Black Butterfly

Black Butterfly

(Deity)

Titles

The Silence Between
Desna's Shadow

Realm

Stair of Stars

Alignment

Chaotic good

Areas of Concern

Distance
Silence
Space

Worshipers

deaf, mute, parted lovers, those vowed to isolation, those vowed to silence, explorers

Edicts

Study the stars, notice moments of silence, perform anonymous acts of kindness

Anathema

Disrupt another's meditation, interrupt tranquil moments, play noisy or discordant music

Follower Alignments (1E)

LG	NG	CG
LN	N	CN
LE	NE	CE

Domains (1E)

Chaos, Good, Liberation, Void

Subdomains (1E)

Azata, Freedom, Revolution, Stars

Follower Alignments (2E)

LG	NG	CG
LN	N	CN
LE	NE	CE

Domains (2E)

Freedom, secrecy, star, void

Favored Weapon

Starknife

Symbol

Black butterfly with star

Sacred Animal

Butterfly

Sacred Colors

Black, silver

Source: Chronicle of the Righteous, pg(s). 9 (1E)
Gods & Magic, pg(s). 83, 128–129 (2E)

Ⅰ

Ⅱ

Black Butterfly

(Creature)

Type

Outsider
(azata, chaotic, extraplanar, good)

CR

28

Environment

Any (Elysium)

Alignment

LG	NG	CG
LN	N	CN
LE	NE	CE

Source: Bestiary 6, pg(s). 112–113

Ⅰ

Black Butterfly is a powerful azata empyreal lord. She never acts rashly and believes in the wisdom of the cosmos to guide her. She teaches that in the silence between breaths and thoughts, one's true nature can be seen.

History

According to legend, the Black Butterfly was conjured by Desna accidentally: as Desna placed the stars in the sky she made a pattern that, upon completion, manifested itself as the Black Butterfly.

Homes

The Black Butterfly hides in the dark spaces of the Stair of Stars, which leads to Cynosure, Desna's palace. Her realm is a quiet void, with breathable air for all creatures and pockets of solid shadows for those that want their feet grounded. It is very difficult to find and not even scholars can agree on its exact location, though desperate travellers sometimes make their way there and enjoy momentary succour.

The Black Butterfly keeps a secondary, small realm within Cynosure itself, where her shades live.

Appearance

The Silence Between looks like the silhouette of a woman that also has white hair and eyes. Her wings contain images of planets, stars, and galaxies. One of these stars is actually Voidsedge, the Black Butterfly's starknife, which she can call to her hand at any time.

Relationships

The Black Butterfly despises all sorts of evil and views the Dark Tapestry as its worst form. Few can match her knowledge about the Dark Tapestry, but she refuses to share this knowledge, as she thinks that doing so will help her foes.

Church

The Black Butterfly's followers are those who live lives of silence, like the deaf and the mute, and explorers venturing into uncharted territory. The Black Butterfly is typically worshiped in monasteries atop mountain peaks, in underground spaces, and on asteroids. On holy days, her devotees eschew loud spectacles. Creatures she favors include celestial gloomwings, star monarchs, and yamahs.

Her most obedient followers perform an anonymous charitable act each day, in order to foster the perception that good things sometimes happen to one just because one deserves it. If the beneficiary is seen or spoken to, the follower must spend an hour blindfolded while praying, then tithe to a temple of the Black Butterfly or other good deity.

Black Butterfly is one of the deities and empyreal lords, along with Pulura and Desna, who are worshipped by Usena azarketis. Usenas live in cold waters of the Steaming Sea and emerge from their homes beneath the sea ice every night to gaze at the stars and share stories and songs.

Religious symbol

Black Butterfly's religious symbol is a black butterfly with a star on its thorax.

References

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.