Forgotten Realms

Eilistraee
Lady of the Dance

Johnny Tek
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Come hither wearied souls of troubled hearts
And make your way from darkness to the light.
Unchain the passions of your shackled parts
And dance into the deepest blue of night.
The songs of nature and the moonlit way
Will guide believers through the joyful trance.
Let all the tethered hearts be freed to sway,
Unfurling step by step in Maiden’s Dance.

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Eilistraee _ As a fledgeling goddess, Eilistraee was barely at the level of a
CHAOTIC GOOD
Other Names or Titles: Lady of the Dance, Lady
Silverhair, The Dancing Goddess, The Dark Dancer, The
Dark Maiden, The Masked Lady (formerly)
Symbol: A drow female with flowing long hair and a silver
longsword, with the full moon in background
Divine Portfolio: Dance, song, beauty, swordwork, hunting,
moonlight
Divine Realm: Teuivae Thil, Arvandor (Arborea)
Divine Residence: Arael Tel’Quor
Divine Allies: Aerdrie Faenya, Agni, Bala, Corellon
Larethian, Finder Wyvernspur, Fionnghuala, Fu Hsing, Hanali
Celanil, Hathor, Iallanis, Kishijoten, Lliira, Melira Taralen,
Mielikki, Milil, Mystra, Oghma, Sehanine Moonbow, Selan,
Selune, Sharess, Tuiviel Glithien, Vandria Gilmadrith,
Vhaeraun
Divine Enemies: Bahgtru, Baphomet, Blibdoolpoolp,
Ghaunadaur, Gruumsh, Hoar, Kiaransalee, Lolth, Malar,
Selvetarm, Set, Shar, Sheverash (currently in truce), Talona,
The Queen of Air and Darkness
Exarchs: Cavatina Xarann
Eilistraee is the goddess of dance, song, beauty, swordwork,
hunting, and moonlight in the Dark Seldarine patheon. She
has traditionally been worshipped by good drow and non-drow
elves, however there has been a recent surge in popularity
among other races’ thespians and patrons of the arts. Her
millennia-spanning crusade to free the drow from the clutches
of evil deities has made her a respected figure among the elven
deities as well as other good deities.
Eilistraee is a melancholy yet affectionate deity that cares
deeply about her worshippers, enough to even risk her own
safety for the sake of saving them from tragedy. Eilistraee
however respects the free will of mortals and will directly
intervene only in a truly dire emergency. In most cases the
Dark Maiden will communicate with her faithful through
dreams and visions, which on some rare occasions, are
accompanied with a temporary magical empowerment. Her
teachings revolve around a message of redemption and
freedom, encouraging those who live in the darkness of despair
to resist and make their way towards the light of hope.
Some scholars surmise that Eilistraee was born to Corellon
Larethian and his consort Araushnee (currently known as
Lolth) sometime during the the Days of Thunder (-35,000 DR
to -30,000 DR), after the end of the ages-spanning Dawn War,
and during the transition of primal elves into the current
forms of elves. The Lady of the Dance came into existence
together with Vhaeraun as fraternal twins conceived in the
whims of deities curious about the profound experience of
parenthood enjoyed by the mortals who worshipped them.
3
demipower but nonetheless became much loved not only by
her fellow deities but also the faithful of the Seldarine. She
grew into the form of a fair elven maiden and spent her days
of youth in delight dancing and singing throughout Arvandor
while her brother sneaked about causing mischief. Their sister
Vandria, born later (it is currently unknown to most living
scholars whether Vandria was truly sired by Corellon and
Araushnee), followed the twins around until finding her own
path as a deity, but even after the siblings all reached
adulthood, Eilistraee enjoyed pestering her brother and
coddling her younger sister. It was a happy, innocent time for
the Dancing Goddess.
Around -30,000 DR (beginning of the Dawn Ages), the War
of the Seldarine began. Araushnee manipulated hostile deities
such as Gruumsh and Malar into battles with the Seldarine, all
in her desire for Corellon’s seat of authority within their
pantheon. Araushnee’s plot was however foiled at a critical
moment, revealing her treachery and turning the tide of the
final battle during the war. The Weaver of Destiny was
subdued by her fellow Seldarine and stripped of her divinity
by the will of Corellon. The Coronal of Arvandor sentenced
his former consort to exile from Arvandor along with
Vhaeraun, who had assisted his mother in her plans. The
faithful devoted to Araushnee, along with their children, would
also be punished for their part in this betrayal; their bodies
were changed to shun the light in a form that is currently
known as drow. This was the first of the Descents to transform
elves into drow, marked as traitors to elvenkind.
