Atix Crowfeather

# The Goddess Atix Crowfeather

 Areas of Concern
 Domains
 Favored Weapon
 Holy Symbol
 Common Worshipers
 Sacred Animals
 Sacred Colors

## Overview/ Physical Description

Though she is now one of the most powerful, most worshipped goddesses across Apia Prime, the young woman Atix started humbly. Though she's held the title "The Mistress of Magic," for more than three thousand years, there was a time before she was born. Arcane magic has always existed, some scholars believe it was actually raw arcane energy the ancient aboleths swam in, and the rolling chaos that birthed the gods themselves was primarily composed of arcane energy. It was Elmore, Father of All Magic and Magic Himself, one of the Four Fathers, who originally represented arcane power. While he appeared as a wizened old man, Elmore was anything but. He was more than capable of shaping and controlling the universal laws around arcane magic. For centuries, wizards and sorcerers offered up their prayers to "Old Elmore," as they performed great deeds, casting spells that exceeded ninth level in those ancient days of pure magic.

Yet all was not well in the days of Latrell's rebellion, nor the years following. The aberrant beholders and their kin filled the world with arcane magic and their spells, despite Elmore's oversight, were as powerful as they were amoral. Some had spells that triggered upon their deaths, sowing chaos and destruction in their wake. While Elmore absorbed much of this raw arcane magic, it injured him and weakened his hold on the arcane.

The exact details of Elmore's death is ultimately known only to Atix herself, who will not share them, but what can be proven in this. Several years after Latrell's betrayal and ascension to godhood, Elmore went to personally deal with some mysterious evil. He wouldn't tell his brothers what it was, only that "Apia herself is endangered by dark arcane energies." Whispers suggesting the Laughing God mutters some strange riddles in his sleep about his brother's fate are denied by both churches. Some speculate the foe was Evron Mindamner, trying to cast the first 13th level spell and steal Latrell's newfound divinity and become god of undeath. Another popular theory is that a secrete cabal of powerful beholder mages, survivors of their fallen empire, attempted an unshackled chronomagic ritual to turn back time and prevent Latrell's uprising. One final theory was that Elmore himself faced down a waking Azathoth or some other Elder God. Any could be true or none of them, but the results are indisputable. Elmore won this magic duel but the cost was grave. Elmore was dying. His body twisted and rent, arcane magics leaked from his divine form, damaging the world around him. Without a god to maintain its energies, the arcane power would rip across Apia Prime and destroy it. Before he died, someone else must assume the mantle. A worthy being to take up that responsibility. He cast his essence across the world to seek out the greatest mage of the day. And he found her.

Atix Crowfeather was a beautiful young woman, dark and dusky, "witchy" some might say. Like her mother and grandmother, she was a seeress and a shaman. She served one of the crow tribes with visions, alchemy and spellcraft. These small tribes in what would become Southern Umgar have since faded away but, at that time, they were a patchwork people battling amongst themselves for scraps of land and power. They all revered the crow for its cleverness and ability to survive, for its intelligence and ingenuity. Atix was born to a particularly small tribe but she was special. A rare gift had been bestowed on the women of her family line and she had received a double portion. Atix Crowfeather was born with the ability to see magical energy from birth as a kaleidoscope of color, to hear the arcane as another might musical notes. While all mages can see the outlines of magical energy, they lacked the unique perception of the Crowfeather women and Atix in particular. Her spells were mightier than all others before her. She grasped complicated truths quickly. Her readings of the stars and entrails revealed more than the others. With her aid her tribe became mighty, absorbing a few of the other crow tribes around them. Other barbarians would come from miles for her advice and soon other spellcasters traveled to see the wise young woman and learn at her feet.

But it was more than raw talent what drew Elmore. Atix loved magic, loved it for itself, for the raw gift of life that it was. She loved it, but recognized its proper use. She wasn't one to wipe out towns that annoyed her, or break the minds of those who insulted her. Magic was a tool, a beautiful, dangerous tool, like fire, to be treasured, but respected. That was what drew Elmore to her.

