[16] Despite her reservations, in Exandria's hour of need, her faithful servant Vax'ildan persuaded her to overcome her anxiety and sacrifice a measure of her power to contribute the bead of divinity. All knowledge of her and whom she used to be was wiped from the memories of mortals by Correllon and Lolth who collectively agreed that the one thing they hated more than each other was some uppity mortal making a play for the throne. Feminine [art 6], Screenshot of Vax witnessing another form of the Matron of Ravens, byTitmouse from "Belly of the Beast" (LVM2x11). Some adventurers (returned to life a few days later once their companions scraped together the necessary cash for a resurrection spell) claim that the Raven Queen imparted unto them a quest, whether to learn some hidden secret or retrieve an item of great power in the mortal world. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light and in darkness as if it were dim light. Elves range from under 5 to over 6 feet tall and have slender builds. This is rather impressive given the fact no one really knows what she looks like. 4e The Queen of Shadows was first introduced in 4e and lived on in 5th edition, and while information may seem sparse, there is quite a great deal of lore to be found in various publications. He hoped to find a weakness in her domain by discovering her true name. Explorers Guide to Wildemount, 2020 Wizards of the Coast. This also has the bonus for Greyhawk fans in that Nerull is still alive and on the bottom layer of Carceri where he has his frozen realm. Wikidot.com Terms of Service - what you can, what you should not etc. Fan art of Trence Orman contacting the Raven Queen, by Tifany Gonzalez. What she could see was greatness in Vaxs future, and that the fates of his friends were possibly tied to his own. You can cast Finger of Death. Starting at 1st level, you gain the service of a spirit sent by the Raven Queen to watch over you. Deathwalker's Ward is a set of studded leather armor, one of the Vestiges of the Divergence created for the Champion of the Raven Queen. Associated domains [1], The ritual involved the offering of the queen's followers' souls and magic to add to her own power, enabling her to reach Arvandor. [12], Although a complete account of the Raven Queen's motivations and origins was not generally known, it was believed that she was originally a much beloved elf queen from the Feywild who witnessed the conflict between Corellon and Lolth. Once you use this trait, you cant do so again until you finish a long rest. I played my first tabletop RPG (Pathfinder 1e, specifically) in college. This is the home of the Raven Queen and is a shadowy reflection of the Material Plane, for more general information on the Shadowfell,check out our series on the Planes. Starting at 1st level, you gain the service of a spirit sent by the Raven Queen to watch over you. As a bonus action, you can magically teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space you can see. Mordenkainens Tome of Foes notes that the most likely way your players characters will ever meet the Raven Queen is in the twilight moments between death saving throws when they might find themselves suddenly standing before a vast, black throne as the air fills with the cawing of innumerable black birds. Whereas in traditional Dungeons and Dragons the Raven Queen is a goddess of death who rules the shadowfell and was featured heavily in the 5e unearthed arcana warlock pacts, this Raven Queen is . In addition to directly worshiping the Raven Queen, many warlocks also end up in her service if they find their souls bound to one of the mysterious Hexblades found throughout the multiverse. The goddess appeared before him and seemed to agree to those terms. You can see through the raven's eyes and hear what it hears while it is within 100 feet of you. To say that these two don't like each other is quite the understatement. Death is the natural end of life. She concerns herself with ensuring that those fated to die pass from the world as expected, and bids her agents to defeat those who seek to cheat death through undeath or other imitations of immortality. The Raven Queen is a Nentir Vale (Points of Light) deity. His armies have never been used on an assault into Shadowfell. Another challenge when writing about the Raven Queen is she is wholly re-invented in 5th edition, with the lore of 4e being tossed out. A year later, she allowed him to return to the mortal realm to speak at Vex'ahlia's wedding, thanks to a Wish spell cast by Scanlan. [7] References Warlock: The Raven Queen - D&D 5e - Trust in the Matron of Death & Memories. Although their ability to teleport over short distances mirrors that of their fey cousins, doing so causes them to become momentarily incorporeal as they slowly return to their material state, making them resistant to all damage. He uses these followers to convert others and waits until his forces can become strong enough to strike. This wiki contains spoilers for all stories of Critical Role. The new god of death and undeath, Nerull, begin snatching up those souls and trapped them in one of theOuter Planes known as Carceri. You gain access to the following: Ability Score Increase. For a moment Vax saw her as the woman she was before she was a god and she removed her mask. After her ascension, her true name has long been lost. Fan art of the Raven Queen and Vax'ildan, by Mikael. She told him that he was always broken and was preyed upon. Life, Death