Eilistraee (EEL-iss-TRAY-yee or eel-ISS-tray-ee or eel-iss-tray-yee or eil-iss-tray-yee)
Eilistraee was the chaotic good drow goddess of beauty, song, dance, freedom, moonlight, swordwork, and hunting, within the drow pantheon known as the Dark Seldarine. She was the patroness and protector of the few dark elves who longed to return to the surface and live there, at peace with other races, and to abandon the endless conflicts and intrigues that dominated the lives of most drow. She was often referred to as the The Dark Maiden, the Lady of the Dance, or Lady Silverhair, and sometimes The Dark Dancer, among other titles Briefly, she was known as The Masked Lady, while her faith subsumed that of the Masked Lord Vhaeraun, her divine brother. Her name was pronounced variously as "EEL-iss-TRAY-yee", "eel-ISS-tray-ee", "eel-iss-tray-yee", or "eil-iss-tray-yee". Eilistraee pronounced her own name "AISLE-iss-try-ee", while Elminster Aumar, Qilué Veladorn, and the rest of the Seven Sisters pronounced it "Isle-ISS-tree", even when addressing the goddess face to face.
She was the daughter of Araushnee (later Lolth) and Corellon Larethian, a free-spirited and kind-hearted goddess, with a fiery streak in her personality. When, during her youth, a host of evil deities assaulted Arvandor (her home), Araushnee's treachery almost made her slay her own father. Even though she was cleared from any guilt, Eilistraee chose to share her mother's exile, because she knew that the drow would need her light in the times to come. After the descent of the drow, Eilistraee tried to be a mother goddess to her people and bring them the hope of a new life. She fought to lead them back to the lands of light, helping them to flourish and prosper in harmony with other races, free from Lolth's tyranny and the conflicts that dominated their lives. Hers was an uphill battle, however, as her power was little and she was opposed by all the gods of the Dark Seldarine. But, despite having to overcome many hardships and setbacks, Eilistraee never gave up fighting for her people. In the 1370s DR, her conflict with her mother over the souls of the drow race ultimately led to Eilistraee's defeat and disappearance. It lasted for about a century, until the Second Sundering (circa 1480s DR), when Eilistraee returned to life and to her followers.
As a young goddess, Eilistraee was a free spirit, with a moody and wild side and an unpredictable temper. Even as she matured, these traits never really left her: she had a fiery streak and was prone to wild action, especially in protection of her faithful when they were harmed. The evil that was inflicted upon—and perpetuated by—most drow caused a burning anger within her, one that could cause her to lash out, but she was comforted that some worked their way free of the Spider Queen's web.
The Dark Maiden was particularly close to her people. Aside from providing practical help in their everyday life, she was known to offer comfort and support in various ways, including listening to them as they let out or vented their personal emotions and experiences. When the right time came, she also personally accompanied her followers who didn't die in battle to their afterlife in a moving celebration known as the Last Dance. According to Rowaan Vrinn, Eilistraee didn't test her followers, as the challenges of life were enough of a test themselves. She valued the intent behind their actions more than the actual success.
Though focused on the drow, Eilistraee accepted folk of all races who danced along her path, who delighted in life and in the free-form expression of it in all its forms. She fought so that all races could live peacefully together, helping and accepting each other despite their differences, and strongly believed in the possibility of redemption for those who had fallen to evil, especially the drow.
Eilistraean communities were often of matriarchal nature. However, differently from Lolth's, theirs was a nurturing matriarchy, meant to empower all—males and females alike—to thrive on the surface world, and characterized by a very loose hierarchy. In fact, the clerics of Eilistraee, commonly known as Sword Dancers, acted as an extension of Eilistraee's own motherhood of the drow, and took the role of teachers, protectresses, and diplomats. The priestesses aided their people to learn to live and forge their own path in a hostile world, and to rediscover a sense of belonging and community. They also protected their people from danger, and built a place for them to live by establishing friendships and relationships with other races. The Eilistraeans were also known to offer aid and shelter to those who came asking them (no matter the race), and even to actively travel to other places in order to bring food, cures, arts, and practical help where there was need of it and to those met along the way.
Many followers of Eilistraee, and especially her clerics, strove to learn and promote arts—with a soft spot for music and dance—as well as teaching them and passing along the knowledge of particular pieces, songs, or dances learned during travels or created by them. They would also take care of broken musical instruments, or craft new ones. Those who didn't know an art, were instead known to support bards by hiring them when they could afford it. This was part of their way to promote joy and merriment in their communities and during their travels.
That said, despite their efforts, the faithful of Eilistraee, were little known and poorly understood by inhabitants of both the Realms Above and the Underdark. Her worshipers were figures of myth and superstition and were targets of prejudice and wild mistruths. Some surface dwellers believed they were the disguised vanguard of the Spider Goddess's plan to take over the surface, while those drow who followed Lolth or other evil deities suspected them of being surface elf spies and saboteurs posing as drow as a prelude to invasion. Most non-elves could not comprehend the existence of a good drow deity, while surface elves were uncomfortable considering it, finding Eilistraee a threat to their doctrine that the dark elves were wholly to blame for the Crown Wars and other ancient tragedies.
Eilistraee was most commonly worshiped in Cormanthor among the drow there and in the Dalelands among the half-elves, and also in Waterdeep and Skullport. She also had followers (mostly humans, elves, and half-elves) living in Silverymoon and its surroundings. All her worshipers were typically of a good nature.
The Dark Dancer was worshiped through song and dance, if at all possible in the surface world under the moon (preferably in wooded places). Worship of her was usually accompanied by a feast.
She was the daughter of Araushnee (later Lolth) and Corellon Larethian, a free-spirited and kind-hearted goddess, with a fiery streak in her personality. When, during her youth, a host of evil deities assaulted Arvandor (her home), Araushnee's treachery almost made her slay her own father. Even though she was cleared from any guilt, Eilistraee chose to share her mother's exile, because she knew that the drow would need her light in the times to come. After the descent of the drow, Eilistraee tried to be a mother goddess to her people and bring them the hope of a new life. She fought to lead them back to the lands of light, helping them to flourish and prosper in harmony with other races, free from Lolth's tyranny and the conflicts that dominated their lives. Hers was an uphill battle, however, as her power was little and she was opposed by all the gods of the Dark Seldarine. But, despite having to overcome many hardships and setbacks, Eilistraee never gave up fighting for her people. In the 1370s DR, her conflict with her mother over the souls of the drow race ultimately led to Eilistraee's defeat and disappearance. It lasted for about a century, until the Second Sundering (circa 1480s DR), when Eilistraee returned to life and to her followers.