She was alone in the woods when the dying Elmore crashed landed before her in a blaze of arcane fire. (He had fallen from the heavens as a comet, a streak across the stars that was witnessed across Apia Prime and led to prophecies and portents of doom.) He told her who he was and why he'd come. He explained that he could pass his power along to a worthy successor, raising her up as the new goddess of magic. Knowing what that entailed, recognizing the burden that was falling upon her young shoulders, Atix humbly accepted the responsibility. Her words are recorded, "If I must carry the load, so be it." With his dying breath, Elmore did two things. Firstly, he sent the raw energy his foes spent and built a dark copy of the material plane called "The Shadowfell" where they, and the energy, was sealed away. No more tenth level spells, no more raw arcane magic. All was sealed within the dark bounds of the Shadowfell. Then he passed his energy to Atix and she rose up the goddess of magic and "Shadow Guard."

While her way of life vanished over time, the legacy of the crow tribes was salvaged within Atix herself. She upheld the rules Elmore had set, and added some of her own. She kept the Shadowfell secure, locking its energy away where it could do no harm. She sought powerful mages to be her "champions" and taught them to share the truth about magic, its wonders, its glories and its dangers. Her followers spread throughout the world, absorbing the remaining church of Elmore and the various tribal shamans that practiced their own magics. Atix herself aided this process, moving about in her form of the "Wild Witch" and personally teaching many.

Today Atix Crowfeather operates as she always has. She teaches the use of magic, she regulates the power that mortals can wield, she ensures arcane energies flow correctly around Apia, she attends to the Shadowfell, ensuring its borders and wells are secure and she encourages, within reason, the experiments of arcane spellcasters. She teaches that magic is a gift for mortal kind, something to use and celebrate. The raw energy of life itself, to love magic, is to love life.

Atix, as an ascended mortal, feels a connection to Apian soil. She often wanders around its surface, always in the form of a beautiful, pale woman with black hair and yellow eyes. Her tribal robes are covered in crow feathers and folk charms and she carries a gnarled staff. Her sly smile is always visible beneath her dark hood. The shadows cling to her and follow her as she moves, along with a few crows who always accompany her. While most often found in Umgar, Atix can been found anywhere that magic is active and young mages try new ideas.

Because of her ascension, Atix has no cultural variants with one exception. The mysterious Raven Queen, ruler of the Shadowfell and goddess of the Shadar-Kai has some connection with Atix, though none are sure what that is. There is a rather large movement among scholars, some shadar-kai and a few wizards, that believes Atix and the Raven Queen are, in fact, the same being. See other cultural interpretations for more details.

Atix Crowfeather shows her favor through magic. Spells are easier to case, the waves of arcane energy arrive more strongly or crows and ravens appear in number. She shows her disfavor by making spells more difficult to cast, the leeching of arcane magic from erstwhile mages or the ominous cawing of crows.

## The Church

The church of Atix Crowfeather is an interesting one. As a goddess, she is worshiped far and wide across the various continents of Apia Prime but that worship is taken up mostly by arcane spellcasters who are, by nature, a solitary, individualistic lot. While there are wizarding academies and schools of magic, individual mages tend to be quite different from one another, and the most powerful of them live alone in wizard towers or isolated mansions. Due to this, the church of Atix isn't an organized one. There is no central church or high prelate dictating the teachings of the Mistress of Magic. Each church is an independent body, though they are friendly with one another when members of different churches meet. This friendliness may not last in the face of arguments about the purpose of magic and the role of wizards. Many wizards hold different ideas about how magic should be used and what limits there should be. While Atix has rules, there are many areas she allows mages to make their own choices, leading to different schools of thought on its use.

While organized bodies of Atix worshipers are rare her worship is legal in all civilized nations and its a rare nation indeed that doesn't have at least one temple to her within their borders. They are particularly common in Umgar, where she walked in the flesh. Her temples there are beautifully decorated in the old style, and its rare to find a settled Umgaran settlement without a temple to her. Other countries with a large temple to Atix include Vitteodel, the Dragon Empire, Zamonia, Taskanda and Latrellus.