Although Eilistraee was to be spared exile after a
misunderstanding about her arrow striking Corellon was
cleared up, the Lady of the Dance was concerned for the souls
of the newly turned drow. Eilistraee pleaded to be granted the
same punishment so that she might serve as a beacon of light
and hope for those who had been turned, and show them a
path of redemption. Corellon’s daughter adopted a new form
to match that of the drow, and with the Coronal’s reluctant
sentencing, matched her circumstances with the very mortals
that she wished to save; the drow might accept Eilistraee’s
teachings, through her sacrifice to become one who could truly
understand the drow’s circumstances and frustrations.
The Dark Maiden wandered for a time throughout the mortal
realms and outer planes, establishing temporary residences
until she built a sizable following, at which point she located
the place in which her mother lived as Lolth, Demon Queen
of Spiders. Lolth had regained her divinity, established herself
as a Demon Lord, and reigned over the Demonweb Pits, the
66th layer of the Abyss. To assist those wretched souls who
wished to flee the malevolent tyranny of Lolth, the daughter
of Lolth built a divine realm in the Demonweb Pits, a
sanctuary waiting for those who could escape Lolth’s afterlife
domain. Amused by the Dark Dancer’s audacity to set up shop
so nearby, Lolth welcomed the presence of her daughter and
forbade her servants from invading Eilistraee’s divine realm.
Vhaeraun, having originally set up a realm called Ellaniath in
Colothys, fourth layer of Carceri, also moved to the
Demonweb Pits when he saw how Eilistraee was being so
“tenderly treated” by their mother. Lolth found it even more
amusing to have both her twin children so close to her home
(and so close to her throat), and so also forbade her servants
from attacking the Masked Lord’s domain. The Lady of the
Dance was troubled by the stand off between her realm,
Vhaeraun’s, and Lolth’s, but nevertheless Eilistraee endured.
After centuries of maintaining her divine realm in the
Demonweb Pits, Eilistraee was invited back to Arvandor by
Corellon, in recognition of her efforts to redeem the drow and
out of concern for the dangers of being so brazen with her
choice of residential location. Too few souls had abandoned
Vhaeraun and Lolth in the Demonweb Pits for the goddess to
justify staying and endangering her thousands of petitioner
faithful. Lolth wasn’t the only threat in the Abyss. After a
number of unavoidable conflicts with demons and demon
lords intruding upon the Demonweb Pits, the Dark Maiden
agreed to return to the grace of Arvandor. A small remnant
sanctuary in the Demonweb Pits was left behind for those
seeking liberation from evil; the sanctuary contained a gateway
to Eilistraee’s new realm in Arvandor that would only accept
those with sincere redemption as their intent.
In 1372 DR (Year of Wild Magic), Lolth retreated into the
heart of her domain and cut herself off from all of her faithful
in a state of dormancy, beginning a period of upheaval among
the drow known as the Silence of Lolth. Eilistraee hoped to
take advantage of her mother’s vulnerability by guiding one of
her clerics, Halisstra Melarn, to an artifact known as the
Crescent Blade, a weapon crafted to slay gods. As the
Demonweb Pits became closed off to entry by deities but
remained open to mortals, servants of Lolth, and petitioner
souls, a mortal like Halisstra could find the sleeping Lolth and
deal a deathblow with the Crescent Blade. The quest went
awry however, and Halisstra turned against Eilistraee to serve
Lolth. The return of Lolth ended the Silence in 1373 DR
(Year of Rogue Dragons), and heralded a new stage in the
conflict between mother and daughter, for Lolth’s dormancy
was part of a magical ritual performed to become far more
powerful as a deity.
Disadvantaged by the surprisingly enhanced strength of Lolth,
the Dancing Goddess took a gamble and successfully
convinced her mother to play a cosmic game of sava (a
tabletop game of miniatures similar to chess) with high stakes;
the two deities would choose limited numbers of specific pieces
(representing their faithful, divine servants, and mortal pawns)
to be moved with the guidance of their divine powers, and the
game’s loser would perish. The game between Eilistraee and
Lolth would last from 1373 DR to 1379 DR.
In 1375 DR (Year of Risen Elfkin), Vhaeraun attempted to
slay Eilistraee out of the very same desperation experienced by
the Dark Maiden but lost the battle; the Masked Lord’s divine
portfolio, church, and resources were absorbed by Eilistraee,
transforming her into the Masked Lady, and strengthening her
to stand on slightly more even footing against Lolth.
