Wee Jas

Wee Jas

"She does not crave your love, only your order. And perhaps, if you are worthy, your silence."

Wee Jas, known also as the Ruby Sorceress and the Witch Goddess, is the Suel goddess of Death, Magic, Law, and Vanity. Her presence in Gorundia is limited but respected, her true sphere of influence lying deeper within the Dominion, particularly among necromancers, judges, and wizards bound to oaths. She is both beautiful and terrifying—a queen draped in black, with long crimson hair, pale skin, and a calm coldness that sees all.

Titles & Epithets

• The Ruby Sorceress
• Witch Goddess of Law and Death
• Keeper of the Last Word
• Mistress of the Halls

Domains

• Death
• Magic
• Law
• Order
• Vanity

Appearance

Wee Jas appears as a towering twelve-foot figure, pale-skinned with flowing blood-red hair, wearing regal black robes and a crown of obsidian and pearl. Her eyes shine with cold judgment. She exudes a presence of overwhelming control—those in her presence feel insignificant, measured, and known. She speaks without haste and without error.

Temples & Worship

Worship of Wee Jas is not widespread in Gorundia, where Pelor, Heironeous, and the Old Faith dominate. However, her name is known, particularly among magistrates, death-priests, and arcane scholars. In the Dominion, she holds more sway, often worshipped in private temples, hidden sanctuaries, or death-houses where oaths and legacies are sealed.
Her temples are quiet, austere, and obsessively ordered. Mirrors and obsidian are common motifs. Her priests dress in black and crimson, and funerary rites dedicated to her are elegant, solemn affairs.

The Presence of Wee Jas in the Region

The Dominion: Once part of an empire where Suel culture flourished, the Dominion still maintains old traditions, and Wee Jas is among the most enduring. Her faith is strongest in the cities, particularly among the ruling class, arcane practitioners, and judges. While the Dominion has moved toward a more authoritarian and martial structure, the presence of Wee Jas remains in its legal codes and the reverence given to the honored dead. Temples dedicated to her serve as crypts for nobles, repositories of ancient magical knowledge, and centers for the study of necromantic theory.
Gorundia: In Gorundia, Wee Jas is not widely worshipped, but neither is she unknown. Her name is spoken in the halls of scholars, among mages who respect the duality of magic and law, and by those who tend to the dead. Few temples to her exist, and those that do are often small shrines within greater cathedrals dedicated to gods of law and knowledge. Some knightly orders and necromantic circles pay her homage, though open reverence is rare.

Temples and Sites of Worship

• The Ashen Crypts of Velyanar (Dominion): A vast underground necropolis maintained by the Keepers of the Last Rite, an order of priests and morticians devoted to Wee Jas. These crypts house generations of Dominion nobility, their bodies preserved through ritual magic.
• The Sanctum of Twilight (Gorundia): A small, hidden temple maintained by a reclusive sect of scholars and death-mages who record forgotten magical traditions and conduct rites for the honored dead.
• The Veil of Final Silence (Sea of Dust): A ruined, half-buried gateway that is said to lead to the Halls of the Dead. Though not a temple in the traditional sense, it is considered a sacred site where only the worthy may enter.

The Halls of the Dead

Wee Jas rules the Halls of the Dead—a planar threshold where all souls pass after death before being judged and sent on. This realm is a place of vast black stone, distant chimes, and unending quiet. Here, she is sovereign, though not alone. The Minders, spirits of former judges, clerics, and mystics, carry out her will, determining the fate of each soul.
Souls that are unclaimed, or die without patron, risk being taken by Nerull—who haunts the outer halls like a vulture, forbidden from entering but always watching.
In rare cases, mortals may enter the Halls to retrieve lost souls or confront their own mortality. Doing so often brings them before Wee Jas herself, who may offer choice, judgment, or a fatal truth.

Doctrine and Worship

Magic and Law: Wee Jas is revered not only as a goddess of death but also as the guardian of arcane power. Her followers respect magic as a force to be studied, controlled, and perfected, with strict codes governing its use. Among lawful arcane practitioners, she is seen as a protector of magical knowledge.
Respect for the Dead: Unlike the worship of Nerull, which thrives on fear and undeath, Wee Jas’ faithful view death as a natural and orderly transition. Proper rites and burials are paramount, and disrupting this process—such as through reckless necromancy—is considered a grave offense.
The Balance of Power: While her priests accept that some knowledge must be safeguarded, they do not share the secrecy of Boccob’s followers. The faithful of Wee Jas believe that power, once earned, should be wielded responsibly, and that the strong should rule—so long as they do so with wisdom.

Tenets & Philosophy

"Let the living make chaos, if they must. The dead shall be ordered."

• Death is not a punishment. It is a transformation.
• Magic is a contract. Treat it with respect.
• All things must be accounted for—souls, oaths, names.
• Emotion is not weakness, but it is not a defense.
• Order is beauty. Truth is law.

Relations with Other Faiths

Nerull: An eternal enemy of Wee Jas, Nerull seeks to usurp her dominion over the dead, turning what should be an orderly passage into an endless nightmare of undeath. In places where her influence is weak, his minions creep in.
Pelor: The relationship between Wee Jas and Pelor is complex. Both deities are associated with death, but where Wee Jas enforces the order of the afterlife, Pelor focuses on life’s renewal and the transition into the light. Some of Pelor’s followers view Wee Jas’ association with death magic as dangerous, while her priests see Pelor’s emphasis on resurrection and miraculous healing as an interference with the natural order. However, in matters of combating undeath and Nerull’s corruption, there is a grudging respect between their faithful.
Heironeous and Hextor: While she is not directly opposed to either, her faith finds itself at odds with both in different ways. Heironeous' followers sometimes distrust her association with death magic, while Hextor’s conquest-driven faith can clash with her emphasis on tradition and order.
Boccob: There is mutual respect between the two faiths, as both uphold magic as a force beyond morality. However, where Boccob's clergy sees magic as an abstract, untouchable power, Wee Jas demands its responsible use.

Wee Jas in the Modern Era

Though her temples are not as grand as they once were, and her influence is not as far-reaching as in ages past, Wee Jas remains. The laws of magic and death do not bend with time, nor do they fade with memory. For those who seek to understand the arcane and the final mysteries of existence, the Ruby Sorceress watches still.

Quotes

“You may lie to gods of wine and war. You may beg to gods of love. But in my halls, you will speak truth—or not at all.”

“I will not rush you to the end. But know this: I am always ready.”

Wee Jas on the Greyhawk Wiki