Drow Pantheons

8/3/2019 Drow Pantheons

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/drow-pantheons 1/21

Lolth

Intermediate Power of the Demonweb Pits, CE

SYMBOL: Black spider with female drow head (at bottom of figure) or black cloak and short sword

(Zinzerena aspect)

DOMAIN NAME: Lolth's Web/the Demonweb Pits

PORTFOLIO: Assassins, chaos, darkness, drow, evil, spidersWORSHIPPERS: Drow and depraved elves, sentient spiders

CLERIC/WORSHIPPER ALIGNMENTS: CE, CN, NE

DOMAINS: Chaos, Drow, Evil, Darkness, Trickery, Destruction, Spider

FAVORED WEAPON: Dagger

Lolth (LOLTH) is the goddess of the drow race and drow society. She is responsible for the nature,

customs, laws, and survival of most drow communities. The Spider Queen maintains her absolute rule

over drow cities by means of her clergy, who tirelessly seek out and destroy all traces of dissent,

disobedience, rival faiths, or sacrilege and who ruthlessly enforce the Way of Lolth. The Spider Queen

foments unending chaos in drow society and sets the drow eternally at war with each other both for her

own amusement and to prevent complacency, runaway pride from asserting itself, or the rise of other

faiths.

Lolth is also venerated by chitines, a small spiderlike race that are castoffs of the drow.

As Araushnee, Lolth was once a lesser power of the Seldarine and the consort of Corellon Larethian. She

was the patron of artisans, the goddess 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 Corellon twin godlings

- Vhaeraun and Eilistraee -before she turned against her lover and betrayed him. First she aided

Gruumsh One-Eye, chief among the orcish gods, in one of his perennial battles with the Creator of the

Elves, and then she set Malar on the trail of the weakened Corellon after observing the Beastlord defeat

Herne on Faerun. When these plots failed as a result of Corellon's skill at arms and Sehanine's

interference, Araushnee raised a host of hostile powers - the Dark Seldarine - to assault Arvandor.

Despite the treachery of Araushnee, and to a lesser extent, Vhaeraun, the assault failed and the perfidy

of Corellon's consort and son were revealed. By order of the Council of the Seldarine, Araushnee was

declared a demon and banished to the Abyss.

As an Abyssal Lord, Araushnee assumed the name Lolth and conquered a considerable portion of that

foul plane, driving off Ghaunadaur and subjugating Kiaransalee in the process. The Spider Queen then

turned her attentions toward corrupting the mortal children of the Seldarine.

Lolth's attentions were drawn once again to Abeir-Toril by the intrusion of the moon elven heroine

Kethryllia Amarillis into her domain, and the Spider Queen immediately began to cultivate followers

among the most cruel and corrupt of Corellon's children in Faerun. In the centuries that followed, Lolth

made great inroads among the warlike Ilythiiri, who had long since spread across the South conqueringtheir kin- folk under the careful guidance of Vhaeraun, and to a lesser extent, Ghaunadaur.

Lolth's machinations among the elves culminated in the Crown Wars, and eventually, the descent of the

drow into the Underdark, but by that time she had enmeshed most of the dark-skinned Ilythiiri, now drow,

in her webs and engendered the death of countless elves and the destruction of much of elven civilization

in Faerun.



In the centuries since the Crown Wars, Lolth's followers have continued to spread throughout the

Underdark, from Dusklyngh to T'lindhet and from Guallidurth to now-fallen V'elddrinnsshar. While other

powers contest her rule, the Spider Queen's dominion over the dark elves continues to expand, albeit

more slowly than before. Lolth's followers have been occupied with the conquest of the Underdark and

the destruction of the faerie elves of the surface, and the Spider Queen has never ceased in her efforts to

destroy the elven sanctuary of Evermeet.

Since the Time of Troubles, Lolth has assumed additional aspects as two of her many stratagems to

increase the ranks of her faithful and thus her own personal power. In the drow city of Menzoberranzan,

in the Underdark beneath the North where Lolth - or Lloth, as she is known there-appeared during the

Time of Troubles, the Spider Queen has allowed rumors to spread of a new demigoddess of chaos and

assassins, Zinzerena the Hunted. While Zinzerena was once a legendary drow assassin and later an

emerging demigoddess of a world other than Abeir-Toril, the Spider Queen recently slew Zinzerena - or at

least banished her influence from the Realms -and assumed her aspect as a test to see if additional

divine aspects increased or decreased the total (albeit fragmented) divine power available.

In the Lands of Light, Lolth has long found that the deeply imbued racial antipathy of the surface elves

toward the Spider Queen interferes with her attempts to seduce otherwise eminently corruptible

individuals. With the death of Moander, always a more comprehensible (and tempting) force of evil to the

nature-loving surface elves than the Spider Queen, Lolth has assumed the Dark bringer’s aspect and

portfolio of rotting death, decay, and corruption and revived its cult in a bid to add elven, half-elven, and

human worshipers to the ranks of her faithful.

Although the Spider Queen detests all the members of the Seldarine, Lolth reserves her deepest hatred

for her former lover, Corellon Larethian, who banished her to the Abyss and named her a demon. The

Spider Queen particularly loathes Sehanine’s Moon bow, long her rival, for her part in foiling Lolth's bid to

replace Corellon as head of the Seldarine. The Spider Queen has also vowed vengeance against

Femoral Nectarine, who spurned her after initially falling to her seductions.

