Eruwen

Description

To most elves, particularly her favored moon elves—and to many even beyond their kin—Eruwen is the very essence of beauty given divine form. She is not an abstract ideal, but a living, breathing presence felt in the blush of a first kiss, the soft glow of moonlight on skin, or the breathless silence between two lovers meeting in silence. To mortals, she represents not just physical allure but the affirmation that such beauty is sacred, worth protecting, and capable of transcending even time and sorrow. Her worship is common among courtiers and those who yearn for closeness, though her blessings are most revered among elves, for whom beauty is deeply entwined within the soul itself. In many cultures, she is seen as a kindly force, one who desires joy and connection for all who would seek it.   To her most devoted followers, Eruwen is not only a goddess but a protector, confidant, and guide. They see her as a quiet force walking beside them through life's most tender or perilous moments. Her priests and priestesses often speak of her appearing to them in dreams or moments of heartbreak, always comforting and never demanding. Among elves especially, Eruwen is tied to their very sense of spiritual continuity—her blessings are believed to preserve beauty and soul alike, protecting against the despair that leads to the horror of the banshee. Followers often view her gifts not as rewards but as responsibilities" to uphold beauty, defend love, and never allow the sacred bonds of the heart to be cheapened.   Eruwen is almost always depicted as breathtaking in her physical form, though the details always vary slightly between cultures. Most often, she is shown as a tall and willowy elven woman with hair like cascading silver moonlight, flowing far past her waist and often alive with gentle motion, as if stirred by an unseen breeze. Her skin bears the luster of polished pearl, radiant and without flaw. Her eyes are luminous and deep, holding longing, love, joy, and tenderness in equal measure. She is never shown wearing armor or regalia, favoring instead gowns of layered silk and moon-colored gossamer, embroidered with flowering vines or ancient elven runes of affection. When she speaks, her voice echoes like a remembered lullaby—soft, aching, and impossible to truly forget.

Personality

Eruwen is, above all else, nurturing. She embodies the comforting presence of a beloved’s embrace, the quiet assurance of being seen and cherished without condition. Her demeanor is serene, graceful, and endlessly patient—she listens more than she speaks, and when she does speak, it is with gentleness and warmth that can unravel even the most guarded heart. She is known to intervene in mortal lives with a kindness rare among deities, guiding lovers together, soothing grief, and offering solace in the lonely hours before dawn. Her love is not possessive, but empowering, and those she favors often find strength not through might, but through the certainty that they are loved. In divine affairs, she is a consistent advocate for peace, often serving as the thread of compassion that holds more fractious deities at bay.   But like all things beautiful and sacred, her mercy has limits. When true love is shattered by deliberate betrayal, or when someone twists love into cruelty, Eruwen’s temper awakens—rare, but terrible. Her sorrow becomes fury, and the grieving goddess becomes a figure of tragic wrath. She does not lash out blindly; her vengeance is cold, precise, and poetic, often stripping betrayers of the very beauty or joy they once misused. Her punishments are not simply retribution but moral rebalancing, meant to make the betrayer understand what they destroyed. Myths speak of her weeping as she enacts her wrath. Those few who have witnessed her in this state describe her not as monstrous, but as unbearably heartbroken—and in that heartbreak, unrelenting.

Abilities

Powers

Eruwen instills overwhelming allure, silencing conflict with her presence, and blessing mortals with eternal youth or unearthly beauty. She is able to sense romantic bonds across great distances and sometimes binds lovers with a thread of fate should they swear their affections in the light of a full moon. Her wrath, when invoked, withers the beauty of betrayers and curses them with loneliness and great misfortune.

Combat

Though not a warrior by any means, Eruwen may manifest when acts of love are desecrated. In such moments, she fights with ethereal grace much like her chosen people—she tends to use illusions of loved ones, charms that break hatred, and physical splendor so grand it blinds those who look upon her in anger.

Possessions

Moonlace Veil

A sheer, silver veil that can soothe madness, calm hearts, and grant invisibility under moonlight. It is said to flutter toward those she chooses to bless in secret.

Heartneedle Diadem

A crown of silver and pearl gifted to her as a sacrifice by the first queen of the elves. When worn, it is said to burn away falsehoods, forcing those nearby to speak their true feelings on any matter.