Personality
Due to a history of grief and losses, and to the suffering of her people, melancholy and sadness were deeply rooted in Eilistraee's heart. It was a hard battle to endure, one that could weigh her down. However, it had also taught her to search for and nurture beauty everywhere, even in places like the Underdark, where it didn't seem to belong. Eilistraee fought her melancholy by striving to bring hope and joy where there was sorrow, so that no moment was lost to gloom, and to make life flourish wherever she went. She learned to find happiness in peace and arts, especially music and dance; in simple things like seeing artists composing and performing, craftsmen at their work, people doing acts of kindness, and lovers in tender moments. She especially took delight in helping the needy in various practical ways, with a soft spot for outcasts, and in blessing artists with sudden bursts of creativity and inspiration.As a young goddess, Eilistraee was a free spirit, with a moody and wild side and an unpredictable temper. Even as she matured, these traits never really left her: she had a fiery streak and was prone to wild action, especially in protection of her faithful when they were harmed. The evil that was inflicted upon—and perpetuated by—most drow caused a burning anger within her, one that could cause her to lash out, but she was comforted that some worked their way free of the Spider Queen's web.
The Dark Maiden was particularly close to her people. Aside from providing practical help in their everyday life, she was known to offer comfort and support in various ways, including listening to them as they let out or vented their personal emotions and experiences. When the right time came, she also personally accompanied her followers who didn't die in battle to their afterlife in a moving celebration known as the Last Dance. According to Rowaan Vrinn, Eilistraee didn't test her followers, as the challenges of life were enough of a test themselves. She valued the intent behind their actions more than the actual success.
Though focused on the drow, Eilistraee accepted folk of all races who danced along her path, who delighted in life and in the free-form expression of it in all its forms. She fought so that all races could live peacefully together, helping and accepting each other despite their differences, and strongly believed in the possibility of redemption for those who had fallen to evil, especially the drow.
Worshipers
The worshipers of Eilistraee mostly consisted of those drow who hoped to escape the danger and darkness of the Underdark and Lolth's evil, taking back their place in the surface world. However, in line with her ideals, Eilistraee would welcome beings of all races (though, among her non-drow followers, elves, humans, and especially half-elves were the most numerous). They shared the desire of seeing all races living in harmony, without pointless discrimination or wars, and worked towards that goal (and those among them who were drow also fought to build their own place on the Realms above).Eilistraean communities were often of matriarchal nature. However, differently from Lolth's, theirs was a nurturing matriarchy, meant to empower all—males and females alike—to thrive on the surface world, and characterized by a very loose hierarchy. In fact, the clerics of Eilistraee, commonly known as Sword Dancers, acted as an extension of Eilistraee's own motherhood of the drow, and took the role of teachers, protectresses, and diplomats. The priestesses aided their people to learn to live and forge their own path in a hostile world, and to rediscover a sense of belonging and community. They also protected their people from danger, and built a place for them to live by establishing friendships and relationships with other races. The Eilistraeans were also known to offer aid and shelter to those who came asking them (no matter the race), and even to actively travel to other places in order to bring food, cures, arts, and practical help where there was need of it and to those met along the way.
Many followers of Eilistraee, and especially her clerics, strove to learn and promote arts—with a soft spot for music and dance—as well as teaching them and passing along the knowledge of particular pieces, songs, or dances learned during travels or created by them. They would also take care of broken musical instruments, or craft new ones. Those who didn't know an art, were instead known to support bards by hiring them when they could afford it. This was part of their way to promote joy and merriment in their communities and during their travels.
That said, despite their efforts, the faithful of Eilistraee, were little known and poorly understood by inhabitants of both the Realms Above and the Underdark. Her worshipers were figures of myth and superstition and were targets of prejudice and wild mistruths. Some surface dwellers believed they were the disguised vanguard of the Spider Goddess's plan to take over the surface, while those drow who followed Lolth or other evil deities suspected them of being surface elf spies and saboteurs posing as drow as a prelude to invasion. Most non-elves could not comprehend the existence of a good drow deity, while surface elves were uncomfortable considering it, finding Eilistraee a threat to their doctrine that the dark elves were wholly to blame for the Crown Wars and other ancient tragedies.
Eilistraee was most commonly worshiped in Cormanthor among the drow there and in the Dalelands among the half-elves, and also in Waterdeep and Skullport. She also had followers (mostly humans, elves, and half-elves) living in Silverymoon and its surroundings. All her worshipers were typically of a good nature.
The Dark Dancer was worshiped through song and dance, if at all possible in the surface world under the moon (preferably in wooded places). Worship of her was usually accompanied by a feast.
Divine Domains
Light, Nature, Life
Divine Symbols & Sigils
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Eilistraee was born the daughter of Corellon Larethian, head of the elven gods, and Araushnee the Weaver (who later took the name of Lolth), a minor elven goddess. She was the sister of Vhaeraun.
Around −30,000 DR, ambitious and traitorous, envious of the authority that her consort Corellon had over the elven people, Araushnee (with the cooperation of her son, Vhaeraun) gathered a host of deities who were opposed to the Seldarine, tricking them into assaulting Arvandor in an attempt to overthrow Corellon. The Weaver also tried to seduce Fenmarel Mestarine, elven god of outcasts and rebels, to join her in the imminent rebellion. As her adulterous lover, he was initially tempted by her advances, but he ultimately declined the offer.
The only deity of Arvandor who took steps to stop Araushnee's plan before it could unfold was Sehanine Moonbow. Through her connection to moonlight, she had in fact witnessed the Weaver crafting a scabbard meant for Corellon, imbued with cursed magic devised to bring defeat in battle to its owner. The item had been crafted by Araushnee before a meeting between Corellon and Gruumsh that was supposedly meant to establish the terms of a truce, but that in truth she had orchestrated with the orc god with the purpose of slaying her lover. This attempt was however a failure, and the sheath was lost in the battle, only to be later retrieved by Sehanine. The Lady of Dreams—-aware of Araushnee's betrayal, but knowing how important her love was to Corellon—tried to dissuade her from such madness, but the Weaver reacted violently, defeating and imprisoning the moon goddess with the aid of Vhaeraun. With the only meaningful obstacle out of their way, Araushnee and Vhaeraun proceeded with their plan, working to lead Eilistraee to find the cursed item. They exploited the Dark Maiden's adoration for her father, knowing that she would have been more than eager to search for the sheath, and overjoyed to return such a prized possession to him, making her the perfect scapegoat.
