The Spider Queen, Queen of the Demonweb Pits, Flesh-Carver, Weaver of Webs, Queen of the Drow, The Spider Goddess, Demon Queen of Spiders, Weaver of Chaos, Dark Mother of the Drow
Intermediate Power of the Infinite Layers of the Abyss

Symbol: A black spider with female drow head (at bottom of figure) or black cloak and short sword (Zinzerena aspect)
Home Plane: Abyss/66th layer/Lolth’s Web (the Demonweb Pits)
Alignment: Chaotic evil
Portfolio: Spiders, evil, darkness, chaos, assassins, the drow race
Alias: Araushnee, Lloth (Menzoberranzan and Uluitur), Megwandir, Moander, Zinzerena
Superior: none
Allies: Loviatar, Malar, Selvetarm
Foes: Deep Duerra, Eilistraee, Ghaunadaur, Gruumsh, Ibrandul (dead), Kiaransaleen, Laduguer, Moander (dead), the Seldarine, Vhaeraun, Blibdoolpoolp, the Blood Queen, Diinkarazan, Diirinka, Great Mother, Gzemnid, Ilsensine, Ilxendren, Laogzed, Maanzecorian (dead), Psilofyr
Core Worshipers: Drow
Worshipers: Depraved elves, sentient spiders
Cleric Alignments: CE, CN, NE, N
Domains: Chaos, Destruction, Domination* (CD), Evil, Oracle* (CD), Pestilence* (CD), Trickery.
Favored Weapon: (+ 5 ghost touch chaotic unholy whip) or (+ 5 ghost touch chaotic unholy dagger)

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 as a massive black spider with a female drow’s head and crimson eyes, Lolth’s true form is that of a human-sized, exquisitely beautiful female drow. She maintains a ruthless, tyrannical reign over the drow, ruling through a combination of fear and the promise of power.

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.

Lolth is the single true deity of the drow; she is their guide and ruling power. The elves and other surface races believe that she was Corellon Larethian’s original consort, cast out of the pantheon when she turned to evil. The drow, and Lolth herself, teach a much different version; see History and Folklore, below. In either case, it was Lolth who first spread evil among the elves, and who led the drow away from the rest of the elves thousands of years ago. Now she focuses on breeding and conflict among the drow to make the race ever more powerful, and on using them to conquer the vast cavern-realms beneath the surface of the earth. Lolth relishes the chance to test her followers by pitting them against each other, culling the weak from the strong.

It was Lolth who first spread evil among the elves, and it was she who led the drow to break away from the rest of elven society and to dwell underground. Drow scoff at any attempt to suggest that they were banished from the surface. Nevertheless, Lolth has sworn vengeance against Corellon Larethian and his people.

Lolth constantly turns one drow against another. She claims to do this to cull out the weak and to make the race strong, but she is a cruel and capricious deity who enjoys watching others suffer. She is careful to prevent open or widespread strife among the drow. She does not tolerate campaigns of harassment or attrition among groups of drow, but she does sanction well-planned, swift, and overwhelming attacks.

Lolth manifests an aspect of herself (essentially an avatar representing only a tiny portion of her true power) with relative frequency, often attending major rites or rituals directly and feeding upon the sacrifices.

Description: Lolth (lohlth), the Queen of the Demonweb Pits, first spread evil among the elves, leading the drow away from the rest of the elves thousands of years ago. Now she focuses on using the drow to conquer the vast cavern-realms beneath the surface of the earth. She relishes the chance to test her followers by pitting them against each other that the strong may cull out the weak. She appears as a tall, beautiful female drow or a massive black spider with a female drow’s head. More so than any other deity, Lolth delights in perpetual tests of her exclusively female clerics, pitting them against each other.

Dogma: Lolth constantly turns one drow against another. She claims to do this to cull out the weak and to make the race strong, but she is a cruel and capricious deity who enjoys watching others suffer. She is careful to prevent open or widespread strife among the drow. She does not tolerate campaigns of harassment or attrition among groups of drow, but she does sanction well-planned, swift, and overwhelming attacks.