Lolth is a cruel, capricious goddess, thought by many to be insane. She delights in setting her worshipers

at each other's throats, so that the strongest, most devious and most cruel survive to serve her. Lolth

roams the Realms often, appearing in answer to the rituals of drow priests, and working whatever harm

she can to the enemies of drow. (During the Time of Troubles, Lolth appeared in the northern city of

Menzoberranzan for a short period of time.) The Spider Queen secretly wants to be worshiped by

humans and elves of other races on the surface Realms, and sometimes journeys among their

communities, whispering of the power Lolth can bring. Lolth is malicious in her dealings and coldly

vicious in a fight. She enjoys both personally dealing and causing death, destruction, and painful torture.

Even more, Lolth enjoys corrupting elves and humans to her service. Lolth can be kind and render aid to

those she fancies - but she really cares only for herself; her favor and aid can never be relied on. The

Spider Queen enjoys the company of and can converse with spiders of all sorts.



Eilistraee

Lesser Power of the Demonweb Pits, CG

SYMBOL: Nude long-haired female drow dancing with a silver bastard sword in front of a full moon

DOMAIN NAME: Lolth's Web/the Demonweb Pits

PORTFOLIO: Song, beauty, dance, sword-work, hunting, moonlight

WORSHIPPERS: Good-aligned drow, elves, half-elves, and humansCLERIC/WORSHIPPER ALIGNMENTS: CG, CN, NG

DOMAINS: Chaos, Charm, Drow, Elf, Good

FAVORED WEAPON: Bastard sword

Eilistraee (EEL-iss-TRAY-yee) is the goddess of the good drow-those rare dark elves who yearn for a

return to life on the surface Realms, existence akin to that enjoyed by elves of the woodlands, left behind

by the drow long ago. She is a goddess of song and beauty, goodness and light, worshiped through song

and dance-preferably in the surface world, under the stars of a moonlit night. Eilistraee aids her faithful in

hunting and sword craft, and worship of her is usually accompanied by a feast.

Eilistraee also has worshipers of human, elven, and in particular, half-elven stock (particularly around

Silverymoon), and she looks kindly upon the Harpers. She is usually seen only from afar, hut her song(of unearthly beauty, driving many to tears) is heard whenever she appears.

The Dark Maiden is the sister of Vhaeraun and the daughter of Araushnee, who was cast out and

became Lolth, and Corellon Larethian. After Eilistraee nearly slew her father with an arrow during a great

battle between the Seldarine and a host of evil deities bent on conquering Arvandor, the Dark Maiden

forswore the use of ranged weapons (although she permits them to her followers). Although her arrow

went astray, because of Araushnee's treachery, Eilistraee chose banishment from Arvandor (and the

Seldarine) along with her mother and brother, foreseeing a time when she would be needed to balance

their evil.

On Abeir-Toril, the Dark Maiden strove for centuries against the hatred of Vhaeraun and his corrupting

influence on the Ilythiiri (southern, dark-skinned elves). Eilistraee's power ebbed with the death of many ofher faithful in the Dark Disaster, and the rise of Lolth and Ghaunadaur among the dark elves marginalized

the influence of the Lady of the Dance for millennia. Only in recent centuries has Eilistraee's faith

regained a small amount of prominence in Faerun, as the Dark Maiden seeks to lead the fallen drow back

to the long-forsaken light.

Eilistraee is a melancholy, moody drow female, a lover of beauty and peace. The evil of most drow banks

a burning anger within her, and when her faithful are harmed, that anger is apt to spill out into wild action.

It is not her way to act openly, but she often aids creatures she favors (whether they worship her or not) in

small, immediately practical ways. Eilistraee is happiest when she looks on bards singing or composing,

craftsmen at work, lovers, or acts of kindness.

While the Dark Maiden and the Seldarine remain allies, it is a strained relationship that reflects thedivisions that persist among the elves. Among the elven powers, Eilistraee is only close with Erevan

Ilesere, and she has only recently worked out an uneasy truce with Shevarash. Eilistraee is unusually

close with the human goddess of magic, Mystra; Qilue Veladorn, seventh of the Seven Sisters, serves

both goddesses as Chosen of Mystra and as Chosen of Eilistraee. The Dark Maiden hates the corruption

and unredeemable evil that both Lolth and Ghaunadaur represent, and she mourns her brother's enduring

cruelty and selfishness.



Ghaunadaur

Lesser Power of the Para-elemental Plane of Ooze, CE

SYMBOL: Purple circle, outlined with an inner ring of violet and an outer ring of black with a single black-

rimmed, violet-on-mauve eye in the center of the circle or (older symbol) an inverted triangle of amber on

a purple background, with amber lines inside of it forming an upside-down "Y" shape whose arms end by

bisecting the sides of the triangle.DOMAIN NAME: None

PORTFOLIO: Cavern, Chaos, Drow, Evil, Hatred, Slime

WORSHIPPERS: Drow, oozes, slimes, jellies, amorphs, ropers

CLERIC/WORSHIPPER ALIGNMENTS: CE, CN, NE

DOMAINS: Chaos, Drow, Evil, Darkness, Trickery, Destruction, Spider

FAVORED WEAPON: War hammer

Ghaunadaur (GONE-ah-door) is a fell deity that has plagued the darkest reaches of the Realms since the

dawn of time. That Which Lurks appears as an amorphous, dark purple blob with many tentacles. It is

venerated by the largest slimes, oozes, slugs, and other crawling things-some of which are said to

possess intelligence, albeit alien. Once all such beings worshiped Ghaunadaur, but it struck most of them

mad in a fit of fury for some transgression - said by some to involve its failure to defeat Lolth shortly after

her banishment from the Seldarine - and stole their intellects. As a result, many of its worshipers, and

most of its power, ceased to exist. That Which Lurks and its giant roper servants have been venerated

for eons by various creatures of the Underdark, particularly lone or sub-intelligent monsters and other

outcasts (whom it occasionally aids, in return for adulation), as well as the few intelligent amorphs that

remain. Evil beings seeking an alternative to established deities - including drow dissatisfied with the rule

of Lolth - have also begun to worship That Which Lurks. Most humans find the worship of Ghaunadaur

disgusting, but there are secret, subterranean altars and cults to the Elder Eye all over Toril, particularly in

the older and more degenerate lands of the southern Sword Coast, Thay, and Kara-Tur.

