Lolth

Araushnee (a.k.a. Lolth)

Lolth, known as the Queen of Spiders or the Queen of the Demonweb Pits, is the most influential goddess of the drow, within the pantheon of the drow. She is worshipped greatly in the Underdark and commands the realm of the Web of Lies.

Tenets of Faith

Her sacred animals are arachnids. She considers them valuable enough to kill those who mistreat them. Lolth's follower base is varied. It mainly consists of drow but also include aranea, chitine, draegloths and deep dragons. She has gained a few elven followers, and tried to gain more worshipers by assuming the aspect of Pyfarus.
Lolth's clerics are almost exclusively female (although there are a few males). They represent the rulers of most Lolthite communities, and strictly follow the Spider Queen's will, forcing the drow into extreme subservience to their deity, and into the constant state of conflict that dominates their lives. Each priestess strives for the favour of the Spider Queen and is ready to do anything in order to gain status in her goddess' eyes. Her clergy sacrifice the living and treasure for her glory. Their vestments are normally adorned with spider motifs. Her rituals require them to wear darker clothes- or none at all.

The Way of Lolth

The followers of Lolth have interpreted her reign in their own ways. The most dominant of her devotees follow the Way of Lolth.

• There is no god or goddess other than Lolth. Any who follows the dictates of another entity will be slain, preferably as a sacrifice to Lolth.
• Ritual worship of any entity other than Lolth is forbidden within the city's vault. Non-drow who violate this tenet are fined and expelled from the city. Second offenders or any drow who do so are slain.
• Slaves have no rights, and there are no limits to the punishments or duties that can be set for them. Treatment of slaves is the affair of their owners. It is a capital offense for a slave to refuse any order from a drow of the house that owns the slave.
• A commoner or student of the Academy who refuses to obey a priestess can be punished as the offended priestess sees fit, up to and including death. If the offender is the property of another house and the noble of that house is present and objects, the two must agree on a punishment (usually flogging).
• Any drow who falsely wears the colors of another house or who deliberately alters his or her appearance to masquerade as one of a different station will be slain.
• Any non-drow who adopts the appearance of a particular drow, a drow of a noble rank, or a drow of a house other than his or her own will be slain.
• If it can be proved that two or more houses attacked another house, all the houses that participated in the attack will be destroyed jointly by the remainder.

Realm

Lolth dwells in her divine realm of the Web of Lies, a demonic realm formed entirely of a single great fractal web, where she is served by legions of powerful mystical slaves. Lolth's residence in this realm is a mobile iron spider-shaped stronghold. The Web of Lies is located on the 66th layer of the Abyss. In the current iteration of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, the Demonweb Pits is a plane to itself.

The Dark Seldarine

Lolth is the leader of the Dark Seldarine, the drow pantheon of gods but a pantheon in name only. The Spider Queen dominates all of the other powers of the Dark Seldarine and brooks (or at least admits) no challenge to her ultimate authority and only the weakest members, Kiaransalee and Selvetarm, acknowledge Lolth as the leader of their pantheon, an unavoidable testament to the great power of the Spider Queen. Lolth is unanimously hated by the other members of the Dark Seldarine. All but Eilistraee wish to usurp the Spider Queen and replace her as the head of their dark pantheon, but the Dark Maiden seeks to end her vicious mother's evil tyranny over the drow and help them return to the Realms Above in peace and redemption. Until recently, the home of the Dark Seldarine was based in the Web of Lies, the 66th layer of the Abyss, though Eilistraee prefers to reside in Arvandor with her father. This has changed with Lolth's recent ascension to greater godhood.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Lolth, known at birth as Araushnee, is one of the most ancient beings still active in the multiverse. Her plans have been years in the making, and she constantly teeters between evil and neutral. Her rule over her subjects is considered tyrannical, though it is unknown if Lolth herself is actually behind this, or if Mephala the Web-Spinner is crafting this hierarchy of power to put herself at the top, just beneath the Spider Queen.
Regardless, Araushnee was one of the Seldarine; the ancient elven pantheon. She was a master of beasts and insects. However, due to unknown circumstances, she found herself cursed by Corellon of the Seldarine, and removed from the pantheon, being left behind in the Underdark. She then became known as Lolth, patron of spiders and monstrosities. When the elf subraces began to emerge, Lolth brought some of the "pure elves" to the Underdark and helped them become drow.

Divine Classification

Lesser Deity

Religions

• Caelesti Pantheon
• The Dark Seldarine
• The Skorva

Species

Drider

Ethnicity

Netherese

Realm

Underdark

Honorary & Occupational Titles

Queen of Spiders, Queen of the Demonweb Pits, Dark Mother, Mother of Lusts, The Lady of Chaos, Spider Bitch, Weaver of Destiny, The Weaver

Previously Held Ranks & Titles

• Darklord

Age

Around 27,000 years old

Gender

F

Eyes

Purple

Hair

White

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Grey

Height

12'11"

Other Affiliations

• Darkonian Knights
• Eclipse
• The Dark Seldarine