Lolth expects her people to be shrewd, calculating, and aware of the dangers and opportunities around them. She has no use for sentiment, weakness, or love. She expects her people to rule the entire Underdark (the realm beneath the surface of the earth), eliminating foes that are weak enough to be destroyed and biding their time before attacking other opponents. She also expects them to eventually invade and conquer the surface, not to colonize it but to defeat Corellon Larethian and the surface elves.

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.

History/Relationships: 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.

Clergy and Temples
Lolth rules her people through her clerics, who are exclusively female and organized into noble houses made up of clerics related by blood. The oldest clerics rule the house, with younger clerics following in order by age. Each house also includes non-cleric drow related by blood or marriage. The clerics serve as absolute rulers in Lolth’s name. They are the leaders, police, juries, and executioners of drow society.

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.

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.

Every cleric of Lolth knows that the path to promotion lies by stabbing ones; superior in the back, and every cleric is likewise alert that her underlings are plotting to do the same to her. Lolth’s temples among the drow generally dominate (in every sense of the word) the communities that surround them. These temples are extraordinarily defended by capable and clever spider-worshipers, but also serve as storehouses of dark lore and powerful magic. Lolth uses a number of competitive rites to identify particularly worthy followers. Those who succeed in her rites – which involve competitive spellcasting or all-out combat – get access to more powerful magic. Those who fail are demoted, killed, or turned into driders.

Cleric Training: More so than any other deity, Lolth delights in perpetual tests of her exclusively female clerics, pitting them against each other. Every cleric of Lolth knows that the path to promotion lies by stabbing ones; superior in the back, and every cleric is likewise alert that her underlings are plotting to do the same to her.

Quests: Lolth has set her worshipers the task of conquering the vast network of underground caverns—and killing surface elves, of course. Typical quests include attacking a rival drow community, raiding a mind flayer lair for its magic, and building an artifact that turns surface elves into spiders.

Prayers: Clerics and priestesses often pray before undertaking even mundane daily activities, dedicating everything they do to their queen. Prayers to Lolth, always made in Elvish, frequently feature the phrase, “Elliya Lolthu,” which means “Test me, Lolth.”

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.

Lolth rules her people through her clerics, who are exclusively female and organized into noble houses made up of clerics related by blood. The oldest clerics rule the house, with younger clerics following in order by age. Each house also includes non-cleric drow related by blood or marriage. The clerics serve as absolute rulers in Lolth’s name. They are the leaders, police, juries, and executioners of drow society.

Temples: Lolth’s temples among the drow generally dominate (in every sense of the word) the communities that surround them. They are large, imposing edifices, intended to make all who enter feel small and humbled—a sensation that truly strong drow are expected to resist. TThese temples are extraordinarily defended by clever and capable priestesses, soldiers, and minions of Lolth, and frequently by hordes of arachnids as well. They often serve as storehouses of dark lore and powerful magic as well as places of ritual.

Nearly every drow home has at least a small shrine to Lolth, even if it is just a spider statue or modest altar. Larger temples to Lolth are usually laid out in the shape of a spider. They serve as meeting places, sacrificial sites, and centers of entertainment for high-ranking drow.

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.

Rites: Lolth uses a number of competitive rites to identify particularly worthy followers. Although any cleric can conduct these rites for small or family groups, only a formal priestess has the authority to demand attendance of a community. (Or at least, only a priestess officially has such authority. As with all else among the drow, if a single individual has the power to force participation, then she has the right to force participation.) Those who succeed in her rites—which involve competitive spellcasting or all-out combat—get access to more powerful magic. Those who fail are demoted, killed, or turned into driders.

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 non-drow.

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.

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.

Heralds and Allies
Lolth’s most common herald is a bebilith demon with 18 Hit Dice. Her allies are succubus demons, bebilith demons, and marilith demons.

Relics: Robe of ebonsilk, rod of the recluse

Gods of the Flanaess