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(sub) Dungeon -Deities and Demigods: The Raven Queen

Y'know, there's this thing about "Unaligned" where there's equal parts Good and Evil. Men with straight razors slitting the throats of the sick and elderly, alongside little thieves that tie you up, then stick you up? That's not cool. All that's happening is she looks like another crazy death cult, and the only thing that separates them from Orcus is the lack of undead crawling around.

Look, the Raven Queen's ambitious and sometimes cruel. But would it have killed Robert J. Schwalb to have included a Good group? I've got one, here you go:

Church of the Grey Feather
Goal: Protect the community to which they serve, guiding the dead gently to the grave and preserving those who have yet to hear Her call.
Size: Small and widespread. The church is most common on the borderlands, leading villages for which death is not an uncommon event.
Alignment: Lawful Good.
Philosphy: "In her towers in the Shadowfell, the strands of life quiver in the presence of our goddess. They will be plucked when she commands, and by her command only; to bring death without Her blessing is sacrilege. Shun the murderer and necromancer alike, for both audaciously seek to control death."
History: The Church of the Grey Feather has gained followers slowly, misconceptions about their patron coloring their reputation wherever they preach. Whenever someone is deemed worthy to become a priest, the Raven Queen will send him or her a flash of insight, showing them death is not to be feared. No one knows who first received Her revelation, but those so inspired are among Her most devoted subjects, and the Church has been spreading ever since.
Leadership: An aging raven's feather landed on the grave of young Marcus the White's father, a sign to the boy that the paladin had died a good death. Seeking out the Church, Marcus shed the colors of Bahamut and converted to the Raven Queen's service, promising to honor his father's memory through protecting and guiding all people, not just the living.
Structure: Each individual church is mostly autonomous, usually lead by one inspired by their goddess. During particularly light winters, head priests will convene in a nearby city to discuss local affairs, argue over interpretation, and toast those that have passed since their last meeting.
Activities: The Church of the Grey Feather exists to protect their flock, even in death. Gentle repose is their most sacred ritual, and graverobbers are harshly rebuked. Plagues and famines were the tools of Nerull to cull souls before their time, and so the Church infallibly provides aid to any who would suffer without cause. Their holy warriors are few, but those that take up arms fight the cults of Orcus and Vecna who would pervert the dead for their own use.
 

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As I've thought and mentioned a few times earlier, I think 4e alignment - at least when it comes to gods - is about "teams."

Raven Queen is hilariously NOT unaligned at all. She's an evil death god that's...not quite as interesting as, say, Nerull. And, well, that's about it. But because she doesn't go bowling with Vecna and Orcus, she's not evil, but unaligned instead.
 


Did not care for it, I much prefered Klaus's version, at least the earlier less polished version. I have not been keeping up to date with it.

Too much of the slant was toward evil and too much daeth == evil.

I would have prefered a more neutral take on the Raven Queen.
 

I would have been happy if multiple views/slants were provided on the RQ. Not saying what she actually does, but what people think she does.

But of course we get to be told exactly that, considering that all the adventures are focused on her, etc etc.

I'm genuinely curious if the article says anything about her being the god of Fate and Winter, too.
 




Look, the Raven Queen's ambitious and sometimes cruel. But would it have killed Robert J. Schwalb to have included a Good group? I've got one, here you go:
I think there's some rule somewhere that says you can't have good groups in Deities & Demigod articles. Because I seem to remember that the Bahamut article didn't have good groups in it.
 

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