Eilistraee

The Dark Maiden, Deity of Moonlight, Pursuer and Procurer of Freedom, the Deity Eilistraee is often overlooked by mortals, her identity obscured by that of Selune. Indeed, very few are even aware of her existence despite it being ever present in innumerable lives. And it is because of this that I feel I must put what little knowledge I possess to paper.

If you were to choose a deity to follow, you may be hard pressed to find a better candidate than The Dark Maiden. But try as you might, even were you to be aware of her existence, choosing to follow her is well beyond your grasp. For the Deity of Moonlight is not one to be held down by your purported beliefs as to the nature of her existence. No, you do not choose to follow The Dark Maiden, she chooses you.

— An Aspiring Sword Dancer

Origin

The Deity of Moonlight, Eilistraee has been titled procurer of freedom by her chosen. For despite her status, this deity not only acknowledges her followers but dares to take direct action in their lives, a course of which has only reaped disdain from fellow deific beings. Still, she seeks to light the way towards freedom for her chosen, to aid them in escape from the danger and darkness of the planes regardless of their origin. Which given her parentage, is perhaps both surprising and entirely expected.

Eilistraee is the daughter of Arushnee and Corellon, deities of Revolution and Perfection respectively. With her origin deriving from the precise and manufactured alliance between greater domains residing within the Prime Domains of Forge and War, it makes sense that she may be prone to take action - perhaps with the thought that freedom is the ultimate expression of perfection? But for those who are aware of the rumored state regarding the alliance that brought about her creation, it is clear that such a thing is unlikely to come to pass. For it is suspected that the Deity of Perfection deems Eilistraee, her siblings, and all of the drow a failure in the perfection he sought to create. Perhaps in Corellon's eyes, they have not lived up to the flawless harmony between the power of war and beauty of artistry he strove for. A stance which Arushnee and her followers seem to vehemently fight against as his worshipers seek to thrust their creations into the dark.

Despite the wrath it has brought down upon her, in her own way, the Deity of Moonlight joins the fight against her father. A defiance demonstrated in her direct protection of 'lesser beings' and particularly of those deemed broken or imperfect. Her chosen, named the Sword Dancers, are encouraged and empowered to 'dance' the line between order and chaos as they seek freedom for themselves and others. So should one find themselves the subject of controlling hands, ideas, or ideals regarding their existence, it is recommended to look towards the moonlight - towards the path to freedom and the chance to become one of The Dark Maiden's Sword Dancers.

The Creation Myth

The Ao of Disruption

The Sword Dancers

The Dark Maiden's call is not heard in temple sermons, but in the quiet aching of one's soul beneath the moonlight. It is heard by the slave in chains who looks up to the sky for hope. It is heard by beggar on a stoop as they curl up to brave the night. It is heard by the outcast who persists, despite a society set against them. It is heard by the truth seeker who has been imprisoned because of the secrets they threatened to expose. Eilistraee's chosen are not priests in the traditional sense, nor are they warriors in service to power. They are survivors of systems that have tried to define them by class, race, bloodline, or divine worth. They are individuals whose freedom has been denied by rigid doctrines, whether divine, political, or magical, overt or subtle.

Eilistraee does not command. She offers. For those who reach for her light find not orders, but gifts left in their hands. Her boons have been said to be threads of moonlight tied to freedom, vision and the space between truths. They are Guidance, Protection, and Revelation beneath the gaze of the Full Moon. They are Movement, Change, and Mystery under the light of the Crescent. They are Stealth, Subtlety, and Inner truth found within the shadows granted by the New Moon. Yet her gifts are not uniform, rather personalized to each individual of her chosen. They may be a light that reveals the truth of the world. They may be a dream that always points north. They may be a song that calls shadows to protect the singer. They may be a sword that glows only when striking for freedom. Her boons do not depend on what her chosen desires, but what they need most to seek their own freedom.