In 1379 DR (Year of the Lost Keep), Eilistraee made a
desperate gambit to try and save a lost piece (Halisstra Melarn)
by directly possessing the body of her Chosen Qilué Veladorn,
who was face-to-face with Halisstra. The Dark Maiden tried to
console Halisstra, who had been deformed and tortured by
Lolth as “the Lady Penitent”, but Halisstra responded by
decapitating Qilué with the Crescent Blade while Eilistraee
4
was still in her Chosen’s body. Although the divine weapon was
meant to slay gods through decapitation, its magic had been
corrupted through the presence of an ancient balor (a
powerful demon and ally of Lolth) named Wendonai, who had
possessed the sword while in spirit form. The Dark Dancer
survived the seemingly fatal strike but was weakened into a
comatose state.
With Eilistraee’s “death”, and the subsequent loss of her
magical connection with the clerics of her faith, all seemed lost
but to Lolth’s surprise, Corellon Larethian stepped in and
seemingly prevented Eilistraee’s divine realm from fading in
the wake of her death. In truth, the goddess Mystra, as part of
preparation for a great calamity that both she and Labelas
Enoreth of the Seldarine could sense coming (but were unsure
of the details), took both Vhaeraun and Eilistraee into a
hidden conceptual space within the Weave, protected and
sustained by the primordial stuff of dreams, the eternal
building blocks of thoughts and ideas. There the twins would
slumber safe from the harmful effects of what would later be
known as the Spellplague, in which the Weave would collapse
(but not disappear, fortunately for the twins) and unleash a
torrent of wild magical energies upon the worlds of
Realmspace and the divine realms connected to it.
Corellon, as part of a cooperative plan to prevent a number of
possible worst case scenarios, and caring about his children
(even Vhaeraun), hid the truth of Eilistraee’s survival by
pretending to maintain her divine realm of Teuivae Thil, and
taking in all of his twin progeny’s faithful under the protection
of Corellon’s church.
When Mystra was slain by Cyric six years later in 1385 DR
(Year of Blue Fire), a resulting wave of wild magical energies
cut a swath of destruction across both the mortal and divine
realms. The next century was filled with all sorts of tumult and
conflict among the gods while the Dark Maiden and her
brother continued to sleep through it all, sharing a dream-
constructed realm and coming to terms with the roots of their
conflicts through the sharing of their memories.
In 1487 DR (Year of the Rune Lords Triumphant), Eilistraee
and Vhaeraun were freed by a restored Mystra in the wake of
the Second Sundering; the twins emerged from their “tomb”
with a far greater understanding of each other’s perspective,
and a new sense of respectful camaraderie as siblings. Corellon
welcomed back both twins with open arms and sensed great
changes in them; Eilistraee attained a greater sense of
pragmatism and Vhaeraun was no longer resentful of matters
that had kept him submerged in darkness.
The Lady of the Dance and the Masked Lord, after taking
account of their faithful in Arvandor, then set out across the
mortal realms to revive their churches. There were reports of
the goddess appearing to travelers on the roads leading to
cities, indicating that Eilistraee’s campaign of rebuilding her
faith is far more ambitious than her previous, comparably
narrower focus on elves and drow.
Eilistraee currently seeks new connections and new allies for
the great battles soon to rage between good and evil. The song
of Lady Silverhair can now be heard in many new places
touched by the light of the moon.

Divine Allies
Aerdrie Fenya (Chaotic Good)
Symbol: A bird silhouette superimposed on a cloud.
Aerdrie Faenya, divergent aspect of Akadi, and the Seldarine
(elven) pantheon’s goddess of air, fertility, and weather, is a
kindred spirit among the Seldarine. Aerdrie shares a love of
song and dance that is often expressed in the rituals and
festivals of her faithful. As such, the worshippers of Eilistraee
and Aerdrie get along very well, and will often invite each
other to join in their respective festivities.
Agni (Chaotic Good)
Symbol: An upright blooming rose on a sunburst wreath of
golden grain.
Agni is the god of fire, redemption, hope, and messages in the
Vedic pantheon. Eilistraee finds the Purifying Flame Lord to
be a kindred spirit because of his teachings of rebirth through
the flame of hope and determination, burning away one’s sins
to move forward into a brighter future. Agni is passionate in
fighting against evil, and will not hesitate to assist a good deity
such as Eilistraee should he be in a position to do so.
Bala (Chaotic Good)
Symbol: A zither (musical stringed instrument with 30-40
strings).
