Lolth, The Spider Queen

Lolth, The Spider Queen is the evil god of deceit, shadows, and spiders. She is known for weaving a complicated web of schemes and treachery through her worshipers, deceiving allies and enemies alike to gain power. Her worship is entwined with the drow society. She holds a searing grudge against the Stormlord after he impaled her against a cliffside during the Calamity. The Spider Queen and the Ruiner have similar hatred for the Archeart whom she claims drove her children below the earth and she often manipulates the Ruiner’s followers into attacking her enemies. The only being the Spider Queen truly fears is the Chained Oblivion.
Knowledge (Religion) DC 10: Once, Lolth was Lady Luck, the Weaver of Fate and Fortunes, and a patron of motherhood. Today, tales of her treachery are infamous. Now known as the Queen of Spiders, The Poisoner of Fate, and the Weaver of Chaos, she is reviled for her betrayal of the Archeart, perverse cruelty against her own subjects, and disturbing fixation with spiders.
Formerly the wife of the Archeart, Lolth was corrupted by greed and lust. Not satisfied with her divine rank, she conspired to aid the Archeart's enemy The Ruiner, and steal her husband's power. This led to a great war between the elves, at the end of which Lolth's wicked followers—henceforth known as the Drow—were driven underground.
Lolth is The Hunted, for she has taken off with the domain of Fate which is so crucial to the pantheon's plans, and it cannot pass to another until she dies. A lot of effort for the pantheon goes into trying to keep the intended course of destiny on the rails (such as Sehanine's inceptions or Hextor's forced order) despite her influence, and she is blamed for many of the troubles of the modern world as a result.
In art, Lolth is typically depicted as a beautiful drow woman, sometimes with the body of a great spider.

Divine Domains

Abyss, Cavern, Chaos, Darkness, Destiny, Destruction, Dream, Drow, Evil, Family, Fate, Knowledge, Luck, Lust, Mind, Oracle, Pride, Spider, Trickery

Divine Symbols & Sigils

In the icons and idols of dark elf society she is depicted as a darkly alluring woman of dark purple skin and silver hair, with a lower body of a terrifying monstrous spider.

Tenets of Faith

General Tenets

• It is better to be loved than feared, but you may certainly try to be both.
• Misdirection, slander, and shadowed steps have more function than direct conflict.
• Death to the elves who live under the sun. Death to all their allies!

Code of Conduct: Paladins of Lolth

This code of conduct applies to those who would call themselves paladins of the faith, not just any follower of Lolth.

• Live for the future, rather than dwelling in memories. Do not hold on to trinkets or places, but instead embrace new possibilities. Show ambition, and do not waste opportunities to advance it. Aspire to a grander destiny. Be mindful of omens, and seek to know and realize your destiny as part of Lolth's masterfully woven web. Do not squander fortune's favor. Trust your luck. Take the chance!
• Do not willingly surrender an advantage over your opponent, such as by meaningless scruples or misguided senses of honor. Intentionally giving up your advantages for the sake of a nebulous chivalrous ideal is aiding and abetting the enemy. A paladin's duty is to defeat evil, not to offer it a fighting chance.
• Do not show weakness. Be an example of strength to inspire others. Even in the depth of defeat, do not despair, for every trial serves to prepare Lolth's followers for more important challenges yet to come.
• Do not be slothful. Maintain mastery over your physical and mental self. Do not neglect responsible measures such as diet, exercise, etc, squandering your body's potential. The drow are known for wearing revealing clothing not because of promiscuity, but because they are proudly displaying their fitness, which is thought to represent proof of their discipline, mettle, and strength.
• Do not coddle the weak, for to do so will only make them weaker, leading them (or their society) to greater harm in the long run. The true savior offers one the strength to save themselves, just as an ideal mother offers a child the strength to survive without her protection.
• Respect women as at least the equals of men. Mothers especially.

Holidays

The Festival of Silks

Not only are spiders a good equivalent to mousers and guard dogs... they also weave a valuable export. Giant spider silk is prized around the world, despite (or perhaps in part because of) the occasional association with sin or scandal by peoples of the surface.
In some of the subterranean lands where this industry thrives, there is a custom. Each year, drow gather to celebrate the harvesting of the silk. It is on this day that the underdark is awash in color. Colorful silk banners are draped from every surface, and elaborate patterns are carried through the streets. Painted dancers clothed in veils revel in the light of arcane flares, while acrobats swing from webbed ceilings. Children and slaves alike run happily through the streets dressed in fine silk clothes, trailing streamers. Even the spiders are painted, and allowed to crawl freely over the banners and patterns stretching from house to house.
During the celebration, priestesses unveil the grand weave, made by venerable spiders over the course of the whole year. Before the gathered people, auspicians interpret its beautiful patterns to predict the coming year. The announcements are concluded with such revelry and drink that even foreigners forget to care about the spiders crawling over everything; it all just blends into sensation and color.
By the end of the celebration, the fine silk distributed to the populace—clothing and streamers, veils and weaves—is gathered back up and, for the most part, prepared for export. After all, while silk and dyes are abundant, other things are not, and so they must trade. But they get to enjoy this abundance for a day.

Divine Classification

Goddess