War of the Spider Queen

The War of The Spider Queen^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4] was a series of conflicts that took place in the drow cities of Menzoberranzan and others in the Underdark over 1372 and 1373 DR following the Silence of Lolth and ending shortly after her rebirth.

Overview[]

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).^[1]

The other organized 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. Powerful organizations, such as the Jaezred Chaulssin, the Scoured Legion, and the churches of Kiaransalee and Vhaeraun began to do the same.^{[citation needed]}

Lolth's silence threatened to rip apart the very fabric of matriarchal drow society,^[1] 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.^{[citation needed]}

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, disfavor).^{[citation needed]}

Timeline[]

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.^{[citation needed]}; Several noble houses of the Drow city of Maerimydra immediately begin an awful bloodletting.^{[citation needed]}
Eleint: Kurgoth Hellspawn attacks Maerimydra outright with the aid of the city's archmage Duneth Wharreil and an army of humanoids, giants and demons.^{[citation needed]}; Irae T'sarran takes over Castle Maerimydra during the chaos.^{[citation needed]}
Marpenoth: Many males of Menzoberrazan vanish without explanation. Matron mothers suspect that they must know something about Lolth.^{[citation needed]}; Against Triel's wishes, Gromph Baenre orders Pharaun to investigate. Pharaun recruits Ryld to help.^{[citation needed]}; Gromph sends demonic assassins to kill Quenthel.^{[citation needed]}; 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.^{[citation needed]}; 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.^{[citation needed]}; Quenthel's company set out for Ched Nasad.^{[citation needed]}
Uktar: Ched Nasad is destroyed in a failed coup attempt. Quenthel's company escape through a portal and begin searching for priests of Vhaeraun.^{[citation needed]}; Menzoberranzan comes under siege from the duergar of Gracklstugh, the tanarukks of Hellgate Keep, and Menzoberranzan's own House Agrach Dyrr.^{[citation needed]}; Quenthel's company finally get to the Demonweb Pits but are betrayed by their Vhaeraunite guide, who summons his god to attack the defenseless Lolth. Selvetarm arrives to battle Vhaeraun but both fall off the web and plummet into the darkness below.^{[citation needed]}

1373 DR[]

Ches: Lolth's silence ends when she is transformed into a greater deity. Surface-dwelling drow come under attack from the Lady Penitent. The Jaezred Chaulssin move to cement their hold in the ruins of Ched Nasad.^{[citation needed]}; The Scoured Legion withdraw their troops from Menzoberranzan.^{[citation needed]}

1375 DR[]

Nightal: Lolth and Eilistraee play a game of sava of divine proportions. Selvetarm is slain by a mortal follower of Eilistraee wielding the Crescent Blade. Vhaeraun's followers use Elven High Magic to open a portal to Eilistraee's realm that Vhaeraun uses to attempt to assassinate his sister. The plain backfires, Vhaeraun is killed and Eilistraee absorbs his portfolio while Selvetarm's is granted to Lolth.^{[citation needed]}

1377 DR[]

Kiaransalee foolishly joins in the game of sava and her followers try and alter the Underdark's natural faerzress magic to affect the ability of drow to use teleportation or divination magic. In retribution, Eilistraee's followers assault the Acropolis of Thanatos and kill Kiaransalee's high priestesses while at the same time, other followers invoke Elven High Magic discovered in the ruins of Miyeritar to remove all mention of Kiaransalee's name. She fades from existence.^{[citation needed]}

1379 DR[]

Eilistraee and her chosen Qilué Veladorn are killed by the Lady Penitent at the urging of Lolth's champion Wendonai but roughly 20% of all drow are redeemed in the eyes of the Seldarine and their divine curse is lifted, restoring to them their lighter skin and normal elven temperament.^{[citation needed]}

Lolth attempts to remove her last rival in the Dark Seldarine, Ghaunadaur. Ghaunadaur proves to be much more powerful than Lolth expected. Ghaunadaur leaves the Demonweb and creates his new divine realm in the Deep Caverns, thus ending the War of the Spider Queen.^{[citation needed]}

Combatants[]

