperately wonders what memories the mortals will secretly recount to Mystra that they hide from her. However, Mystra is one of the few beings the Raven Queen trusts to be committed to ensuring the passage of the dead. Mystra, though by rights should abhor the Raven Queen, as she is an undead god, seemingly tolerates her for keeping the balance of the world.
Relationship Reasoning
Corellon acts aloof to the Raven Queen to avoid triggering any lingering memories of her past, but secretly they fear her even more than Lolth. Corellon believes that if the Raven Queen were to regain her memories, she would use her powers of death to obliterate them and Lolth, along with the entire Feywild. For her part, the Raven Queen resents Corellon deeply, though she has no true idea as to why that is.
Relationship Reasoning
The Raven Queen does not know why she hates and fears Lolth, but she does all the same. Lolth, unaware of the history with Corellon, her hated enemy, is mostly amused by the strength of the Raven Queen's hatred, unaware of the great danger she would be in if the Raven Queen regained her full memory and strength.
Relationship Reasoning
The Raven Queen holds a special grudge against Vecna. Vecna readily teaches others how to escape the Midnight, and even sneaks into the Midnight to assist them, earning him the Raven Queen's undying ire. That the Raven Queen despises Vecna delights him to no end. Vecna revels in the fact that, as a lowly mortal, she was able to outwit the Lady of Death. Still bitter over Vecna's deception, the Raven Queen concocts ways to torment the upstart god. Were she to discover a method to slay Vecna and return him to the Midnight, the god of the dead would pursue it over all other goals.
Relationship Reasoning
Pharika understands, better than many of the other gods, that life and death are closely intertwined. Pharika's tinctures can either extend a life or snuff it out. Although she appreciates what these gods have in common with her, the Raven Queen occasionally feels the need to remind them that the dead are hers, and other gods' acceptance of death's inevitability doesn't make them masters of it. While the Raven Queen appreciates her agenda, which ultimately bolsters her realm, Pharika rankles somewhat at the attention the Raven Queen gets from dying mortals, chafing at their tendency to appeal to her when they could beg Pharika for healing or for a painless death.
Relationship Reasoning
Pelor believes the Raven Queen is an undead abomination, and if he could would obliterate her from the universe. However, she is too powerful, and too important to the cosmic balance, so Pelor bides his time.
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