Bala is the Zakharan pantheon’s goddess of music, song, and
rebellion. Though the Player of Ill Tidings is one of the minor
deities of Zakhara, she is also one of the longest lived. Scholars
have traced Bala’s origins as far back as the Days of Thunder
(-35,000 to -30,000 DR), as one of the deities worshipped by
an avian winged creator race, the aeree. According to some
researchers of the Seldarine, Bala may have known Eilistraee
during her childhood, perhaps as a fellow student of music or
even a tutor since the Free Singer’s divine realm is in
Arvandor. However they met, the goddesses are dear friends,
and as a supporter of freedom and acts of kindness, Bala is
always willing to aid Eilistraee’s fomenting of rebellion among
the drow against Lolth.
Corellon Larethian (Chaotic Good)
Symbol: A crescent moon.
Corellon Larethian, the Seldarine (elven) pantheon’s god of
magic, music, arts, crafts, war, the elven race, poetry, bards,
and warriors (as well as the pantheon’s leader), is a doting
father and wishes for his daughter’s happiness. He will go to
great lengths to assist Eilistraee in times of need. Not long
before the Spellplague, when Eilistraee was secretly sent to a
hidden sanctuary by Mystra in preparation of the coming
5
disaster, Corellon took responsibility in Eilistraee’s absence and
protected the Dark Maiden’s faithful from being swallowed up
by Lolth’s malice. When the events of the Sundering brought
Eilistraee back to the worlds of her influence, Corellon was
overjoyed; he is currently helping his daughter recover her
strength after being gone for over a hundred years. As
Corellon is ruler of the Seldarine, it suffices to say that the rest
of the pantheon knows the truth behind the Dancing Goddess’
exile and return; although they may have seemed distant
during the exile, the Seldarine deities have never truly
considered Eilistraee separate from their numbers.
Finder Wyvernspur (Chaotic Neutral)
Symbol: A white harp in a gray filled-in circle.
Finder Wyvernspur is the Faerûnian pantheon’s god of life
cycles, transformation of art, and saurials (as well as exarch of
Tymora). The Nameless Bard happened to be strumming on
his lute when Eilistraee passed by on a visit to Gates of the
Moon. The Dark Maiden was inspired by the music and gave
her body over to the melody in the air, inspiring the musician
in turn to improvise, complementing the passionate dance in
front of him. After the piece reached its climax, the deities
became fast friends in their shared love for the performing arts.
Eilistraee granted Finder an open invitation to visit her divine
realm and tour the festive theaters there as his choice of either
audience or talent. The Patron of Saurials may still be a
youngling in the Dancing Goddess’ eyes, but he holds great
potential.
Fionnghuala (Neutral Good)
Symbol: A white feather superimposed over a lake.
Fionnghuala is the Seelie Court pantheon’s goddess of
swanmays, communications, and sorority. The Swan Ranger
was introduced to Eilistraee over a thousand years ago by their
mutual friend Iallanis (of the giant pantheon). Fionnghuala
shares much in common with the Dark Maiden, being a deity
who protects mortals against a great force of evil (the Queen
of Air and Darkness) that threatens to conquer the realms.
What fascinated Eilstraee most about Fionnghuala was that
the Patron of Swanmays was originally a mortal human ranger
who was sponsored by the goddess Titania for protecting a
wounded Oberon in battle. The Dancing Goddess appreciated
the value in learning the perspective of Fionnghuala, who
possessed the experience of a mortal; such perspectives are
invaluable towards understanding the mortal faithful,
especially the drow whom Eilistraee wishes to save. Although
she usually has her hands full in the politics of the Seelie
Court, Fionnghuala will gladly draw her bow to assist
Eilistraee, should the Dark Dancer ever need it.
Fu Hsing (Chaotic Good)
Symbol: A star above a horizontal, closed scroll.
Fu Hsing is the Celestial Bureaucracy pantheon’s god of
happiness and hope. One of the tales of Eilistraee’s time of
wandering involves the Dark Maiden stumbling onto the Land
of the Immortals in the Ethereal Plane; here she met Fu
Hsing, who lent an ear as a listener to Eilistraee’s concerns for
the future of the drow. The Scholar of Joys shared his wisdom
and helped to alleviate the fears carried by Eilistraee. Fu Hsing
is a peaceful deity who will not participate in violent conflicts
but will offer warm advice or at least a cup of tea to good
deities such as Eilistraee should they find themselves attacked
by despair.
Hanali Celanil (Chaotic Good)
Symbol: A golden heart.
Hanali Celanil, divergent aspect of Sune, and the Seldarine
(elven) pantheon’s goddess of love and beauty, supports the
Dark Dancer’s role as a deity of performing arts. Such things
add to the beauty of life, so Hanali is always willing to lend a
hand, if at least to ensure that the beauty of the fallen elfkin
can be salvaged. The followers of Sune herself, as well as her
exarchs Liira and Sharess will help Eilistraee worshippers due
to their shared love of the arts and beautiful things, as well as
their shared senses of compassion.
