The Raven Queen, The Black Matron

The queen of ravens, the Black Matron, is the Goddess of Death. She watches each person from beyond the veil. marking the end of their mortal existence and overseeing the natural transition between life and death. Many funerals ask her blessing to ensure the passing went undefiled. Those who study ancient lore believe that the Black Matron was once mortal herself and is the only known mortal to have ascended to godhood. As In the beginning, before the emergence of the elves, there was no need to a god of death. The Old Ones from the abyss saw this vacuum and began to take advantage of this oversight, touching the deceased with the curse of the undead. The raven queen underwent what became known as "The Rites of Ascension", utilizing Chaos Magics in some way to ascend to godhood. After her ascension, the other gods quickly and fearfully destroyed the secrets to the rites of ascension.   The Raven Queen tugs at the threads of fate from her stronghold of black ice within the frozen realm of Lethernia, nestled in a frigid corner of the Shadowfell.  

Depiction

Few existing visual depictions of the Raven Queen exist; many temples merely use the raven as a symbol of her blessing. The few illustrations of her portray a tall, pale woman wrapped in dangling black linens, with her face obscured by a white porcelain mask and her onyx-black hair straight and neverending.  

Holy Day

The Raven Queen’s holy day is called the Night of Ascension, celebrating her apotheosis. The actual date of the her rise to divinity is unclear, but the Night of Ascension is celebrated on the last day of the tenth month. While the night is cheery celebration of the dead in the The Evashirean Dominion, V'rala Xune uses this night as an opportunity to denounce worshiping Chaos Gods by burning effigies.