War of the Spider Queen

Introduction
The War of The Spider Queen was a series of events which took place following the silence of Lolth and ending shortly after her rebirth.

The drow of the Underdark, highly dependent upon the powerful clerical magic of their dark goddess, were greatly weakened by Lolth's failure to answer prayers (for reasons then unknown to them). The other organised races of the Underdark, seeking to exact revenge upon the drow and to usurp their power, began to make threatening moves towards the drow cities of the Underdark. Powerful organisations, such as the Jaezred Chaulssin, the Scoured Legion and the churches of Kiaransalee and Vhaeraun begin to do the same.

Lolth's silence threatened to rip apart the very fabric of matriarchal society, with females (of whom the greater part were clerics) left magically bereft, and males (of whom the greater part were wizards) were left in a position of power. The drow of Menzoberranzan, through Triel Baenre, sent a group of powerful adventurers (initially Quenthel Baenre, Pharaun Mizzrym, Ryld Argith, Valas Hune and the Draegloth Jeggred Baenre) to discover the cause of Lolth's silence (or, as was then suspected, disfavour).

1372 DR

 * Eleasias: Lolth stops granting spells to her clerics. She does not answer prayers or give any signs. Many sacrifices are made in an attempt to 'atone' for whatever misdeeds the priesthood were believed to have performed.
 * Several noble houses of the Drow city of Maerimydra immediately begin an awful bloodletting.


 * Eleint: Kurgoth Hellspawn attacks Maerimydra outright with the aid of the city's archmage Duneth Wharreil and an army of humanoids, giants and demons.
 * Irae T'sarran takes over Castle Maerimydra during the chaos.


 * Marpenoth: Many males of Menzoberrazan vanish without explanation. Matron Mothers suspect that they must know something about Lolth.
 * Against Triel's wishes, Gromph Baenre orders Pharaun to investigate. Pharaun recruits Ryld to help.
 * Gromph sends demonic assassins to kill Quenthel.
 * Pharaun and Ryld discover the missing males to be working with an alhoon who plans to cause a slave rebellion in order to weaken the city. They kill the alhoon and the rebellion is crushed mercilessly.
 * Irae kills Duneth and conquers Maerimydra while her daughter Dorina takes over Szith Morcane to the west. Irae summons Kiaransalee's Undying Temple to the Material Plane and Dorina launches raids on Daggerdale.
 * Quenthel's company set out for Ched Nasad.


 * Uktar: Ched Nasad is destroyed in a failed coup attempt. Quenthel's company escape through a portal and begin searching for priests of Vhaeraun.
 * Menzoberranzan comes under seige from the Duergar of Gracklstugh, the Tanarukks of Hellgate Keep and Menzoberranzan's own House Agrach Dyrr.
 * Quenthel's company finally get to the Demonweb Pits but are betrayed by their Vhaeraunite guide who summons his god to attack the defenceless Lolth. Selvetarm appears to battle Vhaeraun but both fall off the web and plummet into the darkness below.