The Arbiter

The core domain every pantheon accepts the Arbiter for is Her role over Death. Unlike cultural gods of death, She does not order or make people die. She, along with the warden Morteans, offer the souls of the deceased a place to stay before they reincarnate or are claimed by entities they've pledged themeslves to or judged to see what realm they align the most with in life. As such, many deities and Outsiders know not to raise Her ire, even if She keeps Her emotions in check. With an added connection to the Soul domain, She is an enemy to the undead with Her followers vowing to hunt any undead creatures. Only those that are willing to use their profane condition to protect the cycle of life and death are allowed to keep living.

Another prominent domain for Her is Fate, though only some cultures call attention to it such as the Risir. She does not dictate fate as something that is written in stone and Her followers know this well. They read the portents and omens and discuss what may happen but never assume that it will happen. The Arbiter holds a view that major events of the world such as weather may be unknowable or unchangeable but the details, the lives of mortals and the little details of their choices are always able to change.

Her last major domain is Unity. Death and Fate play no favor towards anyone so all are equal in Her eyes. It also connects to Her role as the Arbiter amongst Her fellow gods since it was Her that made argreements amongst them. The most notable was the peace between the Drakon Gods and the Jovungan that She brokered during the early days before the Age of Empires. And this has transferred into law itself as since the Arbiter is ever present in every culture, discrimination by species has died out.

• Judgement A powerful sword made from what remained of a powerful Mortean who fell in battle against a Lich. In their honor, the Arbiter took their body and their weapon and fused the two together into a powerful bane of the undead. It is said that some aspects of the Mortean still exist in the sword, making it a sentient weapon that works alongside its wielder.
• The Tome of Resurrections While the Arbiter does believe all will die eventually, some may die earlier than they're supposed to. As a result, She along with a few other Gods of Life created a book that houses all forms of resurrection magic in it. Copies of this book persist across the universe but each is heavily under guard. Arbirites only allow the most virtuous to have access to it and only perform rituals on those that are deserving by their actions in life.

Crow's Invocation is the core book of the Arbiter's faithful and is translated across almost all languages to be part of every pantheon in Avestra. It was believed to be written by one of the first Morteans that She met after the creation of Mortis. In Her younger years, She used Her power to see throughout all of time as the book explains. She saw so many different events and futures and tried to account for all of them. However, it overwhelmed Her in the end and She had to purge the memories and emotions from Herself. This created the entity later dubbed The Shadow Queen.

The rest of the book goes into how to be one of Her faithful, one must be willing to accept that their death will come in the end. Which doesn't mean that one shouldn't act to prevent their own death or others but that eventually, they must come to accept it. The same is true of prophecy as omens are not always written in stone as the lives of mortals are constantly in flux. And while events of the stars and skies might be unstoppable, one's own choices are not.

There are other books such as The Book of Omens, which explains how to read signs given by divination. Considering how fickle and how in flux fate can be, owners of these books are often annotating them. It is said even the Arbiter Herself annotates Her own notes, accounting for chances in fate. Another is Custodian of the Dead which explains how to properly care for a corpse or those that are dying in their final hours. This book often changes culture by culture but the Arbirites followers are keen to make transcribe this book for each region their faith can be found in.

The Arbiter's main sigil is the eye of a corvid with an hour glass inside of it connecting to the corvids that are basically synomous with death and time constantly running short. Each splinter of Her faith adds a key detail to set each culture apart. For some, the web of a spider is laid over the eye. Others, a glimpse of said corvid standing on a tree branch. For those that follow the Arbiter alone, they add stars to the eye that can only be seen in Mortis, hinting at the final destination of all.

• Death comes to all but life must never be squandered
• While fate may dictate many things, it is only the potential of what is to come, not the reality
• We are all equal in the eyes of fate and in death

The Arbiter's primary holiday is Spirit's Crossing, which takes place on the 31^st of Spiritfall every year. It is the day when the barrier between the Astral Paths and the planes weaken. Some spirits use this chance to escape Mortis if they feel that they can't die and give up on their current lives just yet. These spirits are usually hunted by Arbirites and Morteans. Others seek to finally pass from the veil of the living, stuck in realms such as Avestra due to past greviances. The Arbiter encourages mortals to give gifts at the graves of these souls, granting them a final kindness that might break their chains and finally let them pass on.

