Book of Jenova

must be a war on the Shadowfell – one war, once and for all. The Council gathered all of their forces. Bahamut’s Army was made of seven legions of
paladins, five bastions of clerics, and sixteen brigades of volunteers from the
Material Plane. Erathis’ forces, made up mostly of wizards and other scholars,
provided arcane empowerment to these bastions. The Raven Queen, Lady of Fate,
employed hundreds of assassins, clerics, rogues, and others to sabotage the
forces of Lolth and the Evil Ones.

The battle
was tremendous. More blood was shed that day than any other day recorded in
history. The Lord Bahamut, appearing as a mighty dragon, cut down swaths with
his powerful breath of fire and force. The Lady Erathis protected the mortal
forces as they marched towards the capital city of Vomor, to finally defeat the
Spider Queen. The Raven Queen traveled directly with her scouts, clearing a
path.

The
Council of Three reached the castle, where the Spider Queen awaited them, ready
to use all of the magic and energy of the Shadowfell against them. The world
shook as they fought each other. Bahamut, now appearing as a warrior, with his
giant sword of might; Erathis, providing defense and protection; and the Raven
Queen, using the very fabrics of life themselves. Light and dark, good and
evil, chaos and order clashed; and slowly, with the energies of the universe
floating around, a figure began to form out of the shadow. With every meeting
of energy between the great Gods and Goddesses of the Universe, more power was
shifted into this figure; the energies of the Shadowfell were being shaped, the
will of the realm itself was becoming formed into a new figure. The shadows
formed a new being. This new being opened her slim eyes.

The
fighting ceased, as all were shocked at this new being. None, not even the
Gods, knew what this new being would do. She looked at the Council, then at
Lolth, then again at the Council. Her eyes, the only source of light coming
from the new being, vanished, and suddenly Lolth was overtaken by shadow – and
disappeared.

The new
deity appeared before the Council of Three.

“What is your name, creation?”
asked Erathis.

“I am Jenova,” it responded.

“What type of being are you?” asked
the Raven Queen.

“I am Jenova. The Lady of the
Shadowfell.”

“And whose side are you on?” asked
Bahamut.

There was a short pause.

“The oppressed, the forgotten, the
hidden, and the ignored. I am on the side of those who cannot show their faces
in the light because of fear. I am the Lady of Shadows.”

#### Chapter 2: The Shadowfell

##### Introduction

The Shadowfell is a
mysterious place, and likewise, its keeper, Jenova, is a mysterious being. The
Shadowfell is inherently connected to the material plane, just as a shadow is
connected to the thing which creates it. Similarly, the Shadowfell is a
distorted mirror of the material plane. Directions, distances, and appearances
all resemble the material plane, but not exactly. Time itself is distorted from
that of the material plane.

##### The Nature of the Shadowfell

The Shadowfell’s essence changes
with whoever is currently in control of it. Under Lolth, it was chaotic,
depressing, oppressing, and violent. Spiders roamed the various lands, and
Lolth’s drow initiates killed all who did not follow their Lady’s teachings.
The Lady of Shadow saved the shadowfell from itself. The positive energies of
the Council of Three combined with the shadow energy of the realm to create a
new deity, one who would give meaning and order to a chaotic and unpredictable
plane. The Lady used the energies of the Shadowfell to throw out the evil that
was infiltrating it. Under Jenova, the Shadowfell acts as a refuge, a hidden
protection for the oppressed from those who oppress them.

##### Creatures of the Shadowfell

Jenova
garnered the attention and loyalty of many of those who had previously
worshipped the Lady Lolth. The Drow; the Shadr-Kai; the Shades; and all of the
Shadow creatures inhabit the Shadowfell. They all fall under the protection of
Jenova.

#### Chapter 3: The Shadow Wars

Some
time after the “birth” of Jenova, Stin Cepel was in the throes of continental
war.  The armies of Woestijn had banded
together to invade and overtake the land of Stin Cepel. The King, who was a
widower, was killed in the Battle of Alagir; his daughter, Ana, was the
rightful heir to the throne. Young, but wise beyond her years, Ana was
nevertheless unable to turn the tide of war.

Meanwhile,
the Lady was receiving more and more Drow followers from the Underdark who
wished to leave the crippling web of the Spider Queen. She needed a place for
them to live. So, for the first time in her history, she appeared on the
material plane, to a mortal – the young Queen of Stin Cepel.

“I am
Jenova, Lady of Shadow, Keeper of the Shadowfell, and I have a proposition for
you.”