Although Ghaunadaur is a distinct entity unrelated to the demon lord Juiblex, the Faceless Lord, or the

otherwise unnamed Elder Elemental God neither of the latter two powers is active in the Realms, and

Ghaunadaur has assumed both of their aspects within Realmspace.

Gormauth Souldrinker may have once been the name of a separate power, but if so, it has long been

totally subsumed by That Which Lurks. Some rumors hold that Ghaunadaur occasionally lurks on the

Elemental Plane of Earth and the Para-elemental Plane of Smoke, while others place him in the Abyss.

Ghaunadaur is unpredictable by human standards. It may aid worshipers who merely pay lip service to its

rituals - even expending great power to grant permanent magical boons - but may also devour or maim

them, without warning. Ghaunadaur enjoys watching the hunting and devouring activities of large horrible

monsters and the suffering they cause. Ghaunadaur is silent and terrible when outside the Inner Planes,

but old records tell of gibbering, bestial language spoken in the deity's great court of mingled mud and

gelatin pools. Ghaunadaur only communicates telepathically with blunt and simple communications (for

example, "Approve," No," "Not," "Slay," "Come to Me," "Go to [mental picture of desired place]," and so

on).



Kiaransali

Demigoddess of the Demonweb Pits, CE

SYMBOL: A female drow wearing silver rings

DOMAIN NAME: The Demonweb Pits

PORTFOLIO: Slavery, Vengeance, Undeath

WORSHIPPERS: Drow, necromancers, the undeadCLERIC/WORSHIPPER ALIGNMENTS: CE, CN, NE

DOMAINS: Chaos, Death, Evil


Kiaransali (Kee-uh-ran-sa-lee) is the divine sponsor of the drow slave trade in all its varied aspects. She

appears as a sinuous drow female wearing only silver jewelry and black silk veils. Her only obvious

weapon is her curved dagger, but her long, sharp fingernails are just as dangerous, and her touch is said

to be as cold as that of a lich. This goddess has flirted with madness, even thinking to defy her queen. But

Lolth's power is inexorable, and Kiaransali has taken of the queen's venom, returning once more to sanity

and servitude. The symbol of Kiaransali is a hand of a female drow with three silver rings on each finger

and one on the thumb, with the entire image surrounded by the silver strands of a spider web.

Forgive neither a slight, nor a debt; remember that payment mast always be collected, whether in

treasure or in vengeance. Life is the greatest crime, and perpetual slavery the fittest punishment. Let

there be no freedom For the enslaved, even in death. Death comes for all; when it comes for you, take

your staves and your treasure with you to the grave. The riches of the grave are the dowry of the

mistress.

Worship of Kiaransali has changed since the drow civil war. Prior to that, she was known as Kiaransalee,

but the final glyph of her name was altered in all texts and inscriptions, and her liturgy was abridged to

conform to more acceptable doctrines. Her religion no longer claims any authority that does not derive

from the Queen of the Spiders, though some long-time worshipers still maintain the traditional

resentments.

Clerics of Kiaransali often work as slavers, and occasionally as torturers or executioners. They are

meticulous, almost paranoid, about record keeping, as well as being miserly with wealth. They commonly

work their slaves to death and then animate the corpses so they may continue to serve. They keep their

other servants in a state as close to slavery as they can manage, and withhold wages for the slightest

offense.

However, despite, their stinginess, they are the first to offer bounty on escaped slaves and prisoners, and

they will pay these rewards in full.



Selvetarm

Demigod of the Demonweb Pits, CE

SYMBOL Crossed sword and mace overlaid with spider image


PORTFOLIO: Drow warriors

WORSHIPPERS: Drow warriorsCLERIC/WORSHIPPER ALIGNMENTS: CE, CN, NE

DOMAINS: Chaos, Drow, Evil, Spider, War


Selvetarm (SELL-veh-TARM) is the Champion of Lolth and the patron or drow warriors. Seen as the

embodiment of unequaled fighting prowess, Selvetarm is worshiped by a few drow in the northern and

western reaches of the Underdark beneath Faerun, particularly in the city of Eryndlyn beneath the High

Moor and in the dungeons of Undermountain beneath Waterdeep. The Spider Demon is also venerated

by many of the aranea of the Spider Swamp in southern Calimshan where he is known as Zanassu, the

Spider That Waits. A few drow in the Forest of Mir as well as a handful of Volothanni seeking any

advantage to advance themselves politically in the Gem City of Calimshan round out the ranks of

Selvetarm's faithful.

