The Raven Queen, Matron of Death, also commonly known as the Matron of Ravens and the Duskmaven, is the goddess of death, fate, and winter; she is also considered the goddess of twilight, inevitability and the passage of time, presiding over the transition between life and death.[9] Originally a mortal woman in the Age of Arcanum, she ascended to godhood and destroyed the previous god of death. After her ascension, her true name has long been lost. Her devotees seek her favor to guide them in death and prevent the curse of undeath from falling on them.
Because of her hatred of undeath, she and the Demon Prince of Undeath, Orcus, are fierce enemies. The Duskmeadow District of Vasselheim is devoted to worshiping her and is also where her temple, Raven's Crest, is located.[10] Blood, which plays a large part in the ritual of communing with the goddess within her temple, is one of many very powerful tools in the worship of the Matron of Ravens and sometimes blood magic is utilized by her followers.[11]
As an NPC, the Raven Queen is played by Matthew Mercer and Aabria Iyengar in Critical Role, and Courtenay Taylor in The Legend of Vox Machina. She is also played as a PC by Laura Bailey in Downfall, although briefly.
Description[]
Appearance[]
When she was alive, the Raven Queen was described as a beautiful woman with raven hair.[12] After becoming a goddess she is described as a tall and slender woman with flowing black hair and pale, porcelain skin. She almost always wears a blank porcelain mask. On the rare occasions she removes it, she is still described as beautiful and pale, and her eyes have red irises.[13]
Symbol[]
Her general iconography in Issylra, Tal'Dorei, and Wildemount represents the way in which the goddess appears to mortals, almost always adding elements of black feathers such as a cape or wings. However, certain sects in Marquet (in which she is worshiped as Duskmaven) depict her as a keen-eyed vulture with plumage varying from the shades of a sunset to the black of midnight; in this representation, the goddess also covers her face, in this case with a golden funerary mask.[14]
Personality[]
As a mortal, the Raven Queen was an ambitious and determined mage, daring to face the previous god of death and determined enough to stay with him, developing the Ritual of Seeding and taking his position in the pantheon.[15]
Although during the Calamity her cleverness and loyalty to the other Prime Deities earned her the right to be counted as part of their family,[16] as time went on and centuries passed, the tension between them didn't disappear. Not long before Vox Machina's final confrontation with Vecna, Vax'ildan visited the Raven Queen to ask for a bead of divinity, used in the creation of weapons that could banish the ascended Vecna.[17] The Raven Queen noted that giving of her essence in this way would expose her already-precarious position in the pantheon to even greater risk:
Vax'ildan: I thought you knew me inside and out.
The Raven Queen: I know you, but do you know them? Do you think I've been welcome since I entered this pantheon? My existence is a perpetual threat to the creators. If anything, part of this burden that we all face lies on my shoulders as well. Why should they not think to strike at two birds with one stone?
For the Prime Deities, she portends the possibility of another Calamity, which Vecna's apotheosis realizes to an extent.[19] Despite her reservations, in Exandria's hour of need, her faithful servant Vax'ildan persuaded her to overcome her anxiety and sacrifice a measure of her power to contribute the bead of divinity.[20]
Decades later, the Matron of Death still felt somewhat apart from the rest of the pantheon, but when the gods faced a common threat, Predathos, she joined them in opposing it, even if it felt strange to deal with an entity that predated her time among the Prime Deities.[21] The God Eater frightened her, and she allowed herself to show a bit of that fear to Morrighan Ferus, one of her champions.[22] Deep down, however, the goddess of fate still misses the mortal aspect of herself, and thus she is willing to defy the expectations of most of the pantheon if that means protecting the free will of the Exandrians.[23]
Commandments of the Matron of Ravens[]
Commandments of the Matron of Ravens
Death is the natural end of life. Grieve the fallen, but do not pity them. Exult in the time that they were granted.
The path of Fate is sacrosanct. Those who pridefully cast off destiny must be punished.
Undeath is an atrocity. Death is too good a punishment for those who pervert the rightful transition of the soul.
Biography[]
Background[]
The Raven Queen was originally a mortal wizard who lived during the Age of Arcanum, possibly in Avalir,[24] theorized to have been Ruidusborn.[25] She eventually developed an interest in divinity and how to achieve it, so she visited the god of death in his frozen enclave asking for information. For years they "danced through words and conversations", and what had begun as a relationship of interest on both sides (since the god saw the woman as a fascinating abnormality) ended up becoming friendship, and over time, love. The mortal woman would go down in history as the follower and partner of the deity.[26]
God and mortal found a common goal and spent time developing a ritual that would fulfill their wishes; finally, between 119 and 126 years before the Calamity,[27] during an apogee solstice, she used the newly created Ritual of Seeding to take her divine partner's place, becoming the first mortal to achieve godhood,[28] and allowing the god to get the peace he desired.[29] Her rise is variously described either as involving her "challenging" her predecessor and overtaking him[28] or as having instantly destroyed him upon her ascension.[30] She sundered his name from reality, so that it even disappeared from his temples at the moment of her ascension;[31][32] likewise, her name was taken even from the memories of those who knew her[33] and was later believed to be lost or removed from the historical record.[28]
Not long after her ascension, the Matron of Ravens made Letherna her realm in the Shadowfell.[34] She became revered by the shadar-kai, elves that now lived in that plane and who received new powers thanks to the goddess;[35][36][37] thus she gained servitors that followed her not only out of fear, but out of respect and love, and her cult extended both in the Shadow Realm and in the Material Plane.[38]
In fear of the Raven Queen's achievement, the remainder of the pantheon swiftly destroyed and prohibited her rites,[30] and she herself took measures to ensure no one would be able to replicate it.[39] However, another powerful mage of the Age of Arcanum, Vecna, reconstructed an altered version of the Ritual of Seeding and attempted it, but the ritual was interrupted and he was all but destroyed (although he would try and succeed many centuries later, in 812 PD).[40][41] The Raven Queen's ascension also inspired Vespin Chloras to release the imprisoned Betrayer Gods back into the Material Plane, leading to the Calamity.[28] She foresaw this disaster and, through her champion Purvan Suul, attempted to warn the governing body of Avalir, The Septarion, to pay close attention to Vespin's affairs, but Purvan was largely derided or ignored.[42]
During the first century of the Calamity, the Raven Queen and other deities agreed to incarnate in mortal avatars in order to infiltrate Aeor and stop their creation of their god-killing weapon, the Factorum Malleus. The Matron sent a vision to her champion, Purvan, so that he would find her avatar, Emhira, and protect her until the time came for her to travel to Aeor.[43] Almost three decades later, Emhira traveled to the flying city with others of the mortal avatars. There, she cast Speak with Dead on Garathran, a rebel angel, and used her connection with her divine self so that the Matron of Death herself met the soul of the planetar and questioned him.[44]
Later that day, the divine team successfully destroyed the weapon, but the blast of energy it released caused the death of the Emissary, the herald of the Lawbearer. His soul appeared before the Matron of Ravens, and the goddess adapted her size and took off her mask to talk to him face to face. The Emissary asked her if she was going to take him to his mama, and she agreed, sending his soul towards the realm of the Lawbearer. As he was leaving, the Emissary told her to look for those that were worthy and bring them home, inspiring the Raven Queen to save one life from Aeor as the city was about to crash, sending Hallis, the son of one of the creators of the Factorum Malleus, to a safer place in Exandria.[45]