Hathor (Neutral Good)
Symbol: A horned cow’s head with a lunar disk hovering
above it.
Hathor is the Mulhorandi pantheon’s goddess of motherhood,
folk music, dance, the Moon, and fate. The Nurturing Mother
has long been a friend of Eilistraee, even from before the
Mulhorandi deities arrived in Realmspace; some scholars even
theorized that Hathor was Sehanine Moonbow, but the theory
was debunked by ranking priests and planeswalkers. It is rare
for either of them to face a problem requiring their mutual
attention since drow are uncommon to encounter in the
Mulhorandi region, but should the need arise, the goddesses’
faithful will cooperate in the spirit of their friendship.
6
Iallanis (Neutral Good)
Symbol: A garland of flowers.
Iallanis is the giant pantheon’s goddess of love, forgiveness,
beauty, and mercy. It is said that the Flower Princess and
Eilistraee met during the Dark Maiden’s time of wandering,
during the earliest conflicts between giants and dragons;
Iallanis’ optimistic perspective partially inspired Eilistraee to
endure her difficult journey; the goddesses bonded through
their shared beliefs and mutual desires to bring light to
darkness. The Favored Daughter of Annam still holds on to a
strong hope for the future of giant civilization becoming a
bastion of good, and remains both a loyal friend and an
inspiration to Eilistraee.
Kishijoten (Neutral Good)
Symbol: A white diamond in front of an upright folding hand
fan
Kishijoten is the goddess of beauty, song, dance, and luck in
the Eight Million Gods pantheon. The Geisha Queen is a
fellow patron of the performing arts and also offers kindness to
those who suffer. Eilistraee admires the elegance and dignity
with which Kishijoten carries herself, and Kishijoten admires
the dedication with which Eilistraee pursues the salvation of
mortals. The Patron of Geishas is a reliable ally whose cunning
and wit are a powerful resource against the forces of evil that
threaten the world.
Lliira (Chaotic Good)
Symbol: A triangle of three six-pointed stars (orange, yellow,
red), with the orange star centered above the red star (left) and
yellow star (right).
Lliira is the Faerûnian pantheon’s goddess of joy, happiness,
dance, festivals, freedom, and liberty (as well as exarch of
Sune). The Lady of Joy is a kindred spirit to Eilistraee when it
comes to love for expressing oneself through dance. Lliira is a
welcome visitor to Lady Silverhair’s divine realm, and those
lucky enough to witness their greetings to each other will often
see a wondrous sight of the goddesses dancing in unison to the
harmony of a rapturous song. Although the peace-loving Lliira
will not proactively partake in violent battles against other
deities, she will eagerly join any conflict involving Loviatar,
whose servants slew the Joybringer’s lover during the Time of
Troubles. As Loviatar is a force of evil in the realms, Eilistraee
will definitely alert her friend should she discover activity
involving Loviatar’s cult.
Melira Taralen (Chaotic Good)
Symbol: A golden lute against a blue background.
Melira Taralen is the Seldarine (elven) pantheon’s goddess of
half-elven bards, elven minstrels, and songwriting. The
Songstress is also the daughter of Hanali Celanil and a
childhood friend of Eilistraee. When Eilistraee returned to
Arvandor and again when she “returned to life”, Melira was
among the first to welcome back the Dark Maiden. The soulful
duets of the goddesses are filled with warmth and affection,
and they could occasionally be seen viewing the starry skies in
Arvandor together, sharing stories of woe and joy like sisters of
the soul.
Mielikki (Neutral Good)
Symbol: A gold-horned, blue-eyed unicorn’s head facing left.
Mielikki, the Faerûnian pantheon’s goddess of Autumn,
dryads, forest creatures, forests, and rangers, has long been a
friend of Eilistraee. Some scholars believe that the Lady of the
Forest and the Lady of the Dance have known each other since
before the War of the Seldarine, hunting together in the forests
of Arvandor. Mielikki’s identity of Khalreshaar in the
Seldarine pantheon places her as an ally of all elves, including
those who worship Eilistraee. As Mielikki is known to be the
Patron of Half-Elves in her role as Khalreshaar, the faithful of
Eilistraee will never discriminate against half-elves based on
lineage and are usually very open to becoming friends with
non-evil half-elves.
Milil (Neutral Good)
Symbol: A five-stringed harp made of silver leaves.
