The Morrigan
Morrigu Morrigan, Queen of Ghosts. CE intermediate power of battle, war (She/Her)
Pantheon: Celtic (Tuatha de Danann)
Symbol: A sword hilt, two crossed spears
Realm: Outlands / Tir na Og / The Bloody Field
Known Proxies: Badb, Fen, Macha and Nemhain (all proxy human fighters [she/her] / CE)
Morrigu Morrigan, often referred to simply as “the Morrigan,” is a figure steeped in fear rather than respect. As the Queen of Ghosts and a power of war, she embodies the darker aspects of conflict. Her form is that of a young woman, but with the visage of a hideous crone, and she often erupts into terrifying maniacal laughter. Her fascination with battle is so intense that she even derides the Daghdha for his peace-making efforts with other pantheons.
The Bloody Field, her realm in the Outlands and Tir na Og, is a brutal landscape, mirroring the violent nature of Ysgard but with a more sinister twist. It’s a place where only the warlike feel at home. Here, her petitioners engage in endless combat, wounds healing at noontime and the dead returning to life. However, this resurrection is a luxury not afforded to visitors, who find themselves permanently written into the dead-book if they fall in battle. Moreover, those who don’t sufficiently revel in the thrill of combat suffer injuries that take twice as long to heal.
The Bloody Field is devoid of towns or buildings, with the Caverns of Woe serving as an extension of the battlefield rather than a refuge. While it’s considered unsporting to slay a resting warrior, the ruthless petitioners of the Morrigan often ignore such courtesies.
The Morrigan’s proxies are the warrior-queens Macha, Fen, Nemhain, and Badb, each of whom possess formidable powers. Macha can incite violence with a mere glance, Fen can turn solid ground to mud, Badb Baerg (‘the battle crow’) can transform into a raven and command carrion birds, and Nemhain’s gaze induces fear, bloodlust and panic, and some say, can even frighten a poor sod to death or turn a man into a bloodthirsty beast. These four, possibly minor powers themselves, embody the ferocity and terror associated with the Morrigan.
Together, the Morrigan and her proxies—although some gray-breards reckon they may all be aspects of the same single being—represent the most fearsome and destructive aspects of warfare in the Celtic pantheon, turning the Bloody Field into a realm where battle is not just a fact of life but a relentless and terrifying ordeal.
Canonical Sources:
- On Hallowed Ground [2e] p42,70,74,172 (full description)
- Hellbound: The Dark of the War [2e] p71 (brief mention)
- Planescape Campaign Setting: Sigil and Beyond [2e] p16 (brief mention)
