Lolth

Cruel and capricious, Lolth (loath) embodies the absolute evil of the drow. She is malicious in her dealings with others and coldly vicious in a fight, coveting the power of deities worshiped by the surface races. Some believe her to be insane, because the Queen of Spiders pits her own worshipers against one another in an endless struggle for “station.” She can be kind and aids those she fancies, but she thrives on death, destruction, and torture--including those of her own worshipers who have displeased her. Although she can appear in the form of a giant black widow spider with crimson eyes, Lolth’s true form is that of a human-sized, exquisitely beautiful female drow.

The Queen of Spiders is the subject of terrifying legend among most surface dwellers and seen as virtually synonymous with the greatly feared drow. Few elves are even willing to discuss their deep-dwelling kin, let alone the dark deity who is blamed in large part for their depravity. Only the drow clerics of Eilistraee are even willing to speak of Lolth, and their fury at her enslavement of their kin excess even that of other elven subraces. In the Underdark, her church is a well-known evil, hated by dwarves, svirfneblin, and other races for the cruelty of her clerics. Dark elves who venerate other evil deities, as well as all male drow who pay her homage, revile the church of the Spider Queen for its power--though they would seize such power for themselves if they could.

Clerics of Lolth pray for spells after waking from trance or before retiring to trance. They are always female. Lolth requires regular homage from her clerics: submission in prayer, plus offerings. Lolth’s aid requires sacrifices, traditionally the blood of drow faithful or captured foes, spilled with a spider-shaped knife whose eight descending legs are blades. Ceremonies sacrificing surface elves are performed monthly during nights of the full moon as deliberate affronts to Sehanine, Lolth’s hated rival. Rituals customarily take place among women only, in a sacred room or area, but those requiring extraordinary power or a public display may be celebrated in the open and in mixed company. The most powerful ceremonies defy description and are seldom seen by nondrow.

Rituals to Lolth involve the burning of precious oils and incense, live offerings, and riches of all sorts, particularly gems. These are customarily placed in a bowl-shaped depression in a black altar or a burning brazier, from which black-and-red flames leap to consume the offerings. If the deity is angered, or impostors are present, the flames may also arc to consume other valuables, such as magic items, jewelry, and clothing. Large, important rituals customarily use eight braziers, to provide additional flame and to represent Lolth’s eight legs.

Lolth allows herself to be contacted directly (such as with a commune spell) only when it pleases her to do so. Otherwise, the call reaches her servant yochlols (amorphous demons able to take the form of an elf or spider). When Lolth is displeased, she sends a yochlol or a myrlochar (a spider demon of lesser rank) to attack the cleric. Lolth’s clerics sometimes multiclass as arachnes, fighters, or sorcerers.

History and Relationship: Lolth was once Araushnee, the consort of Corellon Larethian, patron of artisans, the deity of elven destiny, and--later, by Corellon’s decree--the keeper of those elves who shared her darkly beautiful features. The Weaver of Destiny bore her lover two children, Eilistraee and Vhaeraun, before she betrayed him and tried to invade Arvandor, along with Ghaunadaur, Malar, and many other fell deities. For her crimes, Araushnee was banished to the Abyss in the form of a spider demon, where she took the name Lolth. As the original patron of the dark elves, the Queen of Spiders established herself as the unchallenged ruler of the drow pantheon. Lolth finds it convenient to ally herself on occasion with Loviatar and Malar, and, since the Time of Troubles, to masquerade as Moander, an ancient deity of rot, corruption, and decay. Lolth’s foes include the Seldarine (the elven pantheon), Ghaunadaur, Eilistraee, nondrow Underdark deities, and Gruumsh.

Dogma: Fear is as strong as steel, while love and respect are soft and useless. Convert or destroy nonbeliever drow. Weed out the weak and the rebellious. Destroy impugners of the faith. Sacrifice males, slaves, and those of other races who ignore the commands of Lolth or her clerics. Raise children to praise and fear Lolth, each family should produce at least one cleric to serve her. Questioning Lolth’s motives or wisdom is a sin, as is aiding nondrow against the drow, or ignoring Lolth’s commands for the sake of a lover. Revere arachnids of all kinds; those who kill or mistreat a spider must die.

