Lolth

A Low God and Demon Lord of great importance. Lolth's influence upon the lost Elves in the Underdark began their growth in power before they would attack the surface in the Shadow Wars. Lolth dwells within the Demonweb Pits, the sixty-sixth level of the Abyss. Her massive citadel moving as she commands on spider-like legs. The Demonweb Pits is a plane of rocks with chasms and rocky gorges. There were many pits and craters. The land looked dead. There were giant petrified spiders with webbing over everything. There is a river of souls flowing to Lolth's city, the iron citadel in the Infinite Web.

Lolth's Machinations & Establishment of Drow Society

After Lolth’s defeat at the hands of Ulm-Dolmar and Grungjar, Lolth scurred away into the depths of the world. She thrived in the darkness, leaving behind her spawned brood across the Underdarks many tunnels. At the darkest and deepest depths of the Underdark she found a gateway to another world. A rift between this world and a terrible place of darkness. Lolth ventured forth and conquered the plane’s darkness, syphoning power from it, and forcing her will across its endless expands. From this darkness she spun a weave so large it would cover the known world of Aeris in its reach. A world spun of lies and deceit, and from this her whispers rose to the ears of the elves. Some resisted her lure, but many ventured deep. Enchanted by the promises of Lolth. The first to reach the gate was an elven woman known as Xylir Vorlankir. She bowed before Lolth and became a vessal of the ultimate power, following her by mere days was Sol’vari Ilpenair. A deciever at heart he quickly too bowed before Loth. Ilpenair’s skill with the arcane was extraordinary. And he continues to this day to set the standard for the Drow. More followed in the following days and weeks. Xylir became a guardian along with her Weave-bound Sisters, guarding the portal until this day. With Lolth’s guidance they rose the city of Exci’varlarz, the Heart of Gloom. After more than a century of servitude Sol’vari discovered Xylir’s plans to murder him. Confronting Lolth about this, Sol’vari’s true motivation became apparent. As he discovered Lolth gave consent to Xylir’s plans he stabbed Lolth with a dagger made to syphon the power of the creature it wounded. Lolth in her fury thrashed out against everyone, and in the chaos both the dagger and Sol’vari was lost. Many males fled Exci’varlarz to help Sol’vari regain his lost position in Lolth’s society. This betrayal is considered unholy and holy at the same time. It is the time when males became the lesser of the drow, but males are only taught about it from the words of a high priestess. To ensure no one has similar thoughts of crossing their patron deity. It is punishable by death to speak the name of Sol’vari aloud for males in the city of Exci’varlarz, simply referred to as The Betrayer of Gloom (sometimes shortened to ‘The Betrayer’). The drow over time flourished in the many tunnels of the lightless world, and eventually more cities were built. It is unclear to the people above of how large the drow race has come, and many who venture below find themselves ill-prepared.

Appearance & Depictions

Lolth is most often depicted as either a beautiful Drow woman, or a female drider of immense size. Her avatar changes between the two, as described by texts documenting the battle during the Clash of the Gods.

Worship

Lolth's follower base was varied. It mainly consisted of Drow, but also included aranea, chitine, draegloths and deep dragons. Lolth drove her worshipers into heavy infighting under the pretense of culling the weak, while her actual goals were to hold absolute control over the Dark Elves, prevent the rise of alternative faiths or ideas, and avoid complacency (even though she found amusement in the strife that plagued her followers' communities). However, in the long run, her influence proved to be an obstacle to the growth and success of her Drow followers, preventing them from unifying against common enemies or for a common cause. Lolth teaches her children that fear is strength, while love and respect are weakness. She demands that those drow who will not worship her must be converted or slain. She seeks to kill the weak and reward the strong. Disobedient males and non-drow must be sacrificed to Lolth. Spiders are a holy animal in Lolth's faith, and those who to kill a spider is a cardinal sin. Lolth is so chaotic, however, that her commands are ever-changing and often contradictory, so that those who seek to follow them blindly may meet with destruction.  

"Children? Pawns, more likely, dancing dolls for the Spider Queen, puppets on the imperceptible but impervious strands of her web. All climb the Spider Queen's ladders; all hunt for her pleasure; and all fall to the hunters of her pleasure." -Unknown Drow 

    Lolth's clerics were almost exclusively female (although there were a few males). They represented the rulers of most Lolthite communities, and strictly followed the Spider Queen's will, forcing the drow into extreme subservience to their deity, and into the constant state of conflict that dominated their lives. Each priestess strove for the favor of the Spider Queen and was ready to do anything in order to gain status in her goddess' eyes. Her clergy sacrificed the living and treasure for her glory. Their vestments were normally adorned with spider motifs. Her rituals required them to wear darker clothes or none at all. Lolth is worshipped in underground marble temples or fanes. They are large and imposing, dominating and overshadowing the communities in which they are built. They are defended by priestesses, soldiers, and often spiders of various kinds. Dark lore and potent magics are stored within. Surface elves are sacrificed to Lolth monthly. By custom, only females are permitted to attend these rituals, which take place in a sacred room. Some rituals, however, involve extraordinary power or require public display, and these may be performed in the open, in mixed company. When Lolth's aid is required, the blood of enemies of the faith and/or the faithful is spilled with a spider-shaped knife. Gems or other treasures may be sacrificed by casting them into burning braziers while the appropriate prayers are incanted. Lolth's taste in sacrifice is perverse. She prefers the blood of elves to other humanoids, that of Drow to other elves, and craves the deaths of her own priestesses more than any other beings. This last sort of sacrifice is extremely rare, but it pleases the Queen of Spiders above all else.Periodically, Drow may be forced to prove themselves worthy of Lolth's favor in a variety of harsh tests. Those who pass are rewarded, while those who fail are transformed into driders and other horrific beasts.

Symbology

Lolth is represented by spider imagery primarily, and her holy symbol is reminiscent of an arachnid form.

Holy texts

The Tome of Webs is the holy text of Lolth, and though her will changes frequently, the tome outlines the unshakable pillars of worship and Drow society.

Holidays

Ceremonies to the Spider Queen are held on the nights of the full moon as a deliberate affront to Nixus, the Moon Goddess.

Tenets of Faith

• Fear is strength
• Love and kindness are weakness
• Only the strongest shall be allowed to live
• Weakness is death