Elbereth d'Oloth, l'olot uss' ehmtu

[Darky]

Tales of Lolth's Favored: Elbereth d'Oloth

1. Elbereth's Early Years

((A lot of this section is the same as her bio, but I have gone into a bit more depth))

Elbereth was born and raised, for the most part, in the matriarchal society of Lolthite drow. Her mother was a lesser sister of the matron of a low-ranking noble house. From the time she could first understand what she was told, Elbereth learned that she was superior to males. She cast her first spell not long after she learned to walk. At the age of 10, Elbereth had developed mastery over cantrip divine spells, making it obvious to all that she was favored by Lolth. Her prowess was a boasting point for the house, leading her to be tested for entry to Arach Tinilith, the temple academy of Szith. At the age of 22 Elbereth was admitted into Arach Tinlith. Those who are admitted to the academy are not allowed to leave until the day their training is complete ten years later.
Her studies in Arach Tinlith consisted of many teachings from torture and prayer to enduring pain. Elbereth was constantly tested, not only in her learning but by rivals who sought to murder her out of jealousy - one displaying Lolth's favor as Elbereth was seen as a challenge, perhaps if she were murdered her favor would pass to the one who struck her down. In her fifth year at the academy, Elbereth learned to design and construct a whip of a design that only Lolthite priestesses bore: a five-headed scourge, each ending with a serpentine head. An imp soul is imprisoned in each head, making them sentient and granting them some powers including the ability to detect poisons, a power which Elbereth found highly useful.
In the ninth year of her studies, Elbereth was sent to the Sorcere and Melee Magthere to learn how mages and warriors employ their skills. Though she didn't absorb much from the academy of mages, Elbereth did pick up on the ability to wield many different weapons at the Melee Magthere.
Her final year at Arach Tinilith came and Elbereth was faced with a test given to all training priestesses in Szith: she was to venture to the Realm Above, capture a surface dweller and bring them to the temple where she was to sacrifice them to Lolth. It sounded an easy task and Elbereth had defeated many of her rivals in the academy, so she set forth without fear of failure. Unfortunately for Elbereth, her trail was picked up by Eilistraeean hunters, who stalked her and eventually found her as she trampled through the woods. Two arrows pierced her armor before she could react and Elbereth was forced to flee. Removing the arrows from her abdomen, Elbereth allowed the scars to remain as a reminder of the debt she owed the hunters. Her second attempt at roaming the Realm Above was successful and Elbereth captured a human who wandered the wilderness.
The human was tortured for countless hours, Elbereth displaying skill in the art and hate for the surfacer. The senior priestess who supervised the act was quite impressed, bestowing upon Elbereth the title of priestess as a reward for the completion of her final test. And so the year Elbereth turned 32 she completed her studies at Arach Tinlith and celebrated by murdering her mother to free up her rank. She also killed her father in case he should seek vengeance. Elbereth managed to commit the murders with such skill that none could prove she had actually done it.
In her late 50s, Elbereth returned to the Realm Above to seek knowledge of the darthiiri (surface elves), whom the drow hated more than anything. As she roamed the surface for prey, Elbereth was assaulted by a knight of Torm. The knight proved to be more than a match for the young priestess, defeating her and leaving her with two tokens to remember him: a large scar which ran from her right shoulder, down her spine to the small of her back and the symbol of Torm engraved in her armor. As she crawled away from the knight, Elbereth shed her armor. She packed the armor away so she could have it destroyed, leaving no evidence of her defeat.
Fate had it that Elbereth was not to live in Szith forever, though. During the 121st year of Elbereth's life, one of the matron's younger daughters attacked Elbereth. The female was jealous of the powers Elbereth commanded and sought her death in the hope of raising her status in the house. From the first blow, it was obvious that Elbereth was the stronger of the two females, but that did not stop her from killing her cousin. Elbereth grabbed her cousin by the throat and raised her off the ground, glaring at her with cold, red eyes. As her cousin gasped for breath, Elbereth crushed her neck, killing her instantly. Whilst their matron mother wouldn't have cared normally, believing her daughter to have deserved her fate, she saw a threat in Elbereth she could not ignore. With her strength, it seemed that it would not be long before Elbereth could challenge the matron for leadership, or perhaps murder her quietly and wrest control. The matron would not allow this and chose to send Elbereth to Sshamath in the thought that in that city she would no longer pose a threat.