Almost all of Atix's worshipers are arcane casters, even those mages who don't have her as a patron offer up prayers to her regularly. Wizards, sorcerers, warmages, shamans and even some bards are among her most faithful devotes, following her teachings and encouraging others to do the same. Because of this, her worshipers are members of all species but one race treats her with particular attention, kenku, who view her as their divine mother and guardian, similarly to how humans view Teteus. Additionally, many Umgaran barbarians pray to her for guidance and wisdom, despite their lack of arcane power. Some were-ravens are known to praise her over Ahphion. Her priests are almost entirely wizards or sorcerers or multi-class as them, with her clerics indistinguishable from wizards, because for all intents and purposes they are.

Her faithful are quick to offer magical tutoring, training and teaching in the art of magic. They seek out children with magical talent, help contain dangerous outbreaks of magic and curtail dangerous arcane spellcasters who break Atix's commandments. They try to use magic for good, both of themselves and communities. Of course many worshipers can justify their isolation, or darker pursuits, as "good for the people" with enough mental gymnastics. A faithful mage in service to Atix will not go around throwing fireballs in the streets, but instead, use their talents for the good of themselves and others. When a magically adept youth seeks out an Atix worshiper for teaching, they are commanded to either tutor that youth themselves or direct them to someone who can. This is perhaps the most important role of Atix's faithful.

When Atix's worshipers gather for services, they take one of two forms. Wizardly services include arcane displays, prayers to the goddess and discussion of magical theory. Some even try experimentation as a form of worship. The others are the barbarians who honor her with drums, dancing and singing. They'll read prophecies in the flames and offer up sacrifices in her name. Most services are deeply individualistic, where a single mage offers silent prayers of thanks and gives a small offering of a few cantrips to the goddess. Most often, her name is uttered right before a spell is cast by a desperate wizard or sorcerer.

### Temples and Shrines

Entire temples dedicated to Atix are rare outside of Umgar or towns where mages are particularly prominent, such as Steepham in Vitteodel. In Umgar, these temples tend to resemble the ancient tents of the crow tribes, circular with sweeping doors. These buildings are made of stone and wood despite resembling hide tents. Outside of Umgar, her temples feature circular towers, resembling a mage's lodgings. An attempt to grow a few pine trees around the building and keep crows or ravens in them is encouraged whenever possible. Regardless of the exterior design, the interiors are similar. Large libraries of scrolls and tomes are available to the faithful. Permanent *dancing lights* glow across the ceilings, showcasing arcane might without causing harm and providing a focus for meditation. Tapestries showing Atix's history and her ascension to godhood feature in every temple and, thanks to the power of the arcane, these tapestries seem to move before the viewer's eyes, showing more details than first glance.

Shrines are a far more common method of worship. Every wizard has a small shrine within their residence, every sorcerer considers it wise to stop by a public one from time to time and pay respects. Sometimes other good-aligned deities will allow a small shrine to Atix inside their own temples so that her faithful may worship together. It's also common to find these shrines in the wilderness, particularly among rugged hills and pine forests which Atix Crowfeather adores above other environments. While some shrines are made of wood and others of stone or marble, all share a similar design. A pillar carved to resemble four smaller pillars twisting and turning around themselves in "organized chaos." Atop the pillar will be a single crow's feather surrounded by blue flames; this feather and flame will be carved from the same material as the pillar and, if the shrine is painted, the flames will be colored blue.

### A Priest's Role

Priests of Atix Crowfeather are, without fail, arcane spellcasters. While she does have a few clerics in her service, all are multi-classed as wizards or sorcerers. Because her priests are indistinguishable from wizards or sorcerers they are expected to behave as such when not dealing with specific priestly duties. They experiment with arcane magic, try new combinations of spells, uncover forgotten lore and scribe scrolls. What does set them apart is their devotion to the goddess. All these spells are within her restrictions, all these discoveries are to bring glory to Atix. They wander about Apia, usually within adventuring groups, looking for forgotten spells, rogue mages and sources of wild energy.