Her goal is the same as ever: To preserve the cycle of life and death in the universe. It is why the Arbiter is willing to work with intelligent undead, immortal beings like the Eternals, and through mortal agents. The rules of the universe must be safeguarded and that is exactly what She is willing to do. As such, this usually makes people think of Her as a deity aligned with the Celestials but She cares little for their war against evil and vice versa.

She also wishes to understand the prophecies that litter Avestra and beyond, whether they portain to mortals or immortals. The few times she has left Her Citadel, it has been on a quest for knowledge, visiting the great libraries of Iekon, Diekon, and Nistra in secret to discover more. She has even walked through the mortal realms to do the same, taking guises that keep Her hidden.

The Arbiter can appear as any species due to the widespread faith of Her followers. However, Her most common interpretation is a Human, Elven, or Orcish woman of varying skin tones with curly hair that usually goes down to the base of Her neck.

The Arbiter was born in the gap of time between the disappearance of Eternals and the rise of Mortals. When the first denizens of the Infinite Planes were born, so was She. She made Mortis Her home alongside the Native Morteans who accepted Her. Alongside the eldest Morteans, She created the Corvid's Citadel as mortals gained sapience and their souls started drifting into the realm. The story told about in Crow's Invocation occurred around this time supposedly and the Arbiter known to the wider universe was born. In one of Her first actions, She and the other major Gods waged war against the World Eater, sealing them away and allowing their spawn, Daemons, to be born as long as they obey. And obedience meant that She alone governed where unclaimed souls go, claiming the domain of Death and Fate.

Her next Domain, Unity, was gained in the wake of the war between the Dragon and Giant gods. When their destruction threatened multiple worlds across the universe, especially Avestra, She ended the war in a stalemate and brought both sides to the negotiating table. In the end, neither side was able to claim Avestra for their children as She forbade the gods from waging open war with each other. This has caused some historians to question whether She was the one who created the Cosmic Barrier that kept most Outsiders away from Avestra but there hasn't been enough evidence to confirm or deny that. As the Arbiter stood for the good of all and showed no favor towards either side, She gained the title The Great Arbiter and the Domain of Unity.

During The Blood War and The War for Avestra, She played no part but allowed the Morteans to stand against the X'ith'ila and Aberrations. And when the Eternals appeared, She was one of the first Gods to greet them back to the universe while also investigating what role they would play. It is likely what fuels Her desire to learn more as She leaves Mortis here and there to travel, leaving it in the hands of The Protector of Mortis who is keen to see the souls of mortals protected as much as Her.

The Arbiter is against the Undead, seeing them as a perversion of the natural order. Even if the souls in those bodies are no longer there, the foul magic that flows through them still affect the souls whether they're in Mortis or in their afterlife. The intelligent undead who forsake their own afterlives to aid the innocent souls still residing on Avestra are the only exception She allows and even then, She makes it clear that they will eventually give up their body and their mind and soul shall be together once more.

Another taboo of Hers is that She abhors those that bring death to others too early. All creatures will die, that is true, but that is no reason to kill others to bring their deaths early. She understands death happens but to willingly seek it out as if to gain Her favor or because a potential prophecy said as much is against Her wishes. Plenty of members of Her faithful have been cast out for such actions.

Divine Allies

The Arbiter is neutral to all Gods but there are those who can be found in Her company or who She takes a keen eye on. The most notable of them are the fellow members of the Seven. The All-Witness is one of Her closest companions and one of the few Gods who She discusses Her visions and fates with. Since They accept that not all truths are objective, it offers Her a keen insight into the divinations She's seen. They also remind Her not to fall back into the same path Her younger self took with trying to account for all futures. Followers of the All-Witness and Arbiter are in company together quite often on matters of divination.

The Gamble is one God who the Arbiter can't help but be tied to. The Gamble represents how easily fate can change for one's self. Whether to fortune or misfortune. The God of Luck plays no favorites just like Her and allows actions and consequences and the random chance of the universe to play their parts. The Gamble's followers are keen to remind those who come to the Arbiter's for guidance that the universe is fickle and there is no guarantee what they potentially see will actually be so.

