Lolth (lolth)
Goddess of Betrayal
Lolth is the goddess of the Underdark, patron of evil drow and goddess of spiders and masterminds. One of the dark gods of this world whose influence has not been stamped out, this god is still feared and revered in equal measure among her cults in the Underdark. Like many of the evil gods, she revels in subjugating mortals, bending them to her will through magic, manipulation, and intimidation.
Lolth invariably appears as a drow woman with the lower body of a spider, often sporting multiple pairs of arms. Her eight eyes glow with a palpable malice, and her long white hair trails behind her mingling with the cobwebs that often appear around her manifestations, and she wields her silver-bone rapier Allaidh. She also, when occasion calls for it, appears in the form of a small innocuous spider.
A character may have been granted Lolth's's favor through one of the following circumstances:
Lolth's Influence
Lolth began as a follower of Corellon, an elven woman residing in his land of Viryasennas. When he ascended to divinity, she petitioned Melora to ascend with him and was denied. In order to overcome the disparity between herself and her divine lover, she went into the Abyss and struck a deal with the forces of chaos to receive great power. When she returned to the Material Plane after an arduous trial, she ruled alongside Corellon, but she became jealous that she was not seen as an equal to him, being relegated to a wife and artist at his side. She resolved to create her own version of elves, and created the drow elves. At first, Corellon allowed the two to live in harmony, and kept Lolth on as his lover, but when the god Bane began to wage war on his divine siblings, he made Lolth a deal that, if she were to betray Corellon and bring the elves to Bane's army, he would allow her dominion over them. She accepted, and while laying with her lover, she poisoned him, and left with her loyal drow and captured light elves to join Bane's side. Several drow were left behind, as they refused to follow the orders of their Queen. Corellon was left weakened, but alive, and vowed retribution upon Lolth. He ordered his elves who still remained free to destroy any drow that walked under the sun. Lolth took her loyal followers underground, to the Underdark Empire of Lhingmornan, leaving the drow that were not loyal to her to the mercy of gods. The Drow elves today are not evil like they once were, no longer unified under Lolth. Some communities still exist, retaining their cult-like devotion to the Spider Queen, but most Drow settlements cooperate with the surface, though they closely guard their tunnels and caverns that allow transit to nearly every kingdom in the world. Lolth herself waits in her Abyssal prison for the fabric of the worlds to weaken enough for her to break free. Meanwhile, she appears in the visions of her chosen oracles and priestesses (all female) and encourages them to continue to work against the surface elves and tear down the ideals of cooperation that the drow have built since the god's defeat. Lolth desires to have her underground empire restored to how she envisions it- with herself as the ruler. She believes she is a superior being, and that her children, the drow, are the rightful inheritors of the material plane. She wants to lead them in war against the elves, Corellon and the god of the Sun, Pelor, to usher in an empire of night and shadow that she will rule. Lolth endlessly feels her grip on her worshippers slipping as more and more drow are taken from her cults, and she instructs her most devout to increase their numbers by capturing surface dwelling elves and humans in raiding parties to become servants and consorts of her favored matrons.Worshipping Lolth
Lolth is almost exclusively worshipped by Underdark drow cults, as, considering her religions believe that the drow are superior to all other humanoid life, she does not attract many followers from other lineages. Her clergy is nearly entirely comprised of women, as those who are seen as closer to her image are the most revered. Lolth is a demanding mistress. What she demands most of all are sacrifices of treasure and blood. Time and time again, the screams of sacrificial victims echo through Lolth’s lightless temples as they fall under the knives of her priestesses. Her altars are piled with skulls picked clean of flesh by the giant spiders that lurk in the web-draped stalactites overhead. In return for victims and adoration, Lolth grants signs of her favor, such as great success during a slave raid on the surface, the matron of a rival house being struck down by an inexplicable illness, or an heiress to the house being born under propitious omens. Though drow of course are her primary worshippers, she is also worshipped by those who use the underdark for illegal operations, and those who require the patronage of a goddess of trickery and deception. Aboveground, Lolth is most worshipped in her aspect as a goddess of criminals, though even among criminals those who openly worship her are distrusted as she historically favors betrayers. Formal services to Lolth are conducted at night, with the most sacred rituals performed on nights of the new moon, when Sehanine's watchful eye is obscured. Offerings are made to attract Lolth's favor, with valuables from successful robberies, parchment filled with lies, or loaded dice being thrown into deep crags or buried at crossroads. Such sacrifices often vanish soon after, claimed by Lolth or her servants. Criminals often offer Lolth stolen goods as part of their preparations for premeditated crimes.Lolth's Favor
Lolth grants her favor to those she sees kinship in. She grants favor to the bloodthirsty, to the betrayer, to the mastermind that waits for a moment to strike with poisoned blades to the heart of their foe. She nurtures the power of those who thrive in darkness and are ambitious enough to do anything to achieve their goals. People gain the favor of a deity in many ways. Some seek out the favour of a deity that shares their ideal, others gain a deity’s favor as a matter of circumstance. A character with Lolth's favor may have one of the following ideals:| d6 | Ideal |
| 1 | Restitution. Those who do not respect me will change their mind or suffer for it. (Evil) |
| 2 | Pragmatism. The ends justify the means; I do whatever it takes to win. (Evil) |
| 3 | Respect. If they will not love me, they will learn to fear me instead. (Evil) |
| 4 | Pride. No one can best me in my chosen endeavor and woe to those who try. (Any) |
| 5 | Secrecy. My agenda is mine to know and yours to suffer under. (Evil) |
| 6 | Superiority. The followers and children of Lolth are superior to all other beings, who should bow before our might. (Evil) |
| d6 | Circumstance |
| 1 | You became hopelessly lost in the Underdark and called out for divine assistance. Lolth answered. |
| 2 | You were exiled from a strict elven community, and Lolth took advantage of your burgeoning resentment towards your former home. |
| 3 | As a child, your parents were horrified to discover you playing with a massive black widow, letting it crawl all over you, but it never once bit you. That affinity for spiders has continued into adulthood. |
| 4 | Exposure to a rare toxin granted you visions of Lolth, and she has whipsered in your ear ever since |
| 5 | You were supposed to be a sacrifice to Lolth, but a twist of fate allowed you to escape from your captors and turn the tables on them. Now you carry her blessing. |
| 6 | Born into nobility, you have improved your position through using others to get ahead. |
Relationships
Lolth's Champions
- Alignment: Usually neutral, often evil
- Suggested Classes: Cleric, druid, ranger, rogue, warlock, wizard
- Suggested Cleric Domains: Death, Grave, Order, Trickery, War
- Suggested Backgrounds: Criminal, Hermit, Noble, Urchin
Spouses
Siblings
Children
Earning and Losing Piety
You increase your piety score to Lolth when you expand the god's influence in the world in a concrete way through acts such as these:- Subjugating creatures considered "lesser"
- Making blood sacrifices in her name
- Pulling off a wicked scheme
- Obstructing champions of Corellon
- Allowing yourself to be bent to another's will
- Aiding followers of Corellon
- Harming spiders or other poisonous animals
- Forgiving those who have wronged you
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