Eilistraee

Eilistraee (pronounced "eel-iss-TRAY-yee" or "eel-ISS-tray-ee" ), also referred to as the Dark Maiden, was the chaotic good drow goddess of song, swordwork, hunting, moonlight, and beauty. She was the patroness and protectress of the few dark elves who longed to return to the surface Realms and live life there, at peace with other races, and to abandon the endless conflicts and intrigues that dominated the lives of most drow. She was comforted that some worked their way free of the Spider Queen's web.

Description
Eilistraee appeared as a drow female of extraordinary beauty. She was 9 feet (2.7 meters) tall, with long, strong, graceful limbs and a glossy and obsidian-dark skin. Her visage was that of her mother, Lolth (with delicately sculpted features and shape), save for her large eyes and ankle-long hair, which were of a glowing silvery hue. She usually appeared unclad, cloaked only by her hair and silvery radiances that were ever-moving about her body. Her appearance inspired utter awe and astonishment (as expected from a goddess), as well as deeper emotions: those who contemplated her could feel as if they had found the answer to all that their soul longed, but upon her leaving, they would experience a feel of deep loss, or even desolation, if for a brief time (as Sharlario Moonflower and his son felt when the Dark Dancer manifested to them, warning them of the dangers of Ilythiir).

Personality
Eilistraee was a generally melancholic goddess (in great part because of the suffering of her people, the drow), but despite that she still tried her best to spread joy, create and nurture beauty, show kindness, and just make life flourish. She was a lover of peace and beauty, music and dance, and was happiest when seeing artists—especially bards, dancers, and musicians—at work, people doing acts of kindness, and lovers in tender moments. She herself enjoyed helping people in need in various practical ways.

As a young goddess, Eilistraee was a free spirit, with a moody and wild side to her personality and an unpredictable temper. Even as she matured, these traits never really left her: she had a fiery streak and was prone to wild action, especially in protection of her faithful when they were harmed. The evil that was inflicted upon—and perpetuated by—most drow caused a burning anger within her, one that could cause her to lash out, mostly when her drow were threatened.

Eilistraee was convinced that all races could live peacefully together, helping and accepting each other despite their differences, and strongly believed in the possibility of redemption for those who had fallen to evil, especially the drow. She tirelessly fought to make her dream of drow and all races living in harmony a reality, standing up to tyranny (especially her mother's) that oppressed people or poisoned their hearts with hatred and prejudice, never giving up despite all the odds.

Eilistraee took the role of a nurturing and protecting mother-goddess for the whole drow race. She chose to share their exile so that she could be with them when they needed her the most, to provide a light in the darkness and a shining beacon of hope to her children in the difficult times that—as she had foreseen—would come upon them. Eilistraee taught and showed to the drow kindness and love, the joy and freedom of life that were taken away from them, calling them to her and singing to their hearts. The goddess helped the dark elves to strengthen, grow, and flourish in a hostile surface world, protecting her faithful and aiding them in hunting, swordcraft, and other practical matters of their everyday life.
 * See also: Eilistraee's teachings

Manifestations and Abilities
Eilistraee rarely directly intervened in her people's lives, but she was known to watch over them and help and assist any creature that she favored (even if not her worshiper) in immediately useful ways. For example, the sound of her hunting horn could be heard when her faithful were in danger—or when people needing help were nearby—heartening them and scaring away dangerous creatures. Her silvery radiance or silvery moths guided drow who were lost in the darkness (or who simply needed indications of the best way to take) to a safe place or lightened childbirths that occurred in the dark. Hers was the force that brought a stag within the reach of hungry drow. Eilistraee also manifested, usually through her light, in the moments when her "children" needed her visible blessing and support or comfort and when a new drow converted to her faith and joined her dance—about 68% of the times in the latter cases. At times she could decide to grant her followers the temporary ability to manifest her Moonfire.

Eilistraee sang her call to all dark elves—from the highest matron mother to the lowest male slave—, sending them dreams or visions, showing them a different, better life (especially when they were close to the surface). Lolth was powerless to stop these visions (as too much interference from two goddesses could easily bring a mortal's mind to insanity), and the drow definitely came to know about and "felt" the Dark Dancer at one point in their life, but many of them either would not understand said dreams or emotions or chose to ignore, disbelieve, or reject them. Even then, while not many refused Lolth to cleave to Eilistraee, many secretly yearned for the goddess and all that she wished for them. In fact, it was not unusual for them to choose to spare a stricken worshiper of Eilistraee if they thought no priestess of Lolth was watching, or to fail to pass on to other drow something they might have seen of their activities, or to stop to watch a dance of Eilistraee worshipers rather than disrupting it.