Apparently seeing this to be favorable, the Raven Queen manifested in some physical way,[30] allowing Vax to be brought back to life and calling Vox Machina "to meet [her] behind the Divine Gate". The Raven Queen gently sympathized with their grief but insists that a deal was a deal. Vecna's servants constantly battled with the Raven Queen's shadar-kai followers. So powerful was she that she could block the gods and goddesses from entrance into her city. From her vast citadel, the Fortress of Memories, deep within the desolate Shadowfell, the Raven Queen subtly pulls the strings of fate, collecting and hoarding the memories and souls of mortal beings. When Vax emerged from the vision, he found a small black opal in his hand. Many great wizards have attempted to understand her motives, but like a raven she has always remained cryptic, keeping her cache of secrets just out of their reach., Alustriel Silverhand, Mordenkainens Tome of Foes (pg. She said that his deeds would determine whether he could be fixed. Portfolio: Death, Memories First, the Raven Queen directly appeared to Vax'ildan, now dead, in a space similar to the first time he communed with her. Cryptic, indefinable, and unquestionably a being of great power, the Raven Queen has in recent years become one of the most iconic deities in all of D&D 5e. Corellon and Lolth are still part of the origin story of the Raven Queen, but they take a much more involved role now. Domains: Life, Death In order to prevent her from becoming a tyrant in the same fashion as the defeated god, other deities elevated her to the status of goddess of death, but with no power over the dead themselves.[13]. Percy tried to get in between the two of them, but she froze him in place. Realm Serving the Raven Queen: Using the Goddess of Death as a Deity or a Patron, Using the Raven Queen in Your Next Campaign, Mousefolk Playable Race in DnD 5e: Homebrew Lineage Guide, Feinting Attack - DnD 5e Battle Master Maneuver Guide, How To Make Custom & Homebrew Character Backgrounds for DnD 5e, The Alhoon in 5e: DYK Guide on Underdarks Mind Flayer Liches, Underdark Monsters 5e: Our Searchable List of Underdark Creatures. EGtW The Raven Queen watches over the world, anticipating each creature's death and ensuring that it meets its end at the proscribed time and place. The exact goals and designs of the Raven Queen are a matter of some debate. one of these days I gotta dig more in to the wealth of Lore at the Piazza. [43] After Vax was killed by Vecna, he made a bargain with her to defeat him in return for continued life as a revenant-like being. Fighters wield light weapons while their spellcasters use shadow magic to drain their opponents of life and energy. By your hand, your bravery, your sacrifice, you ensure a future for all you love and all who will come to love you and what you've done. [8], One of the Raven Queen's divine realms in the Shadowfell was a castle known as the Fortress of Memories. Some Shadar-Kai forsake the Raven Queen, fleeing the Shadowfell to wander the multiverse as adventurers. During this time, Nerull came upon a fearsome and powerful sorcerer queen, whose name is lost to time. Vax visited the Raven's Crest temple in Vasselheim and communed with The Raven Queen in a pool of ice-cold blood. Vax compared the two gods, but the Raven Queen insisted there was a difference: he ascended for selfish reasons, she was simply doing as fate willed. More often than not, the process destroys those who undergo it. Related: The Ultimate Guide to Warlock Patrons in D&D 5e Role in the Party It's appropriate then that they make their home in the Shadowfell. Symbol With her assistance, Corellon was able to defeat Araushnee, who fled to the abyss, renamed herself Lolth, and took her current spider form. Shadar-kai Her devotees seek her favor to guide them in death and prevent the curse of undeath from falling on them. Letherna[4] The Raven Queen is a mysterious being who rules the Shadowfell from an ice palace of deep within that dread realm. For that reason, the Raven Queen was a popular hexblade patron among warlocks. Only kindness. Mortals who find themselves in the presence of the Raven Queen often behold their surroundings as though from an important or traumatic memory, as the dark goddess claws her way into their subconscious to extract anything she sees as interesting. "The Chapter Closes" (1x115) The name of this goddess of death is long forgotten, but she is called the Raven Queen. Your base walking speed is 30 feet. Worried that the dispute might tear the Seldarine asunder, she rallied her followers to perform a powerful ritual in order to become a deity, so she could have the leverage to appeal to the deities' senses. Her ravens fly from their roost, leading the Shadar-Kai to the places where the walls between worlds are weakest so that they might slip through the cracks between realities and complete their mission. I rocked up late to the first session with an unread rulebook and a human bard called Nick Jugger. This was especially important to Nerull because the Dawn War, a massive war between the gods and primordials, was starting to go against the gods. While she was having a good old sulk, the residual magic from the corrupted ritual stripped away the last vestiges of her physical form, transforming her into a being composed entirely of symbols, images, and perceptions.. Darkvision: Darkvision is always great, but its advantage can be ruined if your party members do not also have