During the destruction of Aeor, Emhira was the first to abandon her mortal form, feeling relief when she put again the emotionless mask of the Matron of Death. However, when she saw Trist was heartbroken at her losses, the Raven Queen hugged her until the last moment. Before leaving the city, the Matron created a small protective orb around Cassida Previn's corpse, to give her the dignity of keeping her mortal remained untouched by the crash.[46] The Prime Deities gathered in Eiselcross, and the Lawbearer thanked the Matron for the treatment she had given to the Emissary, both as Emhira and as the goddess. The other gods greeted her as a sister, and the Everlight told her that she didn't understand how she could handle her divine duties and all the loss. The Knowing Mistress proposed the idea of leaving Exandria to keep mortals safe, but the Matron was reluctant since Exandria was the only home she had ever known.[47] The Everlight asked the Raven Queen to keep Trist's children alive as long as possible and to resurrect them if necessary, but was told she could not do that. However, she summoned their threads of fate which were very shiny and close together, and explained that Haylie and Topher were destined to do great things, and that eventually they would reunite with their mother.[48] The Matron felt that their time spent being mortal had been worth it and told the Dawnfather that he was full of surprises before finally returning to her realm.[49]
At some point during the Calamity the Chained Oblivion attacked the Matron of Ravens, and some of her angelic emissaries saved her, sacrificing themselves in the process. They were thought to have been annihilated by Tharizdun, but when the Betrayer God was sealed, the celestial reemerged forever changed, transformed into kenku. They were greatly diminished, having been rendered mortal, stripped of their wings, voice, and memories of their angelic existence.[50] Tharizdun's Curse of Oblivion left them only able to mimic the sounds of other creatures.[51]
Campaign One: Vox Machina[]
"The Sunken Tomb" (1x44)[]
The Raven Queen first appeared as a spectre during the revivification spell of Vex'ahlia, summoned by the opening of her late champion's casket. At first, the party mistook her for Vesh (due to Kashaw's part in the ritual), but she was revealed during Vax'ildan's contribution to be, in fact, the Raven Queen. Vax offered his life to her in place of his sister's. The Raven Queen reached her hand out to Vax and nodded, agreeing to the offer. At that point, Vax unwittingly became her new champion.
"Those Who Walk Away" (1x45)[]
While Vax'ildan and Keyleth discussed the Raven Queen, a raven appeared at Keyleth's window, cawed at the two, then disappeared. It was insinuated that this raven was sent by the Goddess.
"The Family Business" (1x47)[]
In his sleep, Vax'ildan had a brief vision of the Raven Queen and the tapestry of threads she oversees. She identified him as "fate-touched" and told him he could be anything.
"Best Laid Plans..." (1x50)[]
The Raven Queen was summoned during Grog's revivification by Vax'ildan. As a second form of aid, Vax pledged to serve the Raven Queen unconditionally and with conviction. The Raven Queen sent Vax a vision, seemingly agreeing to the offer.
After these events, Vax found a raven's feather laying on his pillow which he symbolically put in his hair, similar to the blue feathers worn by his sister.
"Duskmeadow" (1x57)[]
Vax visited the Raven's Crest temple in Vasselheim and communed with The Raven Queen in a pool of ice-cold blood. He saw a spark of white and it widened to be the mask of the Raven Queen as she approached him. He realized he was being held by her in the endless plane.
Vax asked if this was always supposed to happen, but the Raven Queen said that he guided his own path. She called him "fate-touched" and said that he was interesting to her because of how he bent his own destiny. She said that he was interesting to many and she was the one who seized the opportunity. The Raven Queen knew of his hatred and fear of her, but she dismissed it as most hate her due to lack of understanding. Vax agreed to learn to understand and serve. She explained that her gift is to safeguard the passage between life and death - a charge that Vax' now shared. She warned him to be careful with his own bending of destiny and rebuked those who would try to live indefinitely like undead and wayward necromancy. But she understood that an individual may not always be meant to die in one moment and that their destiny went beyond one death.
Vax accepted that this was his cause. She told him his dual nature was what interested her; half recklessness and half instinct. She believed that he had been preparing for this his entire life, unconsciously. She set him down and they were suddenly in the room where Vax left. For a moment Vax saw her as the woman she was before she was a god and she removed her mask. She kissed him on the forehead in parting.
Later that same day, Percy also went to the Raven Queen's temple and communed with her. He entered the void and saw the white porcelain face of the Raven Queen. Percy asked if they could stop it. She told him to ask the right questions. He asked if he was chosen because he was broken or if it broke him, (likely referring to Orthax). She told him that he was always broken and was preyed upon. She said that his deeds would determine whether he could be fixed. He asked for help in getting rid of it and she said she had already helped. The Raven Queen told him that he had to watch himself or he may stray from their side. He asked if he could look for healing. She told him that life is broken from the start and there is no perfection, that finding ways to better yourself before the end is what gives life purpose. She assured him that mortals could achieve great things, just like she did.
"Trust" (1x70)[]
Vax went to the Raven Queen’s temple and communed with her once more, asking for advice. She told him that the path they walked to the sphinx gave them what they needed, and told him to stay alive.
"Curious Tides" (1x89)[]
First, the Raven Queen directly appeared to Vax'ildan, now dead, in a space similar to the first time he communed with her. She then asked him what his destined thread is.
Later, as a part of Vax's resurrection ritual, Vex'ahlia made a bargain with the Raven Queen to hunt down Orcus in return for her brother. Apparently seeing this to be favorable, the Raven Queen manifested in some physical way,[52] allowing Vax to be brought back to life and calling Vox Machina "to meet [her] behind the Divine Gate".[53] Seeming to have disappeared to the rest of Vox Machina, the Raven Queen was still seen by Vax as she gave him an ominous message about future activities of his employment[54] before actually leaving.
"Voice of the Tempest" (1x90)[]
Vax'ildan was visited in his sleep by a vision of the Raven Queen. She told him that she sensed some villainy on the horizon, although she could not see the cause of it. What she could see was greatness in Vax’s future, and that the fates of his friends were possibly tied to his own. She asked him if he could shoulder that burden, and told him to be patient. She encouraged him to enjoy the time he had, as soon she would call upon his purpose.
"Thar Amphala" (1x101)[]
Vax communed with the Raven Queen, sensing that his deal with her was coming to a head. She told him to follow his instincts, and mused that their paths may meet soon enough.
"The Fate-Touched" (1x103)[]
Vax’s soul was in limbo after he was killed by Vecna. The Raven Queen appeared to him and asked what he had seen, revealing that Vecna had “blocked her sight”. He told her about the fight, and the Raven Queen offered him the eternal rest that she said he had earned. Vax protested, saying he still wanted to help his friends. She made him an offer: he could return to life as her champion, for the sole purpose of hunting down Vecna, so long as he returned to her forever when he had finished that task. Vax accepted, and he was raised from the dead as a revenant.