The Dark Dancer could instantly become aware of threats posed to good-aligned drow (or to her followers), or of drow trying to escape the grasp of dark deities, but only under the condition of their number being equal or greater than five hundred.

She was usually seen only from afar, but her song (of unearthly beauty, driving many to tears) was heard whenever she appeared. Eilistraee had the ability to dance and sing to solicit emotions in her allies and foes, or to inspire courage and enhance her allies' skills: such was the beauty and power of her art that even creatures normally immune to such effects couldn't resist.

Her most common sign was a silvery radiance (sometimes accompanied by a snatch of song or a few echoing notes of a harp). Eilistraee used this light to assist her people: she was known to use it as a beacon guiding those lost in the woods, to shine a light on something dropped in the dark, to illuminate a dark place where women gave birth. She also used it to bless a worshiper in various ways. Swords enveloped by the silvery light could not be broken or damaged and struck with maximum force. Living creatures would always react first in battle, could better evade or withstand blows, could strike more accurately, and could wound even creatures that needed only magic to be harmed. Sometimes, Eilistraee would choose to use her radiance to bless the faithful or even non-faithful who decided to honor her with a solitary dance, manifesting her contentment by turning the creature's hair into a mane of silvery, dancing flames. This could last as long as a month, or even be permanent.

At times, she could also appear during celebrations dedicated to her, leaping inside the flames of the bonfires, or manifest herself by night, cloaked and cowled and with her radiance dimmed, to travelers in the woodlands (usually to test their kindness).

Eilistraee demonstrated her favor and happiness through the discovery of particular minerals or gems (like mithral, moonbars, moonstones, and silver) or with a sudden inspiration to write a beautiful song or poem, or to craft a good sword for those who had the ability. At times she could also turn the hair of However, the Dark Dancer could also let her displeasure be known and did so by making a cold breeze rise, by making the disfavored ones feel a sensation of chill to their hands or feet, or through a sudden lack of inspiration in any form of art, or through the inability to catch anything while hunting.

Eilistraee's Avatar
Eilistraee's avatar appeared as the goddess herself, described above. She could use any kind of spell from any school or sphere of magic, but preferred those from the animal, plant, healing, creation, and charm/enchantment spheres.

She could instantly, at will, unleash nine silvery magic missiles, could levitate at will, turn spells back against their caster, and quickly regenerate wounds or even lost limbs. In battle she wielded two identical singing swords of dancing +3, and fought combining the grace and agility of her dance with the lethality of her fencing skills.

Eilistraee's avatar could also manifest wearing deep brown leather boots that allowed her to move in total silence and without leaving any trace and a green cloak that shifted its color according to the surrounding environment, rendering the goddess' avatar invisible.

History
Eilistraee was the daughter of Corellon Larethian and Araushnee, who later became Lolth, and the sister of Vhaeraun.

Exile
The commonly accepted version of the story or myth of how Eilistratee came to her role in the Dark Seldarine ran as follows.

When Lolth gathered a host of deities opposed to the Seldarine, tricking them into assaulting Arvandor in an attempt to overthrow Corellon, Eilistraee (whose skills in archery, scouting, and hunting were widely known among the Seldarine) was the first to spot the threat, allowing her father and the other elven deities to prepare a defense. In the heat of the battle that ensued, when Ghaunadaur made its entrance, Corellon painfully realized that the threat had to have come from within the Seldarine itself, as a being like Ghaunadaur could only enter Arvandor if a true evil already lurked within the plane. His sorrow grew even more intense when he realized that his lover, Araushnee, was behind it, as she stood observing the battle in triumph, and that the scabbard that she had crafted for his sword magically drew one of the arrows fired by Eilistraee to protect her father to pierce his chest instead. Seeing this happening from the skies, Aerdrie Faenya, unaware of the deception, struck the still-shocked Eilistraee, incapacitating her. Despite Corellon being almost fatally wounded, the battle was ultimately won by the forces of the Seldarine and, as soon as the last invader was driven from Arvandor, the elven deities—still unbelieving that the Dark Maiden could act against her father—gathered around the unconscious elven lord, trying to aid him and save his life.

