Arvus, the Grey Spider (arv-us)

Exalted of Illusion

The Grey Spider is an Exalted, made immortal by the power of the Great Wolf Sol and granted dominion over illusions. Her gaze perceives all that is hidden within mortal souls, which allows her to craft illusions so powerful that they appear solid. Now she sits in a pocket of the Westerwoods, having woven it into her own small world - where only the deepest shadows could ever burn away the uncertain light, and see the truth.

A Tapestry of Lies

Ascension

Born several centuries before the Endwar, Arvus was originally one of the inhabitants of the northern tundra now known as Zefiru. In those days, the Crucible - Sol's previous lair - was little more than an unchecked wildfire, spreading and retreating seemingly at random. Records from the time seem to have held the Crucible in almost as high a regard as the Great Wolf who lived within, for its warmth and seemingly unknowable "intentions". This reverence, it appears, was what caused the rise of the God-Hunters.
This organisation - if it could even be called that - rose in opposition to the rule of the Wolves. Evidently, they had never actually seen a Great Wolf before, else they would likely not have tried to resist. It is unclear who gave them either the idea or the ability, but the current widely accepted culprit is the Nameless, one of the oldest Exalted, who was later killed by the Wolves. Regardless, a branch in the north decided that they were going to tame the Crucible.
The darkness that the God-Hunters summoned had not emerged for an age, and its hunger had only grown in that time. It fed endlessly on the power within the Crucible. Sol was not within it to renew the flames, and the fire lost its luster. Flying to the scene, Arvus found the God-Hunters trying to break into the Crucible's heart. Raging with the Midnight as they were, she could not overpower them - so instead, she used illusions to lead them in circles. When Sol returned, he burned away the shadows and blessed Arvus with a shard of divine light.

Workings

Arvus did not play obvious roles in almost any major conflict; as is the nature of her power, she prefers to work behind the scenes... by pulling the strings. Alongside her sister Alea, she helped establish the city-state of Khiloa Woln; otherwise, her appearances throughout history are rare. Only two are worth mentioning: that of the Westerwoods, and the illusion within.
Around fifty years after the Endwar, a band of thieves raided an archeological ruin near the edge of the Araen Wastes. The ensuing explosion turned much of the surrounding sand to glass, and released a series of strange, corrupted wyrbeasts. These wyrbeasts followed a series of "marks" to the forest where Arvus had made her home, hoping to consume her. As Arvus defended her home, the spells that were infused into the wyrbeasts - and the castings she used in fighting - affected the forest's saplings. Of course, as these saplings grew, so did their infused enchantments, spreading through their roots and turning their leaves turquoise. Only a few decades later, virtually the entire forest had taken on this colour, and the very passage of time seemed to slow down within it.
But Arvus did not abandon the forest; she had set her roots down within it and could not stray too far. Instead, she drew a veil of magic around her lair and created one of the most intricate illusions in Wyral (excluding, of course, those made by her patron Wolf). Due to the Westerwoods' dangerous nature, it has been increasingly difficult to

Divine Domains

Though she is not a source being like her patron Wolf, Arvus holds dominance over, ironically, the undeniable light of truth. Her golden gaze pierces mortal souls, perceiving their greatest desires and fears. Whether it is a foe to fight, a prize to win or a secret laid bare, she knows - and she spins. This is the secret of illusion - after all, how can one construct a flawless lie without an equally flawless understanding of the truth?

Artifacts

Arvus' Silk

Wherever Arvus goes, the spiders follow. Artificial constructs meant to help her in her spinning, they are constantly trailing small lengths of blessed silk, which get caught on bushes or under rocks. Before the Westerwoods' cursing, mass expeditions were conducted into the forest to find these precious threads, which have the power to make illusion magic cast upon them real - of course, with a constant supply of wyr. The implications of this are immense: construction without the effort needed to acquire and place down materials would be well worth the magical cost, especially since the methods of drawing in wyr have become ever more efficient with time. However, now that Arvus has secreted herself away beyond an impenetrable illusion, most have given up ever finding this resource again.

CW: there's one (1) pun

Divine Classification

Exalted

Current Status

Doing whatever a spider can

Current Location

The Westerwoods

Age

1250

Pronouns

She/her

Eyes

Molten gold

Ruled Locations

• The Westerwoods