"The Endless Atheneum" (1x106)[]
Vax'ildan communed with the Raven Queen in the Raven's Crest temple in Vasselheim, informing her of Vecna's ascension. Vax compared the two gods, but the Raven Queen insisted there was a difference: he ascended for selfish reasons, she was simply doing as fate willed. Vax asked if he was her enemy, and she confirmed he was the enemy of all. Vax asked her for a third bead of divinity to use in crafting the trammels they would use to banish Vecna. She hesitated, fearing the other gods of the pantheon would take advantage of her weakened state, and that this was some ploy devised by them to do so. Vax asked her how much she wanted Vecna destroyed, and the Raven Queen relented, putting her faith in Vax and asking for his faith in return. When Vax emerged from the vision, he found a small black opal in his hand.
"The Chapter Closes" (1x115)[]
Vox Machina returned to the Platinum Sanctuary in Vasselheim after defeating Vecna and sealing him away beyond the Divine Gate. As Keyleth finished addressing the crowd, the Raven Queen appeared behind Vax'ildan and put her hands on his shoulders. Percy tried to get in between the two of them, but she froze him in place.
Keyleth, Scanlan, and Vex asked the Raven Queen for more time. The Raven Queen gently sympathized with their grief but insists that a deal was a deal. Vax said goodbye to each member of Vox Machina, promising that he would see them again. Vax used Druidcraft to create snowdrops out from him to Vox Machina and walked to the Raven Queen. Vax saw a bright light from inside the Raven Queen's cloak. In the light was his mother, telling her son she is proud of him. As Vax walked towards the Raven Queen, her cloak faded, the snowdrops continued until they turned into feathers and both were gone.[56]
"The Search For Bob" (Sx45)[]
Lieve'tel Toluse received a vision from the Matron of Ravens while she and Vox Machina were in Pandemonium, revealing that they were being chased by a dust titan.
"Dalen's Closet" (Sx47)[]
When Scanlan cast Wish so that Vax could speak at his sister's wedding, an image of the Matron of Death appeared to deliver the Champion of Ravens, who confirmed that the goddess allowed that brief visit.
Exandria Unlimited[]
"Exandria Unlimited: Kymal, Part 2" (E2x02)[]
In Brussendar or Sydenstar, 843 PD, Morrighan Ferus was working at the Maiden's Wish Casino and became acquainted with Opal, Fy'ra Rai, Dorian Storm, and Cyrus Wyvernwind. Morrighan frequently heard the singing of a bird which guided her actions.[57] As the group started their casino heist and came closer to the target vault, the songbird got louder,[58] culminating inside where it became frantic cawing.[59] Among the gold and jewelry was a white marble bust of the Raven Queen, a human feminine face, very symmetrical and almost mask-like, with feathers extending from it. Underneath, in the place where the name would be, was an area which was magically protected so that eyes would slide across it and blur such that was written there could not be perceived.[60] The cawing inside Morrighan's head grew louder and more insistent, urging her to destroy the statue completely, and didn't silence until it was crushed.[61]
Campaign Three: Bells Hells[]
"Hope Within History" (3x55)[]
During the apogee solstice of 843 PD, after Bells Hells fought Ludinus Da'leth and his allies, discovering that some of them were forced to wear symbols of the Matron of Death, and later witnessing how an angelic champion of the goddess was trapped by the archmage, some of the party were teleported near Uthodurn. In the city, they visited one of the temples of the Matron to check if her followers had noticed anything different about her due to recent events; the woman who talked to them confirmed that, like all the other gods, the Raven Queen felt strangely distant although still present.[62]
"Crisis of Faith" (3x61)[]
While she was fighting against the followers of the Dawnfather in the Sunrise Sanctuary of Hearthdell, Prism Grimpoppy called upon the Matron of Ravens when she used her shadar-kai powers to teleport away from danger.[63] Later she once again dedicated a prayer to the goddess while using the blood of the recently killed Flameguide Kiro to prepare to cast Summon Greater Demon.[64]
"A Path of Vengeance" (3x65)[]
Orym, Chetney and Fearne visited the temple of the Duskmaven in the Smolder Spire of Jrusar. While their initial intention was just to check how things were going there, they were approached by one of the priests there and offered water to drink. This sent them into a vision in which they saw the Tishtan excavation site and the activated Malleus Key, and heard the screams of pain of the Champion of Ravens in his spherical prison before the vision ended with a last image of the Matron's pale mask. The priest told them that the followers of the Duskmaven were in a period of mourning and of preparation: mourning the loss of one of their own. When Chetney asked how they could help in the fight, the priest replied, "Faith."[65]
"A Gathering of Heroes" (3x76)[]
Orym, Chetney, and Ashton Greymoore visited the Altar of the Raven in Whitestone, climbing into sarcophagi in its cellar and receiving a vision of the Matron standing above them with chains dangling from manacles on her wrists. As they climbed up the chains, they broke, and they saw the Matron with black raven wings fly free above them, breaking into hundreds of smaller black ravens. They were left with a sense of being noticed and appreciated.[66]
"The Promise and the Price" (3x77)[]
After Imogen Temult prayed to the Dawnfather in his temple in the Greyfield, so he would help Laudna, she left the building and immediately saw a statue of the goddess of death, hearing ravens noises in the distance. She refused to accept it as a sign connected to her girlfriend.
"Fractures" (3x78)[]
After her refusal to absorb Rau'shan's magic led to Ashton Greymoore's near death, Fearne visited the Altar of the Raven (paying respects to the statue of the Champion of Ravens first), leaving her postcards as an offering and praying to the goddess of fate for guidance, as she feared that if she gained more power she would end up becoming a dark version of herself that she did not want. When she left the temple she saw a family of ravens: an adolescent one with one leg and its two parents, who fed it and stared at the druid for a bit, before the three of them left.
"Broken Roads" (3x92)[]
When Bells Hells returned from Ruidus they discovered that some gods, including the Duskmaven, had sent her followers to fight in the Red Center, and now trophies taken from them adorned pikes in the excavation.
"Bittersweet Reunions" (3x93)[]
During her journey with the Crown Keepers Morrighan Ferus, who had been chosen by the Matron of Ravens as a new champion, ended up in a difficult situation when her friend Opal, controlled by the Spider Queen, started attacking the rest of the group. Wanting to understand the situation, the paladin asked her goddess, and the Raven Queen revealed to her the terrifying threat of Predathos, and encouraged Mor to leave and survive, since she wasn't supposed to die fighting Lolth's champion. The lagomore ended up obeying her deity's command and left the battlefield, bringing with her some gemstones connected to Opal's memories and bonds, in order to protect them; she was also joined by the spirit of Cyrus Wyvernwind, fallen in that battle, since as a champion of the goddess of fate now it was also her duty to guide the souls of the departed.
"Under the Arch Heart's Eye" (3x107)[]
Immediately after the Arch Heart granted a boon to Imogen Temult, Laudna received a vision of a mask and black feathers, and a voice told her to find her.
"A Test of Fate" (3x109)[]
Bells Hells, after returning to the Material Plane, visited the Raven's Crest and used its pool of blood to commune with the Matron of Ravens. She appeared before them in the middle of her threads of fate, as a gargantuan masked figure, and although the adventurers tried to talk to her and get information, she was cautious and didn't trust them, claiming that many before them had been crushed by their own destiny; after they persuaded her, she decided to test them, and summoned versions of the three examples she had used to talk about destiny (Liliana Temult, Opal, and Vespin Chloras) to fight them.
