Hredd

Goddess of Winter and Death

Hredd is one of the most ancient deities in the multiverse. She is worshipped in many worlds, but scholars hold that her favored material domain is planet Kjeldorn.

The Four of Life

Hredd belongs to a pantheon known in Kjeldorn as the Four of Life. The group originally consisted of Nerthus of the Living Summer (matriarch of the pantheon), Eostre of the Birthing Spring, Helgore of the Dying Autumn, and the Snow Maiden herself: Hredd of the Dead Winter. (More recently, an ascended mortal known as Mannus has joined their ranks as the patron of humanity in an effort by Nerthus to present a more relatable face to mortals. Unlike the three sisters, however, Mannus is only worshiped on Kjeldorn)
The pantheon was named so because its deities are chiefly concerned with matters intrinsically bound with the life of mortals, rather than ideals. As such they are primarily seen as deities of primeval nature, more like facets of nature than representations of mortal aspiration. This is very much in line with the nature of all deities that predate the creation of the Material Universes and the Dawn War that followed.
All four deities had their hold on their respective manifestation of nature and her seasons. They also shared Life and Death. Nerthus and Eostre both represented Life, while Helgore and Hredd represented Death. But the pantheon was not one of equality; Nerthus was the de facto Mother Nature and the ultimate mistress of the group. This did not sit well with Helgore who coveted Nerthus' position.

Helgore's Betrayal

Helgore had taken Hredd as his bride and with her help, he attempted to usurp Nerthus' power, only to end up betrayed by his very co-conspirator. Helgore had obtained access to demonic forces and attempted to storm Nerthus' Palace. Herdd's betrayal came in the form of a bargain she made with the devils of Baator. She attacked him from behind and Helgore was banished and imprisoned for eternity.
This left Hredd as the only one amongst the group with command over death. Hreddite scripture states that Hredd's assistance and ultimate betrayal of Helgore were all in the name of protecting the pantheon. Others, however, believe that it was a setup all along, to allow Hredd to be the only master of Death.
It appears that Nerthus shared that sentiment to an extent. Though Hredd was exalted for her assistance, she was barred from obtaining full access to the Death Domain. Again, Hreddite scripture spins this as an ungrateful sign of betrayal. There has been bad blood between the sisters since then. The pantheon has not broken up, but its goddess can be found fighting against each other as often as in unison against external threats.

In Search of Death

Hredd never stopped searching for ways to become a true Death God. In the process, she picked up a rivalry with the Raven Queen, though their conflict rarely spread to Erdos as the Queen of Fate is not actively worshiped there.
One of the ways she discovered that could enable her ascension was through a collective of primal spirits known as the Riddle of the Raven. These spirits could only be found on Erdos which at the time was protected by the Planar Seal of the Varn, barring all divine influence.
But the War of the Varn led to the seal being lifted and a multitude of gods rushed in to stake a claim.

The Ravenguard

Hredd established a church on Erdos during the Ashen Age and immediately set her sights on the Riddle of Raven. As a primeval deity she had the capacity to absorb the Riddle's control over death. But the Riddle was protected by a cadre of Druids known as the Circle of the Raven. Hredd's attempt to annihilate the circle led to the creation of the Ravenguard. These adventurers then proceeded to systematically destroy all of her temples, slay her priests, and directly attempted to slay Hredd herself thanks to a set of godslayer weapons. Hredd was unwilling to risk her immortal essence and decided to cut her losses and abandon Erdos.

Reemergence

By and large, the cult of Hredd was eradicated off the face of Erdos, and though for the time being, the Snow Maiden was forced to concede defeat, she did not forget Erdos. Centuries later she slowly manifested her faith on remote regions of the world. Tribal humans of Glacius, isolated groups of Frost Giants, and Frost Wolves all came to worship her with the rest of the world largely being none the wiser.
Unlike her original attempt to establish a church on the civilized world first and then go after the Riddle of the Raven, she did things the other way around this time.
The Circle of the Raven was a shadow of its former self, and its current Archdruid was recently lost in the Far Realm during the Warp War. Hredd managed to warp the circle and remove its protection. Finally achieving access to the Riddle of the Raven and absorbing the power she needed. After thousands of years, Hredd had finally achieved her desire: she was a true god of death.

Recent Activities

During the Ranangard civil war, the Church of Hredd sided with Ramsus. In addition, during the long winter that predated the war, the church was very active in assisting ordinary civilians, garnering much favor among the populace. As a result, King Ramsus recongized the church in the new Kingdom of Ranangard.
The Church has been active in combating both the undead that are a result of the Curse of the Blood Moon as well as the demonic incursions linked to that event. By all accounts, the church appears a staunch and productive ally of the regime. Certain individuals, chief amongst them the Raven Swords, are hesitant to trust the Hreddites. Winter Wolves loyal to Hredd had been sent against the party in the past and there is no denial that Hreddite priests messed with the Circle of the Raven which is within the borders of Ranangard.
The Hreddite priesthood claims no knowledge on why Hredd would send winter wolves against the Raven Swords, but it does appear that whatever hostility she had for them has ceased. There is also a piece of information that links Hredd herself with the Curse of the Blood Moon. Aspects of the ritual that inflicted the curse were common with the ancient curse that afflicted the stregoni. That curse was first developed by Helgore whom Hredd had betrayed and imprisoned, but not before she had obtained many of his secrets. One theory suggests that Hredd gave that arcane lore to Ulric Von Decimo so he could create the ritual. In turn, Hredd's followers openly oppose Ulric and his demonic cult reaping the benefits of a better official standing for the Church. In other words, this is yet another setup by Hredd. Of late, however, the Raven Swords fear the probability that someone else is pulling the strings and Hredd, though by no means a benevolent ally, is not truly their enemy in this matter.

