The Shieldmaiden
The Goddess of Protection and Purity, The Unflinching, The Saviour, The Mother
The Shieldmaiden was the oldest of the Gods, she acted always on behalf of the mortals to which she owed her existence. She saw the Gods not as rulers or deities to be worshipped, but as carers for the mortals. She wished that one day the creatures of the mortal planes would ascend to a higher level of divinity and join the Gods as equals. Until that point, she would ensure nothing happened to them. Carefully, she managed the Gods, ensuring that each of them helped the mortal plane and teaching them to build their own followings, so that they might educate them in the ways of philosophy, art and magic. For a long time, the Shieldmaiden ruled over the Gods and tended to the world and any qualms the other Gods had toward her never flourished into rebellion. One day, the Shieldmaiden's dream came true.
A mortal ascended to the level of a God, becoming the Conqueror, soon after Morrow, the God of Undeath ascended. The Ascended Gods sought more power, believing they could reach greater heights than divinity and the following war resulted in the eventual death of Morrow, The Conqueror and the Shieldmaiden herself. During the war, she and Solus, the God of the Sun became romantically involved. She became pregnant with his child but before the Godling could be born, she was killed. The Conqueror went to strike the plane itself, hoping to create a large enough tear in reality that all would be undone and he would be able to create a new reality in his own image. The Shieldmaiden intercepted the blow, her shield cracking as she did and realising she could not destroy the Conqueror, instead assimilated him, killing both herself and him and creating a new deity, the Unifier. From out of the Unifier came the Shieldmaiden and Solus' child. Altered by the Conqueror's corruption, the child grew into a malformed creature and was sealed within the Underdark by Solus himself.
It is said that the concious of the Shieldmaiden never truly died, but was simply absorbed into the Unifier. Followers of the Aegis believe that by following the teachings of the Shieldmaiden and praying to her, she will one day overcome the Conqueror and gain control of the Unifier.Relationships
Followers of the Shieldmaiden
Prior to the War of the Gods, the followers of the Shieldmaiden were heavily armoured individuals who dedicated themselves to the protection of settlements. Temples dedicated to the Shieldmaiden tended to have multiple purposes, acting as a training grounds, school and hospital for the followers. While there are no dedicated temples to the Shieldmaiden now, she still features heavily in The Followers' art, literature and music.
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