The Raven Queen

The Raven Queen is the ancient goddess of death. She is so old and mysterious that her true name has long been lost. Her patrons 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 lord 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.

As an NPC, the Raven Queen is played by Matthew Mercer.

Appearance
The Raven Queen 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 described as a beautiful woman with red irises.

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.

While Vax'ildan and Keyleth had a discussion about the Raven Queen, a raven appeared at Keyleth's window, cawed at the two, then disappeared. It was insinuated to be sent by the Goddess.

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.

Vax'ildan
Vax'ildan offered his life to the Raven Queen in place of his sister, Vex'ahlia, as part of a revivification spell. The goddess appeared before him and seemed to agree to those terms. Not long afterward, Vax became a paladin devoted to her cause. Most recently, he made a bargain with her to defeat her hated enemy, Vecna, in return for continued life as a revenant.

Trivia

 * Liam and Matt discussed the relationship between the Raven Queen and her Champion, Vax'ildan, on Talks Machina on February 21st. Matt said that Raven Queen and Vax'ildan did not have a typical cleric-deity relationship, but that She had told Vax the road She wanted him to take and is now just letting him walk the path on his own. If he strays from that path, She will intervene.