The most important role for priests of Atix is to serve as mentors for young wizards and sorcerers. They seek out those young, or not so young, people with magical talents and train them. They teach the mysteries of the arcane to those who want to learn them. They dispel myths about magic to the uniformed and restrict those spellcasters who go too far. They teach that magic is life, it is the love of life, and guide their apprentices to cherish magic as it should be. Priests of Atix are also expected to provide spiritual care to the kenku people when they ask for it and officiate their religious ceremonies. A similar practice occurs among Umgarans where seers and shamans serve the tribes as spiritual advisors. Finally, but rarely, priests of Atix are to respond to threats against the Shadowfell whenever called upon. They must aid Atix in ensuring that shadowy plane remains intact.

Because arcane magic does not discriminate, all races, genders and social classes are found serving as priests of Atix Crowfeather, though women seem to be more prominent than men, particularly as high priestesses or seers. This is because women seem to grasp arcane magic easier than men, and are naturally more powerful casters on average, though many men become great wizards or sorcerers

### Holidays

Atix, as a good Umgaran at heart, loves a good party, though formal holidays are rare among her faithful. To arcane spellcasters, each day is as useful as the next and many are so wrapped up in their own activities that they miss holy days anyway. Most wizards try to communicate with one another on a semi-regular basis and offer prayers to Atix together. Two days are set aside as specific holidays.

**Day of Ascendance:** The day that Atix Crowfeather rose to become the new goddess of magic is celebrated among all her faithful. Prayers are offered, sacrifices given and magical spells tested. The faithful believe that spells performed on this day are more powerful, due to Atix's presence, and so ritual magics are performed every year on the Day of Ascendance. Many arcane casters see visions, receive suggestions or even have prophetic dreams about their future on The Day of Ascendance. Finally, lanterns and torches of all kind are lit and set out as a way to help keep the borders of the Shadowfell at bay, symbolically and perhaps literally, committing all mages to the fight against the dark.

**Shadowguard:** Held on the 1st of Thuhaldirum, Shadowguard is the day where faithful mages and priests vow to uphold Atix's tenants and remember the role of magic as something to be used for good. Something that is a celebration of life itself. This practice is supposed to help strengthen the bonds of the Shadowfell and keep whatever beings and or energy is sealed within it. This is a serious, though not somber time, despite the vows that Atix's faithful make, very few actually find themselves battling the Shadowfell.

### Animals

There are several animals sacred to Atix Crowfeather, representing both the heritage of the ancient crow tribes and her own characteristics. Most famously the crow, for which she was named, due to its cleverness, sense of playful mischief and ability to sense arcane energy. Ravens are sacred for the same reason. Black cats, due to their association with magic, are another one of her sacred animals. The mighty displacer beast, a creature that is both inherently magical and a giant black cat, is the most unusual of her sacred animals. Unlike the other three displacer beasts are rarely kept by Atix's faithful as pets or familiars.

### Adventurers

Atix Crowfeather has many worshipers among the adventuring community. Every arcane spellcaster who adventures at least offers lip-service to the goddess before their most dangerous moments. Her priests usually serve as arcane casters for a group of adventures, seeking out lost treasures, spells, or arcane ripples to return to Atix's temple. Some barbarians also adventure in Atix's name, trusting her to guide their axes and fates. And of course kenku adventurers praise Atix with their words and actions.

### Clothing

Clothing among Atix's faithful is both diverse and oddly unified due to mage styles. Arcane spellcasters all seem to enjoy long robes and "wizardly" clothing, giving them a somewhat uniform appearance but all of those "wizardly" outfits are tailored to the individual. The priests of Atix, and her most faithful, will try to incorporate crow feathers into their outfits. Capes of crow feathers, oversized hoods made to resemble crow heads, feathery pauldrons, necklaces, various tribal style accessories, jewels and tattoos are all examples of Atix's followers trying to respect her with their clothing choice. These features can give some of her priests an almost shamanistic appearance.

## Symbols

Atix Crowfeather's holy symbol is a crow's feather wreathed in blue flame. Crow feathers, crows and ravens are also sacred symbols of the goddess, used to represent her in art and conversation. When referencing Atix, or greeting others of her faithful, it is common to close the fist while extending the thumb and pinky, then the extended fingers are "flapped" up and down to simulate flight. Alternatively, the hand can be held upright with the thumb folded in, to simulate a feather.