Selvetarm is the offspring of an ill-fated tryst between Vhaeraun and Zandilar the Dancer, a demigoddess

once venerated by the elves of the Yuirwood. When the Dancer's elven followers began to falter in the

face of relentless assaults by Lolth's minions, Zandilar sought out the Masked Lord and seduced him in

an attempt to either gain information or elicit his direct assistance in battling the Spider Queen. The

Masked Lord betrayed Zandilar and imprisoned her, and only the timely assistance of Bast, an errant

Mulhorandi goddess, allowed the Dancer to escape. Selvetarm was birthed shortly thereafter when the

weakened Zandilar voluntarily merged her essence with that of Bast, creating the goddess now known as

Sharess.

Selvetarm walked a solitary way for many centuries, spurning both of his parents, for he was not wholly

given over to evil but neither was he aligned with the forces of light. Eventually his path crossed that of his

aunt, Eilistraee, and he began to appreciate the goodness of the Dark Maiden, as exhibited in her

teachings and deeds. By way of Selvetarm's redemption, Eilistraee hoped to begin to heal the breach

between the majority of dark elves and the Seldarine. The Dark Maiden's hopes were dashed, however,

by the insidious plotting of Lolth.

The Queen of Spiders had long resented the existence of Zanassu, a minor Abyssal Lord with

pretensions of suzerainty over spiders, nearly as much as she disliked the possibility of Eilistraee winning

an ally-Selvetarm-among the pantheon of the drow. When the Spider Demon lost much of his power after

a conflict on the Prime (against Qysara Shoon V of the Shoon Empire), Lolth convinced Selvetarm to

destroy Zanassu and seize the Spider Demon's burgeoning divine power. She did so by suggesting to

Selvetarm that a victory would increase his personal power and win him favor in the eyes of Eilistraee,

whom he greatly admired. While Selvetarm prevailed in battle over the Spider Demon, the absorption of

Zanassu's wholly evil and chaotic nature overwhelmed Selvetarm's nascent beneficial aspects and

weakened him sufficiently that he could not escape the traps by which the Spider Queen bound his will

tightly to her own.

Cruel and malicious by nature, Selvetarm cares only for battle and destruction. The Champion of Lolth

harbors a deep hatred for all living things, including his dominating mistress, and the only beauty he can

appreciate is a well-honed and deadly fighting style. Selvetarm can exhibit a great deal of patience while



waiting for prey to fall into an ambush he has set, but he prefers the wild abandon of battle frenzy to a

careful and deliberate attack.



Vhaeraun

Lesser god of Carceri, CE

SYMBOL: Black half-mask

DOMAIN NAME: Ellaniath

PORTFOLIO: Thievery, drow males, evil activity on the surface world

WORSHIPPERS: Assassins, male drow and half-drow, poisoners, shadow dancers, rogues, thievesCLERIC/WORSHIPPER ALIGNMENTS: CE, CN, NE

DOMAINS: Chaos, Drow, Evil, Travel, Trickery


Vhaeraun (Vay-RAWN) is the god of thievery and the furthering of drow aims, interests, and power in the

Night Above, as the surface world is known to the faithful. He is also the god of drow males opposed to

the matriarchy of Lolth, teaching that males are as skilled and valuable as females, and thus passively

opposing the teachings of Lolth's priesthood on this point. He believes that drow should work with the

other elven races for common advancement and never associate or trade with duergar, svirfneblin, or

other dwarven and gnome races. (Humans and halflings can be tolerated.)

Vhaeraun is vain, proud, sometimes haughty, bears grudges of legendary length, and never forgetsslights or deceptions. Any underhanded means and treachery is acceptable to him if it furthers his aims or

is done in his service-but if others so treat him or his people, it is a deep sin that cannot go unpunished.

He actively involves himself in drow affairs and moderately often sends an avatar to assist the work of his

priests if the proper rituals are performed and the need is genuine.

Vhaeraun is the brother of Eilistraee and the son of Araushnee, who was cast out and became Lolth, and

Corellon Larethian. The Masked Lord was cast out of the Seldarine and banished from Arvandor, along

with his mother and sister, when his complicity was revealed in Araushnee's plot to destroy Corellon.

While he hates all of the Seldarine, Vhaeraun harbors a particular enmity for Sehanine Moonbow, who

escaped the Masked Lord's prison at great cost to herself and unmasked the culpability of both Vhaeraun

and Araushnee. Likewise, the Masked Lord nurtures an abiding hatred of Eilistraee. The Dark Maiden

always held Corellon's favor more than her hateful brother, and she thwarted Vhaeraun's early efforts to

bring all the Ilythiiri (southern, dark-skinned elves) under his sway, enabling Lolth and Ghaunadaur to

make great inroads among those who would become the drow. Vhaeraun reserves his greatest hatred for

the Spider Queen who gave birth to him long ago. The Masked Lord lacks the strength to challenge Lolth

directly, so he works against her in shadow, undermines her in silence, and looks to unite the other drow

powers against her.



Zinzerena

Demigoddess of the Prime Material Plane, CN

SYMBOL: The draped sword

DOMAIN NAME: None

PORTFOLIO: Deception, humiliation, ambush, assassination

WORSHIPPERS: Assassins, male drow and half-drow, poisoners, shadow dancers, rogues, thieves

CLERIC/WORSHIPPER ALIGNMENTS: CE, CN, CG, N

DOMAINS: Chaos, Luck, Trickery

FAVORED WEAPON: Short sword

Zinzerena (zin-zuh-RAY-nuh) is a rebellious heroine venerated by the dissidents and outcasts of drow

society. She appears as a cloaked and masked drow rogue who moves with astounding agility. Her cloak

has the powers of displacement and protection, while her short sword produces a paralyzing venom. She

also carries a black-handled crop, which she uses to stun her victims. The great artifact also has the

powers of a wand of wonder . Her sponsor to divinity was Keptolo, though she gained a fraction of his

power by a ruse, for which he hates her. Her symbol is the draped sword, representing her hidden

menace.

