Ishara

The Crone

Areas of Concern: graveyards, grief, hope, souls

Edicts: respect the dead and dying, honor the sanctity of death, lay wayward souls to rest, comfort the bereaved

Anathema: take from the dead in bad faith, create or call on undead, impede a psychopomp, desecrate a corpse

Divine Attribute: Dexterity or Wisdom

Religious Symbol: a melting wax candle within a handheld lantern

Sacred Animal: Owl

Sacred Colors: Light Gray, Purple

Ishara is the longest-revered of The Nine, a goddess said to have walked beside mortals since the first death. Known as the Crone, her charge is to safeguard souls as they leave the realm of the living and make their journey into the great beyond. For generations uncounted, offerings of flowers and incense have been left at her shrines, carried by grieving families, war widows, and weary travelers alike. Mourners pray to Ishara not for escape from loss, but for the reassurance that those they love do not face their final passage alone. To many, she is not only the guardian of the dead, but also the wordless comfort that softens the sorrow of parting.

When she manifests, her avatar is that of a spindly old woman, draped in black, her face veiled in mourning. In one hand she carries a lantern whose pale flame never falters, guiding the departed through her forested realm on their way to the afterlife. She is rarely alone — the psychopomps carry out Her will as messengers and attendants, leading souls that might otherwise wander astray or fall into peril. Unlike the other gods, whose domains are broad but distant, Ishara’s is singular and constant, touching every life without exception. Yet her role is also the heaviest, for where others grant blessings in life, she must tend to each soul in death.

Beyond shepherding the dead, the Crone also holds the solemn duty of judgment. Each soul that passes before her is weighed, its deeds measured and its heart laid bare, and from this she renders a verdict — be it salvation, damnation, or some place between. Her faithful trust that her hand is steady, even when her sentence is severe, for they believe she judges without malice, pride, or partiality. For them, Ishara represents more than finality or oblivion, but the promise of continuity — that death is not the end, but the beginning of something new. In the hush of her worship, there is solace, and in the glow of her lantern, all paths are made clear.

Holy Day of Ishara — The Last Lament, traditionally held on Samhain, is a candlelit vigil to honor all who have died in the year past. Families gather in graveyards, along riverbanks, or at household shrines, placing lanterns and offerings of flowers to guide the departed on their way. Unlike the revelry of Harvest’s Heart, the Last Lament is hushed and reverent, marked by whispered prayers and long silences. It is a night of remembrance, when the name of every lost loved one is spoken aloud one more time.

Taboo Practice — The Grief-Eaters are a forbidden sect who believe mourning is a burden too great for mortals to bear. Rather than embrace sorrow as Ishara teaches, they seek to consume or cast it off, conducting strange rites where grief is siphoned from mourners and taken into themselves — or forced upon unwilling victims as a sacrifice. Once thought to have withered away, the sect has endured in secrecy, its numbers swelling amid the wars, endless plagues, and overall unrest of recent centuries.

Devotee Benefits

Cleric Spells — 1st: Endure, 3rd: Ghostly Weapon, 5th: Wave of Despair

Divine Font: Harm or Heal

Divine Sanctification: Holy (optional)

Divine Skill: Occultism

Domains: Protection, Repose, Soul, Vigil
Alternate Domain: Sorrow

Favored Weapon: Staff