### Holy Text

Despite the love of books that all mages, including Atix herself, possess, there is only one sacred text among the Mistress of Magic's faithful, and that is *The Magician's Grimoire.* According to archmage Grimbol who first translated *The Magician's Grimoire* into the common tongue, the *Grimoire* originally belonged to Elmore but with major additions by Atix. The *Grimoire* isn't merely a collection of spells, but also a commentary on how to use them, instructions on the value of magic, and reflections by Atix on her own unique experiences with magic. Every apprentice wizard is given a copy of this text so that they can understand not only what they are capable of but how they should use it.

### Sayings

*"Magic isn't an aspect of life, magic is life."-*One of Atix Crowfeather's favorite sayings as a mortal is now a common catechism among her faithful. Those struggling with meditation or concentration exercises repeat the saying over and over again until it becomes as natural as breathing. Those ancient wizards really mull over this statement as try to grasp the fundamental building blocks of life itself.

*"You are never farther than the crow flies."-* This phrase is both comfort and warning to Atix's followers. It's a reminder that Atix's hands are all over arcane magic and those who wield it. You need not fear, the goddess is near. You should be careful of abusing magic, the goddess is near.

## Relationships

Like most of the good-aligned members of the Divine Family, Atix Crowfeather counts most of the goodly gods as allies. While radically different than The Wise Old Man, their equal emphasis on mental fortitude and similar history lead to a bond of friendship between the two. Bromis and Kytin are close to Atix as well and the trio often meet in a sort of "book club" to discuss finer points of nature, reality and the wilds. Atix considers them sisters, so close is their bond. She's currently trying to win the romantic affections of Latrell but that seems to not be working as well as she'd like. Still, they are on the verge of becoming more formal allies.

Among the neutral gods Atix has no enemies but a few friends. She is particularly close with Pan and Emdera Ruggedfist, who were some of her former lovers and current friends, particularly Pan who was one of the gods she herself worshiped during mortal life. Her greatest ally however is Nesin, god of knowledge. The pair exchange many secrets, trade spells, and always come to the aid of the other than called. More than any other god in the cosmos, Nesin is Atix's greatest ally.

She is officially at odds with all evil gods. However it is Grandmother Shadow with whom she has the greatest rivalry as the Mother of Hags perverts the wilds Atix loves and encourages the use of dark magic, darker rituals and evil powers. The two goddess' rivalry is legendary and their bitter enmity knows no bounds. The cult of the Stranger, Vecna, is almost as opposed to the Mother of All Magic. Like Shadow, Vecna is a god of magic and secrets and his followers tap into similar veins of power. They are opposed more on philosophical grounds than the passionate hatreds Atix and Grandmother Shadow share but nevertheless meetings between the two groups inevitably end in blood.

## Realm

While she is a good-aligned god, Atix Crowfeather doesn't keep her realm within any of the three good-aligned planes. Instead her realm, The Mystic Hollow, is located inside the Astral Plane. Within that realm of flowing magic and endless expanse a small, night-covered, thicket of pines exists, belonging to the goddess. There birds of every shape find a home, celestial cats and displacer beasts prowl the underbrush and the air is tinged with arcane energy. There are numerous sites of arcane power, wizards towers and ancient libraries. Here, mages cannot be harmed by their own spells, nor those of others, allowing practice of any spell. All spells are empowered and up cast on the plane, allowing the most faithful of Atix's servants to experiment and truly experience the arcane. The very soul is nourished by arcane energy, as the beloved goddess of magic goes from tower to tower and bonds with each in turn, sharing in their joy of arcane energy.

## Planar Allies

Atix Crowfeather has a servitor race, some special servants and plenty of champions a few of whom are detailed below.