Once Bells defeated the three foes (and after Laudna summoned a Spirit of Death with the appearance of Emhira) the Raven Queen approached the adventurers, showing herself as a person, and even taking of her mask. She told them that in the cycle of interactions between mortals and divinity the latter, despite getting farther and farther away, insisted on manipulating the world under the excuse of guiding and protecting it, and that now that they wanted to get rid of the Divine Gate to fight Predathos directly, she didn't want to be part of it, wanting fate itself to follow its course, and for mortals to retain their autonomy over their own future, even if that made her a villain in the eyes of other Prime Deities. She stated, however, that unlike the Arch Heart she wasn't that interested in fleeing the world, and that since she was a "clever girl" she would find a way to deal with the threat against her very existence. The goddess willingly answered many of the questions the group had for her, including the fate of the souls and the afterlife if she disappeared, some of her past with her divine predecessor, and what she knew about the nature of Predathos (although she admitted that the rest of the pantheon had kept the information about the God Eater hidden as long as they could). When Bells Hells addressed the plan the Arch Heart had suggested (choosing a vessel for the Red End among them), and Imogen wondered how the goddess had survived her ascension, she told the sorcerer love had helped her; when Laudna pointed out that they did not feel love for the force they wanted to contain (Predathos), the Matron told them that the love they felt for each other would have to act as their anchor. When Chetney talked to the goddess of death she mentioned that he didn't have much time left (being extremely old), but when he asked for a boon to balance the scales in the fight ahead, she offered a mask like hers, that would allow them to call for help (the nature of that help would vary depending on the place and the circumstances) if someone put it on; Braius was the one who took it, and she told him that even though he was a crossroads, she hoped her gesture helped him take a decision about his future.
Bells Hells and the Matron of Death spoke for a little bit longer about her nature as a former mortal, during which she admitted that she missed that part of her life, and being surprised, and that she had sacrificed a lot when she became a deity. When asked about how to free the Champion of Ravens, she explained that they would need to remove the Luxon beacon from the Malleus Key and then destroy the machine (in that order); when Ashton asked why the main pantheon found the Luxon so unsettling, she explained to them that gods didn't like it when they found things they didn't understand, and when they found things that made them feel like they weren't all-powerful. She admitted that Ludinus was almost as smart as her and had managed to make his own thread of fate unreachable for gods, but that mortals could still harm him; she also explained that the group knew more than her about the real Liliana and Opal, and that the versions of them they had fought were only made to test them, not to make them mistrust those people necessarily. When Ashton asked if Laudna, given her condition as a Hollow One, would be alright, the Raven Queen made the warlock's thread of fate visible, and told her that she would no longer be tied to other realms, connecting the silvery tether with Imogen and then with the rest of the group, turning it gold; the goddess of death told Laudna that she was a victim of circumstances on the right path, and that she didn't hate her for what had happened to her. The warlock told the Prime Deity that she hoped she would be able to see her predecessor one day, since she deserved it, and the goddess argued that she didn't deserve much. After that she put her mask on again, and told them to leave, making them wake up back in her temple.
"Assault on the Malleus Key" (3x113) and "Fight for the Bloody Bridge" (3x114)[]
When the Exandrian Accord was preparing to attack the Hellcatch Valley to defeat Ludinus Da'leth's allies, a raven was seen looking at Keyleth while she encouraged the troops, before flying away. Lieve'tel Toluse, who had joined Vox Machina in their mission to destroy the Bloody Bridge and rescue the Champion of Ravens, told them that the goddess had sent her visions of "the Raven", and that they had a chance to free him. The cleric had been granted the instructions of how to deactivate the Malleus Key without harming the champion, so when she got close enough she used her Divine Intervention, and the Matron sent an immense flock of red-eyed ravens that started attacking the structure, damaging it and exposing the Luxon beacon that powered it even as they were destroyed, allowing Scanlan and Lieve'tel to take it.
After the champion once known as Vax'ildan was freed, he informed his friends that he was still tied to the goddess of death, and although he was told by a solar he should go with them to Issylra, to keep fighting the allies of the Red End, he instead hesitated. The Raven Queen whispered to him and allowed him to feel her hand on his shoulder, telling him to choose what was important to him in that moment; after the champion declared he was willing to keep serving her in Exandria, she whispered once more, letting him be with his loved ones for one night.
Artifacts[]
The Deathwalker's Ward is a set of armor that used to belong to one of the most famous champions of the goddess, Purvan Suul, and it is said to bear black feathers of the Raven Queen herself.[67] The Raven's Slumber is another magical object associated with the champion, but it is not as powerful, and it is unknown if it was originally linked to the Matron of Death.
Places of worship and holy sites[]
Suggestions for additions or improvements to this article:
Add any missing temples and expand descriptions. |
Issylra[]
The Raven Queen is worshiped in Vasselheim, the Dawn City, having her own temple, the Raven's Crest, in the Duskmeadow District.[68]
Marquet[]
A temple of the Duskmaven is located at the top of Jrusar's industrial Smolder Spire, among the living quarters of the workers there. It is striking for having three stories with multiple balconies rising to a blackstone-polished apex in a triangular form, and a golden bird skull perched over the double entry doorway. A candle-lit glow shows through opaque colored glass in the front. The interior has a form of illusory magic that makes the corridors seem endless, and the overall design is reminiscent of a large skeleton, with sections where arms can be seen extending in specific directions. There is a waterfall inside the temple, which offers cold, drinkable water that worshipers can drink, gaining visions under some circumstances.[69]
Tal'Dorei[]
The Matron of Ravens has temples in several important cities, such as Whitestone,[70] Emon,[71] and Westruun.[72]
The Altar of the Raven in Whitestone is small and located in the Greyfield of Whitestone. It was once the mausoleum of one of the noble houses of the city-state, the Anders family.[73] Along with the Raven Queen herself, it celebrates her champion, Vax'ildan.[74]
Although it isn't an official holy site, the Raven Tree of Zephrah acts as a place of tribute for the Matron of Ravens, and more specifically her champion, having, among other relics, a feather taken from his Deathwalker's Ward. Moreover, the raven population in the tree area is higher, and Keyleth, the Voice of the Tempest, takes care of them, especially a large one that visits her often.[75]
Wildemount[]
The Raven Queen is one of six deities whose worship is permitted in the Dwendalian Empire.[76]