When the attack began, Eilistraee (whose skills in archery, scouting, and hunting were widely known among the Seldarine) was the first to spot the threat, allowing her father and the other elven deities to prepare a defence. The Dark Maiden took part in the battle, enthusiastic and proud to be able to fight by her father's side in defence of their home. In the heat of the battle that ensued, when Ghaunadaur made its entrance, Corellon painfully realized that the threat had to have come from within the Seldarine itself, as a being like Ghaunadaur could only enter Arvandor if a true evil already lurked within the plane. His sorrow grew even more intense when he realized that his lover, Araushnee, was behind it, as she stood observing the battle in triumph. Seeing the distraction and shock of the elven lord, an ogre god took advantage of the situation and charged towards his position: he almost managed to end his life, but Eilistraee acted swiftly to defend her father, loosing an arrow at the charging ogre-god. The young goddess didn't know, however, that the scabbard that Araushnee had crafted for Corellon's sword was imbued with a curse which magically drew the shaft of the arrow, changing its path to instead pierce his chest. Seeing the scene from the skies, Aerdrie Faenya, unaware of the deception, struck the still-shocked Eilistraee down, incapacitating her. Despite Corellon being almost fatally wounded, the battle was ultimately won by the forces of the Seldarine and, as soon as the last invader was driven from Arvandor, the elven deities—still unbelieving that the Dark Maiden could act against her father—gathered around the unconscious elven lord, trying to aid him and save his life.
It was then that Araushnee, faking grief, put in motion the second part of her plan (as she had intended for the invaders to be defeated). Pretending to do her best to save her lover, she tried to use a concoction of poisonous herbs, prepared by Eilistraee for the arrows of the mortal dark elves, to finish Corellon, passing it for a healing elixir made up of water from Elysium and healing herbs. She hoped that if her treachery was uncovered, she could still blame Eilistraee, as the potion had been her work. This plan didn't go well: Sehanine Moonbow had in fact managed to free herself, and intervened in time to save Corellon (together with Aerdrie Faenya and Hanali Celanil, in the form of the triune goddess Angharradh) and free Eilistraee from guilt.
After the elven lord regained consciousness and the truth was made clear, he had to take the painful decision to banish all the dark elven deities for their roles in the war against the Seldarine. Eilistraee was cleared from any wrongdoing, considered only an unwitting participant, but regardless she insisted upon this punishment: she foresaw that the dark elves would need a beacon of good within their reach and her help and support in the times to come. Reluctant yet proud, Corellon conceded her wish.
After very nearly slaying her own father with a misplaced arrow, Eilistraee swore never to use ranged weaponry again, lest her missile go astray. Thereafter, the sword was the only weapon for her.
When Sharlario and Cornaith Moonflower travelled towards Ilythiir as representatives of the elves, to establish diplomatic ties with the dark elves there, Eilistraee personally appeared to both of them. The Dark Dancer came to seek friends in the two elves, and to warn them of the danger represented by Vhaeraun and his followers, and of the strife and conflict that they (and even darker deities) would have brought to the People. Both elves offered to become her followers, to support the goddess in her struggle, but—although honoured—Eilistraee kindly refused, as she only wanted the elves to be aware, and as she feared that soon her own people would become exiles like she was.
Eilistraee eventually managed to gain some followers in Ilythiir, but her strength wasn't enough for her to prevail. On the contrary, she and her followers became hunted by the Masked Lord and the Ilythiiri, and the conflict allowed Ghaunadaur to rise and gain influence over the dark elves, posing an even greater threat than Vhaeraun. Lolth's attention turned to the dark elves of Toril only later, when the moon elf Kethryllia Amarillis intruded into the Demonweb Pits, reminding the Spider Queen of a way to regain more of her divinity by having the surface elves worship her again. Her power started to rise after the First Sundering and the death of many Vhaeraunites in the destruction of Atorrnash, which contributed to the decline of the Masked Lord, and the further marginalization of Eilistraee.
After dark and green elven refugees from Aryvandaar founded Miyeritar in −18,800 DR, the Dark Maiden's faith concentrated there, as the goddess became a major patroness of the nation, which would flourish and grow into an important centre of arts and magic. However, the following centuries inflicted blow after blow to Eilistraee and her followers. During the Crown Wars (−12,000 DR to −9000 DR), she could only mitigate the growing control Lolth, Vhaeraun, and Ghaunadaur had over the dark elves. In −10,500 DR, the Dark Disaster—a magical cataclysm unleashed by the elves of Aryvandaar—caused the death of many of her people in Miyeritar, severely weakening the goddess' power. Meanwhile, Lolth and Ghaunadaur gained great influence among the dark elves, culminating in −10,000 DR, when the Seldarine and the elves gathered at the Elven Court cursed and exiled all dark elves (including Eilistraee's followers), turning them into drow. This harsh punishment was motivated by the corruption that Lolth and the balor Wendonai were spreading among the noble houses of Ilythiir, and by the worship of Lolth that had begun to spread among the Ilythiiri. Ultimately, Eilistraee could not rival Lolth's power, and the Spider Queen became the major deity of the dark elves. After this event, Lolth's and Ghaunadaur's persecution of worshipers of rival deities further marginalized the influence of the Lady of the Dance for millennia.
Eilistraee found an unlikely protégé in her nephew-god, Selvetarm. He was the son of Vhaeraun and Zandilar the Dancer (who would later become one with Bast, forming Sharess), but had spurned both his parents and walked alone for centuries, neither good nor evil. After Eilistraee found and befriended him, Selvetarm came to admire her goodness and appreciate her teachings, and the two grew close to each other. A hope was sparked in the Dark Maiden's heart: that her nephew could become an exemplar, and aid her in healing the rift between the dark elves and the Seldarine. However, said hope and friendship ended in the late 3rd century after Dalereckoning, when Lolth tricked Selvetarm into slaying Zanassu (a demon lord whom Lolth considered her rival, as he claimed to have power over spiders), by promising him that doing so would gain him the admiration of the Dark Maiden. But Selvetarm was overwhelmed by the demonic essence and he fell wholly to evil, ending up as Lolth's champion. Spiteful Lolth did this to prevent her daughter gaining an ally among the Dark Seldarine.
Despite all these setbacks, Eilistraee kept fighting to bring her hope to the drow and lead them back to their rightful place in the light. It was only in the centuries after Dalereckoning that her faith regained a degree of prominence in Faerûn.
