Shal-isil
(a.k.a. The Uncrowned Queen, The Queen of the Nightfallen, The Vermin Queen)
Few, if any, other gods evoke so many raw emotions, fear, or hatred as Shal-isil. She stands as the epitome of a number of seemingly contradictory domains.
Amongst the various gods, Shal-isil ranks near the bottom in terms of power or influence within the surface world of the mortal realm. She has no public temples or even shrines, she has virtually no non-drow clerics or followers, and only a handful of surface dwellers pray to this goddess under any circumstance. Indeed, most mortal surface dwellers have an intrinsic dislike or fear of spiders in general – an emotional response that seems to extend to the Uncrowned Queen and her followers. Drow and all things connected to dark elves are uniformly viewed as evil, corrupt, untrustworthy, and sinister.
Beneath the surface of Caelestra, however, Shal'isil holds tremendous influence. She boasts tens of thousands of rabid and loyal servants. Entire cities swear fealty to the Uncrowned Queen and praise her name in cruel, bloody, and debased ceremonies. Her clergy, almost entirely female in the higher echelons, are amongst the most zealous, cruel, cunning, and dedicated of any religion, either above or beneath the surface. With a word, Shal'isil could launch the entire drow race into civil war. With another word, she could unleash a terrible crusade against the surface world. Fortunately, Shal'isil rarely operates on such a grand or epic scale. She prefers to manipulate and plot on a smaller scale, playing out her whims a few individuals at a time.
The efforts of Shal'isil’s faithful amongst the surface dwellers are usually focused on corrupting specific leaders, toppling governments, murdering key figures, and spreading dissension. In many cases, the commands Shal'isil issues make little or no sense to mortal creatures – including her own priests, yet they carry out her orders with fanatical zeal. A great many of these secret missions are aimed, in one way or another, at harming the Tal'dorei. If other creatures are harmed or killed in the process, so much the better. In the end, the result inevitably involves a lot of chaos, confusion, paranoia, suspicion, and fear – and Shal'isil is well pleased.
Divine Domains
Main Domains: Darkness, Magic
Other Domains: Chaos, Death, Madness, Vermin
Holy Books & Codes
The Web of Lies
This intriguing book, written in an ancient form of Taldaren and Deep Speech, includes Shal'isil’s underlying philosophies and ideals. The tome is, in many ways, a recipe book for murder, assassination, revenge, manipulation, and corruption. It includes advice and tactics for defeating your enemies and clawing your way to the highest levels of power.
At the same time, The Web of Lies is filled with contradictions and incomplete passages. It is all but impossible for even the most devout follower of Shal'isil’s way to observe every dictate without contravening or outright breaking some other commandment. It is no understatement that half the book contradicts the other half; the challenge is determining where all the contradictions lie and what they actually mean. Even the most ancient drow clerics find hidden lessons within the book’s pages, even after centuries of reading it.
Divine Symbols & Sigils
Shal'isil loves to reveal one or more aspects of her intentions through dreams, visions, signs, and omens. In some ways, she provides too many such signs – more than almost any other deity. Whether the intent is to confuse her allies and foes, or whether she is just that mercurial, Shal'isil offers countless signs of her pleasure or wrath.
The ultimate demonstration of Shal'isil’s presence is the arrival of a yochlol – a disgusting demonic creature from the Abyss. A yochlol speaks the Words of Shal'isil; if you communicate with one of these creatures, you are speaking indirectly with the Uncrowned Queen. A yochlol appears with little warning. It delivers Shal'isil’s intent without preamble. A yochlol might disintegrate an impudent acolyte, imbue a cleric with tremendous magic, or offer a warning. Until the demon acts, no one truly knows its plans or intent.
Shal'isil commonly reveals signs of her intent through spider swarms, spider webs, or sometimes creatures such as centipedes. Unfortunately, although Shal'isil enjoys offering signs and omens, the meaning of these is not always clear – yet another facet of the Uncrowned Queen’s innate chaos and twisted sense of humor.
Tenets of Faith
Do whatever it takes to gain and hold power.
There are many ways to achieve power and dominance; although the methods are certainly important, the fact of ascending to the top remains paramount. If you must murder, lie, steal, and cheat to reach the top, you are obligated to do so. In the philosophy of Shal'isil, there is no room for second-best, no place for losers. If you have a superior, it is your duty to climb over them at any cost. This tenet makes Shal'isil's clergy among the most treacherous, conniving, and disruptive of any religion on or below Caelestra.
Rely on stealth and slander in preference to outright confrontation.
In the end, any method for achieving your goals is acceptable, as long as you don’t get caught. The true clever disciple, however, pursues subtle methods of stealth, secrecy, and manipulation behind the scenes. Any fool can kill or threaten. It takes true cunning and power to achieve one’s goals without being seen or expected. Shal'isil holds her highest honors and blessings for the most treacherous and crafty of her servants.
Seek the death of Tal'dorei and Elf at every opportunity.
The hatred Shal'isil holds in her heart towards fey races in general – elves and Tal'dorei in particular – remains legendary and eternal. She inculcates in her followers an intense hatred of elves, Tal'dorei, and their allies. There is to be no peace, no cooperation, no surrender, and no compromise with these foul creatures. If the opportunity arises to murder these enemies, Shal'isil’s followers are expected to do so whenever possible.
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