The Silence

### Overview

*"In Drevhall, ... known simply as the Silence. Though not seen as part of the Elemental Gods, there were faint whispers of her influence and presence within these lands. It is believed the Silence has watched over the world from the very beginning, witnessing the collision and the creation of the four Elemental Gods and took on the polar opposite areas the Elemental Gods did not take on.*

*As Sol took the form of flames and light, the Silence embraced the darkness and the moonlight cast in its wake.*

*As the Deep One’s waters came in vast waves, the Silence solidified the element into ice and cold so it could flow no more.*

*As the Earth Goddess was gifted with life and nature, the Silence accepted the mantle of death and decay to form the cycle.*

*As the God of Air stood as the beginning of life, the Silence stood as the end of it.*

*For what is life without balance, a book without an ending? It is said that she remains silent even to the other gods, preferring her own solitude and her duty. However, this is one perception of the goddess, however, and isn’t usually the truth, nor fiction."*

The Silence is a deity within the land of Drevhall, that has become relatively known by the people in recent times. It is believed that she has watched over the world from the very beginning, witnessing the collision and the creation of the four Elemental Gods.  However, only in recent times has knowledge regarding the Silence come to light, with many individuals in Drevhall just learning about her.

Within Drevhall, the Silence serves as both the judge and guide of the dead. When someone is dying, the Silence is the one who will decide whether they live on or die, based on their will to live and whether it is their time to die. She also is responsible for judging the dead after they’ve passed on, being the one to decide which afterlife they go to based on their faith, life choices, and how they lived their life. It is also believed that she was the one who took up the polar opposite domains to the Elemental Gods to bring forth balance. The Silence, overall, is the one who represents the ending of life and what comes after, and has since stood as both creation’s judge and executioner.

The Silence is said to preside over and is associated with Death, Judgement, Night, Moon, Winter, and Endings.

Her epithets are:

* Judge Divine
* Lunar Incarnate
* The Condemner
* Matron of Winter

She is said to uncommonly also go by other names depending on the sects that follow her.

### Appearance

How the Silence appears often varies, with the more commonly known appearance being found on a mural located in the Silent Sanctum within the Moonlit Grove. In this mural, the Silence is depicted as a woman made entirely of ice and is hooded up. Hovering over her hooded face is a crescent moon. It is said that those within her temples or in her presence feel an ever judging and overpowering aura, as if they were standing before a judge in a courtroom. However, she is also said to manifest as the moon itself or take on other forms - based on the religion that follows her. Thus how she is perceived can vary, based on how others perceive her.

### Personality

Based on her title as “Judge Divine” - she can be interpreted as an extremely lawful and strict goddess who is stern and convicted in her role, understanding her place and her purpose. She doesn't care about prayers or worship, let alone favouritism or caring. Instead, she focuses on the balance of life and death, her own domains, and where a soul will go. When a soul is dying, it is the Silence who judges whether the soul will live on or if they will pass on. If the latter, it is The Silence who ensures they are removed from the land of the living and that the soul is brought forth for judgement - to determine their eternal fate once and for all. Thus she stands as a lawful neutral deity and one best not to be angered, as she will be the one to decide a soul’s final resting place.

Immortality and undead are despised by her, as such areas are seen as simply means to halt the inevitable. To practise either of these is to risk gaining the Silence’s wrath, which is not recommended due to her being the one who decides where you go after you die.  Yet despite this, the Silence never actually punishes them or directly attacks them when they are living, due to the goddess’s silent nature and never interacting with the living world. Some say that this is because the Silence knows they will die eventually and they will meet her, when she is performing their final judgement. Instead, those who follow the Silence will often hunt down undead and those who want to achieve immortality, being the ones to condemn these individuals to the Silence instead.

Beyond this, she is a very solitary deity, in that she rarely, if not ever, interacts with mortals. Compared to the other deities in Drevhall, interactions with the Silence are often impossible due to her quiet and absent nature. As many followers of her faith will tell you: The Silence only ever interacts with the dying and the dead, only relying on those who follow her to ensure those who meddle with her domains are dealt with. Thus if someone expects answers from the Silence or for her to make herself known on the mortal realm outside of her usual duties, then they are always considered a fool as they will receive nothing. Alongside this, it is believed that if you do have the Silence’s attention - it is never a good thing, as it means death has its eyes on you and you may be dying soon.