Servitors

On Erdos, the most visible servants of Hredd are the members of her church, the vast majority of which are priests with little ability in combat. Among them, there are a few acolytes with limited access to magic and above them are the actual Clerics of Hredd. Most of them use the Tempest domain, but more and more of them have switched to the Dead domain. The leader of the church is the Winter Matriarch Loreanna Sadar, the high priestess of the entire cult. Loreanna has admitted that she is not Erdosian, but Kjeldornan. She does not go out of her way to publicize this fact, but she does not hide it either.
The militant arm of the church is the Vetur-Skuldur. A tribe of humans from Glacious who have emigrated en masse on Ranangard. Fierce and ferocious, they are front lines against the undead that have risen due to the Curse of the Blood Moon. Their leader is Tusk, a Zealot Barbarian who serves as a mortal champion to Hredd. As her champion, though Tusk can be, and has been, killed, raising him from the dead requires no magicant.
It would appear that all Winter Wolves in Ranangard are loyal to Hredd. Hredd has also claimed the allegiance of a tribe of Frost Giants who desired to break free of the Ordning. There have been reports of Frost Giants defending human villages from demonic attacks. Also, an increasing number of Winter Eladrin have appeared in her Temples.
Aside from these, Hredd is generally known to have white dragon servants, her own angels, as well as a legion of infernal gelugons. To date, she has not brought any of these on Ranangard, or so none that have been noticed.

Friends and Allies, Rivals and Enemies

Like all gods, Hredd has a multitude of both allies and enemies throughout the multiverse. Only a fraction of these relationships touches Erdos.
Her relationship with her two sisters remains complicated. Allied in many matters, but enemies in many others. Nerthus probably does not approve of Hredd having successfully obtained the entirety of the Death portfolio. It is also likely she fears Hredd will move to usurp her position, much like Helgore tried to do ages ago.
The Raven Queen has mostly opposed Hredd when the latter tried to take Death from her. But now that Hredd has obtained access to death without messing with the Queen of Fate, it appears the two have nothing to fight over. However, the Raven Queen is wary of Hredd's trickery and has manipulated events on Erdos to keep an eye on the situation. The Raven Queen's servant, the Witchblade, offered a pact to Nyx Von Redden, and the Raven Queen herself offered another pact to Kemal El Hazred. Though neither of them is explicitly ordered to move against Hredd and her minions, their presence does allow the Raven Queen to have a hand in the unfolding events.
If Hredd could have it her way, she would keep herself out of the Blood War. But her long affiliation with the Nine Hells has often forced her to fight for the Devils. Her closeness to Chaos has allowed her to offer unique insight against the demons, claiming many victories for Baator. However, Hredd does chafe under the influence of the Lords of the Nine and wishes to relinquish her ties with Baator. This is no secret, and in turn, the devils alternate between cajoling and threatening her to keep her as an ally. Hredd's access to white dragons is part of that, as Tiamat has offered them to her to secure her alliance.
Malthus, the god of might, has had a long feud against Hredd, dating back to the Ashen Age. Like Hredd, Malthus too is allied to Hell. Unlike Hredd, his divine domain is not within the Nine Hells, something he greatly desires. That Hredd is not a true believer in Hell, so to speak, infuriates him and that is part of the reason he was a patron to the Ravenguard. Ultimately, Malthus wants to see Hredd dead, and he wants to claim her infernal domain. In Erdos this manifests as a silent war between the Sons of Imperium and the Church of Hredd.

Greater Deity of Winter and Death

Divine Domains

Sphere of Influence: Winter, Cold, Death, Nature
Suggested Domains: Tempest, Death, Nature

Divine Symbols & Sigils

Tenets of Faith

Winter is the end before renewal. By the grace of Hredd, learn to survive it. Help your community in the trying times of Winter. The Snow Maiden judges you during the harshness. Death comes to all. Accept this and prepare for it. Respect and Fear the Gods. Only through them, will you attain a true afterlife. Suffer not the faithless.

Divine Goals & Aspirations

Spread awareness of her existence throughout Erdos. Establish herself as the new Goddess of Death. Spread the influence of her Church. Instill and reinforce awe and fear of the divine. Eradicate faithlessness.

Divine Classification

Greater Deity

Alignment

Officially Lawful Evil as she dwells in Hell. However, as a primal nature deity she also displays a strong drive towards Chaos.

Realm

Stygia, Nine Hells of Baator

Church/Cult

The Church of Hredd