The Raven
Name: Eden
Divine Title: The Raven
Alignment: True Neutral
Patronage: Death, Passing, Memory, the Shadowfell, the Underworld
Realm: Queen of the Shadowfell and Hades
Symbol: A stylized raven in flight, its wings forming a crescent. Within its body is a keyhole-shaped void, representing the gateway between life and death.
Common Appearances:
- The Mourning Queen: A pale woman draped in a gown of shifting shadows and black feathers. Her face is beautiful and tragic, often veiled, her hands bare and cold as marble. Her eyes—if seen—are obsidian pools that reflect the souls of the dead.
- The Silent Raven: A massive spectral raven with wings that eclipse the sky. This form is often seen escorting souls in dreams or hovering above sites of great death or transition.
- The Pale Bride: In older legends, she is shown as a mortal woman with a black halo of ravens, often standing at the side of Asmodeus—one hand outstretched, the other hiding a broken blade.
History and Mythos
The Mortal Heart of a Devil Lord
In life, Eden was a seer and mystic who dwelled at the edge of planar boundaries, touched by both divinity and shadow. She was wise beyond her years, able to walk the veil between worlds. During the chaos of the First Planar War, she encountered Asmodeus, then the high general of Tiamat’s infernal legions.
Their bond defied cosmic expectation. Where others saw Eden as fragile, Asmodeus saw clarity. Where others saw Asmodeus as a tyrant, Eden saw a man twisted by divine contradiction. Through her love and empathy, she planted the seed of doubt in the Lord of Devils, and in time, it was Eden’s sorrow and compassion for life's sacrality , not her magic, that led Asmodeus to betray Tiamat and side with the forces of balance.
The Fall and the Gathering
Eden died at the climax of the Planar War, struck down when raiding demons and celestials came across the village Asmodeus had hidden her. Her body fell in the final clash between the Abyss and the Hells—but her soul did not scatter. It was gathered by the World Turtle, who recognized in her not just loss, but purpose.
Eden was reborn not as a servant of any side, but as The Raven: the one who guides the dead, who comforts the grieving, and who ensures death is never meaningless. Her palace became the sole gate to Hades, the neutral land of the dead, and the beating heart of the Shadowfell itself.
Queen of Shadow and Balance
Unlike gods of undeath, who desecrate mortality, or gods of judgment, who weigh it, The Raven protects death’s sanctity. She neither punishes nor redeems, but guides. She presides over transitions: the first breath, the last heartbeat, the moment of realization, and the final goodbye.
She is not feared—she is respected. Those who die with their names remembered often see her. Those who fear death without understanding it may dream of her wings.
Mother of Memory and Forgetting
From her union with Asmodeus were born the twin planar lords of Hades:
- Momento, the Lord of Memory, who gathers the truth of the dead and stores it in eternal libraries.
- Mori, the Lord of death, who guards the gates of hades and ensures those that are dead, stay dead.
Together, the twins manage the depth and silence of Hades, while The Raven rules its threshold. No soul may enter Hades except through her palace, which exists simultaneously in the Shadowfell, the Ethereal Plane, and the forgotten ruins of mortal grief.
Divine Role and Worship
The Raven is worshipped not with temples, but with memorials, eulogies, rituals of closure, and Graveyards. Her priests act as death-guides, keepers of final stories, and guardians of sacred burial sites.
Common Tenets of Her Faith:
- “Speak the names of the dead, so they are not lost.”
- “To grieve is not weakness—it is remembrance.”
- “Let no soul be taken before its time, and no death pass without witness.”
- “Even gods may die. Even devils may mourn.”
Relic of The Raven: The Veil of Eden
"Speak softly. Grieve with grace. What passes through the veil is not lost—it is remembered."
Wondrous Item (Cloak or Mantle), Legendary → Artifact
Requires attunement by a Cleric, Warlock, Druid, or Bard.
This flowing black mantle is woven from shadow silk and threads pulled from funeral pyres, mourning veils, and forgotten lullabies. It is said to be crafted by The Raven herself from the night of her death, infused with her final breath and first divine whisper. When worn, it feels weightless, but it flutters even in still air.
Initial Form: Veil of Passing (Level 10–13)
Visual Effect: While worn, a faint spectral shimmer—resembling raven feathers—trails your movements in dim light. Your shadow never touches the ground fully, and sometimes appears to have wings.
Stat Bonuses:
- +2 bonus to AC and saving throws against necrotic damage and death effects.
- You gain resistance to necrotic damage and cannot be turned into an undead by any means.
- While attuned, you can see into the Ethereal Plane as if affected by see invisibility (non-spell effect).
Features:
- Guardian of the Passing (1/short rest):
As a reaction when a creature within 30 feet drops to 0 HP, you may mark them with Raven’s Grace. They do not fall unconscious, and may act normally on their next turn (they still count as being at 0 HP and must make death saves if they are not healed afterward). - Echo of the Departed (1/long rest):
You may call forth the spirit of a recently deceased creature (within 24 hours of death) to briefly return. It manifests as a silent, shimmering figure visible only to you. You may ask it 3 questions and it will respond with one sentence, truthfully and clearly. - Veiled Presence:
Undead and fiends cannot sense your presence through magical means unless you choose to be detected. You have advantage on Charisma (Persuasion or Intimidation) checks when speaking to spirits, undead, celestials, fiends, or anyone in grief or mourning.
Awakened Form: Shroud of the Shadow Queen (Level 17–20)
When fully awakened, the veil becomes semi-ethereal, flowing like liquid night and rimmed with soft violet light. Ghostly ravens circle silently overhead in the distance when the wearer invokes its power.
Enhanced Properties:
- You gain immunity to necrotic damage and cannot be targeted by effects that would trap or control your soul (e.g., soul cage, trap the soul, etc.).
- You cannot be surprised, and gain advantage on saving throws against fear, charm, and exhaustion.
Upgraded Features:
- Final Passage (1/long rest):
You may guide a creature’s soul beyond. As an action, you may touch a dying or recently deceased (within 1 minute) creature and grant them either: - Peace – Their soul passes instantly, preventing undeath, resurrection, or soul manipulation.
- Return – You restore the creature to life with 1 HP, bypassing material components as if casting revivify—but only if their soul consents.
- Raven's Eclipse (1/long rest):
As an action, unfurl the full divine veil. For 1 minute: - Enemies within 30 feet must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your spellcasting modifier) or be frightened and blinded, as visions of their death cloud their mind.
- if the succeed, they are effected by only 1 of the conditions, your choice.
- You and your allies within the area are considered heavily obscured to enemies, and any healing they receive is maximized.
- Undead, fiends, or celestials within range take 4d8 radiant damage at the start of their turns.
- Feather of the Last Rite (1/Long rest):
Once per long rest, you may pluck a single raven feather from your veil. When given to a creature or placed on a grave, it serves one of two functions: - Burden of Memory – Forces the target to remember a buried trauma, truth, or soul-deep regret (DM’s discretion), causing 8d8 physic damage
- Blessing of Release – Allows a haunted soul to pass on, ending any curses, undead tether, or spiritual torment they suffer.
Awakening Trigger:
The Veil awakens when its bearer either* releases a soul bound unjustly**, or guides another through grief or death with empathy and reverence, especially at great personal cost. It does not respond to force—but to compassion in the face of finality.*