2. The Journey to Sshamath

Szith is a city deep below Elben Aator, an isle few knew how to access. The journey to Sshamath presented a rather unique problem for a drow: crossing the ocean. Whilst Szith had docks, ships were a rarity as few drow dared sail the distance between the main continent and the isle. Elbereth spent much of her time glaring out over the water while she awaited the arrival of the vessel which would bear her. She had never felt fear, not really, but as she looked over the water she felt the blood in her veins turn to ice. She had never been out over the subterranean ocean before and the prospect of doing so caused her no small discomfort.
The day came when a ship pulled in to the docks, a merchant vessel which brought in new slaves and exotic goods. As Elbereth boarded the ship her hands never left the railings, nor did she look down at the black water. Her stomach churned, not with sea sickness, but with anxiety over the coming trip. The first mate pointed Elbereth in the direction of her cabin, where she headed immediately. The priestess never left her cabin, choosing instead to keep to herself and pray to the Spider Queen. Over the journey Elbereth added multiple layers of magical wards and defenses to the door in order to keep out potential enemies and she continually cast magics of neutralising poison on anything she consumed.
With the lack of sun or other time counting device Elbereth quickly lost track of how long the journey had gone on. She was surprised when a knock came at her door followed by the first mate's voice telling her that the ship had arrived on the mainland. She breathed a sigh of relief as she walked off the ship, glad that she was finally free of it. As she glanced around, Elbereth realised the outpost the ship had docked at was quite large. She set off to find a caravan heading to Sshamath. It took some time for her to find a caravan which was willing to allow her to join them. The owner was a rather small male who wore clothes which might have once been fine, but were now stained and torn - not the sort of drow Elbereth would have chosen to join by choice.
The merchant caravan left several days later. It turned out to be quite the large group made up of bug bears and goblins as well as drow. A giant umber hulk was kept in chains, surrounded by six guards in the center of the procession. The beast slowed them down because of its bindings, but Elbereth knew that it was "safer" having such a brute with the caravan in case of an ambush, regardless of it being traded as a slave.
Nothing noteworthy happened as the caravan proceeded until the tenth day in. As Elbereth marched her whip-snakes became agitated, curling and looking around. Through the psionic link which bound them to Elbereth they communicated that danger was nearby, though they did not know what shape it took. Suddenly orbs of magical darkness fell down upon the caravan, blinding the group. Elbereth heard the roars of bug bears, the chattering of goblins and the yells of drow as she backed toward the location she knew the umber hulk was in. The scream of a male drow announced the attackers had fallen upon them; Elbereth turned and ran down the line toward the hulk, dodging past its guards. She placed a hand on the creature's leg and channeled some of her magic into it, calming it and dominating its mind. She then turned, her back to the beast, and waited for their assailants to reveal themselves.
As the darkness dissolved, a single female drow approached. She bore a smirk as she bore down on Elbereth. The female was quite short and bore a bow, which she aimed at the priestess.
Without hesitation, Elbereth cast a spell to deflect arrows and commanded the umber hulk to charge the assassin. The archer was forced to lower her bow as she rolled out of the charging insectoid. Elbereth followed the assassin's moves and ran after her before she could loose an arrow. She kicked the bow from the archer's hands and brought her scourge to bear, striking at her assailant. The umber hulk bore down on the pair as they fought, knocking both Elbereth and the assassin aside. Seeing she was outmatched by Elbereth and the hulk the assassin took this as her chance to escape, fleeing into one of the many tunnels.
As the merchants collected themselves, Elbereth walked over to the bow dropped by her assailant. It had some magical enchantments, though it bore no markings which would identify where it was made. Elbereth had her suspicions as to who had sent the assassin, but kept them to herself when questioned. The attack seemed to encourage the merchants to pick up their pace and within a week they had reached Sshamath.