The
Queen, stunned, listened to the Lady’s proposition. Under this agreement of
sorts, the Lady of Shadows became the patron deity of Stin Cepel, protector of
the land, and agreed to help turn the tide in the war. She would provide religious warriors to protect the realm and the royal family. In return, Stin
Cepel, which was a primarily human country, would become a place of refuge for
those in need, and would welcome the Drow defectors of Lolth into the country
as citizens. Additionally, the Queen would marry a Drow noble so that the
country would recognize the legitimacy of the Drow.

Ana
agreed, bowing on one knee and pledging her faith to the Lady of Shadow.

“Rise,
Queen. I do not require rites of faith; I do not require religious services; my
church does not require loyalty or money. My church requires action and
revolution, and the creation of a new tomorrow for those whose today is
oppressive. Follow our agreement. Following my teachings, and following me, is
a different matter entirely.”

And
with that, the Lady disappeared from the material plane. That night, mysterious
beings infiltrated the camps of the armies of Woestijn, who were the main
aggressors of the war, and completely wiped out every officer and the majority
of their legions. The armies, terrified, fled back to Woestijn. The day was
won.

#### Chapter 4: The Shadeweavers

The Shadeweavers are the promise of Jenova to the royal family of Stin Cepel. Two
holy warriors who have devoted their lives to service of the Lady’s ideals are
chosen to serve. Being a Shadeweaver is the highest honor in both the eyes of
Jenova and the land of Stin Cepel. Prospective warriors undergo long and
arduous training under the supervision of the current Shadeweavers, partially
in the Shadowfell and partially in the Material Plane. At the end of their training,
they are tasked with a specific mission. Once this mission is complete, they
are anointed by the Lady of Shadow and appointed by the Royal Family of Stin
Cepel to this petition.

Shadeweavers
are tasked with the protection of the Royal Family of Stin Cepel, first and
foremost. As a secondary commission, they carry out missions for Jenova, who
finds the oppressed and brings them to the attention of the holy warriors.

#### Chapter 5: Beliefs of the Lady of Shadow

The
Lady’s appearance in the material plane, and the story of her creation, are
short, but have strong messages. Below are the beliefs, philosophies, and
teachings of Jenova, the Lady of Shadow, Protector of the Oppressed:

1. **Protection**: The Lady believes in the protection of those who are oppressed, wrongfully

accused, ignored, and weak. As she puts it, “Those who cannot appear in the
light.” This generally means those who are not free in some way, or those who
cannot protect themselves.

1. **Action:**

The Lady favors passion over ritual, action over belief, and total commitment
to a cause instead of indirect support. She tells the Queen that she does not
need followers, she needs leaders to protect those who cannot protect
themselves.

1. **Order,**

not Organization: **The Lady does not favor chaos, but also abhors bureaucracy.**
The Church of Jenova does not have an organizational structure; there are no temples of Jenova; and there are no financial ties attached to becoming a
follower of Jenova.

1. **Efficient**

and Discretionary Tactics: **The Lady believes in the greater good. Bloodshed**
is a side effect to be expected when fighting for those who need it most. The
Lady is not afraid to be ruthless, as was shown by her tactics of obliterating
entire forces in their sleep. “Discretion is the better part of valor.”

1. **Equality**:

The Lady makes no judgment on the worth of one being over another. She accepts
former Lolth Drow followers, humans, Shadr-Kai, and any race which wishes to
follow her teachings. She fights for the plight of all who are oppressed,
regardless of demographic information.

1. **Inner**

Resolve and Personal Judgment**: She did not make it a clause of her aid to**
Stin Cepel that the royal family worship her. She insists that all must make
decisions based on their own reason and conscience. “My church requires action
and revolution, and the creation of a new tomorrow for those whose today is
oppressive. Follow our agreement. *Following*
my teachings, and following me, is a different matter entirely*.”*

#### Chapter 6: Responsibilities of Jenova’s Witnesses

Although
all of the Lady’s teachings should be applied to the lives of everyone, those
who dedicate their lives to the beliefs of the Lady must not only accept these
teachings, but do everything within their power to move belief into action.
Jenova’s Witnesses are expected to fight for the oppressed, and to fight
against oppressors; they are expected to fight for equality of rights for all
races, peoples, and creeds; they are expected to provide protection to those
who need it most. Faith-in-action is the most important way that followers can
worship the Lady of Shadow.

Believers are not tasked with spreading the faith, but spreading the ideals of the faith
through actions and passions.