Lolth

Lolth, known as the Queen of Spiders as well as the Queen of the Demonweb Pits, is a demon lord and the most influential goddess of the drow.

Appearance

The Queen of Spiders bears the visage of a rider with the upper body of a beautiful dark elf woman and the lower body of a giant demonic spider. She is usually depicted with a regal stance and empty hands. 

History

Lolth, formerly known as Araushnee, was originally a lesser elven goddess of destiny, artisans and the main goddess for those who would much later form the Winter Council. She was known as the weaver as she often weaved great destinies for elven heroes. She was Corellon Larethian's consort and they had twins together, the elder Vhaeraun, the younger Eilistraee.   At some point, Araushnee grew ambitious and started to plot against Corellon. During her first attempt, she aided Gruumsh in trying to kill her husband by imbuing the scabbard that he had crafted for his sword with magic that would cause the weapon to shatter during the fight. However, this plan failed due to Desna's interfering with it: she knew that Araushnee had tampered with the scabbard because the Weaver had conducted this very first step of her betrayal during the night, when Desna's sight could reach her.   Araushnee's next move was to gather a host of lesser gods on hostile footing with the elven deities, forming an army to assault the realm of Arvandor and overthrow Corellon. The army itself was so badly organized, that she was confident that they would fail. Her true plan was to give the cursed scabbard back to Corellon, as during the battle that would later unfold, the item would cause arrows shot by their daughter Eilistraee to hit his chest instead. According to Lolth's plan, that would have killed Corellon while turning her daughter into a scapegoat.   Before the attack, Desna confronted Araushnee about her betrayal (as mentioned above, she knew Araushnee to be a traitor), but Araushnee struck first and imprisoned her with the help of her son Vaheraun. Together, they also made sure that Eilistraee would find and deliver the scabbard to Corellon, and that she would be in his vicinity during the battle.   Once the battle started, the Weaver's plan almost went as she expected, supported even further by the entrance of a powerful illithid known as the Elder Eye. When an ogre god charged Corellon, who had been immobilized by the Elder Eye, Eilistraee swiftly fired a few arrows to save her father, but the scabbard drew the projectiles towards the Protector instead, nearly slaying him. Despite all, the attacking army lost and retreated as expected, and after the battle Araushnee tried to finish Corellon with a dose of poison crafted by Eilistraee to aid her followers in the hunt, pretending it to be water from Elysium with healing qualities gathered by her daughter. However, her plan ultimately failed due to Desna's intervention, as the Lady of Dreams had managed to break out from Vhaeraun's prison, albeit at immense cost to herself. She still managed to save Corellon's life.   When the elven lord awakened, a trial was called in. Araushnee was stripped of her divine status and turned into a demon, and sentenced to banishment. Furious for her defeat, she attempted one last time at her lover's life, by turning into a spider monster and attacking him. Despite all, the Protector still loved her and could not bring to finish her off, letting her escape.   After her exile, Araushnee took the name "Lolth". She conquered the 66th layer of the Abyss, the Demonweb Pits, for herself. After securing control over her layer, she plotted to exact vengeance against Corellon. Being unable to directly strike at him, she planned to be worshiped as a goddess by the elves, bringing misery to them and therefore to their "father".   She later manipulated some of the dark elves to form the Winter Council, who would later cause the Great Division, sending some of their people to flee into the Underdark. Once in the Underdark, the drow lived in a borderline animal state. When she appeared and offered salvation she became the main drow deity. She gathered them together and urged them into the foundation of their first city, the first of many. 

Worshipers

Lolth's follower base is varied. It mainly consists of drow, but also include deep dragons. She has gained a few elven followers, as well. Lolth drives her worshipers into heavy infighting under the pretence of culling the weak, while her actual goals are to hold absolute control over the dark elves, prevent the rise of alternative faiths or ideas, and avoid complacency (even though she finds amusement in the strife that plague her followers' communities). However, in the long run, her influence proves 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.

Clerics

Lolth's clerics are almost exclusively female (although there were 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 dominate 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.