Lolth

Lolth is a goddess of cold cruelty not out of place in the darkest depths of the endless Abyss, reveling in betrayal and bloodshed and toying with everyone from her minions to her victims. Lolth is a manifestation of Atlach-Nacha; she not only changes her appearance to this race, but she changes her demeanor. As Atlach-Nacha, she is Neutral-evil; as Lolth, she is Chaotic-Evil. She not only enjoys, but thrives upon torture, destruction, and death, whether personally performing it or causing it. Every interaction is ultimately done with malice, ill will seething from her every move, and even those who knew her well could be surprised by just how deep her viciousness went. Her malevolence could be compared to the rage of the brutal orc deity Gruumsh, but where his fury is as mindlessly violent as a force of nature, her malice is complicated and deliberate. Furthermore, Gruumsh could at least be said to be steady and constant in his hate, whilst Lolth's is utterly capricious.   Lolth demands absolute fealty and obedience from all drow, and questioning her motives or wisdom was considered a sin. This applies even to male drow despite her considering them to be unclean, and she takes vengeful notice if one abandoned her faith. She also secretly desires the worship of other types of elves, as well as humans, and enjoys corrupting them into her service even more than torment and devastation. In contrast, she foments unending chaos amongst the drow, eternally setting them against each other. Ostensibly this is to weed out the weak and complacent, leaving only the strongest, cruelest, and most devious to serve her, and to some degree she believes this, but it is also simply for her own amusement and supremacy.   Despite her demands for loyalty, those who blindly obeys Lolth's demands may find themselves quickly led to their deaths. In truth, Lolth's capricious nature means that there are few hard-and-fast rules, and much uncertainty as to her desires. The successful have to pay attention to her ever-changing wants,for her favor is fickle, and those who she play favorites with (a frequent occurrence) will inevitably find her turning on them without warning. The Spider Queen is technically capable of displays of kindness and aiding those she fancies,and she usually gives one chance for the disfavored to redeem themselves, but this typically means a dangerous mission for most. In others it might just mean silently watching their next move. She can never be relied on and her ultimate motivation is almost always manipulative.   Lolth's promotion of infighting amongst her worshipers leads many to believe she is insane, and this assessment is not baseless. Indeed, ever since her fall from grace her sanity has frayed and fractured and she became the petty, conniving monster she was commonly known as. Her will is not merely fluid, but often times contradictory, although even if she is mad, the drow place more importance on a deep and devious sense of cunning than mental stability. Ironically, for all her demands for obedience, nothing demands her attention and admiration more than treachery, even towards herself (if only temporarily). Guile and political ruthlessness are the signs of her favorite servants, and she ultimately admires ambition more than she does loyalty.
Lolth by Chad Watson via Midjourney
Manifestation of Atlach-Nacha, Lady of Chaos, Mistress of Lies
Favored Weapon: Dagger   Symbol: Spider   Temple: Natural caves and caverns   Worshipers: Drow elves, Humans, Orc   Servitors: Spiders and Arachnids of all kinds


Cover image: Moon Phases by Unknown

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