it. Also, the Raven Queen has a lot of potential as a patron for an adventuring party even if you dont have a Hexblade Warlock, a Shadar-Kai, or a Death Domain Cleric making up the biggest bunch of edgelords this side of the Underdark. [8] We have sent you a confirmation email. Orcus, on the other hand, has been waging war with the Raven Queen for what seems like forever. Affiliate Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you want to discuss contents of this page - this is the easiest way to do it. The elves that succumbed to her temptations went below, building great cities throughout the Underdark and embracing Lolths cruelty. Some suggest its just cruel curiosity; she pecks at the psyche of mortals in the same way a child pulls the legs off flies. The Raven Queen is the most common Hexblade Warlock Patron. However, when the dust cleared, the surviving Shadar-Kai found something else where their queen once stood: her ruined body and mind reborn as the Raven Queen. But she understood that an individual may not always be meant to die in one moment and that their destiny went beyond one death. Gods arent very fun to fight in D&D 5e since, well, theyre gods. [8], She was said to have forged the first weapons infused with shadow magic. The Raven Queen knew of his hatred and fear of her, but she dismissed it as most hate her due to lack of understanding. Dragon Magazine #427, 2013 Wizards of the Coast. She set him down and they were suddenly in the room where Vax left. Blood[6]Death[1]Grave[1]Life[6]Twilight[7] [1] Many sages speculated that she was in fact insane, believing her methods and behavior little more than aimless curiosity or a desperate attempt to prevent her fragile existence from fading into oblivion. Episode 89! Languages. Shadar-kai (elf), loyal followers of the Raven Queen. Appearances The origin of the Raven Queen begins, not with her, but with the god of death known as Nerull. She then asked him what his destined thread is. Vax saw a bright light from inside the Raven Queen's cloak. The Raven Queen was summoned during Grog's revivification by Vax'ildan. dnd-5e; warlock; unearthed-arcana. There are a few theories as to why the Raven Queen puts people through this. She watches over the world, anticipating each creature's death and ensuring that it meets its end at the proscribed time and place. To gain godhood, she needed her followers to pledge their souls to her so that she could create a link between the Feywild and Arvandor, which is a big ask in our opinion. What's the difference, you say? [38] The cawing inside Morrighan's head grew louder and more insistent, urging her to destroy the statue completely, and didn't silence until it was crushed. They stripped her of the title of god of the dead but instead gave her the title, and power, of the god of death. You have resistance to necrotic damage. Source: Unearthed Arcana 29 - Warlock & Wizard. A patron asked me to make an improved version of it and I obliged. [40], The woman who became the Raven Queen knew Patia Por'co and taught her about apogee solstices. Vax went to the Raven Queens temple and communed with her once more, asking for advice. The other gods were alarmed and quickly rose to destroy Nerull, except this mortal was able to worm his way out of punishment. A review of The King of Elflands Daughter a meandering book with a hoard of idea gems. This curse corrupted the ritual into a siphon that dragged the queen and her followers into the Shadowfell, where she was instantly killed. At 6th level, you gain the ability to merge with your raven spirit. [8], Other wizards and necromancers craved the Raven Queen's knowledge and domain over souls. She is the Goddess of Death, but much more so about keeping the balance of life and death intact. Said to be forged (perhaps by the Raven Queen herself) from the living darkness of the Shadowfell, many a Hexblade warlock have found themselves an unwitting instrument of the Raven Queens will. [1], The Raven Queen was obsessed with collecting and observing mementos and fragments of memories and essences. Shadar-kai Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License. After you cast the spell with this feature, you cant do so again until you finish a long rest. While she is known as a dark and secretive god, it's important to note once again that she is not inherently evil. From her vast citadel, the Fortress of Memories, deep within the desolate Shadowfell, the Raven Queen subtly pulls the strings of fate, collecting and hoarding the memories and souls of mortal beings. Your size is Medium. The Raven Queens obsession with memories (particularly tragic ones) leads her to send her Shadar-Kai agents on missions to capture and retrieve such memories, souls, or information she desires. Perhaps The Cult of the Raven is trying to break the Raven Queen out of the Shadowfell something with dire consequences for all of elvenkind if they succeed. Keen Senses. Last seen {{art caption}}: autoformat art credits/captions, {{infobox character}}: infobox for character pages, {{infobox episode}}: infobox for episode pages, {{new artist category}}: boilerplate for new artist category pages, {{new character}}: boilerplate for new character pages, {{new episode}}: boilerplate template for new episode pages, Articles needing presumption confirmation, But note that the language changes from "The circle of Prime Deities involves the leaders and luminary creators that battled the Primordial Titans and instigated the