Seren
Queen of Harmony; Lady of Light; Mother of Elves; The Light Within
In harmony do we see her guidance, and in the darkness do we follow her light.Seren is the crystalline deity of elvenkind, and indeed their progenitor goddess much as Torag is for the dwarves. By her light and guidance did the elves first set foot onto a planet of crystal, and by her will, did they earn the chance to live.
Tir Eneidiaeth by Hanhula (via Midjourney)
Despite her importance to elven religion and her presence in their pantheon, Seren is rarely worshipped by the majority of Istralar's elves in the modern day. She is known of in Galasthin and still venerated in Rhaead, but has fallen out of favour with the general populace.
She is seen as a distant mother, rarely speaking to her children in the current age but blessing them with illumination when she dares to do so. When vithriciulë creeps towards her beloved kin, she is the one who stirs warnings in the minds of their clerics and oracles, and who may thread magic through new Elf-Gates.
Unlike most deities, though, active worship of Seren can be dangerous. Within her, she imprisons the fell deity Marvaeth, whose shadowed bite has haunted the elves for almost as long as they have lived. Some who worship Seren find themselves listening to their goddess's whispers, and realise only too late that it was never the goddess at all but instead the foul shade that lurks within her.
Dogma
We lead in wisdom and act in peace, yet we tolerate nothing of corruption's chill grasp. We stand for those who cannot, and we light the path forward.Perhaps unlike many of her fellow deities, Seren is a goddess who seeks to embrace the differences in her many children and followers and who wishes to lead her people to a brighter, kinder future. She may be a mother to the elves, but non-elves often choose to follow her for her other teachings and guidance. She is a redeemer of the wicked and a beacon to the lost; under Seren's gleaming banner, much of what is broken may yet be repaired.
Followers of the Queen of Harmony - those who do not feel the need to follow her just for the circumstances of their birth, at least - come from all walks of life.
The oppressed look to Seren in hopes that her dominance over freedom will grant them the strength to be free, and the strong walk in her steps as those who forge new paths for peace.
She makes no demands of pacifism, nor does she demand violence from her followers: she advocates for life in its most gentle form, where both harmony and destruction may be needed to shield what is fragile.
Her teachings, too, speak of one's inner self and one's own importance in all things. While some deities seek to place themselves on pedestals, Seren advocates for her followers to find love for themselves first, so that they might bring out their inner light. She stands for acceptance and space in times of grief, and promotes healthy vengeance over uncontrolled revenge.
Daughter's Prayer by Hanhula (via Midjourney)
Appearance
In crystal does she walk, in light does she speak. Who are we to question how the Lady of Light would appear?It is said that millennia have passed since Seren's true form - if she has one - has made an appearance before the eyes of mortals. Those that insist that she must have a true form suggest that it is light and magic itself, impossible to be gazed upon by all except the gods.
Deific Rage by Hanhula (via Midjourney)
For the majority of known history, she instead has chosen to manifest in one of two usual forms: either as a being of crystal and light, distinguished by her feminine form, or as an elven queen crowned with a halo of light. She does not disguise herself, for to do so would be to shroud her light in darkness, and she does not pretend to be any other.
It is known that this form has been consistent for the Mother of Elves for millennia due to the elves' excellent record-keeping habits, which doubtless delights said mother. On the planets they have long abandoned rest statues of their goddess in the beauty of her eternal youth, and on the planets they still dwell upon, new statues with the same appearance are created for each major whisper they manage to draw from their distant deity.
If drawn into battle, though, the Queen of Harmony soon shifts her form to one more suited for battle. Delicate trails of white crystalline silks are exchanged for sharpened armour, and multiple arms ready the glowing battlestaves she favours.
Servitors
Seren is a deity of Nirvana, and would usually then use agathions as her servitors as her kin do. However, as the progenitor of the elves, Seren instead grants the fallen of her people a new life as something akin to an axiomite. Made of crystals and magic, these glowing servitors are known as her life motes, and dart around the expanse of her realm as curious children might.
This is not to say that her motes are her only servitors; they are simply the most common. As one of the older known deities, Seren's court is full of those with whom she has allied or befriended. Even the shadow of Marvaeth's betrayal cannot take away those that feel inspired by her boundless light.
Many an angel has followed her over time, though the impact Marvaeth has left on her followers often leaves Seren's court feeling somewhat bare.
Despite her struggles, though, the goddess's servants do not truly leave her. They flee her realm, yes, and perhaps enter service elsewhere - but should the goddess require their aid, or should she expel her prisoner, then they will return.
Unlike most deities, Seren currently has no herald. Though the role has been filled in the past, it currently stands empty - and no mortal has been told why.
Gate of the Goddess by Hanhula (via Midjourney)
Unique Servants
Taweltyn
Taweltyn by Hanhula (via Midjourney)
My past does not define me. Light has led me to my peace; perhaps I shall help you find yours.A resplendent horned man that towers over mortal visitors, Taweltyn is a demon that resides in Seren's court, draped in her silver and crystal to ward off excitable paladins. He is a brash, loud figure with a distinct lack of musical taste, and yet he is a wise soul who seeks to help those who struggle to find peace. Once a truly powerful demon in the Abyss, he will gladly talk the ears off anyone who cares to ask on how Seren's touch helped him break the innate bonds of evil that the Abyss had placed on his soul, and how he had meandered for many ages before eventually returning to her side as an advisor and counsellor to those suffering pain.