In Uthodurn, in the Greying Wildlands, the temple of the Matron of Death is one of the most recent additions to the city.[77]
Relationships[]
The first god of death[]
While history has portrayed the destruction of her predecessor as a violent and ill-intended act towards him, the goddess herself admitted that, although she had been initially driven by ambition, the years she spent with him made her appreciate him, first as a friend, and eventually feeling love; that same love for him helped her survive the ritual of ascension they developed together, and she is convinced she wouldn't have survived it without that bond.[78]
Patia Por'co[]
The woman who became the Raven Queen knew Patia Por'co and taught her about apogee solstices.[79]
Morrigan[]
Morrigan described her relationship with the Matron as "complicated." The two didn't see eye to eye because the Matron disliked people interfering with her divine duties and the threads of fate, even though only the goddess can see, touch, and cut the main ones, and Morri disliked certain things about the ascended mortal, regarding her as the pinnacle of ambition. Despite this, since the Fatestitcher was out of the Raven Queen's reach, they had a mutual understanding and the Prime Deity is, in the hag's own words, "fine",[80] although she would later call her "kind of a fickle bitch", and that they hadn't interacted directly in centuries.[81]
At one point Nana Morri sent Morrighan Ferus, a young lagomore, to the Material Plane, and when she grew up she became the Matron's champion after obeying her directions to destroy a statue bearing her original name in 843 PD.[82]
When the goddess of death met Fearne Calloway in person she was able to sense her connection to the Fatestitcher.[83]
Evontra'vir[]
Despite not being directly connected, the Matron of Death and the Great Tree of Atrophy are aware of each other, since their portfolios overlap and they both exist in a similar place. They generally have a sort of frustrating mutual respect for each other, with Evontra'vir being able to ride between the threads of the fate skein the Raven Queen holds. However, their relationship varies depending on the era, and there have been moments in history when both have been formal allies.[84]
According to Matthew Mercer, Evontra'vir might have known the Raven Queen before her ascension.[85]
Vax'ildan[]
Vax'ildan offered his life to the Raven Queen in place of his sister, Vex'ahlia, as a part of her Revivify ritual. The goddess appeared before him and seemed to agree to those terms.[86] Not long afterward, Vax became a paladin devoted to her cause.[87] After Vax was killed by Vecna, he made a bargain with her to defeat him in return for continued life as a revenant-like being.[88] The Raven Queen and her Champion did not have a cleric-deity relationship, and the goddess just let Vax walk the path on his own after she had told him about it. According to Matthew Mercer, if the half-elf had strayed from that path, the Matron of Death would have intervened.[89]
Once Vecna had been banished, the Raven Queen immediately came to collect Vax'ildan, who became the Champion of Ravens, a celestial still acting as her champion, and whose thread of fate she could no longer see.[90] A year later, she allowed him to return to the mortal realm to speak at Vex'ahlia's wedding, thanks to a Wish spell cast by Scanlan. Since then the Champion of Ravens has acted as the celestial servant of the goddess of fate, and although she values the aspects of his personality that led him to sacrifice everything for his loved ones (causing her to be surprised, something that rarely happens), she considers that those same traits make him impulsive and vulnerable to manipulations.[91] Thus, he occasionally disobeys her in order to check on his mortal friends, which causes the Matron of Death to reprimand him.
After the Champion of Ravens was released from the Malleus Key, he declared that, despite everything that had happened, he didn't want the Matron of Ravens and her domain gone.[92] The Matron granted him that night of freedom to be with Vox Machina and meet his nieces and nephews.[93]
Morrighan Ferus[]
Morrighan Ferus, sent from the Fey Realm by the Fatestitcher, gained the Raven Queen's respect and approval by destroying a relic that still had the goddess' hidden name on it.[94][95] After that, the lagomore became the Matron's paladin, feeling a direction and a form of light coming from her connection with the Prime Deity, and acting as a new champion for her during the apogee solstice.[96]
Known worshippers[]
- Alasterre de Vitrevos[97]
- Clay family (originally)[98]
- The Coven of the Veil,[99] highest of the Trust of Winter, priestesses of the Matron in Vasselheim[100]
- Eadwulf Grieve[101]
- Jette Brashan[102]
- Morrighan Ferus
- Othinon, caretaker of the Altar of the Raven[103]
- Purvan Suul
- Several members of Paragon's Call
- Teresa Dulamar[97]
- Trence Orman
- Valiq[104]
- Grave Mystic Weva Vudol[105]
- Although not all of them worship her, the Matron of Ravens has a great influence over the shadar-kai in the Shadowfell
Celestials[]
- The ancestors of the kenku race[106]
- Celestial giant ravens[107]
- Angels of death, able to chase down fleeing souls[110]
- The Champion of Ravens[111]
- Unnamed hooded solar[presumed][112]
Appearances and mentions[]
Appearances[]
- Campaign One
- "The Sunken Tomb" (1x44), specter
- "Best Laid Plans..." (1x50)
- "Duskmeadow" (1x57)
- "Trust" (1x70)
- "Curious Tides" (1x89)
- "Voice of the Tempest" (1x90)
- "Thar Amphala" (1x101), voice only
- "The Fate-Touched" (1x103)
- "The Endless Atheneum" (1x106)
- "The Chapter Closes" (1x115)
- Campaign Three
- "A Path of Vengeance" (3x65), in a vision
- "A Gathering of Heroes" (3x76), in a vision
- "Bittersweet Reunions" (3x93), in a vision
- "Downfall: Part Two" (3x100)
- "Downfall: Part Three" (3x101)
- "Under the Arch Heart's Eye" (3x107), in a vision
- "A Test of Fate" (3x109)
- "Fight for the Bloody Bridge" (3x114)
- Specials
- "Stephen Colbert's D&D Adventure with Matthew Mercer" (Sx43)
- "The Search For Bob" (Sx45)
- "Dalen's Closet" (Sx47)
- The Legend of Vox Machina
- "Rise of the Chroma Conclave" (LVM2x01)
- "Those Who Walk Away (LoVM)" (LVM2x04)
- "Belly of the Beast" (LVM2x11)
- "Thordak's Throne" (LVM3x09), non-speaking
Mentions[]
- Campaign One
- "Trial of the Take: Part 3" (1x20)
- "Trial of the Take: Part 4" (1x21)
- "Dangerous Dealings" (1x42)
- "Those Who Walk Away" (1x45)
- "The Family Business" (1x47)
- "Into the Frostweald" (1x48)
- "In the Belly of the Beast" (1x54)
- "Hope" (1x56)
- "A Cycle of Vengeance" (1x58)
- "The Echo Tree" (1x63)
- "The Frigid Doom" (1x64)
- "The Streets of Ank'Harel" (1x65)
- "Passed Through Fire" (1x69)
- "What Lies Beneath the Surface" (1x81)
- "Deadly Echoes" (1x82)
- "The Deceiver's Stand" (1x83)
- "Loose Ends" (1x84)
- "A Bard's Lament" (1x85)
- "Tangled Depths" (1x88)
- "Vox Machina Go to Hell" (1x91)[113]
- "Deals in the Dark" (1x92)[114]
- "Bats Out of Hell" (1x93)
- "Jugs and Rods" (1x94)
- "One Year Later..." (1x95)
- "Unfinished Business" (1x100)
- "Thar Amphala" (1x101)
- "Race to the Tower" (1x102)
- "Elysium" (1x104)
- "The Fear of Isolation" (1x105)
- "Scaldseat" (1x107)
- "The Core Anvil" (1x108)
- "The Ominous March" (1x109)
- "The Climb Within" (1x110)
- "Dark Dealings" (1x112)
- "Vecna, the Ascended" (1x114)
- Campaign Two
- "Steam and Conversation" (2x09)
- "Homeward Bound" (2x48)
- "Causatum" (2x70)
- "Clay and Dust" (2x72)
- "Uthodurn" (2x73)
- "Rime and Reason" (2x75)
- "Family Shatters" (2x96)
- "Dinner with the Devil" (2x110)
- Campaign Three
- "Make It Fashion" (3x12)
- "A Dance of Deception" (3x13)
- "Omens Above" (3x19)
- "A Stage Set" (3x32)
- "Axiom Shaken" (3x43)