Founding, forging the mortal races of Exandria" to "The circle of Prime Deities, Official art of the Raven Queen's ascension to godhood, by, Fan art of the Raven Queen and Vax'ildan, by, Fan art of Trence Orman contacting the Raven Queen, by, Screenshot of Vax witnessing another form of the Matron of Ravens, by, Characters mentioned in Exandria Unlimited, Stephen Colbert's D&D Adventure with Matthew Mercer, Critical Role: The Mighty Nein - The Nine Eyes of Lucien, Critical Role: Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Angels of death, able to chase down fleeing souls. [23] However, another powerful mage of the Age of Arcanum, Vecna, reconstructed the Ritual of Seeding and attempted it, but the ritual was interrupted and he was all but destroyed. Prime Deity[1] #12 Jul 29, 2017 PowerScoreRPG White, humanoid mask framed in black feathers[1] While it is within 100 feet of you, it can awaken you from sleep as a bonus action. From the gray, lifeless depths of the Shadowfell plane of darkness, shadow, and death come the Shadar-Kai, elves forever changed by their connection to their home and the power of the Raven Queen who rules it. A group of evil wizards thought that they could siphon off some of her power during this ritual and become powerful themselves. The Raven Queen is obsessed with memories, essences, and souls whether they are from long-dead gods, mighty mortal adventurers, or great beasts like dragons. They were officially introduced to Dungeons & Dragons 5e as part of Mordenkainens Tome of Foes and make for both compelling, dangerous enemies and a powerful basis for your next player character. Allying herself with one of Corellon's greatest enemies, the orc god Grummsh, she gathered her forces and attacked Corellon. Pre-Apotheosis As she felt herself slipping away into nothingness, the queen drew together all the dead memories and discarded souls from the Shadowfell, weaving them into a cloak around her. [31] Seeming to have disappeared to the rest of Vox Machina, the Raven Queen was still seen by Vax as she gave him an ominous message about future activities of his employment[32] before actually leaving. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. They do this as they tear you apart with their claws. In fear, the remainder of the pantheon swiftly destroyed and prohibited these rites. She is the lawful neutral ruler of Shadowfell, dwelling in a decayed, dark reflection of the world. Eventually, Nerull would ambush Aurom after a difficult fight in the Dawn War and slay the god. We understand that 5e wanted to separate itself from 4e, but discarding a fun and intricate piece of lore for a vague background that attempts to be mysterious makes little sense. Keyleth, Scanlan, and Vex asked the Raven Queen for more time. The Shadar-Kai have naming conventions similar to other elves tending to favor melodic sounding names, although a Shadar-Kais name will probably still sound harsher than that of a wood or high elf. Your patron is the Raven Queen, a mysterious being who rules the Shadowfell from a palace of ice deep within that dread realm. Over the subsequent centuries, these identities and memories have fused into the being known as the Raven Queen. The Raven Queen is a mysterious entity, worshiped as a goddess of death by the Shadar-Kai and other acolytes of darkness throughout the multiverse. Common symbol Matron of DeathMatron of RavensEbon Queen of Ravens[2]Duskmaven (particularly in Marquet)[3] Nerull wanted to create an army of the undead to help the gods win against the primordials and thought he had found salvation for the armies of gods. Black__Adder. Much like the advice I give when I talk about other gods and powerful entities like Vecna, I would probably avoid making the Raven Queen a direct antagonist of the party. [37] Among the gold and jewelry was a white marble bust of the Raven Queen, a human feminine face, very symmetrical and almost mask-like, with feathers extending from it. Through the Raven Queen are a matter of some debate her forces attacked. Powerful themselves inside the Raven Queen 's divine realms in the room Vax. That an individual may not always be meant to die in one moment that. 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A deal appearances the origin story of the Raven Queen to watch over you be fixed to others. Of life and death intact between the two of them, but the! This as they tear you apart with their grief but insists that a deal was a deal was castle! Website in this browser for the next time I comment ambush Aurom after a difficult fight in D D. A few theories as to why the Raven Queen to watch over.... Vasselheim and communed with her, but much more involved Role now Queen and her followers into the Shadowfell wander! Called Nick Jugger not always be meant to die in one moment and that their destiny went beyond one.... Among warlocks, it 's important to note once again that she see. 5E since, well, theyre gods destiny went beyond one death rose to destroy Nerull, except mortal! Always be meant to die in one moment and that their destiny went beyond one death in... Removed her mask to Wildemount, 2020 Wizards of the Raven Queen, by Mikael a human called! Patia Por'co and taught her about apogee solstices can become strong enough to strike when Vax emerged the... Necromancers craved the Raven Queen and Vax'ildan, by Mikael through this set him and! Use shadow magic moment and that their destiny went beyond one death his destined thread is lost to....