It was then that Araushnee, faking grief, put in motion the second part of her plan (as she had intended for the invaders to be defeated). Pretending to do her best to save her lover, she tried to use a concoction of poisonous herbs, prepared by Eilistraee for the arrows of the mortal dark elves, to finish Corellon, passing it for a healing elixir made up of water from Elysium and healing herbs. She hoped that if her treachery was uncovered, she could still blame Eilistraee, as the potion was her work. This plan didn't go well: Sehanine Moonbow, whom Araushnee and Vhaeraun had ambushed and trapped before the invasion (because she had seen their true intentions and tried to warn them against their plans), had in fact managed to free herself and intervened in time to save Corellon (together with Aerdrie Faenya and Hanali Celanil) and free Eilistraee from guilt. After the elven lord had regained consciousness and the truth was made clear, he had to take the painful decision to banish all the drow deities for their roles in the war against the Seldarine. Eilistraee was cleared from any wrongdoing, but she insisted upon this punishment from her reluctant father, because she foresaw that the dark elves would need a beacon of good within their reach and her help and support in the times to come.

Wandering
After her exile, the Dark Maiden wandered Toril, the same world that the elves had chosen as their home, dedicating herself to contesting Vhaeraun's corrupting influence on Ilythiir, at least until her mother turned her attention on said world (posing an even greater threat). The following centuries would inflict blow after blow to Eilistraee and her followers: the Crown Wars (-12000 DR to -9000 DR) and the Dark Disaster (in -10500 DR) brought the death of many of her people in Miyeritar, severely weakening the goddess' power. Meanwhile, Lolth and Ghaunadaur gained influence among the dark elves and their persecution of worshipers of rival deities further marginalized the influence of the Lady of the Dance for millennia. Despite this (and despite her church having effectively collapsed), Eilistraee kept fighting to bring her hope to the drow and lead them back to their rightful place in the light, but only in the later centuries would her faith regain a degree of prominence in Faerûn.

War of the Spider Queen
In 1372 DR, the goddess Lolth went into a state of hibernation, a period called the Silence of Lolth, with Selvetarm protecting her, as part of a plan to increase her power and separate her divine realm, the Demonweb Pits, from the Abyss. For about one year, she stopped granting spells to her followers and became effectively inactive. During this time, Lolth's absence led a considerable number of her followers to seek alternatives in the other deities of the Dark Seldarine and this resulted in Eilistraee gaining followers and influence. She chose one of her new converts, Halisstra Melarn, to wield the artifact known as the Crescent Blade, which could be used to kill Lolth before her awakening (in 1373 DR). Halisstra went on a mission to the Demonweb Pits, leading two fellow priestesses of the Dark Maiden, Uluyara and Feliane. However, after being defeated at the hand of Quenthel Baenre, Halisstra ultimately decided to betray Eilistraee and convert back to the awakened Lolth. The Spider Queen punished her former heresy by turning her into the Lady Penitent, whose duty was to hunt drow who tried to turn to other faiths.

Even after Lolth emerged from her Silence, the deities of the Dark Seldarine continued battling for supremacy over the drow or, in Eilistraee's case, to free them from Lolth's renewed grasp.

On Nightal 20, 1375 DR, Vhaeraun attempted to enter his sister Eilistraee's realm in order to assassinate her. No mortal actually witnessed the battle that ensued, so what happened remained largely unknown. Some believed that Vhaeraun's plan backfired and that Eilistraee ended up killing him instead, taking his portfolio. Others thought that the twins had a plan and agreed to merge and work together against their mother for a time. Others were convinced that Vhaeraun succeeded and masked as Eilistraee. Either way, it was certain that after the event, Eilistraee was changed: she became a deity known as the Masked Lady, holding both the Dark Maiden's and the Masked Lord's portfolios and causing both their followers to cooperate, albeit uneasily.

On the same date, Cavatina Xarann killed the demigod Selvetarm (with the help of the Lady Penitent) using the Crescent Blade.

In 1377 DR, Kiaransalee and her cultists initiated hostilities against the Masked Lady and her followers. Eilistraee answered to that though a High Magic ritual performed by Q'arlynd Melarn, which deleted the demigoddess' name from the minds of every Torillian being, including Kiaransalee herself, leading to her disappearance.

In Flamerule of 1379 DR, the Masked Lady, while inhabiting the body of Qilué Veladorn, was killed by Halisstra Melarn using the Crescent Blade. Qilué planned to kill the balor Wendonai (whom Lolth used to corrupt the drow into following her), whose essence was held inside the Crescent Blade, by taking it into her and destroying it with Mystra's silver fire. If successful, she would have freed the drow from the demon's influence, but he managed to trick Halisstra into killing Qilué before that could happen, making her believe that the chosen and her goddess were actually Lolth.