At the beginning of the 1370s DR, the cosmology rearranged under the World Tree model. After her millennia-long exile, Eilistraee was allowed to move her divine realm, and the souls of all her followers (including drow), back to Arvandor. She kept a small realm in the Demonweb Pits, but it remained mostly empty, and Eilistraee herself very rarely visited it. It wasn't known whether moving from Ysgard to Arvandor happened out of material necessity, or was the first sign of her efforts towards reconciliation bearing results.
Even after Lolth emerged from her Silence, the deities of the Dark Seldarine continued battling for supremacy over the drow or, in Eilistraee's case, to free them from Lolth's renewed grasp.
Lolth convinced Eilistraee to play a divine game of sava, with the stakes being the players' lives and therefore the very fate of the drow. The Dark Maiden accepted, seeing an opportunity to finally end the torment that Lolth had been inflicting on the drow for millennia and to set her people free, and put herself on the line for them. After the end of the Silence, working on the Spider Queen's side, Selvetarm ordered his Judicators to initiate a series of attacks against the shrines and temples of Eilistraee. At the same time, Vhaeraun was plotting against his sister and working to devise a method to slay her. As a result, his worshipers planned to cast a High Magic spell to allow Vhaeraun to enter his sister's realm and assassinate her. However, that kind of magic was very taxing, and would have required the sacrifice of the souls of the casters. Because of that, the followers of the Masked Lord started to kill various priestesses of Eilistraee and collect their souls in their masks (a technique which they called "soultheft"), in order to use them as a fuel for the ritual.
Eventually, Qilué Veladorn, leader of the church of Eilistraee, managed to learn about their plan and started working to disrupt it, alongside the drow mage Q'arlynd Melarn (who had turned to the faith of Eilistraee). Q'arlynd's task was to take the place of one of the Vhaerunites and try to disrupt their ritual. Meanwhile, Eilistraee sought to recover the lost Crescent Blade; to that purpose, Cavatina Xarann, a Darksong Knight serving the Dark Dancer, went on a mission into the Demonweb Pits, where the sword was seen last.
With the Dark Maiden and her followers struggling against multiple fronts, Selvetarm made another move, trying to strike at the heart of his aunt's forces, as his followers attacked the Promenade of the Dark Maiden. However, his attempts ultimately failed: on Nightal 20 of the Year of Risen Elfkin, 1375 DR, the defenders of the Promenade (led by Qilué) bested the assailants, while Cavatina killed the demigod himself in the Demonweb Pits (with the help of the Lady Penitent), using the Crescent Blade, which she had recovered almost intact (but which was no longer the original artefact, and had become a vessel for the balor Wendonai).
On the same date, Q'arlynd failed to accomplish his mission and Vhaeraun managed to enter his sister Eilistraee's realm and attempted to assassinate her. Despite that, the Dark Maiden did not receive her brother unprepared, as she had been warned by her priestesses about his intentions. No mortal actually witnessed the battle that ensued, so what happened remained largely unknown. However, Eilistraee emerged from the battle alive, suggesting that Vhaeraun had failed and perished at the hand of his sister. Chaos and despair spread among the followers of the Masked Lord, but some thought that their god was still alive, and that the twins had a plan and agreed to merge and work together against their mother for a time. Others were convinced that Vhaeraun had succeeded and was disguised as Eilistraee. Either way, it was certain that after the event, Eilistraee was changed: she held both her brother's and her own portfolios, she gained the title of "Masked Lady", and caused her followers and Vhaeraun's to cooperate, albeit uneasily.
In the Year of the Haunting, 1377 DR, Kiaransalee and her cultists initiated hostilities against the Masked Lady and her followers. Furthermore, the church of the Revenancer tried to call an army of undead from Death Heart, a city on the Negative Energy Plane, by feeding the faerzress with negative energy. As a byproduct, this increased the drow's urge to go back to the Underdark, which clashed with the Dark Maiden's goal of leading her people back to the surface. Eilistraee answered to that through a High Magic ritual performed by Q'arlynd Melarn, which erased the demigoddess' name from the minds of every Torillian being, including Kiaransalee herself, leading to her disappearance. Her temple was also destroyed, and her followers' plan thwarted.
Following those events, by Eilistraee's will, Qilué began helping Q'arlynd Melarn prepare a High Magic spell meant to sever the link between the faerzress and the drow who didn't worship Lolth, and make it easier to lead them away from the Underdark and to the surface. Meanwhile, Qilué also took possession of the Wendonai-possessed Crescent Blade, and hatched a plan to kill the demon (whom Lolth had originally used to corrupt the drow into following her) by taking its essence into her and destroying it with Mystra's silver fire in the place where he had been summoned for the first time. If successful, she would have freed the drow from him, but in the time that it took her to prepare for the plan, his presence would affect and influence her.
In 1379 DR, Ghaunadaur joined the conflict between Lolth and Eilistraee, focusing his attention on the latter (who, through her chosen, had previously banished The Elder Eye's avatar from Toril). As a result, with the help of some traitors among the former Vhaeraunites who had joined the Masked Lady, his cultists managed to attack the Promenade. Their goal was to destroy the prison—guarded by the followers of Eilistraee—that prevented their god from creeping into Toril. The attempt failed, but the inhabitants of the temple, and the followers of the goddess who used the Moonspring portals to aid them, suffered heavy losses.
In Flamerule of the Year of the Lost Keep, 1379 DR, the High Magic spell that Q'arlynd Melarn and Qilué had prepared was cast with the intervention of Eilistraee (although the goddess would withdraw her presence early during the ritual). Qilué was supposed to be the main caster, but she had realized that she couldn't have taken part in the spell, for Wendonai's influence would have compromised it, and had assigned her role to Q'arlynd instead. Despite being meant to sever the link between the faerzress and the drow, the ritual also transformed hundreds among the followers of Eilistraee (who, as lesser deity, had at least a few thousands of worshipers) and those drow who were not tainted by Wendonai's blood, back to their original dark elven form.
At the same time, in order to enact the plan to destroy Wendonai, Qilué and her sister Laeral Silverhand travelled to the only place where such a task could be accomplished: the royal court of ancient Ilythiir, where the balor had been summoned for the first time. Fearing that Qilué would lose her life in the ritual, Laeral froze her in time and went to seek help, but in the meantime the drow priestess was found by the Lady Penitent, who took hold of the Crescent Blade. Eilistraee inhabited the body of her chosen to try to save her, free Halisstra's from Lolth's influence, and offer relief from torment. However, Wendonai tricked the Lady Penitent into killing Qilué and the goddess before that could happen, making her believe that the chosen and her deity were actually Lolth. After that, the souls of the newly transformed dark elves among the faithful of Eilistraee were allowed by Corellon Larethian to enter Arvandor (even though Eilistraee's realm, which continued existing, had already been moved to Arvandor almost a decade before, alongside the souls of her followers within it). Despite Corellon's decision, Qilué's soul didn't go to his realm in Arvandor, and became a Weaveghost instead.