Milil, the Faerûnian pantheon’s god of poetry, song, and
eloquence (as well as exarch of Oghma), is quite fond of
Eilistraee as a fellow patron of the arts. The Lord of Song
comes to Eilistraee’s divine realm during certain festivals as a
performer, and the Lady of the Dance in turn performs for the
annual Festival of Masters at Milil’s Celestial Conservatory
(Library of All Knowledge, House of Knowledge). Some bards
sing of Milil wooing the Dark Maiden whenever he has the
opportunity, but that is just a playful rumor (possibly spread by
the Lord of All Songs himself).
7
Mystra (Neutral Good)
Symbol: A circle of seven stars or nine stars encircling a
flowing red mist, or a single eight-pointed star.
Mystra, the Faerûnian pantheon’s goddess of magic, spells, the
Weave, and time, has been a staunch friend and ally to
Eilistraee. It was Mystra that saved Eilistraee from destruction
at the climax of Lolth’s plot to plunder Eilistraee’s following. It
is known that after Eilistraee returned to power, Mystra trusted
the Dark Maiden with a share of responsibility in maintaining
the integrity of the Weave of magic, the foundation of all
magic in the worlds under their charge; whether this has solely
to do with the Lady of Mysteries recruiting deities into a
Council of Arcana or something more is currently unknown.
Oghma (Neutral)
Symbol: A partially unrolled blank scroll.
Oghma is the Faerûnian pantheon’s god of bards, inspiration,
invention, and knowledge. Although the Lord of Knowledge
will not participate in violent conflicts, he is dedicated to the
spread of ideas and lore. To that end, the beauty of song and
dance spread by the Dark Dancer’s followers is in great
agreement with Oghma’s tenets. The Patron of Bards may
intervene to peacefully rescue a faithful of Eilistraee if they are
particularly accomplished in the performing arts, or has served
well in teaching others the value and techniques of such skills.
Sehanine Moonbow (Chaotic Good)
Symbol: A misty crescent above a full moon.
Sehanine Moonbow, divergent aspect of Selune and the
Seldarine (elven) pantheon’s goddess of death, dreams, and the
moon, has cared for Eilistraee as if they were mother and
daughter. Sehanine’s love for Eilistraee is demonstrated by her
gift for the construction of Eilistraee’s realm, Teuivae Thil;
Sehanine created a moon for this realm of perpetual night, to
provide light and comfort for the daughter of her heart and
the resident souls living there.
Selan (Neutral Good)
Symbol: A moon within a ring and a tiny star orbiting the
ring
Selan, the Zakharan pantheon’s goddess of beauty and the
moon, is said to be the beloved daughter of Selune. As
Sehanine Moonbow, aspect of Selune, is like a mother to
Eilistraee, the Dark Maiden considers Selan as something akin
to a sister or cousin; the Garden Maiden in turn seems to
return the same affection. Selan adores the beauty of song,
dance, and redemption that Eilistraee’s faith brings to the
realms, and will do what she can to assist any faithful of
Eilistraee that runs into trouble in the Lands of Fate.
Selune (Chaotic Good)
Symbol: A pair of eyes encircled by seven stars.
Selune, the Faerûnian pantheon’s goddess of good and neutral
lycanthropes, moon, navigation, questers, stars, wanderers
came to know Eilistraee through her aspect Sehanine
Moonbow. Just as Sehanine cares for Eilistraee, Selune will
assist Eilistraee as a reliable ally. With Shar’s darkness
threatening to snuff the light of hope that Eilistraee is
currently bringing with her return, the Dark Dancer may need
the benefit of Selune’s vast experience sooner than later.
Sharess (Chaotic Good)
Symbol: A single pair of feminine lips.
Sharess is the Faerûnian pantheon’s goddess of hedonism and
sensuality, also known as Bast in the Mulhorandi pantheon for
the same roles (as well as exarch of Sune). The Mother of Cats
has long been revered as a patron of dance as a form of
sensual fulfillment and expression; she identifies well with
Eilistraee as both artist and patron. Sharess encourages her
faithful to ease the pain of others through joy, so while her
church is generally pacifistic, they will at least support
champions of good (such as Eilistraee’s clerics and paladins)
with shelter, information, and healing. Sharess is a particularly
zealous ally against Shar, who had attempted to subsume
Sharess’ power during the Time of Troubles. As Sharess is
technically also the mother of Selvetarm (since Sharess is a
merging of Bast with the goddess Zandilar, who gave birth to
Selvetarm), Eilistraee considers Sharess as family of a sort.
Vandria Gilmadrith (Lawful Neutral)
Symbol: An elf ’s eye on a red shield, with a crescent moon
lined up with the right half of the eye’s iris.
