The Norns

The Sisters Death

The Norns are a trio of exceptionally powerful Fae. While most Fae are generally far more solid in their embodiments and representations, the Norns are much more nebulous. They are the raw representations of fate; the cycle of life, and death. Compared to their Fae kin, this makes the Norns among the eldest entities to walk on Veska. They're depicted as three giant elderly women, each with their own specific role within the cycle of fate.
The Norns are rarely seen or interacted with outside of very specific circumstances, shrouding them in the same divine mystey that matches the likes of Aine.
In Elven and Fianni tongue, they are called Maitri'a bhàis; or The Sisters Death. To the Elves and Fianni, Norns are viewed not necessarily as three separate entities, but one whole entity that embodies death itself.

The Little Sister

"One sister's hair is the spool and thread,"

Aiofne (Owf-nee) is the youngest of the three sisters. Aiofne lords over the past leading on into the present. She's a giantess with exceptionally long, golden locks of hair that remain beautiful despite her great age. This hair is so long, that it drags upon the ground wherever she walks. Occasionally, when a fated event meets its close, strands of Iofne's hair turn grey and wither to white. This is not to be mistaken for Death, but instead it signifies something coming to a close.
When this happens, her eldest sister clips the strand of hair from her head, before the middle sister fashions it with her yarn.
A common saying among Fianni and Elves is to demand others to stop by 'snipping' it.

The Middle Sister

"Another sister's loom weaves patterns ahead."

Inari is the middle of the three sisters. She is also often referred to as Lady Luck due to her hold over fortune and the future to come. Inari is tasked with weaving together the hairs collected from her youngest sister, creating magnificent spools of thread that are then woven into unique patterns that play out the present and future. Each and every pattern across the world is very different, and with each spool of thread snipped from Aiofne's hair, her loom weaves together a new future.
She is an elderly giant woman that weaves worldly events together with her loom. Fate, however, is a very fickle thing. Inari is a trickster goddess; and her desire to always seek new and interesting patterns to weave together from her sister's hair can lead to bizarre, or outright unfortunate events from her efforts to create compelling stories from her loom. Inari is a woman with a sense of humour, and will happily weave her threads in ways that give her the biggest laugh.
Despite her reputation as a trickster, most of Inari's mischief is slightly inconveniencing at worst, and completely harmless at best.
Inari is closely associated with Foxes. It's said that when foxes first existed, they had small tails and grew cold during the harsh winter nights. Inari, seeing pity upon the beasts, wove them fluffy tails using the threads of her sister's hair so that they could keep warm and slumber well at night. In exchange, they would serve as her eyes and messengers.
It's said that when Inari is amused, her laughter will be heard through a Fox's gekkering; this is an omen of both good luck and ill will, as it poses a simple question:
Is Inari plotting mischief ahead? Or did you amuse her enough to laugh?

The Eldest Sister

"The final sister; she holds shears that guide the dead."

Feared the most is the Eldest of the three sisters. Of the three, she is often seen as an entity more than a being, and is referred to as the Morrígan. The Eldest sister is an old, hunchbacked crone that is imposingly tall, even among her fellow sisters. She wears a mess of skins sewn together; both furred, unfurred, intelligent and otherwise.
Such a monstrous look is not without purpose; death is something that all living things should fear, and to recreate that feeling, she wears the abhorrent cloak of teeth, bone, and skin to give all living things the same dread they'd feel before their final rest.
The Morrígan carries a set of massive shears which are used to snip away at both her sister's hair, and the stray strands left from Inari's textiles. When the shears cut through fabric, a life ends; however, the remaining fabric is not discarded, and is instead re-spun through the loom to continue the endless cycle of life and death.

Divine Domains

All three deities are associated with the cycle of life, death, and rebirth; but most importantly, they're all associated with fate.

Worship of Aiofne

As the youngest of the sisters, Aiofne is much more closely associated with life than the rest of the Norns. Aiofne is exceptionally common to worship among the Fianni especially, who send their young on important rites of passage. When a Fianni reaches twelve, they're sent out into the forest to fend for their own, often leading to a near-death experience. Despite that, rites of passage are never fatal, and Aiofne is said to have guided every single Fianni child that underwent the ritual towards their brighter future.
It's very common for Aiofne to guide Fianni children towards a tribe that they belong to during this rite; while Fianni are often born to a specific clan, many clans often take other stray Fianni that have been directed to them through Aiofne's guidance.
Aiofne is also often closely associated with newer beginnings or fresh milestones in life. Marriage ceremonies are blessed and looked over by Aiofne; when vows are exchanged, both couples conclude their vows by asking Aiofne to grant them a beautiful future together.

Worship of Inari

Of the three Norns, Inari is by far the most popular and widespread. Inari is worshiped even outside of Fianni and Elven society. Humans reference her whenever they speak of Lady Luck smiling upon them; and even civilizations as far as the Dekarti are at least subtly influenced by Inari and her worship.
Inari's shrines are found across the world in various states. These can range from fully functional facilities to a single altar left out in the wild to show one's reverance.  The most universal part of Inari, however, is the Wishing Tree.
Wishing Trees are trees that serve as an altar for Inari, carved with special sigils that bear her name. Travelers are encouraged to leave their prayers at the Wishing Tree in the form of letters that are folded into origami animals, along with an offering of wine, food, or spirits. 
Stealing from a Wishing Tree is said to earn Inari's spite; and while her ire is typically harmless, misfortune is something that can quickly snowball into catastrophe.

Worship of the Morrígan

As befits her domain of death, the Morrígan is seen as less of a deity, and more of an inevitability. Her role is also something that isn't seen as a desired role or position, but a self-afflicted martyrdom taken. By wearing her horrendous cloak of teeth and skin, she instills that primal instinct that pushes others to fear death, and by severing lives with her shears, new life may take place through the repurposed weaves.
The Morrígan still earns respect from doctors and physicians, who often plead to her to hold off on snipping the strings of fate just long enough so that they can nurse their patients back to health.

Species

Fae

Ruled Locations

• Wishing Trees