After their reappearance, Eilistraee and Vhaeraun reached a reciprocal understanding, and the enmity between them was no more. Both siblings personally let their return be known, manifesting through their avatars to their followers, who enthusiastically spread the word. Eilistraee, in particular, was seen dancing and speaking to mortals in many places, especially along the Sword Coast. For example, the citizens of Waterdeep witnessed the Dark Dancer, as she danced in the moonlight, near the walls of the city, up the road to Amphail. This led many moondancers to the City of Splendors, with the goal of creating a shrine to their goddess (the Dancing Haven) within its walls.
Eilistraee's alliance with Mystra continued after the return of the two goddesses, as the Lady of Mysteries chose to share the Weave with the Dark Maiden and other allied deities (like Azuth). This was meant to both stabilize the Weave, and prevent it from crumbling due to disruptive actions (like Lolth's failed plan to build her own Demon Weave by parasitizing the original), or attempts on Mystra's own life (like that which caused the Spellplague). Furthermore, while Eilistraee's and Mystra's shared chosen, Qilué, remained a Weaveghost, Eilistraee didn't want to give up on her, and made sure that her priestess had full access to her divine realm.
Exile
The commonly accepted version of the story or myth of how Eilistraee came to her role in the Dark Seldarine ran as follows.Around −30,000 DR, ambitious and traitorous, envious of the authority that her consort Corellon had over the elven people, Araushnee (with the cooperation of her son, Vhaeraun) gathered a host of deities who were opposed to the Seldarine, tricking them into assaulting Arvandor in an attempt to overthrow Corellon. The Weaver also tried to seduce Fenmarel Mestarine, elven god of outcasts and rebels, to join her in the imminent rebellion. As her adulterous lover, he was initially tempted by her advances, but he ultimately declined the offer.
The only deity of Arvandor who took steps to stop Araushnee's plan before it could unfold was Sehanine Moonbow. Through her connection to moonlight, she had in fact witnessed the Weaver crafting a scabbard meant for Corellon, imbued with cursed magic devised to bring defeat in battle to its owner. The item had been crafted by Araushnee before a meeting between Corellon and Gruumsh that was supposedly meant to establish the terms of a truce, but that in truth she had orchestrated with the orc god with the purpose of slaying her lover. This attempt was however a failure, and the sheath was lost in the battle, only to be later retrieved by Sehanine. The Lady of Dreams—-aware of Araushnee's betrayal, but knowing how important her love was to Corellon—tried to dissuade her from such madness, but the Weaver reacted violently, defeating and imprisoning the moon goddess with the aid of Vhaeraun. With the only meaningful obstacle out of their way, Araushnee and Vhaeraun proceeded with their plan, working to lead Eilistraee to find the cursed item. They exploited the Dark Maiden's adoration for her father, knowing that she would have been more than eager to search for the sheath, and overjoyed to return such a prized possession to him, making her the perfect scapegoat.
When the attack began, Eilistraee (whose skills in archery, scouting, and hunting were widely known among the Seldarine) was the first to spot the threat, allowing her father and the other elven deities to prepare a defence. The Dark Maiden took part in the battle, enthusiastic and proud to be able to fight by her father's side in defence of their home. In the heat of the battle that ensued, when Ghaunadaur made its entrance, Corellon painfully realized that the threat had to have come from within the Seldarine itself, as a being like Ghaunadaur could only enter Arvandor if a true evil already lurked within the plane. His sorrow grew even more intense when he realized that his lover, Araushnee, was behind it, as she stood observing the battle in triumph. Seeing the distraction and shock of the elven lord, an ogre god took advantage of the situation and charged towards his position: he almost managed to end his life, but Eilistraee acted swiftly to defend her father, loosing an arrow at the charging ogre-god. The young goddess didn't know, however, that the scabbard that Araushnee had crafted for Corellon's sword was imbued with a curse which magically drew the shaft of the arrow, changing its path to instead pierce his chest. Seeing the scene from the skies, Aerdrie Faenya, unaware of the deception, struck the still-shocked Eilistraee down, incapacitating her. Despite Corellon being almost fatally wounded, the battle was ultimately won by the forces of the Seldarine and, as soon as the last invader was driven from Arvandor, the elven deities—still unbelieving that the Dark Maiden could act against her father—gathered around the unconscious elven lord, trying to aid him and save his life.
It was then that Araushnee, faking grief, put in motion the second part of her plan (as she had intended for the invaders to be defeated). Pretending to do her best to save her lover, she tried to use a concoction of poisonous herbs, prepared by Eilistraee for the arrows of the mortal dark elves, to finish Corellon, passing it for a healing elixir made up of water from Elysium and healing herbs. She hoped that if her treachery was uncovered, she could still blame Eilistraee, as the potion had been her work. This plan didn't go well: Sehanine Moonbow had in fact managed to free herself, and intervened in time to save Corellon (together with Aerdrie Faenya and Hanali Celanil, in the form of the triune goddess Angharradh) and free Eilistraee from guilt.
After the elven lord regained consciousness and the truth was made clear, he had to take the painful decision to banish all the dark elven deities for their roles in the war against the Seldarine. Eilistraee was cleared from any wrongdoing, considered only an unwitting participant, but regardless she insisted upon this punishment: she foresaw that the dark elves would need a beacon of good within their reach and her help and support in the times to come. Reluctant yet proud, Corellon conceded her wish.
After very nearly slaying her own father with a misplaced arrow, Eilistraee swore never to use ranged weaponry again, lest her missile go astray. Thereafter, the sword was the only weapon for her.
Wandering
After her exile, the Dark Maiden wandered Toril, the same world that the elves had chosen as their home. For centuries, she fought Vhaeraun's corruption of the Ilythiiri, thwarting his efforts to gain influence over all the dark elves of the south. Eilistraee had in fact foreseen that the influence of Vhaeraun (and of her mother, whom she knew would later come to Toril), would have led the Tel'Quessir to war against each other, and she worked to prevent that.When Sharlario and Cornaith Moonflower travelled towards Ilythiir as representatives of the elves, to establish diplomatic ties with the dark elves there, Eilistraee personally appeared to both of them. The Dark Dancer came to seek friends in the two elves, and to warn them of the danger represented by Vhaeraun and his followers, and of the strife and conflict that they (and even darker deities) would have brought to the People. Both elves offered to become her followers, to support the goddess in her struggle, but—although honoured—Eilistraee kindly refused, as she only wanted the elves to be aware, and as she feared that soon her own people would become exiles like she was.