Raise yourself up by bringing others down. Don't reveal your strength, or your hatred, until your victim is

helpless, Don't strike until you have the advantage; the only fair fight is the one you win. Once the trap is

sprung, make time to gloat before the kill. The legs of the spider are made to be broken.

The liturgy of Zinzerena is passed on in the form of folk-tales, for her faith has no place among the

leadership of drow society. Her tales usually describe her hiding and waiting until her foes are weakened

or lax in their attention, before she attacks, and stories of her origin always describe her as local to the

region in which they are told. Clerics of Zinzerena often multi-class as fighters or rogues. They are much

more common in the decadent cities of the drow, but may be encountered almost anywhere, for even the

noble estates have servants and staff drawn from among the commoners. Only the most bohemian of

nobles would enter her priesthood, though some have done so; inevitably, when they are discovered they

are cast out as traitors to their social class. Ironically, such downcast nobles often become the greatest

leaders of Zinzerena's clergy, for they are the best educated and most politically experienced. Her clerics

work as anything from simple rogues, to laborers^ guides, physicians, poets, prostitutes, or nearly any

other profession. What they all share is a rebellious spirit and a desire for change,

LIVING GREYHAWK Campaign Note: Knowledge of Zinzerena's cult has not yet spread to the surface

world. At the present time, no player character in the LIVING GREYHAWK campaign can take Zinzerena

as a patron.



Keptolo

Demigod of the Demonweb Pits, CE

SYMBOL: The draped sword


PORTFOLIO: Flattery, intoxication, rumor, opportunism

WORSHIPPERS: Drow malesCLERIC/WORSHIPPER ALIGNMENTS: CE, CN, CG, N

DOMAINS Chaos, Evil, Knowledge, Travel

FAVORED WEAPON: Long sword

Keptolo (kep-toe-low) is the drow male ideal: elegant, quick-witted, attentive, and eagerly debauched. He

normally appears as a young nobleman dressed in well-tailored silks of red, purple, jet, and amber. He is

armed with a thin but sturdy poniard and a filigreed long sword. He affects a two-handed fighting style,

using both weapons at once. Otherwise he appears dressed for the hunt, velvet-cloaked and armed with

a magnificent crossbow. His relationship with other drow deities is one of insincere amity, save for

Zinzerena, whom he openly despises. His symbol is a stylized mushroom, which in drow culture is

associated with both strong drink and fertility.

Feed the vanity of your mistress, and all her treasures shall be yours. Be careful whom you offend, and

keep an expendable companion nearby to hold culpable for your crimes. Gossip can be as deadly as the

venom on an assassin's blade. Use the poison of words to destroy your rivals, that you may claim for

yourself all they once presumed was theirs.

Shrines to Keptolo are found throughout the underworld, for many mate drow worship him as their patron,

mostly due to his association with drinking. Tales of his sexual exploits are quite popular, and there are

groups of performers who act them out for festivals and private gatherings. His greatest temple is in the

drow city of Erelhei-Cinlu, but only his most attractive or wealthy worshipers are permitted to participate in

services there.

Clerics of Keptolo are found as advisors, critics, philosophers, and politicians: essentially, any role thatdoes not require actual work. They seek to emulate their deity in all ways, and as such number among

the most handsome and charming of the drow race. However, followers of Keptolo remain very

dangerous, for many of them are skilled dirksmen, poisoners, or spies. Utterly capricious and completely

untrustworthy (even by drow standards), worshipers of the Eager Consort are deferential to priestesses of

Lolth and attentive to the matrons of the powerful noble houses. In other relationships, they are

manipulative and abusive, particularly with fellow clerics lower in the hierarchy.

[Editor’s Note: That’s all for the “official” drow pantheon from TSR and Wizards of the Coast. The

following are all from the “lolz teh evolz!1!” sourcebook from Mongoose Publishing, the Quintessential

Drow.]



Karzerothrene

Goddess of unknown strength, presumably Intermediate, CE

SYMBOL: A black spider on a silver web. In traditional symbology, the Empress’ web is depicted with

barbed edges. More elaborate scenes add the flesh and bones of enemy races, including mind flayers,

humans, and, of course, elves from the surface. Amongst 0the common folk, her symbol is often reduced

to a circle surrounded by eight crooked lines, a crude representation of the spider.

DOMAIN NAME: Unknown, presumably the Demonweb Pits

PORTFOLIO: Torturers, drow nobility

WORSHIPPERS: Torturers, drow nobility

CLERIC/WORSHIPPER ALIGNMENTS: CE, NE, CN

DOMAINS: Evil, Darkness, Fear

FAVORED WEAPON: Throwing disks, flails

Karzerothrene is a feminine deity, but one focused on the darker aspects of motherhood – vengeful

protectiveness, a controlling nature, and obscene fecundity. Karzerothrene will destroy anyone who

trifles with her children, but she has no compunction about annihilating any of her children who step out of

line, either. After all, there are always other children, other worshipers, other slaves to nurture and

enslave.

In her nurturing aspect, Karzerothrene showers her priestesses with gifts, purchasing their loyalty with

enhanced spell casting abilities, powerful hymns, and granted abilities. Her demands are extreme,

however, and all priestesses must accept a Demonic Bond at every third level. These bonds are sacred

to the priestesses and represent the ties to the Empress of the Web, but none can deny their often horrific

effects and often debilitating consequences of such bonds.

