Lolth (Loh - Th)
The Matron of Spiders
Lolth is a a Drow Goddess who was banished to The Feydark long ago as punishment for perceived crimes against Jilvarif.
With her banishment to the Feydark, Lolth has needed to operate in peculiar ways in order to further her own ends, and nowhere is that more evident than in the actions of her people, the Drow. Guided by spiders in their dark, dreary, and dangerous home, the cursed elven people are ruled with an iron fist deep within the earth, far from the reaches of the sun.
Lolth favors pragmatism almost to a fault, encouraging her followers and others to do what they need to do in order to survive, take what they need to take, and kill who they need to kill. When survival must be earned in a place as dangerous as the Feydark, morality falls by the wayside. No one knows and accepts this as much as Lolth and her people, to an almost horrifying degree.
Most importantly, Lolth has enforced a Matriarchy. Men are considered to be second-class citizens, with more extreme-practicing cities even having them compared similarly to slaves. They are the grunts, the mules, and the fodder for the women who hold all the true power, the true nobility, and the true knowledge. It is not at all uncommon for a Lolthian Matron or female Drow noble to have dozens of men employed, whether as fighters, servants, or concubines, only for the women to slaughter them on a whim or to prove some sort of point; an act that Lolth reveres.
Followers of Lolth tend to be just as pragmatic as Lolth herself, and do not hesitate to commit whatever atrocious acts are required to eek out their living in their cavernous depths. Even on the surface, where the Drow curse is at its worst and the very sunlight whittles away at their flesh, Lolth's followers will steal, kill, and kidnap as needed, and have absolutely no qualms about enslaving entire swarms of surface dwellers to make up for the minute scores of Drow and the massive workforces required to accomplish a decent civilization amongst the tunnels of monstrosities. Truly, raiding the surface, pillaging and looting as much as they can becomes almost second-nature to a Drow that fully embodies Lolth's teachings. All of it is done in the name of surviving the hell that was forced upon them.
What's worse still is, almost all Drow have come to greatly enjoy it. Generations and generations of blood and war have slowly caused only the most ruthless and callous to survive, and Lolth has always encouraged the strong to rise above. Betraying your fellow kin, with your Goddess' blessing and the promise of promotion in the form of taking the one who's title you covet, also earns the society as a whole that one less mouth to feed. With your victory, you proved that your victim wasn't fit to survive.
Divine Domains
With Trickery, War, and Poison, Lolth has all of the hallmark interests that a given Warlord may have; though she naturally has a much more subtle lean into it all. Pragmatism, some muse, would be her true domain if it were possible. Such a vested interest in achieving one's goals has given Lolth the drive to rise past her shackles and to continue proving that perhaps she isn't trapped in the Feydark, no. The Feydark is trapped with her.
Lolth Clerics are primarily Trickery, War, Chaos, and Arcana domain. However, uniquely, some Lolthian Clerics of Life exist. Scholars attribute this to perhaps her original role in the Feywild, even though she was exiled so forcefully. Other scholars argue that perhaps it is her persistence in clinging to Life in the Feydark to begin with that has her capable of granting such restorative magics.
Divine Symbols & Sigils
Lolth's Symbol is as recognizable as any respectable God in the more favorable pantheons, though it does indeed come in two forms. One is in the form of a black widow spider hanging downwards as though to pounce on its prey below - the symbol most likely to be seen amongst buildings and architecture.
Her other symbol is that of a star not too unlike a compass rose or a spread out spider's web, perhaps, silvery and webbed along every tip, and ordained with a small gem in the very center with a black widow's red hourglass shape. Uniquely, the "north" and "south" needles of this "compass rose" are large and sharp, like two daggers to be stabbed into the throat of one's enemies. This symbol is more commonly seen on attire and shields, let alone finery.
Tenets of Faith
- Survive. There is no greater shame than dying like a dog in a hole.
- Woman are superior to men, who deserve to grovel and rot underneath a woman's boot.
- Take what is yours, prove your strength, and claim your throne.
- Do NOT disappoint the Matriarch, and do NOT bring harm to her brood of spiders.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
It is said that Lolth's story is one of ultimate trickery, an act considered heinous enough for her banishment to the Feydark to be considered just.
The story goes that once, a long time ago, Jilvarif's son was biologically his, but a newborn birthed from the union of him and his wife and still confined to his crib, barely able to speak. One day, his son had vanished, causing a great darkness to envelop the Feywild as the mother mourned while Jilvarif searched.
Eventually, Jilvarif's child was returned by Lolth, when she was still an Eladrin as well. Unfortunately, the child's mother immediately recognized the child as a changeling, and Lolth's trickery was discovered - she had stolen the baby and swapped it for a Changeling, most likely with some evil scheme in mind once the child was old enough to wield a blade.
As punishment for her skullduggery, Jilvarf banished Lolth to the Feydark, and for the very sun itself to sear her flesh should she ever try to escape her prison.
The Drow who believed this punishment unjust, traveled into the Feydark themselves alongside Lolth in defiance of her fate and refusal to have her rot in a hole alone, and for their impudence, Jilvarif extended the curse onto them as well, which sparked a chain reaction from other gods to use the bowels of the Feydark as a place of horrid exile - where eventually the Duergar and the Svirfneblin would rise as well.
Jilvarif and his wife continued to raise the Changeling despite knowing that it wasn't truly their son, giving him everything they could and ensuring he grew up safe and loved...
Lolthians believe this story went a different way...
Social
Mannerisms
It is said, though not confirmed, that Lolth occasionally chooses someone to be their "Oracle". It is not widely understood what exactly an "Oracle" entails except for the fact that most of them have claimed to have the most direct connection to Lolth that can possibly be achieved - some even claiming that she can control their bodies at will.
Most dismiss this as foolish drivel, as such a thing would surely violate the Law of the Gods that prevents direct involvement on the Material Plane, would it not?
... Right?
Divine Classification
Goddess
Species
Ethnicity
Realm
Church/Cult
Honorary & Occupational Titles
"The Goddess of Drow"
"The Matriarch"
"The Queen of the Feydark"
"Mekhi"
A bad bitch
Children
Gender
Female
Eyes
Red, sharp and cunning.
Hair
Long, sleek, white
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Dark skinned, tainted by her curse
Aligned Organization
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