Clergy and Temples: Clerics of Lolth pray for spells after waking from trance or before retiring to trance. They are always female. Lolth requires regular homage from her clerics: submission in prayer, plus offerings. Lolth’s aid requires sacrifices, traditionally the blood of drow faithful or captured foes, spilled with a spider-shaped knife whose eight descending legs are blades. Ceremonies sacrificing surface elves are performed monthly during nights of the full moon as deliberate affronts to Sehanine, Lolth’s hated rival. Rituals customarily take place among women only, in a sacred room or area, but those requiring extraordinary power or a public display may be celebrated in the open and in mixed company. The most powerful ceremonies defy description and are seldom seen by nondrow.

Rituals to Lolth involve the burning of precious oils and incense, live offerings, and riches of all sorts, particularly gems. These are customarily placed in a bowl-shaped depression in a black altar or a burning brazier, from which black-and-red flames leap to consume the offerings. If the deity is angered, or impostors are present, the flames may also arc to consume other valuables, such as magic items, jewelry, and clothing. Large, important rituals customarily use eight braziers, to provide additional flame and to represent Lolth’s eight legs.

Lolth allows herself to be contacted directly (such as with a commune spell) only when it pleases her to do so. Otherwise, the call reaches her servant yochlols (amorphous demons able to take the form of an elf or spider). When Lolth is displeased, she sends a yochlol or a myrlochar (a spider demon of lesser rank) to attack the cleric. Lolth’s clerics sometimes multiclass as arachnes, fighters, or sorcerers.

Clerics of Lolth are the rulers, police forces, judges, juries, and executioners of drow society. They wield power in keeping with the cruel and capricious nature of Lolth herself, and manipulate (often by brute force) their fellow drow to behave as their deity. The ultimate aim of every cleric is to achieve and keep the favor of Lolth. They believe that the spirits of those who die in her favor go to the Demonweb Pits, where they become yochlol and other servant creatures, while those in Lolth’s disfavor pass into torment on another plane somewhere. (Accursed souls may someday return to Faerun as snakes or spiders; drow beliefs on such matters often change with time and location.) Although she often rewards treachery and cruelty, Lolth does not look kindly on those who let personal grudges and vengeance bring defeat or shame to their House, clan, city, or band.

Drow noble Houses have their own private temples, and every drow city ruled by the church of Lolth has at least one large, open public gathering area for large rituals, calls to war, and the like. Most cities also have a grand temple to the Spider Queen, used for training clerics. In every temple, despite large differences in size, opulence, and importance, certain constants apply. Inner chambers are for the worship and business of Lolth, including most spell casting. These chambers are always shrouded in darkness, except for the radiance involved in spell casting and rituals. Antechambers are set aside for war councils and most business wherein clerics meet with drow males and outsiders. Most temples have guardian creatures, often hidden and occasionally magical in nature, which usually include spiders of all sorts. Statuettes of the Spider Queen, usually worked of black stone, are present in all temple chambers. Marble and obsidian are favored materials for statuary and temple furniture. There are always large braziers, ornately carved with spider shapes, and at least one altar of black stone.

When participating in rituals, clerics of Lolth work unclad or wear black robes trimmed with dark red and purple (lesser or novitiate clerics instead wear dark purple or red trimmed with black). In some cities, they wear ornate helms carved to resemble writhing spiders, while in others heads are always left uncovered. Jewelry consists of spider medallions and similar pieces, all made of platinum. Clerics prefer to display either a platinum disk at least 3 inches in diameter with Lolth’s holy symbol embossed in black enamel or a platinum representation of it, on a platinum or mithral chain.

Chaotic in the extreme, the church of Lolth has little formal hierarchy outside that imposed by its most powerful members and shaped by the will of Lolth. In drow cities ruled by clerics of the Spider Queen, such as fabled Menzoberranzan, the seniormost clergy also lead the most powerful drow noble Houses and rule through a noble council led by a single Matron Mother. In other cities, there may not be a single ruling council or a single ruling cleric. In most cases, the hierarchy of the church is inextricably linked with the theocracy of the associated city.