3. Sshamath

With a single glance, Elbereth knew she was not going to enjoy her time in the city of mages. Slave races walked around as free beings and other lesser races seemed to call the city home - something which would never have been allowed in her home city. She was pleasantly surprised, however, to learn of an existing temple of Lolth, where she headed immediately. As she walked through the "temple", Elbereth realised that her joy may have been premature given its size. A yath'abban asked her for aid in some task, which Elbereth agreed to, though she didn't pay much attention.
As she wandered back out of Sshamath, Elbereth came across a female who bore a bow. Immediately Elbereth was suspicious of her, drawing her scourge. The whip-snakes couldn't positively identify the female as the assassin, neither could they rule her out as a suspect. The archer taunted Elbereth with sarcasm as they spoke, inferring disdain for the priestess. Elbereth would not stand for such insults, loosing her whip on the female. The fight reminded Elbereth of the time she had killed her cousin - this archer stood no chance against her either, dying in much the same way.
Elbereth stripped the body of possessions, claiming armor, weapons and several books in which the archer seemed to have recorded information regarding Sshamath, its people and its surroundings. Using information from the books, Elbereth dragged the archer's body to a cavern inhabited by carrior crawlers to dispose of it. Then, using her new items, Elbereth managed to find her way around the city with greater ease and quickly established contacts, though she told noone of the demise of the archer. Elbereth likened herself to a spider weaving her webs across the city. Yes, she would start small, but a successful spider would eventually have the largest web and catch the most prey. Elbereth grinned to herself at the thought. Yes, I do believe that here I will face the greatest challenges, but they will make me stronger and I shall surpass all . . .

Silinrul's Map of Sshamath

[Darky]

4. The Journal of Elbereth d'Oloth

Entry One: Thoughts on my home, new and old

As I walk through this city of mages, this city ruled by males, I wonder what my coming here will mean. I am certain that I will return to Szith one day with the power to throw down the Ilharess of house d'Oloth. But in the mean time, during my so-called sojourn here in Ssamath, I will sow the seeds of chaos and show these faithless drow the power of Lolth.
Many in Szith likely rejoice at my being sent here for they know my power and fear me. Some dared claim that I was not a true priestess for I am favored and don't require the patience to prepare as they do. In all their studies they could never match my skill. They will learn that this power I command, my birthright, makes me greater than them. One day I will rule.


Entry Two: The mage and the warrior

Of all the drow I have met in Sshamath, only two have proved to be of any worth so far. A female mage, whose name I don't know, and a male warrior called Thal. The female seems quite powerful, combining her magical prowess with melee fighting. She speaks to me with the respect that I, as a yath, deserve. So I would assume she is of Lolthite faith, something rare in this city. The male, on the other hand, is the typical warrior: beating down his opponents with strength and rather overconfident of his abilities. I have traveled with them only once, but it is clear that they are capable warriors when working alone and have some experience in working as a team. I will keep my eyes on them, for they may be valuable "allies".


Entry Three: Dreams

Last evening I had troubled sleep. I saw myself running through the hells. Somehow I was moving through each of the planes, searching for something. I remember frozen wastelands and fiery pits. I don't know how I managed it, but eventually I came to Lolth's realm in the Abyss: the Demonweb Pits. As I followed a strand of the web deeper, I felt a weight lift inside me. I felt almost giddy with anticipation of seeing the lair of my Queen. But I also felt dread. Something was watching me, following me, stalking me. A predator. As a giant spider bore down upon me, I felt myself change. My skin cracked like a shell. I crawled out of it, reborn as a spider myself. Seeing my birth, the spider which had followed me backed away, lowering its forelimbs in reverence. I scuttled forward, having never walked with eight legs, but already a master of my shape.
I jumped off the strand I had been following, a silver line trailing behind me as I plummeted. I slowed my descent and swung myself forward to another, lower strand. This was the first line in the web I would build. I had a long, arduous task ahead of me constructing my web. But I knew that in Lolth's realm, none would challenge me and when I was done my web would be such a work of art that it would be marveled at by even my rivals. And only then would I be permitted to continue my journey toward Lolth's citadel at the heart of the Demonweb. Only once I had made my mark and added to the beauty of her realm.

[Darky]

Entry Four: Training

I have spent much of my time in solid training. In Arach Tinilith I learned to control magic and how to ignore pain. But here I have actually put my training to use. It started with goblins, pathetic slaves that they are could not stand before my might. Now I have delved deeper, past umber hulks and automatons, to some duergar mines. The duergar I found in the mines are enthralled to illithids. A lesser race controlling a lesser race. Ironic.

In my training I have primarily been accompanied by an assassin, mages and warriors (I begin to wonder if the so-called high priestess of Lolth was exaggerating when she said that this city feels Lolth's will). Each of these "allies" have proven themselves to be quite useful and skilled in the art of killing, though the warrior Thal, the mage Inshalee and the assassin have proven to be the most useful. If I was to make a bid for power, as some here already suspect, they would be among those I would "recruit". Ugh how I hate thinking in those terms. The diplomacy I must show in this city gets on my nerves. In Szith drow would bow to my every whim! It is no matter. I can be patient. I will weave my web and ensnare all. Lolth commands it, my dreams prove it.

