Matron of Memories

The Matron of Memories is a mysterious and macabre deity whom resides within The Shadowfell. She is often revered for her dominion over fate and the preservation of memories. Within the Order of The Twin Moon, she holds immense influence over the recollections of the past and the threads of fate that bind all mortal lives.

The Matron of Memories is often depicted as a tall, pale-skinned woman with a haunting beauty. She wears a flowing black Victorian gown that trails behind her like shadows, while a black shawl covers her face, shrouding her identity in mystery. Her visage is seldom seen, but her presence is always accompanied by the ominous cawing of ravens and the cold chill of forgotten pasts.

Origins

The Matron of Memories is believed to have once lost her own memories, a tragedy that led her to fervently covet the memories of others. She roams the cosmos through her endless network of ravens—spies and messengers bound to her will—seeking out and collecting memories from sentient beings. Her abilities grant her the power to sense the memories not only from living thoughts but also from artifacts tied to the past. Mortals who cross her path may find their deepest memories, joys, or regrets laid bare for her inspection.

Regent of Ravens

The Matron’s ravens are her eyes and ears, flocking across realms to observe and retrieve fragments of memory and moments tied to fate. These enigmatic birds serve as her messengers, bringing her whispers of forgotten times and lost emotions. In many ways, they are an extension of her being, always watching and recording the tales of the world to be brought back to their mistress.

Belief and Worship

Though some believe the Matron of Memories is insane, her actions reveal an endless curiosity and hunger to reclaim what she has lost. To her, every memory, every artifact, and every thread of fate holds purpose. She does not allow her own past to cloud her goals, as her influence ensures the purification of souls by making mortals confront their forgotten or repressed fears, joys, and regrets.

While mortals fear her collecting, many find solace in knowing that their most meaningful moments will live on in the endless halls of her museum. She rarely communicates directly with her followers, preferring her ravens to speak for her, but those who offer her treasured memories and artifacts may occasionally receive her favor, an enigmatic nod of approval from the shadows.

The Matron’s worshippers, especially the devout monks from the Order of The Twin Moon, offer her their most precious memories and artifacts tied to their personal histories. These sacrifices are seen as gifts to their deity, who stores them away in her grand fortress—the Museum of Lost Memories, located within Raven Rock, her shadowed citadel in the heart of the Shadowfell. The museum holds fragments of forgotten lore, lost artifacts, and untold memories that she collects obsessively.

The Museum of Lost Memories

Her fortress, Raven Rock, is the dwelling place of the Matron’s collected memories and artifacts. The Museum of Lost Memories within is an endless maze of forgotten moments, lost histories, and emotions preserved for eternity. Only her most devoted servants may walk its halls, guided by the The Curator—a macabre figure whom eternally tend to the artifacts and memories stored within.

Influence and Legacy

The Matron's influence stretches far across the cosmos, her obsession with memories ensuring that nothing of importance is ever truly forgotten. Although her ties to memories and knowledge align her goals with Abraham Zachariah, the god of knowledge, she walks her path alone. In the City of Evernight, her worshippers revere her as one of two guiding deities, alongside the Night Mother Nyx, in a world shrouded in shadows and moral ambiguity.

Her enigmatic presence remains ever-present in the dealings of mortals and deities alike, a reminder that nothing escapes the grasp of memory, no matter how far it may slip into the darkness.

At the conclusion of the Battle of the Four Armies, The Sunsations narrowly escaped the crumbling Crimson Hand Fortress as the battlefield erupted into chaos. With time running out and debris falling all around them, they were rescued by a mysterious figure known as The Curator, who transformed them into ravens, enabling their flight to safety. In their new forms, they soared over the war-torn landscape, heading toward Raven Rock, the imposing obsidian fortress of the Matron of Memories.

Upon reaching the ominous onyx gate that protected the valley leading up to Raven Rock, the Sunsations were returned to their original forms. The Curator, acting as their guide, led them through the jagged mountains and into the valley, where they ascended toward the Museum of Lost Memories, the Matron's grand and macabre gallery.

Inside the Museum, they were met with dark wonders—artifacts, relics, and memories suspended in glass cases, old tomes filled with forgotten lore, and ethereal visions of events long past. The halls echoed with the caws of ravens, and the presence of memories lost to time was palpable in the air. Finally, they were led to the Matron herself—a towering figure draped in a black Victorian dress with a shawl obscuring her face, her presence filled with the weight of ages.

The Matron of Memories revealed her latest acquisition: Talyen, imprisoned within a glass case, displayed as her newest "exhibit." She had felt a deep connection to Talyen, drawn to the lost memories he carried as the son of the avatars of the Sun and Earth. His essence, his lineage, and his forgotten past intrigued her. She coveted these fragmented memories and was loath to release him.

However, the Matron was not beyond negotiation. She proposed a trade. She would free Talyen, but only if the Sunsations could return to her the Shadowlord Decimus, a powerful figure who had escaped her grasp and whose memories were of particular interest to her. The Sunsations agreed, determined to save their ally.

After an arduous journey and a fierce battle within the Ebony Fortress, the Sunsations succeeded in both defeating Decimus and returning him to the Matron of Memories. True to her word, she released Talyen from his prison in the Museum of Lost Memories, allowing him to rejoin his companions.

The experience left the Sunsations with a deep and uneasy respect for the Matron of Memories and her insatiable hunger for the forgotten, as well as an understanding of the immense power she wielded over the minds and memories of all who crossed her path.