Lolth

She's usually not this cute or friendly.

Lolth is the Chaotic Evil patron goddess of the drow in Dungeons & Dragons. She is sometimes called the "Spider Queen" or "Mistress of the Demonweb Pits", since she (and thus the drow) has a major spider theme.

Rules

Lolth has a social Darwinist streak a mile wide -- her rules for the drow are basically:

1. The strong should rule over the weak.
2. There are no other rules.

There are plenty of rules that are stated, but Lolth tends to overlook transgressions, so long as the transgressor is not caught and revealed by someone other than Lolth. Such a rule-breaker will be swiftly and mercilessly punished, for being stupid enough to be caught and too weak to kill or otherwise silence the spotter.

A fiendishly clever back-stabbing is a good way to earn her favor, though getting stabbed in the back by someone else is a good way to lose it just as quickly. Lolth demands results, and she is not fond of failure. Despite this there is at least one instance when she helped out someone who got stabbed in the back. This was Jaggedra Thul, a half dragon who was slain by her vampire mate for a powerful magic item. It is also worth noting that if a member of drow society is particularly good at backstabbing and drow society suffers enough that she suspects it is threatened by said drow through the very behavior she encourages, she engineers said drow's fall (be it death, transformation into a drider, or the like), although she is kind enough to send a cease and desist visions to the culprit and gives him/her a chance to stop first, unless she isn't in the mood to.

Sacrifices

As sacrifices go she "prefers sentient creatures over nonsentient ones, humanoids over nonhumanoids, elves over other humanoids, and drow over elves. She prefers more powerful (higher level) sacrifices to weaker ones, and her own priestesses over all others." Drows without influence who displease the priesthood easily find themselves on the sacrificial alter.

Tests

Lolth "tests" her followers who achieve power, and she tests her priestesses and powerful matriarchs quite regularly. Failing such a test results in death or being turned into a drider (and thus seen as weak and being preyed upon by other drow, in older editions drow kill driders). The drow call these tests punishments, because success is only rewarded by being spared the fate of those who fail. One who is being tested by Lolth is called a "Zwy'il". Outside interference in such tests are forbidden, but of course Lolth generally only takes action against those that interfere if the interfering individual(s) (who are typically sabotaging the Zwy'il) gets caught by someone other than Lolth herself. Such tests maybe (but aren't limited to):

• The Test of Loyalty: The Zwy'il is betrayed by a former ally (whose betrayal is engineered by Lolth) and now must slay said ally. Showing mercy is a sign of weakness and results in failure.
• The Test of Strength: Probably the least creative of Lolth's test. The tested subject must defeat a foe (be it rival drow or a monster) of equal or greater strength than the subject.
• The Test of Mettle: Covering the Zwy'il in venomous spiders while in an enclosed space (in this test the Zwy'il must escape without harming said spiders).
• The Test of Doubt: Taking away hard earned power (such as spell casting abilities, giving negative levels, and sometimes is even transformed into a drider or another creature). The Zwy'il must endure this for a period of time, sometimes weeks, sometimes less, and sometimes even more. And the subject must not only survive, but thrive, while maintaining faith in Lolth.

Public Relations

Unsurprisingly, such an evil total bitch is hated by Everyone, including her own worshipers (yes even her own priestesses).

Gallery

• 

  photo day at high school was interesting

• 

  friends with deficits