- "Bawdy Basement Belligerence" (3x44)
- "Ominous Lectures" (3x45)
- "Night at the Ligament Manor" (3x46)
- "The Apogee Solstice" (3x51)
- "Far From The Others" (3x52)
- "Hope Within History" (3x55)
- "The Sorrow of Molaesmyr" (3x57)
- "Somewhere Out There" (3x59)
- "Faith or Famine" (3x60)
- "Crisis of Faith" (3x61)
- "Reunited" (3x64)
- "Bloody Flowers" (3x67)
- "For The Tempest" (3x68)
- "Nice" (3x69)
- "The Promise and the Price" (3x77)
- "Fractures" (3x78)
- "Broken Roads" (3x92)
- "The Nox Engine" (3x98)
- "Cages" (3x103)
- "The Cradle's Convocation" (3x104)
- "Collecting Legends" (3x105)
- "Looming" (3x108)
- "In the Shadow of War" (3x110)
- "The Nein Hells" (3x111)
- "The Assembling of Legends" (3x112)
- "Assault on the Malleus Key" (3x113)
- "To the Arx Creonum" (3x115)
- Exandria Unlimited: Calamity
- "Excelsior" (E3x01)
- "Bitterness and Dread" (E3x02)
- "Blood and Shadow" (E3x03)
- "Fire and Ruin" (E3x04)
Quotations[]
- "All life is inherently broken from the start, Percival. Take solace in that. There is no perfection in life. Otherwise, what would be the purpose of death? It's to try to find ways to better yourself before the end that gives us purpose. You are all broken, but also understand - mortals can achieve great things. I did."[115]
- (about souls with and without gods) "The substance of the soul is forever. It will find its way."[116]
- Matron of Ravens: (about the first god of death) I feel a lot closer to him in my work. In the cold of winter, in the door beyond, his shadow, in the distant corners of this world.
Orym: Do you still feel for him?
Matron of Ravens: Maybe. But I feel for many. I feel for you [mortals] all.[117] - "I'm here because anything is possible for you [mortals]."[118]
Trivia[]
- The Raven Queen is the only of the Prime Deities whose name is secret, and thus she's always mentioned with epithets instead.
- Matt said he does know the name of the goddess, and that he is the only one.[119]
- According to the notes found in his Gildhollow Tower, Ludinus Da'leth, who was highly critical of any form of religious worship in Molaesmyr, was particularly interested in the secret name of the Matron of Death and the power it contained.[120]
- In 4th Edition she used the name Nera as the consort of Nerull, but there's no reference to her original name.
- Matt said he does know the name of the goddess, and that he is the only one.[119]
- Due to the need to keep her character (Emhira, a mortal avatar of the goddess) coherent, Laura Bailey had a long conversation with Matt and now she's the only player who knows certain things about her (including details about her mortal life and ascension).[121] Laura has also claimed that because of her new understanding of the Matron of Ravens, she no longer hates her as she did when she played Vex'ahlia.[122]
- In 5th Edition the Raven Queen has gone through a process of evolution defining her divine status. Although she appeared as a default deity in the sample pantheon of the Dawn War,[123] she would later be described as a warlock patron, a quasi-divine entity of the Shadowfell, obssesed with tragic memories.[124] Explorer's Guide to Wildemount would reaffirm her status as a goddess, after which she would be mentioned as a potential entity connected to the goddess Ezra (also from the Shadow Realm),[125] a power that clerics could pray to for spells,[126] and indeed, described as a divine being and the queen of the death giants.[127] In the updated rules of 2024 she is mentioned as a figure shrouded in mystery, but illustrated as Exandrians tend to represent her, with a pale mask-like face and raven-like attributes.[128]
- The Raven Queen is typically categorized with the Prime Deities,[6][129] a group usually defined by its actions during the Founding,[130][131] even though she was not present during the Founding.
- The Raven Queen's holy day is the Night of Ascension, celebrated on the thirteenth of Cuersaar. Some in Tal'Dorei also associate her with Winter's Crest.[6]
- The Raven Queen's alternate title of the Matron of Ravens in the original Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting[6] is modified to the Matron of Death in the Explorer's Guide to Wildemount,[34] presumably to avoid redundancy.
- Although the Raven Queen is known for her hatred towards the undead, Laura (with the insight of having played the avatar of the goddess) has clarified that the Matron's contempt is more directed at those who create/seek the undead condition, defying destiny and the rules of life and death. Thus, in the case of Laudna (a Hollow One initially reanimated with dark necromancy), the goddess of death would not hate the adventurer, but rather the person who caused her current condition, Delilah Briarwood.[132] This was confirmed in "A Test of Fate" (3x109).
- In the cosmic and magical domain that is fate in Exandria, there are three entities connected to it and aware of each other: the Matron of Ravens is considered the weaver of its threads, with the Great Tree of Atrophy growing in the middle of them in a way that allows them to watch destiny very closely, and the Fatestitcher being an observer that likes to touch and change small details of the skein whenever she pleases.[133]
- According to certain superstitions, the Matron of Death, just like ravens, pays attention to shiny things; in her case, it is said that she always notice when certain mortal souls have a glint that makes them different and special.[134]
- The description of this "glint" resembles the supernatural blessing of the Fate-touched: mortals marked by destiny in a way that can either give them good fortune, helping them make history, or completely ruin their lives.[135]
- While the Raven Queen is (like the rest of the gods) beyond the Divine Gate, she has been the deity that most actively has shown up in Exandria on stream, making several visual appearances (even if she wasn't physically there) in key moments of Vax'ildan's journey.
- In her portfolio the Raven Queen includes domains who originally belonged to each of the three destroyed great deities of Exandria: death (from her predecessor), fate (from Vordo the Fateshaper), and winter (from Ethedok the Endless Shadow).[136]
- The first god of death also became the god of fate and winter after Ethedok and Vordo were destroyed, and that's why the Matron of Ravens inherited it all when she became a goddess.
- Most common folk, unless they have studied a bit about religion, aren't aware that she used to be a mortal; for them, the Matron has always been the goddess of death.[137]
- Before her ascension the woman that became the Matron of Ravens hid some of her material possessions as a precaution, and centuries later, when she had to create a mortal avatar, Emhira, she sought out this same hiding place, taking some things with her to equip herself properly.[138]
- Even though her first angels were cursed by the Chained Oblivion, since then the Raven Queen has created new angels of death that serve her, among other things, chasing fleeing souls and summoning creatures to aid them in that duty.[110]
- The Matron of Ravens places great value on names, and even if she is aware of what a mortal was originally called, she deliberately tries to use that person's preferred name (as is the case with Opal).[139]
- The Matron of Death constantly hears the sounds of mourning and lamentation caused by death at all hours, even when they contain no mention of her.[140]
- In the vision she sent to Orym, Ashton Greymoore, and Chetney Pock O'Pea, behind her mask there was only a dark void, but it was just a visual representation of the darkness through which the adventurers were having the vision, since in her humanoid form the Raven Queen still has an actual face under her mask.
