Demonweb Pits

The Demonweb Pits was the 66th layer of the Abyss. All drow gods were originally located in the Demonweb Pits. Lolth claimed to be the queen of them all.

The Demonweb Pits was a huge inverted cone of webbing formed of planar materials and inhabited by spider fiends, drow petitioners and the Spider Queen Lolth. It serves as Lolth's dominion within the Astral Sea.

The realm is ruled over by Lolth, the primary drow deity, who resides in a huge iron fortress that moves under its mistress's will on spider-like legs. Her deific consort Selvetarm once lived with her there until he fell before a wielder of the Crescent Blade. Now every creature who resides in the Demonweb Pits answers solely to Lolth.

Lolth's son, Vhaeraun, maintained a realm named Ellaniath where he schemed against his mother almost constantly, an activity Lolth actually encouraged. His death by his sister gave her all of his dominion as well as his portfolio.

Lolth's other child, Eilistraee, also had a place in the Demonweb when she was living though she rarely, if ever, visited it, having defected to the Seldarine long ago. However, with her death at Lady Penitent's hand, her dominion has ceased to be.

Kiaransalee had her own citadel made of bones called Thanatos in a desolate area of the plane. She grudgingly worked for Lolth as her servant since her own layer of the Abyss was stolen from her by the reincarnated demon prince Orcus. However with her death due to the high magic of Q'arlynd Melarn, she was forgotten by all her worshipers and her dominon now belongs to Lolth's will.

Ghaunadaur resided at the very bottom of the pits, surrounded by slime and fungus that caused multicoloured lights to appear. However, in 1379 DR, fed up with the Spider Queen, he removed his dominon to the Deep Caverns.

After the Silence of Lolth it was discovered that Lolth had moved her realm from the Abyss to its own individual plane of existence. One of the yochlol now stands guard over a portal from the original, decaying Demonweb in the Abyss that leads to the new Demonweb. She bars all but those personally admitted by Lolth herself from using the Portal.

Description
When Quenthel Baenre and her companions visited the Demonweb Pits in the Abyss during the Silence of Lolth in 1372 DR, they found the realm unusually empty of souls. The realm consisted of black emptiness with an acrid smell and giant spider web. It was very hot there. The Pits were covered in corpses of monsters and demons dead and dying, particularly goristos. Lolth dwelt in a black temple suspended in the web. Her stone face covered the entrance.

Novels

 * Condemnation