Ehstas

Goddess of the Dead

One of the most powerful High Gods in Ehldaron’s pantheon is Ehstas, Goddess of the Dead. As opposed to what some think Ehstas does not decide who dies when. Instead, she is the watcher of the line between life and death, and once someone’s time has come to die, she is the one that takes care of them, makes sure they pass on, and that their souls arrive in the correct place. Whether that be Mount Celestia or the 9 Hells.

Beliefs and Purpose
Ehstas considers herself the caretaker of the dead. To her, death and the afterlife are essential parts of the way the world works. All mortals have to die at some point, that is simply the way it has to be. And once someone dies, she will take care of their soul, first bringing it from the material plane to her own, a place only known as “The Grey”, and afterwards making sure the soul arrives in the correct plane.
Additionally, once someone is dead, they should remain that way. The dead cannot crawl their way back to life. And one should not disturb the dead either.
Anyone that either tries to resist death, or tries to desecrate the dead’s rest, is a perversion of world itself, and an enemy of Ehstas and her followers.
Ehstas is often considered to have a harsh side and a friendly side. The friendly side is the kind woman that helps a confused soul understand what has happened. It is the woman that guides the souls to the correct place, and makes sure they are left undisturbed. The harsh side is the woman that judges the soul, considering all decisions they ever made in life, everything they ever said or did, and then decides where the soul should go. Many fear this judgement, afraid that their soul may end up in one of the evil planes like the 9 Hells or the Abyss.

The Goddess of the Dead and the God of Death
One who thinks that the Goddess of the Dead would work together with Yohr, the God of Death, is mistaken. Yohr hates both mortals and the other Gods, and many hate him in return. Yohr’s disgust with mortals and Gods alike has led to him wanting only one thing: to kill as many as possible, to collect all their souls, and use them to gain more power and spread even more death until in the end, there is nothing. To Ehstas, this is abominable, and something she has fought to stop since the God Wars.
Yet, according to myths and legends it wasn’t always this way. Stories speak of Yohr once being the Deity that was next to one’s side when they died. It is unclear whether he was the one that choose who lived or died, but he was at some point the personification of death itself. When someone died, he would bring the soul to Ehstas. She in turn would take care of that soul. This changed however sometime during the ancient era, although nobody knows where this change came from. Nevertheless, ever since Yohr and Ehstas have been archenemies of each other.
It is unclear how much of this story is actually true. And if it is true, nobody knows what the current situation is like. If true, there are also important questions to ask. Has another Deity stepped up to replace Yohr? Is there something that decides who lives or dies at what point?

Followers
During the ancient times, Ehstas was rarely fully present on the Ehldaron itself, as she spent more time in her own plane as well as guiding souls. Despite this, Ehstas has always been, and still is, a widely worshipped Deity.
Many pray to Ehstas with the question to keep their dead loved ones safe and at peace. This leads to most people having some token of her in their homes, and most temples and graveyards have a section dedicated to The Goddess of the Dead. In addition, many hope that worshipping Ehstas makes her more kind towards them when it’s their turn to be judged. The Goddess of the Dead is not that easily manipulated however.
Priests of Ehstas aren’t rare, but they’re certainly not common either. When someone dies it’s very often a priest or Cleric of their main deity that buries them, as they want of course that their God accepts them once Ehstas sends their soul to their Deity’s domain. Priests of the Dead can often be found around graveyards, tending to them, taking care of them, and making sure they are not to be disturbed.
Clerics of Ehstas also exist. Most of them spent their time comforting the dying, making it easy on them and helping them pass on. All Clerics of Ehstas have healing abilities, and powerful ones can even prevent death itself from happening, but no Cleric of Ehstas will ever keep someone alive for longer than their mortal life span. Most of these clerics also hunt down undead, try to put spirits to rest, and hunt down offenders of Ehstas. The most powerful of Clerics of Ehstas may even hunt down a Lich, as they consider Lichs amongst the greatest abominations in the world, although they’ll often ask adventurers for help with it.
Ehstas is also believed to have quite some helpers. It is unsure how powerful these helpers are, but it seems extremely unlikely that one being, even a God as powerful as the Goddess of the Dead, guides every dead soul on her own. A few dedicated priests and Clerics think that extremely loyal and powerful followers of Ehstas may be granted some sort of demigod like status once they die, and be asked to help the Goddess take care of the dead.

Divine Domains

The Dead (Grave)

Divine Symbols & Sigils

Human hand holding a skeletal hand

Divine Classification

High God

Alignment

Lawful Neutral