Duel with Death

The Ascension of Exa

During the Age of Creation, there were many powerful arcane users with ambitions that outgrew mortal desires. Each of them trying to grasp the next bigger and better thing. For some, this was expanding technology and knowledge beyond mortal limits, for others this was developing an ability to see and change the future, and for yet others, they tried to find a way to transport themselves into the past and change events that have already occurred. For one archmage, this was not enough, she sought to depose one of the gods, an ancient one among the pantheon. She sought to make things better, to control one force over all. Death.   This archmage sought out many religious texts and arcane rituals to find a method to ascend herself to a position where she could take on the position as Keeper of the Dead. She gathered information for years to find out how she could achieve her goal, suffering several set backs from religious leaders in the world and those who doubted her. At some point, the archmage was able to gather enough materials to attempt the ritual. She succeeded, obtaining a mote of divinity, enough to gain wider awareness of existence and potential, letting her walk to the domain of The Raven, who she believed was the god of death.

The Destruction of The Raven

When the archmage stepped into the home of The Raven, she was entering a deities domain, but she entered the domain of a Dual Idol, the concept of death itself. The archmage was prepared for combat but what she found was an elderly looking figure sitting upon a throne. The Raven looked tired and weighed down by their existence when the archmage arrived. He greeted her and smiled, filled with wisdom of ages, but deep inside his eyes was a pain that even the archmage could see. He stood and told her that the domain of death was not hers to command, for it was not free to take.   Despite this, the archmage tried to take on the ancient being, finding herself failing against his magics in her new form. He smiled and told her that she could defeat him, but it would not matter, she would not hold control of death, for that is not the way it must be. This infuriated the archmage who lashed out with immense passion, looking to secure her ambition quickly and take the position of Keeper of the Dead. She drew the ancient god back into his throne. He smiled and even laughed at the archmage knowing his end was likely near. In the moment before his destruction, The Raven laughed again, the archmage stopped asking him to explain what was funny. The Raven looked her in the eyes. "This shall not be your domain, your name shall be forgotten, and all you can hold is the domains I held, formed together, Undeath. But who you are shall remain a secret, and your ambition will always be your downfall" On those words the archmage killed The Raven.   While the archmage did ascend formally to take on a divine portfolio, she wasn't the Keeper of Death as she imagined. Instead she was a strange ethereal creature, a wraith or undead being of immense power. Even she had forgot her own name, the last work of a powerful figure beyond even this being's power. She took on the name Exa, a word for middle, for that's what she was a middle ground between life and death. She possessed the domains of Undeath, Secrets, and Ambition, existence seemingly spiting her mission.

The Birth of Corvina

The Dual Idols work in a cycle. Each of them live immortally, but they can die as a normal mortal can, should they be injured. They are living representations of the dualities they preside over, Death must be balanced by Life and so on. When a member of the Dual Idols is felled, a new form is born who takes charge of the concept. Except they are born a mortal, someone imbued with the power of an ancient concept, but learning and experiencing a mortal life that defines them before they ascend to the duties and responsibilities of being this divine being.   Upon the destruction of The Raven, a new mortal was born in the lands that would become Ossalimar. She was of pale skin and dark hair, her parents, devout followers of The Raven, named her Corvina, after their people's word for the deity. This child was destined to become the warden of both life and death, as a result both triumph and tragedy followed her. She became aware of the fact she had immense powers when in an argument, she seemingly killed her whole family, before resurrecting them with a tear. She was capable of full conversations and intense magics by the age of 5, making many marvel at her talents. She spent 35 years as an adventurer, being a cleric of The Raven, not realizing that she was fueling her own power. At the age of 42, Corvina finally understood enough of the world to understand that she was the new Warden of Life and Keeper of Death. She embraced her position, being transported to her realm where she looked after those yet to be born and those who had recently passed.