Lolth (Greyhawk Action)
 |
 |
| Greyhawk Action! |
Lolth is the fallen goddess in the Elven pantheon. Patron of the drow, queen of spiders, and goddess of the new moon, she is the eternal nemesis of Sehanine Moonbow.
In the Common pantheon Lolth is a goddess of prostitution, intrigue and sex appeal, often depicted as a female drow of exaggerated proportions in slinky clothes few real drow would ever wear.
In Synchretism she is the goddess of darkness, intrigue, and murder. She has sponsored ascended mortals among other peoples, both humanoids and monsters. Among humans she is known as Kurell the Oerdian god of jealousy, revenge, and theft and Syrul the Suel goddess of Lies, deceit, and treachery.
Lolth (lohlth) appears as either a tall, beautiful female drow or as a black spider with a female drow’s head. She maintains a ruthless, tyrannical reign over the drow, ruling through a combination of fear and the promise of power. 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 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.
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 noncleric 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.
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.
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Weapon: Short Sword
Pathfinder Domains
Animal (Fur, but spiders only, and spiders are treated as animals to Lolth's clergy), Charm (Lust), Darkness (Normal or Loss), Nobility, War (Tactics).