### History

Little is known about the Silence’s history within Drevhall, as she is a deity who rarely makes her presence known to mortals. However, what is known is her relations towards the other gods, based on the beliefs and observation of members of the Lunarism Faith, which provides some supposed history behind this deity.

It is believed the Silence has watched over the world from the very beginning, before the great collision transpired. Though she did not interfere with the collision, she did take notice of how it manifested. Elemental Gods. It was there that the Silence saw the sudden imbalance that came with this event. For with the creation of the Elemental Gods’ domains, their opposites were left untouched and threatened to fade away into nothing. Thus, the Silence stepped in and took the opposite domains to the Elemental Gods. Though she is never considered to be part of the Elemental Gods themselves.

Since then, the Silence has not interacted with the world of Drevhall. There has been very little evidence of the Silence influencing or interacting with individuals, due to her personality of focusing on the dying, the dead, and those who truly anger her. and mortals often never hear from her, causing her to be bestowed the name ‘The Silence’. For that is what all hear upon finally dying, and also the answer to their prayers.

### Religions and Faiths

Due to the Silence’s nature as the goddess of death, judgement, night, winter, and endings - it’s wise to assume that there are many religions within Drevhall that do follow primarily her or hold some connection to her in some way. However, many of these religions have either been lost to time or are yet to be created.

One of the main religions that follows the Silence directly is the Lunarism Faith - a religion devoted towards living one’s life to the fullest and tending to the dead. It is a religion that focuses more on one’s actions than prayers, with many tenets and beliefs revolving around ensuring one lives a fulfilling life so that they can be sent to a peaceful afterlife by the Silence. This faith involves making sure the dead are at peace, such as tending to graves, performing funeral rites, and even ensuring that the undead are put to rest. Overall, this is a neutral religion that often takes inspiration from other religions and accepts the existence of others gods. It is also one that allows individuals to be open in how they practise it.

Though in some faiths devoted to other deities, there have been indications of the Silence’s presence within them. While these are the religion’s own perception of death, those of the Lunarism Faith often see this as the Silence’s involvement with the religion and their chosen deity.

In the faith of the True Believers; Gamagin’s seat is that of the Punisher, yet those who walk the path of the Condemner meet death. This has led to followers of the Lunarism Faith to believe this to be The Silence. As they believe that Gamagin punishes the living for their actions and the goddess condemns them to death when it is time. This is seen as the two representing two aspects of Judgement: the punishments in life, and the condemnation to death. Ultimately, this perception has led to the Silence gaining the title of ‘The Condemner’ by those of the Lunarism Faith.

Meanwhile, in the Enlightened Church of Sol faith, there are the Eight Stages of the Withering - the destination for all who have angered Sol. It is the final aspect of the Eight Stages that caught the attention of followers of the Silence. If a soul passes through all Eight Stages, then it is said that Sol can no longer be able to bring them back to the living world. Thus an entity known as the Shunguami will take the soul and drown it in the void of nothingness, where it will be lost forever. Many believe that the Shunguami is actually the Enlightened Church of Sol’s perception of the Silence, as this description fits perfectly with the Silence and fits with the belief that Sol and the Silence have an agreement between each other. The agreement being that when someone is dying in the Nether, the Silence simply decides if they live or die, before then condemning them to Sol’s watch within the Nether. Meanwhile, Sol would permit the Silence to obtain all souls who pass through the Eight States of the Withering and condemn them to nothingness.

### Temples and Shrines

#### The Silent Sanctum

The Silent Sanctum is found in the western parts of Drevhall, within a location called the Moonlit Grove. The temple is located deep in a Mineshaft, where an old mural to the Silence can be seen. However, entering the sanctum requires traversing a passage full of powdered snow. Upon passing through the snow, the ruins of the Silent Sanctum can be found. There are numerous books within the Silent Sanctum that explain more about the Lunarism Faith and about the Silence’s connections to the Elemental Gods.