During the conflicts, the vengeful clerics eradicated spiders and monstrous spiders in drow cities. Those of Kiaransalee even paid a bounty for spider legs.^[5] The Kiaransaleens even raised Lolth's slain sacred spiders as undead creatures known as husk vermin and dispatched them against the still-faithful priestesses of Lolth.^[5] They also persuaded the mutant shunned rejected by Lolth to join them, but ultimately betrayed them.^[6]

Appendix[]

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Appearances[]

Adventures

City of the Spider Queen

Novels & Short Stories

War of the Spider Queen (Dissolution • Insurrection • Condemnation • Extinction • Annihilation • Resurrection) • The Lady Penitent (Sacrifice of the Widow • Storm of the Dead • Ascendancy of the Last)

Referenced only
Gauntlgrym

References[]

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 Ari Marmell, Anthony Pryor, Robert J. Schwalb, Greg A. Vaughan (May 2007). Drow of the Underdark. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 107. ISBN 978-0-7869-4151-3.
↑ Eric L. Boyd (2007-04-25). Dragons of Faerûn, Part 3: City of Wyrmshadows (Zipped PDF). Web Enhancement for Dragons of Faerûn. Wizards of the Coast. p. 7. Archived from the original on 2016-11-01. Retrieved on 2009-10-07.
↑ Richard Baker, Eric L. Boyd, Thomas M. Reid (July 2007). Shadowdale: The Scouring of the Land. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 151. ISBN 07-8694-039-5.
↑ R.A. Salvatore (October 2010). Gauntlgrym. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 14, p. 203. ISBN 978-0786955008.
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 Ari Marmell, Anthony Pryor, Robert J. Schwalb, Greg A. Vaughan (May 2007). Drow of the Underdark. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 129. ISBN 978-0-7869-4151-3.
↑ Ari Marmell, Anthony Pryor, Robert J. Schwalb, Greg A. Vaughan (May 2007). Drow of the Underdark. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 141. ISBN 978-0-7869-4151-3.

Sources[]

Richard Lee Byers (August 2003). Dissolution. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 0-7869-2944-8.
Thomas M. Reid (December 2003). Insurrection. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 0-7869-3033-0.
Richard Baker (May 2003). Condemnation. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 0786932023.
Lisa Smedman (February 2005). Extinction. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 0-7869-3596-0.
Philip Athans (August 2005). Annihilation. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 0-7869-3752-1.
Paul S. Kemp (February 2006). Resurrection. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 0-7869-3981-8.
James Wyatt (September 2002). City of the Spider Queen. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 0-7869-1212-X.
Lisa Smedman (January 2007). Sacrifice of the Widow. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 0-7869-4250-9.
Lisa Smedman (September 2007). Storm of the Dead. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 978-0-7869-4701-0.
Lisa Smedman (June 2008). Ascendancy of the Last. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 978-0-7869-4864-2.

[DotU-p107-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 Ari Marmell, Anthony Pryor, Robert J. Schwalb, Greg A. Vaughan (May 2007). Drow of the Underdark. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 107. ISBN 978-0-7869-4151-3.

[2] Eric L. Boyd (2007-04-25). Dragons of Faerûn, Part 3: City of Wyrmshadows (Zipped PDF). Web Enhancement for Dragons of Faerûn. Wizards of the Coast. p. 7. Archived from the original on 2016-11-01. Retrieved on 2009-10-07.

[3] Richard Baker, Eric L. Boyd, Thomas M. Reid (July 2007). Shadowdale: The Scouring of the Land. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 151. ISBN 07-8694-039-5.

[4] R.A. Salvatore (October 2010). Gauntlgrym. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 14, p. 203. ISBN 978-0786955008.

[DotU-p129-5] 5.0 ^5.1 Ari Marmell, Anthony Pryor, Robert J. Schwalb, Greg A. Vaughan (May 2007). Drow of the Underdark. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 129. ISBN 978-0-7869-4151-3.

[DotU-p141-6] Ari Marmell, Anthony Pryor, Robert J. Schwalb, Greg A. Vaughan (May 2007). Drow of the Underdark. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 141. ISBN 978-0-7869-4151-3.

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