Men never serve Karzerothrene directly, she disdains the masculine as weak and disgusting. Though

priestesses are allowed to take consorts for breeding purposes, they are not allowed to marry and serve

for life. While priestesses are required to forsake their noble heritage when joining the temple, virtually no

commoners are ever brought into Karzerothrene’s clergy. The bitch of fate wants her people respected

and feared, not sneered at by the haughty drow royalty.

[Source: The Quintessential Drow]



The Gravemother

Goddess of Unknown Power, NE

SYMBOL: A black sphere surrounded by a silver circle. In statuary or other more representational works,

the Gravemother is shown as a bloated drow with a skull clenched in her teeth and a spider emerging

from the juncture of her thighs.


PORTFOLIO: Childbearing, death, secrets

WORSHIPPERS: Pregnant drow, or those who wish to become pregnant

CLERIC/WORSHIPPER ALIGNMENTS:

DOMAINS: LE, NE, CE, N

FAVORED WEAPON: Spears

The most overtly feminine of all the drow deities, the Gravemother is also the most feared. Her presence

at the beginning and end of all drow lives make her an important member of the pantheon, but one that is

rarely openly worshiped. Pregnant drow, or those who wish to become pregnant, pray to the

Gravemother as do those who feel their natural spans coming to an end, but most drow would prefer not

to be reminded of her presences in their lives.

In her guise as the Seedripper, the Gravemother assists drow in the arts of seduction and in luring a

mate. Though the consummation of such relationships is always violent and frightening to at least one of

the parties involved, the Seedripper is directly responsible for keeping the drow race alive through her

ability to instill drow males and females with a bestial lust to breed, whatever the cost.




The Killer

God of Unknown Strength, CE

SYMBOL: A black blade, normally a scimitar. The hunter is often represented as a male drow clad in

blood-soaked swathes of woven webs, armed with dozens of blades of all sizes and shapes. A few of the

darker depictions also show the hunter amidst the bodies of the fallen or wearing jewelry crafted from

teeth and other bones.


PORTFOLIO: Hunting, Warfare, Murder

WORSHIPPERS: Hunters, soldiers, assassins


DOMAINS: Death, Destruction, War

FAVORED WEAPON: Scimitar

The Killer is the bluntest of all the drow gods and the only god normally depicted as masculine. Charged

with destroying the enemies of the drow, the Killer protects his people only as an afterthought and his

followers work in much the same way. Killing an enemy is more important to them than saving a friend,

though if doing the former facilitates the latter, so be it.

Because he is so ruthless, the Killer is feared and revered by all drow warriors, male and female. As the

ultimate personification of the killing instinct, the Killer is a creature of finely honed reflexes and trained

battle skills. His focus is on offence, not defense, so he most often chooses to attack from hiding or

positions of obvious tactical superiority. The Killer is not concerned with honor, fair play or even prowess

at arms – he is concerned only with the destruction of his enemies.




The Deceiver

Goddess of Unknown Power, CE

SYMBOL: A black-ringed coin


PORTFOLIO: Stealth, Lies, Theft, Corruption

WORSHIPPERS: Thieves, liars, illusionists


DOMAINS: Chaos, Evil, Luck, Trickery

FAVORED WEAPON: Rapier

Deception and trickery are part and parcel of the drow way of thinking, so it is only natural they have a

goddess who specializes in deceit. Though her names are many and her servants legion, the Deceiver

hides her religion in the guises of other faiths, using their priests and followers to do her bidding. This

allows her to accomplish much more than she could get away with given the small number of drow who

openly venerate her, but does draw the ire of other religions on a regular basis. Purges of Deceiver

priests are common in drow churches, though the bloody pogroms usually end with politically-motivated

murders and few of the Deceiver priests caught and killed.

The Deceiver is a nebulous presence in drow life. Some believe she exists only to prevent the drow from

overthrowing the other fate spinners and taking charge of the universe themselves, others feel she is part

of the drow curse, the spirit of the internecine fighting keeping them from every realizing their goals of

regaining dominion over the surface world. Whether true or not, it is obvious the Deceiver’s agents sow a

great deal of dissent and discord in the ranks of the drow.

The followers of the Witch of the Maze believe their goddess guides them in culling the weak from the

drow herd, using trickery and treachery to exploit their weaknesses and using them as tools for others to

destroy. While the Deceiver’s priests relish this role, the Deceiver rarely lets them know if it is true or not,

and her plans often leads them into grave danger.




The Spider Queen

Greater Goddess of the Demonweb Pits, NE

SYMBOL: Silver web on a black diamond


PORTFOLIO: Drow, magic, fate, sorcery

WORSHIPPERS: Drow and depraved elves, sentient spiders


DOMAINS: Destiny, evil, magic, thought, web

FAVORED WEAPON: Net or scimitar

The Spider Queen fulfills her namesake. She manifests to her worshippers as a blindingly beautiful drow

clothed in a revealing array of linked spiders and silken webs. Atop her head she wears a crown formed

of black diamonds and the desires of drow woven into web like spun platinum. When angered, she

appears in the form of an immense, bloated spider with the torso of a heavily pregnant drow, her whole

body covered in the blood and gore of her enemies. Of the few drow who have seen this form and lived,

only a handful are sane enough to describe it.

[Note: This version of Lolth is what appears after her in-campaign slaying by Kiayoloc, and her

subsequent devouring of seven of her eight Claws to regain her divine power (and then some). Her

switch from Chaotic Evil to Neutral Evil represents her return to sanity after the divine essences of three

Ilythiiri gods escaped her clutches during said slaying.]

