Deino

## History

### The Tale of the Morrigan

The enigmatic goddess Morrigan very likely predates civilization — at least as we understand such a concept today. Some sources claim she was worshiped by the most primitive peoples as a totemic goddess before she later evolved into the beautiful mother goddess associated with war, death, dread, and dark magic. Other sources believe she is the forgotten daughter of Gaia that refused to be used in her mother's schemes against her Titanic siblings, thus forcing Gaia to abandon her daughter and give birth to another who would help her. Still, other sources claim she came from the Void, and it was she who created the landmass of Ireland out of the raw essence left over at Earth's shaping by the angels or simply was the first goddess to claim the land after its creation.

Whatever the truth of her origin, we do know it was she who either gave shelter to the Fomóiri or perhaps even convinced them to take refuge on her island. However, once shelter was given, the Morrigan had little to do with the Fomóiri and left them much to their own devices as she began to delve deeper into the magical study, through which she would leave Earth entirely to set off into the Void and other esoteric realms, eventually coming into contact with the progenitor being known as Pralaya and entering into a dark pact with her becoming a Witch known as "Deino".

The Morrigan was soon joined by other witches, entering into a coven of seven, in which the Morrigan would serve as the Matron or Lady, binding the dark alliance through an unholy marriage ritual with another god who became known as Dagda. The members of this coven fluctuated after its establishment, with members leaving though death or exile, but there were three constants: the Morrigan, the Dagda, and their Shadow, Pemphredo — a goddess from a far-off land. However, after some time, a fourth constant would be found: the firstborn daughter of Zeus and Hera: Eris or "Enyo" as she took on a new name in service of Pralaya.

In an effort to swell the ranks of the coven, the Morrigan and the Dagda took their roles as the mother and father of their coven more literally. Giving birth to daimonic offspring with the intent of inducting them into her coven, the Morrigan became the mother to many gods and goddesses, who would become the first of the Tuatha Dé Danann (which could mean "Tribe of Danu" — Danu possibly being the Morrigan's original name or a butchering of Deino). However, before a proper number could be birthed, raised, and inducted (as it can take some time for gods to regain the magic required to reproduce) most of their children established a pantheon, acquiring worship, and in so doing, coming into conflict with another pantheon established in Ancient Ireland — the Fomóiri, of the Fomorians, as they had come to be known.

Things escalated, and the Morrigan was forced to side with her children over the angels she had once given shelter to. As she would lead her children into battle and her crows would feast on the remains scattered across the battlefield, the Morrigan became the Tuatha Dé Danann's goddess of war. Ultimately, the Fomóiri and the Tuatha Dé Danann came to a peaceful agreement, which freed the Morrigan to continue to pursue her magical studies — except by this point, the Dagda was more concerned with governing their family, leaving the Morrigan and her two coven sisters, Enyo and Pemphredo, to venture off as coven of three.

The Coven of the Gray Sisters became known by many names: the Wyrd Sisters, Weird Sisters, Wayward Sisters, but are most famously known as the Graeae to the Ancient Greeks and the Norns of Norse mythology. While they would engage in much travel, they were often guests of the Stygian Court in Hades' Underworld, and they did retain permanent residence among the roots of the Yggdrasil, where desperate gods and legendary heroes would find them to enter into dark pacts and gain forbidden knowledge.

## Role in NeOlympus

Appearances of Deino

 Abilities

* **Daimoness:** The Morrigan is a daimoness of unknown origin.
	+ **Goddess of Death:**The Morrigan can sense death, suspend one's pending death, cause accelerated rot or decay, and control disembodied souls. Unlike most gods and goddesses of this purview, the Morrigan does not oversee an afterlife, nor is she particularly into the habit of collecting souls. The souls of the departed tied to this faith briefly retire to the humble structure known as Tech Duinn in the Void, where the god Donn records their deeds and prepares the soul for reincarnation. Despite the lack of an afterlife, the benefits from worship gained from the practice of funerary rites.
	+ **Goddess of Dread:** The Morrigan can flood a mind with anxiety, compelling them to do as she desires. Only those with a will weaker than the Morrigan are affected to the full effects. Despite the outcome, targets will usually bear a residual fear of the Morrigan for some time, making later commands more powerful. Continued usage of this ability can leave targets deeply traumatized.
	+ **Goddess of War:** To the ancient peoples of Ireland, the Morrigan held the honor of being the Goddess of War. The deaths of those who fall in battle are counted among her prayers, as is every drop of blood shed. The Morrigan can not only sense when a battle is taking place, but she can also immediately relocate herself to join the battle at the moment of its first death.
	+ **Mythical Physicality:** As a daimon, the Morrigan is much stronger, faster, and more resilient than mortal creatures. Also, she does not age or suffer from most illnesses.
	+ **Trickster:**The Morrigan is a natural trickster, allowing her to exploit loopholes to violate cosmic laws. As an extension of this ability, the Morrigan also has a natural ability to change her shape, usually becoming a crow or murder of crows for travel or a fetching redhead who can get just about any down-on-his-luck barfly to agree to all sorts of things in exchange for a night they won't forget.
* **Witch:** Through an unholy pact, the Morrigan has extensive magical power.
	+ **Mythical Resilience:** The Morrigan has an impressive resolve to live and can continue living despite significant injury. To truly kill her, one would need to destroy her entirely (such as being burned to ashes — but even then... is that enough? There are accounts of her being burned alive and turning up shortly later, but these could be a witch's tricks or trickster's witchcraft concocted as means to add to her legend or scare the [expletive] out of her foes).
	+ **Sorcery:** The Morrigan is a grandmaster of many eldritch disciplines.
	+ **Seiðr:** The Morrigan is a powerful sorceress, able to manipulate the chaotic and weird magic of the Fair Lands. She is considered to be just as skilled in the dark portions of this magic as the Sheeda Queen Gloriana or Morgaine le Fey (both of who she has been mistaken for and, likewise, she has been mistaken for each of them at times).
* **Badb:** Badb is a female blackbird familiar. Sometimes appearing as a raven, crow, eagle, vulture, or owl; Badb is none of these. Badb is a minor daimoness from the Void who agrees to take on a role of servitude in exchange for being killed by the Morrigan. She can assume many forms, including that of a black cat, black dog or wolf, or even a raven-tressed maiden, but most often is found feathered. It is likely the magic used to shape Badb is similar to that which is used by Dream of the Endless and Odin.
* **Ear of the Graeae:** Though shared with her coven, the Morrigan often carries a severed ear. Its exact origin is unknown, but the sisters can be seen whispering secrets into it. The ear is also used to record the agreements the sisters make with other parties.

## Links and References

1. ↑ https://www.deviantart.com/roysovitch/art/Network-Files-The-Morrigan-968961793