[Darky]

Entry Five: Of powers divine

I have achieved a power which few can claim: the power over life and death. Only powerful yath can return life to the dead. I have earned this power through vigilance and through my bond with the Spider Queen. I have found no use for such a spell as yet - no worthy soul has died in my presence. I have gained another gift, though, one which I have used. There are those who summon undead through spells, others with magical items. I have learned to command the dead with my will alone.
With this new found skill I have managed to bind a drow to my will. The male was lowly and weak, but thought to be disrespectful to me through sarcasm. So while he roamed alone, outside of the protection of Sshamath, I slew him. It was easy drawing some small part of his former self to inhabit the body. Enough for minor intelligence which could be controlled, but nothing more.
I couldn't have a zombie which is easily identified, so I had to blast my new slave with acid to clean the flesh from his bones. Now this skeleton serves my will. The first of those who will bow before me. The time has come for me to prepare myself for the challenges ahead. For the danger can only increase as my power grows. But I will be ready.

[Darky]

Entry Six: The temple of Lolth

I have been "accepted" into Lolth's temple in Sshamath. It is strange to think that the yath here would turn away one of the devout considering how this city lacks guidance by our queen. They dared to insult me be asking if I had provemyself worthy of the title of yathrin. A true yathrin does not need to prove herself by performing tasks - she proves it in her strength and conviction. This is something the yath here obviously don't understand. As it turns out the "test" the yath'tallar, Lilith Sshamath, had for me was a task I had already completed - the return of one of Lolth's idols, which had been stolen by driders. After being run through the names of people in power in this city, the yath'tallar dismissed me. I won't be bowing down to the devout of Eilistraee nor the yathrinshee either. I am a true daughter of Lolth and I will strike down these heretics.


Entry Seven: Death to the yathrinshee

The events leading up to now seem fuzzy still. When I try to remember what happened before my death I see only the grey void of the Fugue plane. That which happened immediately after my resurrection I can recall, though the memories are slippery like trying to remember a dream.
I have heard that I was bested by the yathrinshee in battle. I find that highly doubtful. No slave of the Banshee could defeat one of Lolth's favored daughters. Regardless of the circumstances of my death, I was resurrected by Lilith Sshamath. She didn't seem overly upset given that my fighting the yathrinshee (and the Eilistraeeans) was one of the things she had forbidden.
The yath'tallar reprimanded me for defying her will, yes. But had she truly disapproved of my actions she would have left me for dead. But these transgressions will be forgiven, if not forgotten. As it turns out, my actions and those of the yathrinshee has changed the yath'tallar's mind regarding the usefulness of this so-called ally of the church. Lilith has ordered me to take revenge on the yathrinshee. I am to find a divine symbol of Kiaransalee and use it to destroy the yathrinshee.
No child of Lolth would suffer the presence of a yathrinshee, nor yatharil. Perhaps Lilith truly believes that I had not planned well, that I had acted rashly. But a spider always plans. "The patient spider builds her webs. And in having the greatest web, she ensnares her prey."

My webs have been woven. And I shall develop them further. But this cycle I have been underestimated, which has proven to work to my advantage. Lolth's daughters shall take back this city and drown it in the blood of heretics.

[Darky]

Entry Eight: "Allies" and power

Perhaps a weapon has revealed itself for use against Kiaransalee's yathrinshee. A mage, Mal'rik Sshamath, has revealed his hatred for Andrastia. Whilst no mere mage could defeat one so powerful as a priestess (regardless of her deity), he could be useful for weakening her to the point that I can defeat her. I am certain that I can defeat her on a level playing field, but why should I, when I can reduce the risk of injury?

It seems that Andrastia has allies as well. I was told she had flown around Sshamath on the back of a red dragon. If the rumors are true, then it could have been a polymorphed caster, rather than a true dragon. But I will not rule anything out. A red dragon could prove to be a great foe. Or, perhaps, a potential "ally" who can be turned to join me.

Perhaps a weapon exists which can further increase my chances, perhaps not. I have been pushing myself harder and harder in my training, even venturing out alone to face greater foes than I have ever before. My body shall become a weapon for Lolth's will. The Revenancer's devout shall feel the sting of the Spider Queen's bite. And as they wither and die, they shall know true pain.

I wonder if the yathrinshee realises her position in this game of sava. Does she even know we play? It matters not. The result will be the same regardless. Lolth tlu malla!