Vandria Gilmadrith, the Seldarine (elven) pantheon’s goddess
of war, guardianship, justice, grief, vigilance, and decision, is
the younger sister of Eilistraee. The Stern Daughter of
Corellon is dedicated to the protection of all elves, which of
course includes the very drow Eilistraee seeks to redeem. As
such, the Stern Daughter of Corellon will aid Eilistraee to the
best of her ability, especially since redeeming the drow would
be a way of saving elves from themselves. Those drow who
refuse to seek redemption however are considered enemies by
Vandria, and she will do whatever is necessary to protect
elvenkind, sometimes to Eilistraee’s chagrin.
8
Tuiviel Glithien (Chaotic Good)
Symbol: The front side of a bird in flight, superimposed on a
full moon.
Tuilviel Glithien is the Raptoran pantheon’s goddess of
raptorans, night birds, stars, and the Moon (as well as the
pantheon’s leader). The Queen of Air and Night (not to be
confused with the Unseelie goddess of a similar title) has been
a close friend of the Seldarine since before the Days of
Thunder, when mortal races were still young. Eilistraee is said
to have marveled as a child at the beautiful feathered wings
with which Tuiviel presented herself with when visiting the
realm of the Seldarine from her neighboring realm in
Arvandor (Arborea). The Lady of the Silent Wings has always
been fond of Eilistraee, and though their work as deities rarely
intersects, Tuilviel will always welcome Lady Silverhair in the
domain of the Raptoran pantheon.
Vhaeraun (Chaotic Neutral)
Symbol: A gray mask fitted with a pair of black glass lenses
over the eyes.
Vhaeraun, the Dark Seldarine (drow) pantheon’s god of
thievery, drow males, and arrogance, is Eilistraee’s elder twin
brother. He originally held murderous resentment for
Eilistraee, and they fought each other often over the fate of the
drow. When both siblings returned in the wake of the
Sundering, they held a new bond of understanding from their
mutual experiences. Although a few of Vhaeraun’s
worshippers remain antagonistic towards the faithful of
Eilistraee, Vhaeraun himself now supports Eilistraee in
resistance against Lolth and Eilistraee supports Vhaeraun on
the same matter. Their faithful will still come to blows over
disagreements about their methods, but they avoid killing each
other and even work together when possible. Familial and
romantic relationships created while the churches were merged
for over a century have further reinforced cooperation between
the twins’ faithful.
Divine Enemies
Bahgtru (Chaotic Evil)
Symbol: A broken humanoid thighbone.
Bahgtru is the orc pantheon’s god of loyalty, stupidity, and
brute strength. As the son of Gruumsh, Bahgtru has a strong
sense of rivalry with the children of Gruumsh’s mortal enemy
Corellon; this of course includes Eilistraee. The Leg Breaker is
determined to defeat the Dancing Goddess in battle, and bring
his father the enemy’s broken form. Fortunately for Eilistraee,
Bahgtru is so very feeble-minded and brutish in his ways that it
has never been difficult to evade Bahgtru’s attacks. For the
daughter of Corellon, the game of outwitting the son of
Gruumsh, though rather unchallenging, has become a
welcome distraction to change the pace of things once in a
while.
Baphomet (Chaotic Evil)
Symbol: A stylized maze, configured at the artist’s preference.
Baphomet is a Demon Lord of the Abyss who has achieved a
level of divinity as a fiendish god of minotaurs, battle, and
vengeance. The Patron of Minotaurs has been plotting to
destroy the unity of the giant tribes and corrupt the giant races
for a long time, making him possibly the most direct enemy of
Eilistraee’s friend Iallanis (of the giant pantheon), who seeks to
unify the giants into a civilization of benevolence. According
to a story from Eilistraee’s time of wandering, the Dark
Maiden rescued her friend Iallanis from the clutches of
Baphomet, interrupting his attempt to sacrifice the giant
goddess in a foul ritual of divinity absorption. The Demon
Lord maintains a grudge against Eilistraee to this day, and the
ogres, giants, and minotaurs that worship Baphomet have
clashed with the Dancing Goddess’ champions both in the
Underdark and on the surface.
Blibdoolpoolp (Neutral Evil)
Symbol: A lobster head superimposed on a black pearl.