Eilistraee eventually managed to gain some followers in Ilythiir, but her strength wasn't enough for her to prevail. On the contrary, she and her followers became hunted by the Masked Lord and the Ilythiiri, and the conflict allowed Ghaunadaur to rise and gain influence over the dark elves, posing an even greater threat than Vhaeraun. Lolth's attention turned to the dark elves of Toril only later, when the moon elf Kethryllia Amarillis intruded into the Demonweb Pits, reminding the Spider Queen of a way to regain more of her divinity by having the surface elves worship her again. Her power started to rise after the First Sundering and the death of many Vhaeraunites in the destruction of Atorrnash, which contributed to the decline of the Masked Lord, and the further marginalization of Eilistraee.
After dark and green elven refugees from Aryvandaar founded Miyeritar in −18,800 DR, the Dark Maiden's faith concentrated there, as the goddess became a major patroness of the nation, which would flourish and grow into an important centre of arts and magic. However, the following centuries inflicted blow after blow to Eilistraee and her followers. During the Crown Wars (−12,000 DR to −9000 DR), she could only mitigate the growing control Lolth, Vhaeraun, and Ghaunadaur had over the dark elves. In −10,500 DR, the Dark Disaster—a magical cataclysm unleashed by the elves of Aryvandaar—caused the death of many of her people in Miyeritar, severely weakening the goddess' power. Meanwhile, Lolth and Ghaunadaur gained great influence among the dark elves, culminating in −10,000 DR, when the Seldarine and the elves gathered at the Elven Court cursed and exiled all dark elves (including Eilistraee's followers), turning them into drow. This harsh punishment was motivated by the corruption that Lolth and the balor Wendonai were spreading among the noble houses of Ilythiir, and by the worship of Lolth that had begun to spread among the Ilythiiri. Ultimately, Eilistraee could not rival Lolth's power, and the Spider Queen became the major deity of the dark elves. After this event, Lolth's and Ghaunadaur's persecution of worshipers of rival deities further marginalized the influence of the Lady of the Dance for millennia.
Eilistraee found an unlikely protégé in her nephew-god, Selvetarm. He was the son of Vhaeraun and Zandilar the Dancer (who would later become one with Bast, forming Sharess), but had spurned both his parents and walked alone for centuries, neither good nor evil. After Eilistraee found and befriended him, Selvetarm came to admire her goodness and appreciate her teachings, and the two grew close to each other. A hope was sparked in the Dark Maiden's heart: that her nephew could become an exemplar, and aid her in healing the rift between the dark elves and the Seldarine. However, said hope and friendship ended in the late 3rd century after Dalereckoning, when Lolth tricked Selvetarm into slaying Zanassu (a demon lord whom Lolth considered her rival, as he claimed to have power over spiders), by promising him that doing so would gain him the admiration of the Dark Maiden. But Selvetarm was overwhelmed by the demonic essence and he fell wholly to evil, ending up as Lolth's champion. Spiteful Lolth did this to prevent her daughter gaining an ally among the Dark Seldarine.
Despite all these setbacks, Eilistraee kept fighting to bring her hope to the drow and lead them back to their rightful place in the light. It was only in the centuries after Dalereckoning that her faith regained a degree of prominence in Faerûn.
The Time of Troubles
In 1358 DR, when all the deities of the various pantheons were forced to walk Toril in their mortal avatar forms by Ao's decree (an event known as the Time of Troubles, or the "Avatar Crisis"), Eilistraee too was affected. She appeared to mortals at least once during the Time of Troubles. The Lady of Dance manifested in the High Forest, in the location that became known as Darkmaiden's Leap, a site of pilgrimage sacred to her. The goddess ventured there to rescue a group of drow refugees and lead them to the safety of the temple of the Promenade.Post-Avatar Crisis
During the 1360s DR, Eilistraee took to heart the young drow Liriel Baenre and her travels on the surface. While Lolth constantly tried to claim Liriel as her own chosen, Eilistraee kept subtly singing her call to the girl, guiding her and letting her channel her magic on multiple occasions, in order to help her find her own path. For example, the emotion of Eilistraee's dance, and that of her moon magic, helped Liriel to envision and create her personal rune to carve in the Yggdrasil's Child—the goal of her quest, that would have allowed her to preserve her drow magic (and therefore, to her, identity) on the surface, and which also granted all drow the same ability (although that effect was not something that Liriel had intended to happen). Eilistraee's Moonsong, the ability to hear the song of people and places lit by the moon, guided Liriel to free the elven souls that had been trapped in a magical tapestry by the illithid Vestress of the Kraken Society, and made her feel a connection to the followers of the goddess. The Dark Maiden also helped the young drow bring back her lover Fyodor from the brink of death. and Thorn—Eilistraee's own champion—assisted her in her travel to Rashemen. All in all, Eilistraee spoke to Liriel's emotional side, providing her a sense of sisterhood, and reminding her of the beauty and joy that could be found in life.At the beginning of the 1370s DR, the cosmology rearranged under the World Tree model. After her millennia-long exile, Eilistraee was allowed to move her divine realm, and the souls of all her followers (including drow), back to Arvandor. She kept a small realm in the Demonweb Pits, but it remained mostly empty, and Eilistraee herself very rarely visited it. It wasn't known whether moving from Ysgard to Arvandor happened out of material necessity, or was the first sign of her efforts towards reconciliation bearing results.
War of the Spider Queen
In the Year of Wild Magic, 1372 DR, the goddess Lolth went into a state of hibernation, a period called the Silence of Lolth, with Selvetarm protecting her, as part of a plan to increase her power and separate her divine realm, the Demonweb Pits, from the Abyss. For about one year, she stopped granting spells to her followers and became effectively inactive. During this time, Lolth's absence led a considerable number of her followers to seek alternatives in the other deities of the Dark Seldarine and this resulted in Eilistraee gaining followers and influence. She chose one of her new converts, Halisstra Melarn, to wield the artefact known as the Crescent Blade, which could be used to kill Lolth before her awakening (in 1373 DR). Halisstra went on a mission to the Demonweb Pits, leading two fellow priestesses of the Dark Maiden, Uluyara and Feliane. However, after being defeated at the hand of Quenthel Baenre, Halisstra ultimately decided to betray Eilistraee and convert back to the awakened Lolth. The Spider Queen punished her former heresy by turning her into the Lady Penitent, whose duty was to hunt drow who tried to turn to other faiths. The Crescent Blade was left broken, lying in the Demonweb Pits.Even after Lolth emerged from her Silence, the deities of the Dark Seldarine continued battling for supremacy over the drow or, in Eilistraee's case, to free them from Lolth's renewed grasp.