Meanwhile, another High Magic ritual performed by Q'arlynd Melarn transformed those drow not tainted by Wendonai's blood and the followers of Eilistraee back into their original dark elven form, and Corellon Larethian thus permitted the souls of Eilistraee's faithful and the newly transformed dark elves to enter Arvandor.

Rebirth
After the event known as the Sundering (circa 1489 DR), Eilistraee was alive again and she was one of the deities with whom the returned Mystra was sharing the Weave. She and her brother were separate entities again and both Eilistraee and Vhaeraun personally let their return be known, manifesting through their avatars to their followers, who enthusiastically spread the word. However, both the Dark Dancer's and the Masked Lord's power, conditions, and what next move they were planning were not clear.

Despite Halisstra's actions, it might be that Eilistraee wasn't truly killed at all. When the Lady Penitent used the Crescent Blade against Qilué Veladorn, the latter was being inhabited by the Dark Maiden, holding a part of her power (since deities could not fully manifest themselves on the material pane ). That would mean that the blade didn't hit the goddess herself, but the part of her essence infused in her chosen's body. In addition to that, deities could only be truly killed while in their planar realm or by being starved of followers, so Eilistraee's survival could not be excluded. Furthermore, the Crescent Blade could not destroy souls anymore after being reforged, as was shown by Cavatina Xarann's soul surviving her body being killed by the sword.

Relationships
Eilistraee's allies were the elven gods of the Seldarine, as well as Mystra, Selûne, Lurue, Haela Brightaxe, Callarduran Smoothhands, and the good deities of the Underdark races. While the Dark Maiden and the Seldarine were allies, their relationship was a difficult one, because of the division between drow and elves and because of the perception that many elves had of their "dark kin". This was especially true for Shevarash, with whom Eilistraee barely managed to keep an uneasy truce. Among the elven powers, Eilistraee was only close to Erevan Ilesere. Eilistraee was also close to the human goddess of magic Mystra, through Qilue Veladorn, seventh of the Seven Sisters, who served both goddesses as Chosen of Mystra and as Chosen of Eilistraee.

Her enemies were the evil deities of the Underdark, especially the rest of the drow pantheon. However, Selvetarm wasn't always among the Dark Dancer's enemies. After having spurned both his parents (Vhaeraun and Zandilar the Dancer, who would then become one with Bast, forming Sharess), he was befriended by Eilistraee, who would become close to him. The goddess hoped that by teaching him her ways, he could become an exemplar that would aid her in healing the rift between the dark elves and the Seldarine. However, said hope and friendship ended when Lolth tricked Selvetarm into slaying Zanassu (a demon lord whom Lolth considered her rival, as he claimed to have power over spiders), promising him that doing so would gain him the appreciation of the Dark Maiden. In truth, Selvetarm was overcome by the demonic essence and ended up as Lolth's champion. The Dark Maiden was infuriated by the evil that both Lolth and Ghaunadaur represented, and she was saddened her brother's cruelty and selfishness.

Servitors
Eilistraee was served by the following creatures, whom she also sent as her agents: aasimar, aasimon (particularly lights), asuras, cath shee, einheriar, eladrins, mercury dragons, elven cats, feystags, frosts, hollyphants, incarnates of faith and hope, lythari, mist dragons, moon dogs, moon horses, pixies, radiance quasielementals, revered ones, silver dogs, silver dragons, sprites, sunflies, tieflings, and silver-striped tabby cats or normal-looking animals with solid silver-colored eyes. Silver moths could also be used as a message from the goddess.

Worshipers

 * Main article: Church of Eilistraee

The worshipers of Eilistraee mostly consisted of those drow who hoped to escape the danger and darkness of the Underdark and Lolth's evil, taking back their place in the surface world. However, in line with her ideals, Eilistraee would welcome beings of all races: elves, half-elves, and humans were among the followers of the goddess. They shared the desire of seeing all races living in harmony, without pointless discrimination or wars, and worked towards that goal (and those among them who were drow also fought to build their own place on the Realms above).

The faithful of Eilistraee, however, were little known and poorly understood by inhabitants of both the Realms Above and the Underdark. Her worshippers were figures of myth and superstition and were targets of prejudice and wild mistruths. Some surface dwellers believed they were the disguised vanguard of the Spider Goddess's plan to take over the surface, while those drow who followed Lolth or other evil deities suspected them of being surface elf spies and saboteurs posing as drow as a prelude to invasion.