- Despite her bad reputation as a goddess of death, some see the Matron of Ravens as an extremely sincere entity. Ashton Greymoore, for instance, truly respects her because she keeps her promises.[141]
- The Matron's first known champions are Purvan Suul and the three ancestors of the Clay, Dust and Stone families. The three latter, according to the source known by Caduceus Clay, were believed to be the earliest, since he said they were serving the goddess of death the day after her ascension,[142] while Purvaan was doing the same more than a century later, right before the beginning of the Calamity.[143] This, however, becomes more confusing after Taliesin Jaffe explained that the warrior whose body Clay, Dust, and Stone had taken had died during the Calamity.[144] Eventually he confirmed that only after the fall of Aeor, when the gods finally started considering the Raven Queen part of their family, did they work together to create the temples guarded by the three families;[145] this confirms that the story Caduceus knew has become altered through the centuries.
Art gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 21.
- ↑ Critical Role: The Mighty Nein - The Nine Eyes of Lucien, p. 117.
- ↑ See "Make It Fashion" (3x12) at 2:33:29.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 25.
- ↑ See "A Race for the Prize" (3x27) at 2:27:52.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 17.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 33.
- ↑ See "A Test of Fate" (3x109) at 2:09:37.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 87.
- ↑ See "Trial of the Take: Part 3" (1x20) from 0:51:54 through 52:52.
- ↑ See "Crisis of Faith" (3x61) at 1:45:04.
- ↑ See "Bitterness and Dread" (E3x02) at 1:41:04.
- ↑ See "Duskmeadow" (1x57) at 1:15:02.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, pp. 87–21.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 15. See also Ritual of Seeding.
- ↑ See "Downfall: Part Three" (3x101).
- ↑ See "The Fear of Isolation" (1x105) from 21:43 through 22:25. Matt explains that "there wasn't really a name for [the shards] more than they're small pieces of essence of the deity" and that the shards are "bead size." This wiki uses the term "bead of divinity." For example, see the page: The Endless Atheneum (episode).
- ↑ See "The Endless Atheneum" (1x106) at 2:41:08.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 24.
- ↑ See "The Endless Atheneum" (1x106) from 2:42:55 through 2:45:10.
- ↑ See "Bittersweet Reunions" (3x93) at 0:41:53.
- ↑ See "Bittersweet Reunions" (3x93) from 0:44:35 through 0:45:38.
- ↑ See "A Test of Fate" (3x109) at 4:20:43.
- ↑ See "Bitterness and Dread" (E3x02) at 1:41:04. Patia Por'co, who grew up in Avalir, knew her as a child.
- ↑ See "Omens Above" (3x19) at 33:50.
- ↑ See "Duskmeadow" (1x57) from 57:06 through 58:56.
- ↑ See "Bitterness and Dread" (E3x02) at 1:11:01.
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 28.3 See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 6. Also Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 12.
- ↑ See "A Test of Fate" (3x109) at 4:16:28.
- ↑ 30.0 30.1 See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 17. Also Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 25.
- ↑ See "Excelsior" (E3x01) at 3:57:45.
- ↑ See "Bitterness and Dread" (E3x02) at 2:01:51.
- ↑ See "Bitterness and Dread" (E3x02) at 1:41:04.
- ↑ 34.0 34.1 See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 24.
- ↑ See "Crisis of Faith" (3x61) at 1:07:09. Prism, a shadow elf, has the teleporting abilities of the shadar-kai, and she called upon the Matron of Death when she used it.
- ↑ See D&D: Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes, 5th ed., p. 62.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast, Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse, p. 31.
- ↑ The Chronicles of Exandria - The Legend of Vox Machina Volume II, p. 150. Even before Vecna attempted his own ascension he was aware that the Raven Queen was already ruling from the Shadowfell, and had gained followers both in that plane and in the Material Plane.
- ↑ See "A Test of Fate" (3x109) at 4:26:51.
- ↑ See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 29.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 38.
- ↑ See "Excelsior" (E3x01) at 3:35:25. Magister Madara was baffled by the fact that Purvan needed a connection with a deity to wield divine magic, when the First Knight of Avalir Zerxus Ilerez required only the power of people.
- ↑ See "4-Sided Dive: Oh My Gods" (4SDx26) at 2:01:37.
- ↑ See "Downfall: Part Two" (3x100) from 2:56:43 through 3:04:38.
- ↑ See "Downfall: Part Three" (3x101) from 5:27:30 through 5:31:18.
- ↑ See "Downfall: Part Three" (3x101) from 5:43:40 through 5:47:39.
- ↑ See "Downfall: Part Three" (3x101) at 5:50:19.
- ↑ See "Downfall: Part Three" (3x101) at 5:58:22.
- ↑ See "Downfall: Part Three" (3x101) at 6:01:18.
- ↑ See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 176-177.
- ↑ See "Labenda Awaits" (2x20) at 2:23:36.
- ↑ See "Curious Tides" (1x89) at 0:56:22.
- ↑ See "Curious Tides" (1x89) at 0:57:54.
- ↑ See "Curious Tides" (1x89) at 1:01:17.
- ↑ See "The Chapter Closes" (1x115) at 1:29:59.
- ↑ See "The Chapter Closes" (1x115) from 1:27:42 through 1:42:40.
- ↑ See "Exandria Unlimited: Kymal, Part 1" (E2x01) at 1:12:11. "That little sound that your songbird makes that's just for you. You realize now as you attenuate your senses to it, that it's been singing loudly the entire time you were having a conversation with that group."
- ↑ See "Exandria Unlimited: Kymal, Part 2" (E2x02) at 3:27:39.
- ↑ See "Exandria Unlimited: Kymal, Part 2" (E2x02) at 3:35:38.
- ↑ See "Exandria Unlimited: Kymal, Part 2" (E2x02) at 3:36:16.
- ↑ See "Exandria Unlimited: Kymal, Part 2" (E2x02) from 3:39:55 through 3:46:16.
- ↑ See "Hope Within History" (3x55) at 3:25:31.
- ↑ See "Crisis of Faith" (3x61) at 1:07:09.
- ↑ See "Crisis of Faith" (3x61) at 1:48:08.
- ↑ See "A Path of Vengeance" (3x65) from 2:51:39 through 3:02:59.
- ↑ See "A Gathering of Heroes" (3x76) from 3:20:02 through 3:31:00.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 113.
- ↑ See "Duskmeadow" (1x57) at 26:30.
- ↑ See "A Path of Vengeance" (3x65) from 2:40:59 through 2:44:39.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 78.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 90.
- ↑ "Belly of the Beast" (LVM2x11)
- ↑ See "Duskmeadow" (1x57) at 3:29:34.
- ↑ See "A Gathering of Heroes" (3x76) from 3:06:41 through 3:09:17.
- ↑ See "The Chapter Closes" (1x115) at 4:11:10. See also 3:40:33, when Keyleth gets the feather.
- ↑ See "Steam and Conversation" (2x09) at 0:46:11.
- ↑ See "Hope Within History" (3x55) at 0:59:33.