Lolth convinced Eilistraee to play a divine game of sava, with the stakes being the players' lives and therefore the very fate of the drow. The Dark Maiden accepted, seeing an opportunity to finally end the torment that Lolth had been inflicting on the drow for millennia and to set her people free, and put herself on the line for them. After the end of the Silence, working on the Spider Queen's side, Selvetarm ordered his Judicators to initiate a series of attacks against the shrines and temples of Eilistraee. At the same time, Vhaeraun was plotting against his sister and working to devise a method to slay her. As a result, his worshipers planned to cast a High Magic spell to allow Vhaeraun to enter his sister's realm and assassinate her. However, that kind of magic was very taxing, and would have required the sacrifice of the souls of the casters. Because of that, the followers of the Masked Lord started to kill various priestesses of Eilistraee and collect their souls in their masks (a technique which they called "soultheft"), in order to use them as a fuel for the ritual.
Eventually, Qilué Veladorn, leader of the church of Eilistraee, managed to learn about their plan and started working to disrupt it, alongside the drow mage Q'arlynd Melarn (who had turned to the faith of Eilistraee). Q'arlynd's task was to take the place of one of the Vhaerunites and try to disrupt their ritual. Meanwhile, Eilistraee sought to recover the lost Crescent Blade; to that purpose, Cavatina Xarann, a Darksong Knight serving the Dark Dancer, went on a mission into the Demonweb Pits, where the sword was seen last.
With the Dark Maiden and her followers struggling against multiple fronts, Selvetarm made another move, trying to strike at the heart of his aunt's forces, as his followers attacked the Promenade of the Dark Maiden. However, his attempts ultimately failed: on Nightal 20 of the Year of Risen Elfkin, 1375 DR, the defenders of the Promenade (led by Qilué) bested the assailants, while Cavatina killed the demigod himself in the Demonweb Pits (with the help of the Lady Penitent), using the Crescent Blade, which she had recovered almost intact (but which was no longer the original artefact, and had become a vessel for the balor Wendonai).
On the same date, Q'arlynd failed to accomplish his mission and Vhaeraun managed to enter his sister Eilistraee's realm and attempted to assassinate her. Despite that, the Dark Maiden did not receive her brother unprepared, as she had been warned by her priestesses about his intentions. No mortal actually witnessed the battle that ensued, so what happened remained largely unknown. However, Eilistraee emerged from the battle alive, suggesting that Vhaeraun had failed and perished at the hand of his sister. Chaos and despair spread among the followers of the Masked Lord, but some thought that their god was still alive, and that the twins had a plan and agreed to merge and work together against their mother for a time. Others were convinced that Vhaeraun had succeeded and was disguised as Eilistraee. Either way, it was certain that after the event, Eilistraee was changed: she held both her brother's and her own portfolios, she gained the title of "Masked Lady", and caused her followers and Vhaeraun's to cooperate, albeit uneasily.
In the Year of the Haunting, 1377 DR, Kiaransalee and her cultists initiated hostilities against the Masked Lady and her followers. Furthermore, the church of the Revenancer tried to call an army of undead from Death Heart, a city on the Negative Energy Plane, by feeding the faerzress with negative energy. As a byproduct, this increased the drow's urge to go back to the Underdark, which clashed with the Dark Maiden's goal of leading her people back to the surface. Eilistraee answered to that through a High Magic ritual performed by Q'arlynd Melarn, which erased the demigoddess' name from the minds of every Torillian being, including Kiaransalee herself, leading to her disappearance. Her temple was also destroyed, and her followers' plan thwarted.
Following those events, by Eilistraee's will, Qilué began helping Q'arlynd Melarn prepare a High Magic spell meant to sever the link between the faerzress and the drow who didn't worship Lolth, and make it easier to lead them away from the Underdark and to the surface. Meanwhile, Qilué also took possession of the Wendonai-possessed Crescent Blade, and hatched a plan to kill the demon (whom Lolth had originally used to corrupt the drow into following her) by taking its essence into her and destroying it with Mystra's silver fire in the place where he had been summoned for the first time. If successful, she would have freed the drow from him, but in the time that it took her to prepare for the plan, his presence would affect and influence her.
In 1379 DR, Ghaunadaur joined the conflict between Lolth and Eilistraee, focusing his attention on the latter (who, through her chosen, had previously banished The Elder Eye's avatar from Toril). As a result, with the help of some traitors among the former Vhaeraunites who had joined the Masked Lady, his cultists managed to attack the Promenade. Their goal was to destroy the prison—guarded by the followers of Eilistraee—that prevented their god from creeping into Toril. The attempt failed, but the inhabitants of the temple, and the followers of the goddess who used the Moonspring portals to aid them, suffered heavy losses.
In Flamerule of the Year of the Lost Keep, 1379 DR, the High Magic spell that Q'arlynd Melarn and Qilué had prepared was cast with the intervention of Eilistraee (although the goddess would withdraw her presence early during the ritual). Qilué was supposed to be the main caster, but she had realized that she couldn't have taken part in the spell, for Wendonai's influence would have compromised it, and had assigned her role to Q'arlynd instead. Despite being meant to sever the link between the faerzress and the drow, the ritual also transformed hundreds among the followers of Eilistraee (who, as lesser deity, had at least a few thousands of worshipers) and those drow who were not tainted by Wendonai's blood, back to their original dark elven form.
At the same time, in order to enact the plan to destroy Wendonai, Qilué and her sister Laeral Silverhand travelled to the only place where such a task could be accomplished: the royal court of ancient Ilythiir, where the balor had been summoned for the first time. Fearing that Qilué would lose her life in the ritual, Laeral froze her in time and went to seek help, but in the meantime the drow priestess was found by the Lady Penitent, who took hold of the Crescent Blade. Eilistraee inhabited the body of her chosen to try to save her, free Halisstra's from Lolth's influence, and offer relief from torment. However, Wendonai tricked the Lady Penitent into killing Qilué and the goddess before that could happen, making her believe that the chosen and her deity were actually Lolth. After that, the souls of the newly transformed dark elves among the faithful of Eilistraee were allowed by Corellon Larethian to enter Arvandor (even though Eilistraee's realm, which continued existing, had already been moved to Arvandor almost a decade before, alongside the souls of her followers within it). Despite Corellon's decision, Qilué's soul didn't go to his realm in Arvandor, and became a Weaveghost instead.
