The Raven Queen’s Duty to the Departed

Scales:

• Spread: Commonly Known
• Importance: Significant
• Age: Ancient
• Region: All throughout The Veiled Lands
• Culture: All cultures of The Veiled Lands

Cultural Variations:

• Describe variations in the myth as told by different cultures or regions.

The Raven Queen’s Duty to the Departed is a myth that is known throughout the Veiled Lands. Many cultures have their own version of the myth, changing the name of the deity she became, the deity she stole the divine spark from to better fit their pantheon.

Another common alteration is the reason and the way she ascended to godhood. Some say she did it simply for pure thirst of higher power, others say she did it to protect the souls of the dead, and others say she did it to protect the living from the dead and guarantee the sanctity of life and death. Some say she learned of the ritual from a wise old sage, others say she learned it from a powerful pact with creatures still unknown to us today, and others say she learned it from a powerful artifact that was lost to time.

The Myth:

In Aeloria, it is said that those who die are met by the enigmatic Raven Queen, who diligently guides their souls to the afterlife. This divine duty ensures that each soul transitions smoothly from the realm of the living to its final rest, accompanied personally by the Matron of Ravens.

Long ago, before the sorceress who would become the Raven Queen ascended to godhood, the souls of the dead wandered aimlessly in the astral plane. These restless spirits were left to their fate, waiting to be claimed by a deity or drifting into the ethereal plane to become ghosts. Some even found their way back to the material plane, becoming undead, ressucitated or reincarnated beings.

The future Raven Queen, a powerful sorceress whose true name has been lost to time, lived a life overshadowed by death. All whom she loved were taken by the cold grasp of oblivion, their spirits transforming into undead horrors or restless ghosts that could never find peace. Marked by a grief she could not escape, the sorceress would change the fate of the dead forever.

Her reasons for ascending to godhood vary with each telling, along with the details of her apotheosis such as how she learned of the ritual, how the ritual was performed, and what sacrifices were made. But these details return to converge on one point: the sorceress performed the highest spell ritual a mortal could ever dream of and she stole the divine spark of Nerull, the god of winter, as she ascended to godhood.

In this pivotal moment, she vowed to care for the souls of the dead, ensuring they would never again be left to wander aimlessly. Thus, she became the Raven Queen, the matron of ravens, and guardian of the afterlife and winter. Her unwavering commitment stems from a past steeped in loss and a promise made in the shadow of ascension. Now, as a goddess, she fulfills her vow, providing solace and guidance to every soul she meets, forever watching over the realm between life and death.