[Source: Plot and Poison by Green Ronin Publishing]



Arrachnoveleth

Greater God of the Prime Material Plane, NE

SYMBOL: Worm with bat wings and scorpion's tail

DOMAIN NAME: None

PORTFOLIO: Vermin, bats, the Underdark, earth, poison

WORSHIPPERS: Drow

CLERIC/WORSHIPPER ALIGNMENTS: LE, NE, CE, N

DOMAINS Bat, Earth, Poison, Vermin, Underdark

FAVORED WEAPON: Heavy pick

Arrachnoveleth shows his worshipers many forms. Sometimes he appears as a man-shaped mass of

wriggling worms and insects. At another time he might look like an enormous bat with great venomous

fangs. When he wants worshipers to be more at ease, he takes the shape of a giant drow with worms for

arms and legs. At other times, his worshipers see nothing at all but only get the sense of something

immense and terrible dragging itself toward them just beyond the limits of vision. In all his forms

Arrachnoveleth wears a crown of darkness that seems to grow from a black energy leaping up from the

places where his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth should be.

Arrachnoveleth opposes all of the other drow gods. Never a drow himself nor elevated to godhood by the

Spider Queen, he is suspected by most drow religious scholars to be a demon or devil of some sort.

The truth is even darker.

Only his most trusted clerics and druids know of Arrachnovoleth's origins. He was once a powerful dao,

an evil spirit from the Elemental Plane of Earth. Banished for acts of depravity beyond the

comprehension of even his own wicked race, Arrachnoveleth found comfort in the depths of the

Underdark. There he encountered other subterranean creatures, including the drow. At first he

slaughtered and devoured every living thing he met, but after nearly a thousand years of terrorizing drow

settlements, he realized that his depredations had made him something of a legend among the dark

elves. Using this reputation, he forced weak-willed drow to bow down and worship and serve him. In

time his cult grew, and his worshipers expanded his dominion from the devouring aspect of the earth to its

present dimensions.

Arrachnoveleth is a wild and feared force among the drow pantheon. They know that he is not held in

check by Lolth's will, that his cult is powerful, spread wide and far to every level of drow society. Each

drow god fears an Arrachnoveleth offensive, knowing all too well that although the others would band

together to destroy the Crawler in Darkness, they would wait until the attacked god was severely

weakened, easy pickings for the “rescuers”.




Black Widow

Demigoddess of the Palace of Webs, LE

SYMBOL: Red hourglass on a black skull

DOMAIN NAME: The Palace of Webs

PORTFOLIO: Necromancy, time, law, revenge, death, murder

WORSHIPPERS: Drow necromancers, murderers, assassins, and the elderly.

CLERIC/WORSHIPPER ALIGNMENTS: LE, LN, NE

DOMAINS: Death, Law, Necromancy, Vengeance

FAVORED WEAPON: Kukri

Black Widow looks like an unhealthily and unnaturally thin female drow. Her eyes are sunk deep in the

sockets, and the bones of her ribs, spine, and hips show through her frail form. Her tongue seems small

and dry in her mouth, and her neck is so thin that it should not bear her head. Her smile is a fierce and

feral grin; her thin lips pull away from her gritted, gleaming teeth as though frightened to be near them.

Her nearly skeletal hands each have eight long, thin fingers that end in claw like nails, and she has

stretched, bony feet with clawed toes. This apparition is made all the more terrible because she rarely

appears wearing clothes of any kind but for a worn leather belt from which hangs a heavy kukri, sticky

with old blood.

Black Widow is the half-sister of both Vhaeraun and Eilistraee, daughter of a union between Lolth and an

osyluth. No one is certain why the Queen of the Spiders let Black Widow live, as she habitually eats her

divine offspring, but she allowed the brat of a godling to exist in her shadow in the Palace of Webs. Black

Widow matured into a beautiful young woman, despite the deformity of her hands and feet, and this

caught the attention of Auraxzanath, then the drow god of lust and death. Auraxzanath and Black Widow

often dallied together in secret, always wary of the wrath of the Spider Queen. And with good reason:

Auraxzanath's lust for Black Widow was nothing more than a lust for power. He played with Black

Widow's heart in the hopes of turning her against her mother, or at least, learning a secret he could use.

It was a suicidal dream. Lolth learned of their secret trysts and of Auraxzanath's plans. After killing

Auraxzanath, she met Black Widow in his form and plied her daughter with words and affection, revealing

Auraxzanath's plans to kill the Spider Queen and asking Black Widow to be an accomplice. Although

Black Widow held a deep affection for the alluring god, she feared her mother more and struck out

against her lover. Satisfied with her daughter's loyalty, Lolth dropped her disguise, revealed all that had

befallen, and offered Black Widow Auraxzanath's former role as god of death and necromancy. Shocked,

disgusted, betrayed, and afraid, Black Widow numbly accepted. Since that day she has nursed a deep

hatred for her mother, both for killing Auraxzanath before she could, and for climbing into her bed. Black

Widow has vowed revenge, and one day she shall have it, but for now she is patient: Her opportunity will

come in time.




Nyarleth

Demigoddess of the Prime Material Plane, CE

SYMBOL: Eight black daggers piercing a heart

DOMAIN NAME: Unknown

PORTFOLIO: Conquest, drey, battle, rage, renegade drow, war

WORSHIPPERS: Drey, renegade drow


DOMAINS: Strength, War, Wrath

FAVORED WEAPON: Footman's flail

Nyarleth appears to her worshipers completely covered in intricately detailed, black full plate armor. Her

shield and flail are similarly engraved. The whole of her body and equipment bear scenes of her killing

foes of all kinds. these scenes shift and move, playing out Nyarleth's every conquest. In one, she tears

out the throat of a female drow with her teeth, and in another, she rips out the still-beating heart of a

dragon and sucks the blood from it. The message is clear: no-one is safe from her wrath, and none can

stand against her.

