The Raven Queen

Mistress of Shadow, Lady Death, Matron of Ravens, all fancy titles for a Goddess with no name. It is said that long ago, during the first age, before magic had found itself as restricted as it is now, there was a beautiful woman with raven black hair who wanted to push past the boundaries of what was possible. This woman, possibly elf, possibly human, discovered a way to twist the very fabric of reality, to ascend beyond her mortal boundaries, so she did. On that day, her name vanished, washed away with all other remaining semblances of her mortality, she rose and claimed a domain from right under the nose of the other Gods, taking her rightful place as the Matron of Ravens, Goddess of Change.
Many people fear The Raven Queen, for they don't truly understand her, very few beings could, how could you understand something who's entire essence is Change. The Raven Queen represents death in it's purest form, the transition (or change) from life, she is not a true God of Death, as her realm lies between the two states, she is the guide for those who pass, an easy face and protective force as they make their final transition to their own afterlife. It is for that reason that her followers, her true followers, are often given respect.
The Raven Queen offers her hand to all, it matters not what you were or what you've done in life, all will find themselves before her comforting embrace after passing, all but the few exceptions. The Matron abhores anything that defies her own natural order, anything that circumvents the flow of change, anything Undead. This has put her at odds with Orcus, the Demon King of Death, for although that is his domain he has a habit of putting those who should be dead back on the playing field.
Those who find themselves in service to The Raven Queen often occupy places or positions close to death, cemetaries, churches, medical fields, they offer their services not as agents to bring people to their mistress but as a guiding hand, offering peace and ease as those who find themselves on the edge of death make their last transition.
Due to her unnatural rise it is said The Raven Queen is seen as an outcast, shunned by the "pure" deities, believing her to be nothing more than an imposter, a usurper who claimed power not ment for her. This discrimination is often seen between religious groups, those who follow The Matron are often laughed at and pushed aside as worshiping a false god, that is, until they find themselves at deaths door and can hear the gentle cawing of distant black birds.