Realm

Eruwen's realm is Thalanweir, a perpetually moonlit garden of crystalline trees, silver fountains, and gentle music that plays on the breeze. Located in Aurora, Thalanweir is a sanctuary for faithful lovers and souls too beautiful to be lost, sometimes even taken by Eruwen before they reached their intended destination.

Relationships

Enemies and Allies

Eruwen's closest ally is Eredhan, the father of elvenkind. She is often portrayed as his wife, caring for him and being cared for by him in turn. Legends state it is for her that Eredhan created the moon elves. Outside of this relationship, her greatest non-romantic ally is Aewelondur, and she works closely by him. Despite his physical malformity, she sees the best in him, and seeks to protect the elves from the fate of a hideous death which almost without exception twists their souls into banshees, causing them to be lost from Aewelondur's cycle.   The greatest enemy in Eruwen's eyes are the Ryushin deities, Yuli and Ryujin, who granted the strength necessary for the creation of The Ash Plains—an act that nearly tore away Eruwen's own divine spark and killed her. To this day, the Ryushin are the only people Eruwen's love refuses to touch, and she has barred moon elves from developing any form of romantic connection to the accursed people.

Worshipers

Symbols

The primary symbol of Eruwen is that of a cresent moon nestled in flowing silver hair. It is seen as representative of her connection with the moon, but also of her greatest gift to the elven people—their beauty. The hair of an elf is seen as sacred, as it is believed to be a gift and a connection to Eruwen, and cutting one's hair is considered a spiritual severance, a true rejection of Eruwen's favor. To an elf, cutting one's hair is the same as spitting in the face of the divine themselves.   Despite them being evil creatures, Eruwen often shows great favor to green dragons. Many elves believe this is due to one standing beside her selflessly before she was nearly slain by the Ryushin people in the creation of The Ash Plains.

Notable Worshipers

History

 

---

Most champions of Eruwen are artists, lovers, warriors of grace, or guardians of beauty in all its fleeting forms. They act from the heart, protect what they find beautiful, and avenge the betrayal of love without hesitation.

Earning and Losing Piety

You increase your piety score to Eruwen when you expand the god's influence in the world in a concrete way through acts such as these:

• Avenging the betrayal or death of a devoted lover
• Protecting a person, place, or object of great beauty or emotional meaning
• Honoring Eruwen through offerings of dance or the ritual combing of hair under moonlight

Your piety score to Eruwen decreases if you diminish the god's influence in the world, contradict her ideals, or make her look ridiculous through acts such as these:

• Mocking or defiling beauty, femininity, or romantic devotion; or acting against proper roles of femininity and masculinity, whether elven or those of the land you inhabit—especially in forms of beauty or romance
• Betraying a romantic partner or encouraging such betrayal
• Deliberately cutting your hair or the hair of another without consent

Eruwen's Devotee

Piety 3+ Eruwen Trait   As a devotee of Eruwen, you have proven yourself a worthy potential champion of the goddess of beauty and sacred love. You can cast Charm Person once using this trait. Once you do so, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

Eruwen's Votary

Piety 10+ Eruwen Trait   You gain resistance to psychic damage, and you have advantage on saving throws against being Charmed or Frightened.

Eruwen's Disciple

Piety 25+ Eruwen Trait   You can cast Calm Emotions and Mirror Image once each using this trait, regaining the use of each expended spell when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting modifier for these spells.   You additionally have advantage on saving throws against supernatural effects that would forcibly change your appearance or form against your will, or anything that would cause you to supernaturally age.

Champion of TYPE

Piety 50+ Eruwen trait   You can increase your Charisma or Dexterity score by 2 and also increase your maximum for that score by 2.

Divine Steed

A paladin of Eruwen can summon the following creature when casting Find Greater Steed in addition to his or her other choices.   The mount of Eruwen is a lunar hind—a ghostly, silver-coated doe with flowing hairlike manes and trailing strands of moonlight in its wake. These creatures are known for their beauty and ability to inspire calmness, as well as their singular male counterpart which has become known as an Emperor's Stag in many lands.   {STATBLOCK}