Nyarleth was the first drey drow. Born with the white eyes and ferocity now common to the drey race, she

was cast into the Underdark because she disobeyed her House's leader. Not one to give up, Nyarleth

gathered other outcasts and wild-spirited drow about her, fostering and nurturing their rage while she

trained them for the inevitable conflict with her House and home city. When the attack finally began, it

came without warning and with such ferocity that the House fell in less than a day, and the city within the

week. From that city Nyarleth founded an empire, waging war on every settlement of sentient creatures

her followers encountered. Eventually this drew the attention of Lolth, who sent minions to destroy the

upstart. Their attempts were rebuffed, and so the Spider Queen chose another tactic: bribery. Nyarleth's

decision to become a goddess left her followers in disarray. The drey were defeated, forced into the wilds

and their current state of near-barbarism.




Skuttle

Lesser God of Carceri?, NE

SYMBOL: Blank black scroll

DOMAIN NAME: Unknown, presumably Carceri

PORTFOLIO: Spiderlings, secrets, theft, greed, conspiracy, spying

WORSHIPPERS:

CLERIC/WORSHIPPER ALIGNMENTS: LE, NE, CE, N

DOMAINS: Agility, Secrecy, Stealth

FAVORED WEAPON: Sap

Skuttle has never physically appeared before his worshipers His clerics know he is present when he

speaks to them from an empty room or from within an object too small to contain a spider ling, much less

a god. He is depicted in many different ways, often as an idealized version of the worshiper The god

doesn't seem to mind that no one knows what he looks like, not even when whether or not he is, in fact,

male – or drow at all. The most religious scholars can say with some certainty is that “Skuttle” is not the

deity’s real name.

Skuttle's past, like his appearance, is a mystery. Scholars suspect he is the offspring of some mortal and

some now-dead drow god, probably Auraxzanath, the former deity of lust and death. Others are

convinced that Skuttle is really a powerful fiend that has attained godlike status by tricking the drow into

worshiping it. It is known that the god first appeared to individual drow, usually rogues and dark elves

dissatisfied with their current position in society. Skuttle promised great power and wealth in exchange

for worship, and he delivered. His cult grew, and now no one is certain how many drow pay him secret

homage.




Deity Align Holy Rank Dominion Symbol DomainsFavoredWeapon

Lolth CE

PantheonRuler

IntermediateGoddess

Assassins, chaos, darkness,drow, evil, spiders

Black spider withfemale drow head

(at bottom of figure)

Chaos, Drow, Evil,Darkness, Trickery,Destruction, Spider

Dagger

The Spider Queen NE

Pantheon

Ruler, GreaterGoddess

Drow, magic, fate, sorcery Silver web on ablack diamond Destiny, Evil, Magic,Thought, Web

Arrachnoveleth CEGreater God,Independent

Power

Vermin, bats, the Underdark,earth, poison

Worm with batwings and

scorpion's tail

Bat, Earth, Poison,Vermin, Underdark

HeavyPick

Black Widow LE DemigoddessDrow necromancers,

murderers, assassins, andthe elderly

Red hourglass on ablack skull

Death, Law,Necromancy,Vengeance

Kukri

Deceiver CE GoddessStealth, Lies, Theft,

CorruptionA black-ringed coin

Chaos, Evil, Luck,Trickery

Rapier

GhaunadaurCE

Lesser GodIndependent

Power

Drow, oozes, slimes, jellies,amorphs, ropers

Purple circlew/centered triangle

and inner eye

Cavern, Chaos, Drow,Evil, Hatred, Slime

Warhammer

Gravemother NE Goddess Childbearing, death, secretsA black sphere

surrounded by asilver circle

Death, Healing,Knowledge

Spears

Keptolo CE DemigodFlattery, intoxication, rumor,

opportunismStylized mushroom

Chaos, Evil,Knowledge, Travel

LongSword

Kerzethrone CE Goddess Torturers, drow nobilityA black spider on a

silver webEvil, Darkness, Fear

Throwingdisks,flails

Kiaransali CE DemigoddessDrow, necromancers, the

undeadA female drow

wearing silver ringsSlavery, Vengeance,

UndeathWar

hammer

Killer CE God Hunting, Warfare, MurderA black blade,

normally a scimitarDeath, Destruction,

WarScimitar

Nyarleth CE DemigoddessConquest, drey, battle, rage,

renegade drow, warEight black daggers

piercing a heartStrength, War, Wrath

Footman'sflail

Selvetarm CE Demigod Drow warriorsCrossed sword andmace overlaid with

spider image

Chaos, Drow, Evil,Spider, War

Warhammer

Skuttle NELesser God,Independent

Spiderlings, secrets, theft,greed, conspiracy, spying

Blank black scrollAgility, Secrecy,

StealthSap

Vhaeraun CE Lesser God

Assassins, male drow andhalf-drow, poisoners,

shadow dancers, rogues,thieves

Black half-maskChaos, Drow, Evil,

Travel, TrickeryWar

hammer

Zinzerena CNDemigoddess,Independent

Power

Deception, humiliation,ambush, assassination

The draped sword Chaos, Luck, TrickeryShortSword



Documents

Drow Pantheons