VELLUNA-AKKA The Crone Ot h e r t it le s: The Veiled Lady, The Lady of Night , Queen of t he Moon Align m e n t : NG D om a in s: Air, Darkness, Deat h, Knowledge, Magic, Repose, Travel Fa vor e d W e a pon: sickle V elluna-Akka is arguably the darkest of the Ỉssinyr, a reputation she does little to dissuade Her title, in ælven, means “his dark reflection” Many believe that she is the black space that gave birth to the very stars Velluna-Akka has many titles and, unlike the other Æssinyr, these are frequently shared regardless of social or racial boundaries Velluna-Akka is, for instance, the Lady of the Night in ælven, dwarven and human lands The aryandai honor her with this title, as well If her titles shift at all, it is to honor a particular aspect As The Veiled Lady, Velluna-Akka represents the mystery of death An entire order of her clerics go veiled (by their choice, not another’s) They believe this does Velluna-Akka the ultimate honor As the Lady of the Night, this goddess represents the unknown that exists beyond the physical universe In some schools of thought, she is the veil shielding the Great Tree from the Great Void beyond Some, however, see her as the void itself – a rumor she fails to correct In either case, she is the great darkness that embraces the points of light, the stars She is the mother and sister of Alnara in this form, looking down with a knowing smile on the youthful Nayadia She is especially popular in the City-States of Vallinar as the Crone, representing the old wise women of civilization In this aspect, she is the grandmother of secrets, passing on her wisdom to those who deserve it The Crone is frequently cruel, sending halfwits to die rather than spread their seed In this, she is seen as “the one who culls” and her sickle is slick with the blood of fools As the Queen of the Moon, Velluna-Akka is the celestial reflection of Dægr, a position that some confuse with divine infidelity In truth, she reflects all light, whether it is from her daughters the stars, 44 the holy sun, or her divine lover As the Queen of the Moon, she is the mother of all magic Unlike Oridynn, however, she does not encourage others to seek out this secret She posits that magic is a secret for the few and her clerics whisper that her magic is far more potent because of it Velluna-Akka commands her clerics to honor the dead, to comfort the living, to slay fools, to share her wisdom with the worthy and to keep their magic secret Velluna-Akka grants spells to her female clerics only Accordingly, she has few male followers Her symbol is a silver crescent, turned end-points upward, on a deep-blue banner Her motto is “I am the mystery.” mystery RHUNE: Dawn of Twilight