The Valkyries of Rom
High Commanders of the Pale Vigil, Elite Agents of the Death God
The great, majestic, horrific thing was perched atop a ruined tower, a black silhouette scarcely visible over the dark grey Duskscape sky. The ghost of Indus Fortesque knew of the Valkyries, but this did not prepare him. He was a knight of renown, an elder veteran of two wars, killed by dragonfire, yet as he approached the tower, the apparition realized he had never felt fear this acute. Colossal iridescent-black wings folded inward, the valkyrie could scarcely fit in a room; wings spread, a barn would not contain her.
With an eerie silence, the wings unfolded slightly and a humanoid head emerged. Slowly, almost lazily, the head turned to regard him. Memories of a heartbeat still echoed in Fortesque's ears, still tightened his chest. After a moment that seemed like a day, he realized he needed to say something.
"I'm—"
"Unwelcome," said a chorus of voices in his head. The ghost of Indus Fortesque lost consciousness.Overshepherd Rom's responsibility over the lost and deceased souls of Waking Materia is a heavy burden even for the most powerful of Duskscape Regents. The Valkyries are agents of the Death God, escorting deceased souls to Rom’s side and protecting them fiercely from the machinations of other deities, be them Tuatha, Fomoraigh, Elder Spirits, powerful mortals, or even beings from beyond the Duskscape. The valkyries are calamitously powerful beings—comparable even to the other Regents—with no known parabiological relationship to other Duskscape species. Their duties range from protection of undead souls to military command of Rom's various theomilitary orders to solo strikes on particularly important enemies.
The Shepherds are especially hated enemies of the the Dust King and its demonic hordes, who knowingly break the Old Accords which agree to forbid the enslavement of dreaming and deceased souls.
The valkyries' alignments range between Lawful Evil and Lawful Good; most are Lawful Neutral.Appearance & Heraldry
See also: Valkyries of Rom Image Gallery (External)There are only twelve known valkyries, each unique in appearance, personality and specialty. All are vaguely humanoid with between one to three pairs of wings, and highly skilled warriors. They are not known to speak verbally, but can communicate telepathically in any language.
The Shepherds have superficial similarities to the extraplanar beings known as angels, however there are no confirmed historical or parabiological connections between the two groups.
Worship
Like Overshepherd Rom, the Valkyries' worshippers are most often called Seraphites, or Knights of the Gloaming. Their soldiers in death are known by many names, such as the Pale Vigil and the Seventh Soujourn. These names are thought to be based on real regiments.
Each valkyrie is representative of minor ideals within Rom’s purview, such as healing, protection and martial philosophy. As such they may be prayed to individually and themselves grant charms & visions, like any other Material God or Cenobite. Indeed whether they choose it or not, many of Rom's Seraphites seem favoured by one in particular.On Waking Materia
Worship of the Duskscape Regents is generally viewed with suspicion if not outright prejudice in most Material societies. Many believe deceased souls are protected by their chosen gods beyond The Veil (particularly by Aios and the the Pantheon of the People). Little do they realize the divine politics of crossing the Veil are very fraught, and these wayward souls would be largely on their own without the assistance of Rom's valkyries and the Pale Vigil. This was more well-known in the First Age, where graves and tombs would often be decorated with statues of the valkyries as a way of giving thanks. This ritual has continued in some Third Age societies, even if they don't necessarily know the origin. Many believe these winged, generally feminine figures are depictions of Aios.In the Duskscape
It is not uncommon for intelligent undead to decide to postpone their journey to the Twilight Eternities and fight on behalf of their kindred spirits, even if it means never seeing the mystery beyond the Known. These legions are sometimes known as the Pale Vigil. It is rare, but not uneard-of, for demons to join these ranks, and Seraphism is an acknowledged (though uncommon) belief in demonic cities like Epitaph, Sarkoldu'un-Imathratep and Orms-by-Gorr.Domains
Exact Domains of each of the Twelve are unknown. Domains that fall under Overshepherd Rom’s purview but not in Rom’s direct possession include Sun, Duty, Family, Might, Healing and Zeal.Favoured Weapon
Favoured weapons of the Valkyries may be best suited for protection of deceased or wayward souls (e.g. sword & shield) or perhaps weapons with versatile damage types against undead (e.g. monk’s spade).Nature
The relationship between the Valkyries and Rom is an enigma: interactions between the Shepherds and the Overshepherd have no known recordings. Indeed, some wonder whether there is any difference at all; some schools believe Rom is merely a personification of the Valkyries' collective unconscious.
The Valkyries are thought to reside in Rom's pocket realm, known as Hesperion. It is described as a mountainous land with cloudy grey skies; atop each mountain is a great shrine to an undead warrior of great renown.Members of the Twelve
The Answer: Godhead of the Knights of the Gloaming, specialist in military strikes and demonslaying.
The Hunger: Godhead of the Eshuma, most popular subject of worship among seraphite demons and estrié.
The Sign: Godhead of the Termina Sentries and of [unintelligible]
[unintelligible]
THE VALKYRIES OF ROM
Godhood
Duskscape Regents within the ascendancy of Rom, possibly Interesoteric
Alignment
LN (x9), LG (x2), LE (x1)
Domains
Various
Favoured Weapon
Various
Relic Weapon
Various
Comments