The Unbound is another deity that the Arbiter keeps a close eye on. The God of Free Will and Choice is always keen to preach about choosing one's fate and not letting portents stop one from doing what they want. While She understands His reasoning, it is best not to ignore signs in Her eyes. Choosing to do what one wishes anyway is one thing but if the signs say a potential detriment or benefit and they choose to ignore it, it can lead to disaster. And since He is the youngest of the Seven, She does join The Heart in making sure the younger Deity doesn't get Himself in trouble.

Heralds

The Steward of Souls is one of the highest Seneschals of Mortis, heavily tied into the day-to-day affairs of the realm. They keep an accurate accounting of the souls of the realm for the Arbiter and even discuss those that come and go from their realm. They meet with the Arbiter the most out of all Morteans, keen to see Her approval and thoughts on certain actions. They also look after Mortis alongside Mortem when She leaves on journeys of Her own, though they do caution Her to be careful.

The Black Harbinger is a Daemon who turned on their nature and gave themselves to the Arbiter for judgement. In an act of mercy, She didn't punish the Daemon or kill them to return them to the wellspring of souls. Instead, they were remade into a Herald of the Arbiter. Their goal is to ferry the dead to Mortis in the wake of mass deaths, making sure their former allies don't claim any of those lost souls. They also deal out punishments to those who target souls who are mortals. While plenty of Morteans still have a healthy suspicion for them, they continue to work for the Arbiter, to atone.

Other Allies

Mortem, the first child of Anu, became the Protector of Mortis in the wake of the War for Avestra. Some Morteans saw this as a potential usurption to the Arbiter until She met with him to discuss what he was doing there. It soon became apparent that he had a vested interest in protecting the souls of mortals as much as She did. Out of all Her allies, it seems like he is the one who understands Her viewpoint the most. Elves who have reincarnated and can recall their time in Mortis speak of times where the two looked over the realm they both guarded and had conversations that no one else can answer.

Vita, the first child of Enu, is a constant visitor to Mortis. While she mainly visits Her companion, Mortem, she has been known to make visits to the Arbiter as well. Morteans have spoke of how amusing or disruptive it is when she visits, turning the Corvid's Citadel on its head with Her antics. And yet the Arbiter accepts Her all the same and welcomes Her. It is said just like Her and Mortem, the two of them have their own private conversations.

Ano, the Lone Wanderer, is a constant fixation of the Arbiter. With there being plenty of theories about him being the very end of the universe itself, She chooses not to focus on those rumors. Instead, She focuses on who he is when it comes to the fates of others. Like The Unbound, he seems keen to follow his own path and push others to do the same. He also has an interest in fate and the Gods, having been seen in temples to Her many times. Whether the two of them talk often is unknown but what is known is that those who subscribe to Ano's philosophy or even Ano himself can be found amongst Her faithful.

Enemies

The Arbiter has no enemies amongst the gods. Some may disagree with Her and try to subvert Her mandates but in the end, no one would openly defy Her. That is not the case for others, however. The Daemons are a constant enemy to Her since they seek to consume the souls of mortalkind and reduce the universe to a cold and empty void. It doesn't help She sealed away their creator in the early days of the universe to protect it from just that fate. Yet none of them move against Her directly. Instead, they chip away at Her defenses or at Her allies, trying to one day find a crack in Her armor and finally bring Her down.

While The Arbiter split Herself from Her Emotions, She is not dispassionate. She purged Herself of the extremes of each emotion, allowing Her to keep Her logic and reason while also factoring in emotion. As such, She is merciful to those who deserve it and vengeful towards those that disrupt the balance or manipulate souls to stop them from moving on. As such, She comes across as a calm and collected goddess who is careful in Her wording and listens to others who ask for Her presence.

When the Arbiter isn't judging souls, She will take time to explore Mortis, checking on the different inhabitants and visitors to make sure all is well. She also explores the universe, searching for more fates and information. A crow and a raven often accompany Her from afar, each allowing Her to summon Her main two Heralds at a moment's notice.