Lumeriad
Brilliance is its own reward. Indolence, a waste. The time left to you is brief: use it well.A crystalline angel capable of shattering herself into a thousand copies, Lumeriad is a passionate scholar that formed from the kindness that gathered in the crystal gardens the earliest elves made. Of all Seren's followers, she is perhaps the most fascinated by mortalkind: any opportunity to speak with them directly is a delight and an expedition, and is prepared for accordingly. She was deeply wounded when Seren imprisoned Marvaeth, and for a time, was unable to manifest her own inner spark of life. Her rejuvenation has left her more prone to anger, to the regrets of those who would attack those who her goddess protects.
Lumeriad by Hanhula (via Midjourney)
Adwyrian
Adwyrian by Hanhula (via Midjourney)
Shall I weave you a tale of the day the stars died?Starlike in form, Adwyrian is an ageless construct of Seren's own crystal around the reconstituted soul of a lost angel. Immortal by his own request, Adwyrian is an ever-curious entity that swims through the planes as a comet to seek whispers of far-flung life and to spread light into the darkest pits. An erratic storyteller yet a brilliant listener, Adwyrian prefers to remain quiet when the realms grow crowded so that he may impart wisdom only when he is most certain it will be listened to. He listens to the patterns of prophecy and fate, and often intervenes to ensure the two work together. Interacting with mortals directly is challenging for him; he prefers to leave notes or songs for them to find.
Divine Classification
Deity
Religions
Alignment
Neutral Good
Realm
Family
Children
Pronouns
she/her
Gender
Ostensibly female
Presentation
Feminine or androgynous
Eyes
Glowing cyan
Hair
Usually swept up in some form of updo or crystal spikes
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Crystalline, usually
Aligned Organization
Related Myths
Ruled Locations
Life shall always triumph over death. Why, then, does Seren's light fill me with such grief..? Can a deity truly imprison another for eternity and remain unchanged?
Serenic Temple by Hanhula (via Midjourney)
Aetharis
Though it is not her divine realm, Seren is intrinsically involved with the first elven homeworld of Aetharis. It was by her will that the planet was born, and now that it has been left empty, it is by her will that it survives. No touch of vithriciulë shall harm the Crystal Goddess's realm, nor shall the stain of enemies ever be allowed to bleed onto its surface. The Sceptre of Aetharis, the only known way of accessing Aetharis, is said to have been crafted by the goddess herself as a gift to her children. No matter how far they roam from her, they shall always have a key to return home. Interestingly, her direct intervention with Aetharis is not perceived by the other deities as a breach of the conditions all divinities agreed to upon the end of the First Divine War. While the specifics of why that may be are left to the gods, mortal assumptions generally agree that it is likely for Aetharis to be considered an extension of Tir Eneidiaeth, Seren's divine realm and crystalline home.By her light, we go forth and craft. Our hands turn rocks to rubies. By her word, we seek others' hands. We find love within our new harmony's blossom. By her will, we shall claim new land... wait. That's not right. That's not Her. How far does his influence go?
History
As life was created, as first shone - there was Seren, born alongside life itself.
It would be impossible to write a full history of Seren, for she has seemingly existed from the moment life first did. The writings of her followers suggest that she was born as an effect of the seeds of sentience, and has always existed as a guiding force, whether present as a god or absent and felt only in the hearts of mortalkind.
Whatever the case may be, there are a few significant areas of Seren's history that must be acknowledged. The first: the creation of her own children. In this time, long before the Era of the Arcane began, Seren had spent endless millennia watching life form. She had seen mortals evolve: the lanky forms of humans, so akin to animals yet with a surprising sapience, the squat forms of gnomes in their realm-shattering magics, and even the outsiders that had begun to evolve from mortal souls.
She saw all of this, and she wept for the transience of their lives, for the lack of time they held. She did not set out to improve on what was there when she crafted the elves -- scholars generally suggest that she instead wanted her people to be peacekeepers, to carry missives forward in time and prevent terrible loss of information and love.
She crafted her people in the depth of her garden, making their ears as pointed as the crystals she favoured, and showered them in her love and teachings until they could one day be sent forth into the world alone.
As a deity of life, Seren's list of enemies was long. Yet there was only ever one true threat: Marvaeth. A foul deity of corruption and death, he slunk into the hearts of many of Seren's own children and sought to twist them. For each good action Seren took, Marvaeth would spread yet more ruin.
They fought many a time over the ages. Yet one eventual fight is said to have shattered many of the stars in the sky, leaving whole patches of space filled with trapped debris and the lingering echo of pain. Seren wished to see her foe bound and prevented from damaging the balance of life and death any further, and she took drastic action to ensure it.
Marvaeth's Rage by Hanhula (via Midjourney)
is this a runescape reference
Solaris -— a sapphic space opera
Creator of World of Worlds | Camp Chill | Comment Carolers
originally yea!! she's become something of her own since :D
welcome to my signature! check out istralar!
i love it
Solaris -— a sapphic space opera
Creator of World of Worlds | Camp Chill | Comment Carolers