**Aherx Yones:** Atix doesn't have a herald in the traditional sense. Instead, she has several "champions." These are some of the most powerful mages on Apia who are imbued with a spark of her divine magic and receive instructions directly from her. One of the champions she most calls on is Aherx Yones, a muscular but eccentric wizard from Latrellus. Despite some off-color remarks and a few unhinged ideas(bordering on conspiracies), Aherx is undoubtedly devoted to Atix and the pursuit of arcane knoweldge. He runs a magic item store alongside a pair of warforged bodyguards named Knowledge and Fist. The store is transported from city to city on Aherx's mad whims and no one can ever be sure where it'll appear next. Rumors suggest that not even Aherx himself knows, trusting in Atix's providence to deliver him where he is needed.

**Ozomarim Flux:** Another of Atix's favorite champions, the aging wizard Ozomarim Flux, can be found wandering Apia as a cloaked wanderer. While he appears elderly and physically frail, and is, Ozomarim is a truly mighty wizard. He's held the favor of Atix since his adolescence and was more of a childhood friend to the goddess than a priest (though he most certainly is one.) Ozomarim is known to contain the worst outbursts of arcane energy and deliver Atix's most stern warnings. When a temple of Atix receives a visit from Flux, it is either a very good, or very bad, sign.

**Asira Frazzlefringe:** Atix hasn't always been lucky in love but her longstanding relationship with Pan led to the birth of at least one demigod daughter, the divine piper named Asira Frazzlefringe. This half satyr demi-god sorceress is one of Atix's favorite children. She is dotted on constantly by her mother and showered with love, gifts and affection. Asira, for her part, spends most of her time adventuring as she pleases, her god-blood getting her into and out of many a scrap. Her own adventures can, and have, filled many chapbooks and all who've adventured alongside her will attest to the wild things they've seen. Yet when her mother has need of a powerful champion to do battle with evil or tutor some young mageling, the near immortal Asira is happy to oblige.

**Shadowwing:** The largest celestial raven who lives inside the Shadowfell, Shadowwing is an imposing figure. As large as a dragon and as dark as knight, he slays evil mages and monsters without mercy when he encounters them, though he normally patrols the exterior of the Shadowfell. Mortals who are lost within that plane can be led to safety by the great raven, especially if they are followers of Atix.

**Crowmen of Atix:** Not to be confused with the kenku, the Crowmen of Atix are magical beings, natives of the Shadowfell itself. More shadows and arcane magic than flesh, these humanoid crowmen scuttle about the Shadowfell, ensuring that everything is running smoothly within that dark realm. On the mortal plane they deliver messages to Atix's faithful, hunt lost relics and lore, investigate rumors of necromancy or blood magic and sometimes in large groups, take on mages or tyrants who overstep their bounds. The crowmen are the Mistress of Magic's front line in the war against mortal abuse of magic.

## Other Cultural Interpretations

Despite the relatively recorded history of Atix Crowfeather as a mortal woman, there are two major alternative interpretations of Atix. Both are treated with skepticism or even animosity by the mainline church.

**One with the Raven Queen:** No one denies the existence of the Raven Queen, the mysterious goddess who rules the Shadowfell and patron of the shadar-kai. Yet there are some mages, kenku and shadar-kai who believe that Atix and the Raven Queen are one in the same, with that lesser goddess actually being an aspect of Atix or even the Mistress of Magic in disguise. Atix herself does not often comment on the Raven Queen, or her relationship with that goddess, leaving mortals to attempt to fill in those gaps. This theory is based mostly on similarities of domain, style and their mutual connection to the Shadowfell rather than concrete evidence. This view is denounced as heresy and condemned by the church of Atix Crowfeather who state that this view both diminishes the Raven Queen and reduces Atix to a sideshow hustler who disguises herself on a lark and lies by omission to the faithful. The believers in this view call the combined goddess "Queen Ravenfeather" and have small enclaves in both Umgar and the Shadowfell.

**Elmore Lives:** This is a broad brush category for various theories about the fate of Elmore. Some believe that Elmore merged with Atix, giving her a split personality, others suggest that Atix is in fact Elmore in a different form to more effectively hide from his enemies sealed within the Shadowfell. Both these views are considered heretical. A non-heretical but not widely held view is that a powerless, but still living, Elmore resides within Atix's home realm of The Mystic Hollow as an honored guest. This particular view is seen as more wishful thinking than anything else.