The Dark Dancer was worshiped by song and dance, if at all possible, in the surface world under the moonlight (preferably in wooded places) and worship of her was usually accompanied by a feast.

Realm
Under the Great Wheel cosmology, Eilistraee had her home in Svartalfheim, the drow domain of Nidavellir, the third layer of the plane of Ysgard. Svartalfheim was an underground realm of tunnels heated by hot springs, characterized by precious or semiprecious minerals and subterranean forests that only needed heat to live.

Under the World Tree cosmology, Eilistraee had her home in Arvandor, a plane of natural beauty, with the elven gods of the Seldarine. Within its borders, the night was perpetual, with the moon ever-shining in the deep blue sky. Her realm here was small, as she split her divine energy between it and another small domain within the Demonweb Pits, home of the other drow gods of the Dark Seldarine. This place was almost abandoned, however.

After the Spellplague and the introduction of the World Axis cosmology, Eilistraee's realm within Arvandor continued existing, even with the goddess' disappearance.

After the Sundering (circa 1480s DR), with the planes being rearranged under the Great Wheel cosmology once again and with Eilistraee's return, it remained unknown whether the goddess had returned to her home in Arvandor or chose another place for that purpose.

Background
Eilistraee was added to the official Forgotten Realms at the behest of editor [Newton Ewell (in The Drow of the Underdark). However, the goddess had already been created for the original Forgotten Realms by Ed Greenwood, who used this opportunity to make the Dark Dancer official.

Further readings and appearances

 * Novels, articles and sourcebooks:
 * Dragon Magazine, Issues: 172, 211, 227, 249, 251
 * Ed Greenwood (June 2015). Spellstorm. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 978-0-7869-6571-7
 * Dragon Magazine, Issues: 172, 211, 227, 249, 251
 * Ed Greenwood (June 2015). Spellstorm. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 978-0-7869-6571-7
 * Dragon Magazine, Issues: 172, 211, 227, 249, 251
 * Ed Greenwood (June 2015). Spellstorm. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 978-0-7869-6571-7
 * Dragon Magazine, Issues: 172, 211, 227, 249, 251
 * Ed Greenwood (June 2015). Spellstorm. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 978-0-7869-6571-7
 * Dragon Magazine, Issues: 172, 211, 227, 249, 251
 * Ed Greenwood (June 2015). Spellstorm. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 978-0-7869-6571-7
 * Dragon Magazine, Issues: 172, 211, 227, 249, 251
 * Ed Greenwood (June 2015). Spellstorm. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 978-0-7869-6571-7
 * Ed Greenwood (June 2015). Spellstorm. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 978-0-7869-6571-7
 * Ed Greenwood (June 2015). Spellstorm. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 978-0-7869-6571-7
 * Ed Greenwood (June 2015). Spellstorm. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 978-0-7869-6571-7
 * Ed Greenwood (June 2015). Spellstorm. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 978-0-7869-6571-7
 * Ed Greenwood (June 2015). Spellstorm. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 978-0-7869-6571-7
 * Ed Greenwood (June 2015). Spellstorm. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 978-0-7869-6571-7
 * Ed Greenwood (June 2015). Spellstorm. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 978-0-7869-6571-7
 * Ed Greenwood (June 2015). Spellstorm. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 978-0-7869-6571-7
 * Ed Greenwood (June 2015). Spellstorm. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 978-0-7869-6571-7
 * Ed Greenwood (June 2015). Spellstorm. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 978-0-7869-6571-7
 * Ed Greenwood (June 2015). Spellstorm. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 978-0-7869-6571-7
 * Ed Greenwood (June 2015). Spellstorm. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 978-0-7869-6571-7


 * Video games:
 * In Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal (game) Eilistraee is mentioned through one of her followers in the drow city of Ust Natha, Solaufein.
 * In Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark, a drow matron mother, who calls herself the Valsharess, manages to invade the Undermountain, conquer the Underdark region around it and use it as a base to launch attack on the city of waterdeep. The player character find themselves involved in this matter through a geas spell casted by Halaster Blackcloak himself, but also find an ally in the Eilistraeen drow assassin named Nathyrra. She leads the player character to the base of a resistance, formed by a ragtag rebel army led by Eilistraee's followers. A mysterious priestess of Eilistraee known as The Seer is the guide of said small band of Eilistraeen drow in an abandoned Lolthian temple, located in the Underdark port city of Lith My'athar.
 * In Neverwinter Nights 2, Eilistraee is one of the deities that can be chosen in the character creation.

Connections
Eilistraee