Return
Eilistraee managed to return to life during the event known as the Second Sundering, in Flamerule, 1489 DR. The goddess took the title of Dark Maiden once again, as her brother too had returned and taken back his portfolio. Despite Q'arlynd's ritual, the returned Dark Dancer was still a drow goddess and most of her followers drow. She also gained the portfolio of freedom, in addition to her traditional portfolios of beauty, dance, song, moonlight, swordwork, and hunting.After their reappearance, Eilistraee and Vhaeraun reached a reciprocal understanding, and the enmity between them was no more. Both siblings personally let their return be known, manifesting through their avatars to their followers, who enthusiastically spread the word. Eilistraee, in particular, was seen dancing and speaking to mortals in many places, especially along the Sword Coast. For example, the citizens of Waterdeep witnessed the Dark Dancer, as she danced in the moonlight, near the walls of the city, up the road to Amphail. This led many moondancers to the City of Splendors, with the goal of creating a shrine to their goddess (the Dancing Haven) within its walls.
Eilistraee's alliance with Mystra continued after the return of the two goddesses, as the Lady of Mysteries chose to share the Weave with the Dark Maiden and other allied deities (like Azuth). This was meant to both stabilize the Weave, and prevent it from crumbling due to disruptive actions (like Lolth's failed plan to build her own Demon Weave by parasitizing the original), or attempts on Mystra's own life (like that which caused the Spellplague). Furthermore, while Eilistraee's and Mystra's shared chosen, Qilué, remained a Weaveghost, Eilistraee didn't want to give up on her, and made sure that her priestess had full access to her divine realm.
Social
Contacts & Relations
Allies
Eilistraee's allies were the elven gods of the Seldarine, as well as Mystra, Selûne, Lurue, Mielikki, Haela Brightaxe, Callarduran Smoothhands, and the other good deities of the Underdark races.Relationship with Mystra
Eilistraee was surprisingly close to the human goddess of magic Mystra, through Qilué Veladorn, seventh of the Seven Sisters, who served both goddesses as Chosen of Mystra and as Chosen of Eilistraee. Mystra commanded her followers to promote the growth of magic everywhere, which included encouraging the development of spellcraft among races with high affinity to magic, like the drow, and nurturing them. It was one more reason for the Lady of Mysteries to choose the Dark Maiden as a friend, and their relationship continued even after the human wizard Midnight took Mystra's mantle. After the Second Sundering, Mystra chose to share the Weave with Eilistraee, among others.Relationship with the Seldarine
While the Dark Maiden and the Seldarine were allies, and despite her efforts towards the reconciliation of elves and drow, their relationship was a difficult one because of the division between the two people, and because of the perception that many elves had of their "dark kin". This was especially true for Shevarash, with whom Eilistraee barely managed to keep an uneasy truce. Eilistraee was polite to all the elven powers, but she was only close to Erevan Ilesere. In the 1370s DR Eilistraee, moved her divine realm from Ysgard to Arvandor. It wasn't known whether the Seldarine allowed her to do so out of the material necessity presented by a shift in the cosmology, or if that was the first sign of her efforts towards reconciliation bearing results.Enemies
Eilistraee's enemies were the drow gods of the Dark Seldarine—namely Kiaransalee, Ghaunadaur, her nephew Selvetarm, her brother Vhaeraun (only until 1489 DR), and especially her own mother Lolth. She also counted as foes the other evil deities of the Underdark: Deep Duerra and Laduguer, Blibdoolpoolp, the Blood Queen, Diinkarazan and Diirinka, the Great Mother, Gzemnid, Ilsensine, Ilxendren, Laogzed, and Maanzecorian before his death. She also counted as an enemy Malar, a rival and evil god of the hunt in the surface world.Relationship with Lolth
Lolth was Eilistraee's chief enemy. The Dark Maiden was infuriated by her mother's evil and corruption, and constantly strove to help the drow break free from her oppression and find their way back to the surface world.Lolth ordered the persecution of all the worshipers of the Dark Maiden and the suppression of all information and records about her. The Spider Queen's clergy worked to hide Eilistraee's existence to the drow, fearing the impact that such knowledge would have on the status quo. They were particularly wary of the Dark Maiden's call, that would lure the dark elves to the surface and show them the beauty of a kind of life that they were denied, and did all they could to prevent the drow from hearing and feeling it, afraid that they would choose to follow it and abandon the Way of Lolth.
Relationship with Vhaeraun
The relationship between Eilistraee and Vhaeraun drastically changed over the ages. After her self-imposed exile, the Dark Maiden fought Vhaeraun's warmongering influence on the dark elves of Ilythiir. After the Descent of the drow, while the two siblings shared certain goals, their views on how to achieve them clashed. Eilistraee wished the drow to peacefully return to the surface and build friendships with other races, while Vhaeraun wanted the drow to claim back the ancient prestige of Ilythiir through violence and conquest.The Dark Maiden didn't hate her brother, but was saddened by his cruelty and selfishness. Nonetheless, their conflict eventually escalated in 1375 DR, when Vhaeraun's plan to assassinate his sister backfired, and she temporarily took his portfolio. However, post-1489 DR, after their return during the Second Sundering, Eilistraee and Vhaeraun had gained a deep understanding of each other. As a consequence, they were closer and became more open to each other's ways and goals. They reached a truce and even friendship, although some of their followers still remained foes and skirmished often.
Relationship with Selvetarm
Selvetarm wasn't always among the Dark Dancer's enemies—once, he admired his aunt and she inspired him to turn toward goodness. The two grew very close, and Eilistraee even hoped that Selvetarm's good heart could convince the Seldarine to work with her to reunite the drow and the elves. However, her hope was destined to die when Lolth tricked the young demigod into a terrible fall.Relationship with Ghaunadaur
The Dark Maiden hated the influence that Ghaunadaur had on the drow, and fought it on many occasions. The Elder Eye held a grudge against Eilistraee due to her efforts in defeating and trapping his avatar near the Promenade of the Dark Maiden, in order to protect the city of Waterdeep from it.Family Ties
Divine Classification
Lesser deity
Religions
Honorary & Occupational Titles
The Dark Maiden
Lady of the Dance
Lady Silverhair
The Dark Dancer
The Dancing Goddess
Lady of the Dance
Lady Silverhair
The Dark Dancer
The Dancing Goddess
Children
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