- ↑ See "A Test of Fate" (3x109) at 4:19:16.
- ↑ See "Bitterness and Dread" (E3x02) at 1:41:04.
- ↑ See "Fractures" (3x78) at 3:50:04.
- ↑ See "A Test of Fate" (3x109) at 0:29:04.
- ↑ See "Broken Roads" (3x92) at 1:53:47.
- ↑ See "A Test of Fate" (3x109) at 2:11:20.
- ↑ See "4-Sided Dive: Anxiety Game Gauntlet" (4SDx18) from 1:38:10 through 1:42:28.
- ↑ See "4-Sided Dive: Shard Candy" (4SDx19) at 1:15:44.
- ↑ See "The Sunken Tomb" (1x44) at 4:30:31.
- ↑ See "Umbrasyl" (1x55) at 0:55:37.
- ↑ See "The Fate-Touched" (1x103) from 0:51:15 through 1:04:41.
- ↑ See "Talks Machina #13: 'A Bard's Lament' and 'Daring Days'" (TMx13) at 0:44:11.
- ↑ See "A Test of Fate" (3x109) at 4:08:45.
- ↑ See "A Test of Fate" (3x109) at 4:08:29.
- ↑ See "Fight for the Bloody Bridge" (3x114) at 4:30:51.
- ↑ See "Fight for the Bloody Bridge" (3x114) at 4:37:16.
- ↑ See "Exandria Unlimited: Kymal, Part 2" (E2x02) at 3:36:16.
- ↑ See "Exandria Unlimited: Kymal, Part 2" (E2x02) from 3:39:55 through 3:46:16.
- ↑ See "Broken Roads" (3x92).
- ↑ 97.0 97.1 See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 53.
- ↑ See "Rime and Reason" (2x75) at 2:09:55. Caduceus explains the history of his family.
- ↑ See "The Cradle's Convocation" (3x104) at 0:12:38.
- ↑ See "A Test of Fate" (3x109) at 1:19:31.
- ↑ See "Dinner with the Devil" (2x110) at 3:29:24.
- ↑ See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 55.
- ↑ See "A Gathering of Heroes" (3x76) at 3:14:46.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 213.
- ↑ See "The Momentum of Murder" (3x39) at 0:58:50.
- ↑ See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 176.
- ↑ See "The Search For Grog" (Sx42) at 3:50:40.
- ↑ See "Fight for the Bloody Bridge" (3x114) at 1:01:32.
- ↑ See "Fight for the Bloody Bridge" (3x114) at 0:30:48.
- ↑ 110.0 110.1 See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 214.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 274.
- ↑ See "Fight for the Bloody Bridge" (3x114) at 4:35:39. The solar addresses Vax directly.
- ↑ See "Vox Machina Go to Hell" (1x91) at 0:32:37. The Raven Queen was mentioned.
- ↑ See "Deals in the Dark" (1x92) at 0:21:42.
- ↑ See "Duskmeadow" (1x57) at 2:03:26.
- ↑ See "A Test of Fate" (3x109) at 4:13:49.
- ↑ See "A Test of Fate" (3x109) at 4:17:08.
- ↑ See "A Test of Fate" (3x109) at 4:23:00.
- ↑ Matthew Mercer (@matthewmercer) on Twitter: "I do, and I am the only one." (2022-05-27).
- ↑ See "The Sorrow of Molaesmyr" (3x57) at 3:21:19.
- ↑ See "4-Sided Dive: Oh My Gods" (4SDx26) at 2:13:13.
- ↑ See "4-Sided Dive: Oh My Gods" (4SDx26) at 2:01:06.
- ↑ See D&D: Dungeon Master's Guide, 5th ed., p. 11.
- ↑ See D&D: Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes, 5th ed., p. 58.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast, Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft, p. 64.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast, Minsc and Boo's Journal of Villainy, p. 78.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast, Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants, p. 126 and 127.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast, Dungeon Master's Guide (2024), p. 361.
- ↑ See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 21. See also pp. 24–25.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 14.
- ↑ But note that the language changes from "The circle of Prime Deities involves the leaders and luminary creators that battled the Primordial Titans and instigated the Founding, forging the mortal races of Exandria" to "The circle of Prime Deities includes the leaders and luminary creators" etc. See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 20.
- ↑ See "4-Sided Dive: Queries & Quandaries" (4SDx27) at 1:16:38.
- ↑ See "4-Sided Dive: Shard Candy" (4SDx19) at 1:15:44.
- ↑ Critical Role: The Mighty Nein - The Nine Eyes of Lucien, p. 12.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, pp. 189–190.
- ↑ See "Axiom Shaken" (3x43) at 3:28:28.
- ↑ See "Hope Within History" (3x55) at 1:17:04.
- ↑ See "4-Sided Dive: Oh My Gods" (4SDx26) at 1:29:30.
- ↑ See "Bittersweet Reunions" (3x93) at 0:43:36.
- ↑ See "Downfall: Part Three" (3x101) at 3:32:32.
- ↑ See "4-Sided Dive: Anxiety Game Gauntlet" (4SDx18) at 1:46:25.
- ↑ See "Causatum" (2x70) from 3:30:56 through 3:34:42.
- ↑ See "Excelsior" (E3x01) at 3:24:19.
- ↑ See "4-Sided Dive: Feat Fetishes" (4SDx21) at 0:23:46.
- ↑ See "4-Sided Dive: Oh My Gods" (4SDx26) at 0:30:36.
Art:
- ↑ Symbol of the Raven Queen from Critical Role: Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting.
- ↑ Symbol of the Raven Queen from Explorer's Guide to Wildemount by Claudio Pozas. (source)
- ↑ Official art of the Matron of Ravens, by Hannah Friederichs and Cael Lyons (source). This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
- ↑ Official art of the Raven Queen's ascension to godhood, by Jessica Nguyen from "Exandria: An Intimate History" (Sx61) at 3:24. Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of the herald and the goddess of death, by Sabira Langevin (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of the Matron of Death, by Adrián Ibarra Lugo (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of the Raven Queen and Vax'ildan, by Mikael (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of the Matron of Ravens, by Kaitlyn L-NerdyNostalgia (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Morrighan, by Toby Sharp (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Vox Machina reunited, by Kaitlyn L-NerdyNostalgia (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of the Matron's feelings, by Kaitlyn L-NerdyNostalgia (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Vax'ildan praying to the Raven Queen for Scanlan's soul, by David Rodrigues (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of the Champion of Ravens, by Kaitlyn L-NerdyNostalgia (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Trence Orman contacting the Raven Queen, by Tifany Gonzalez (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Screenshot of Vax witnessing another form of the Matron of Ravens, by Titmouse from "Belly of the Beast" (LVM2x11). This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
- ↑ Depiction of the Raven Queen from Dungeon Master's Guide (2024), p. 361. This page contains unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Wizards of the Coast Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
- ↑ Fan art of the Raven Queen, by NLN4 (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of the Raven Queen without her mask, by MargaretChurchA (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of the Raven Queen and Vax'ildan, by advocatingAvian (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Vax'ildan and the Raven Queen, by NLN4 (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Vax and the Matron of Ravens, by Jenny Dolfen (source). Used with permission.
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