Cegilune

In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Cegilune is the hag deity of larvae, hags, and the moon. She is the patron goddess of all hags, including night hags. Her symbol is an overflowing black cauldron.

Publication history

Cegilune was first detailed in the book Monster Mythology (1992), including details about her priesthood.^[1]

Description

Cegilune appears as a filthy hag with yellow-brown skin. She may also appear as a young human or elf woman, or as a homely old lady. Very rarely, she'll manifest as a scruffy orc or goblinoid woman. In all of her forms, she carries a small iron pot.

Relationships

Cegilune is believed to be related to the sylvan deities. Some say she is the dark twin of Titania, queen of the fey, herself. It is alleged that if either Titania or Cegilune were to die, both goddesses would perish.

Cegilune has no allies, although she has dealings with some of the evil gods of the giants. She is said to have mated with Grolantor, and as such is considered one of the ancestresses of the hill giant race. She may be one of those who tutored his brother Karontor. She has many enemies among the sylvan gods.

Some centuries ago, the night hags waged war against the lich-god Mellifleur, who had seized control of the larva trade in one region of the Lower Planes. The hags created the altraloth Typhus in order to combat him. However, Mellifleur would not dare to attack Cegilune directly, for she protects her essence with numerous soul-gems hidden from his gaze and protected with powerful contingency spells.

Realm

Cegilune makes her lair in the realm of Hagsend in Pluton, the third gloom of the Gray Waste of Hades. She is said to dwell in a filthy, bone-strewn cave halfway up a bleak mountain of desolate black rock. There, she endlessly stirs her cauldron; a full moon hovers over it.

Worshipers

Cegilune is feared by sylvan beings as a dark and bloody stalker, and even hags despise their goddess, hating her for what she has made of them, respecting only her power. They fear her greed, believing she will take from them that which is rightfully theirs.

Cegilune rules the night hags with an iron hand, sending them forth to gather larvae for her use.

Clergy

Cegilune's favored weapon is the quarterstaff.

Temples

Cegilune is worshiped in grisly shrines near the cauldrons of her followers.

Holy Days

Cegilune is worshiped with praises and curses every night, cumulating in a ceremony held under the full moon nearest the Winter Solstice (Celene is full on Midwinter Night itself, while Luna is full the week before on Sunsebb 18), when her worshipers compete to inflict the greatest suffering in the blood sacrifices they offer their fell patron.

Myths and legends

According to myths told by the ogres and hill giants, Cegilune was once a beautiful, silver-haired goddess of the moon. Her priestesses were granted special powers to further her worship: those known as the Songs of Cegilune were granted beautiful voices, her prophets were given the ability to walk on water, and her protectors were given great strength.

As the Age wore on, fickle Cegilune grew complacent, and new deities usurped her worship. As her veneration declined, wrinkles began to appear on her lovely face, and those priestesses she called her daughters began to age as well. Enraged, Cegilune dispatched her daughters to slaughter hundreds of her former followers.

This expended most of her power, leaving Cegilune and her daughters wrinkled crones. Other deities, enraged by this violation of the sanctity of the Prime Material Plane, rose against her and drove her into the underworld. With this final corruption of their goddess, the daughters of Cegilune were corrupted as well, the Songs becoming green hags, the prophets becoming sea hags, and the protectors becoming the dreaded annis.

References

Additional reading

• Bonny, Ed. "Pox of the Planes." Dragon Annual #2. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1997.
• Schneider, F. Wesley. "The Ecology of the Annis." Dragon #345 (Paizo Publishing, 2006).