Blibdoolpoolp is a goddess of kuo-toa, evil undersea creatures,
darkness of the seas and Underdark, insanity, and revenge; she
has long been an enemy of the drow and illithid deities. Lolth
and her exarchs are the primary antagonists who have
provoked the wrath of Blibdoolpoolp, but the insane goddess
regards the children of Lolth as enemies merely by association;
as such, Eilistraee’s faithful are immediate targets of violence
whenever they encounter the Sea Mother’s cultists. The
followers of Blibdoolpoolp are infamous for kidnapping people
and using the victims in strange sacrificial ceremonies; many
of the servants of Eilistraee have seen horrors suffered in the
hands of Blibdoolpoolp’s cult, and for that reason the church
of Eilistraee will readily take action to eradicate any trace of
the Lobster-Headed Queen’s presence found in the realms.
9
Ghaunadaur (Chaotic Evil)
Symbol: A purplish eye centered on superimposed circles of
purple, then violet, then black.
Of all the foes that Eilistraee must face, Ghaunadaur, the Dark
Seldarine (drow) pantheon’s god of oozes, outcasts, and
abominations, is the most enigmatic. This ancient deity,
perhaps the oldest of the deities worshipped in the Realms, is
driven by a primordial hunger that borders on the limits of
sanity, if not already breaking them (and many believe that he
has indeed gone mad). Ghaunadaur’s behavior is strange even
for a chaotic deity, and his alien mindset is a cause of concern
for all of his rivals. Ghaundaur has preyed on the drow in the
past, and holds a grudge against Eilistraee for her obstinate
refusal to back down from her defense of mortals against
Ghaunadaur’s depredations.
Gruumsh (Chaotic Evil)
Symbol: An unwinking eye.
As the favored child of Corellon, Eilistraee is an obvious target
for Corellon’s arch-nemesis, Gruumsh, the orc pantheon’s god
of orcs, conquest, strength, and survival (as well as the
pantheon’s leader). The faithful of Eilistraee will always be
weary of the bloodthirsty fanatics worshipping Gruumsh, as
Gruumsh would love nothing more than to see the horrified
expression on his most hated enemy’s face as Gruumsh holds
the decapitated head of the Seldarine ruler’s beloved daughter.
Hoar (Lawful Neutral)
Symbol: A black-gloved hand holding a coin, revealing a
single side on which there is an image of two conjoined,
oppositely facing humanoid heads.
Hoar is the Faerûnian pantheon’s god of revenge, retribution,
and poetic justice (as well as exarch of Bane). The
Doombringer’s teachings of trading pain for pain is in stark
opposition to Eilistraee’s mission of redemption, for the
followers of Hoar are a danger to all drow trying to repent for
actions taken while under the rule of Lolth’s church. As Hoar
will make no exceptions for those that the Dark Maiden wishes
to save, they are likely to remain at odds with each other for
the foreseeable future.
Kiaransalee (Chaotic Evil)
Symbol: An open female drow hand wearing silver rings on
each digit except for the thumb.
Kiaransalee, the Dark Seldarine (drow) pantheon’s goddess of
the undead and vengeance, is a mere shadow of her former
power prior to the “death” of Eilistraee (which was a ruse to
hide Mystra’s action to protect the Dark Maiden from the
upcoming Spellplague). It was one of Eilistraee’s followers, a
wizard named Qarlynd Melarn, who devised the casting of a
high magic ritual that erased Kiaransalee’s name from the
minds of mortals and gods alike. Kiaransalee was thought to
have faded to nothingness at the time due to a lack of
worshippers that could remember her. Kiaransalee somehow
returned after the Sundering, though greatly diminished from
her original strength. It is speculated that before vanishing
completely, the evil goddess had transferred her consciousness
to the phylactery that she once used as a lich before ascending
to true godhood. Vengeful as her portfolio would assume,
Kiaransalee is now zealously devoted to destroying Eilistraee
and her faithful.
Lolth (Chaotic Evil)
Symbol: A female drow-headed black spider hanging from a
spider web.
Lolth, the Demon Queen of Spiders, the Dark Seldarine
(drow) pantheon’s goddess of assassins, chaos, darkness, drow,
evil, and spiders, is Eilistraee’s mother yet seems to hold little
love (if any) for the Dark Maiden. Lolth loves herself above all
others, and won’t hesitate to destroy anyone and anything that
gets in the way of her personal desires, even her own children.
Lolth is the most dangerous enemy that Eilistraee must
contend with, because Lolth is a skilled mistress of deceptive
strategies with long-reaching objectives. As long as Lolth
maintains dominance over the majority of the drow,
Eilistraee’s faithful will have no shortage of enemies seeking to
subjugate or destroy them, and Eilistraee will keep fighting to
save dark elves from damnation. Eilistraee’s recently bestowed
responsibilities related to the Weave as a Council of Arcana
member has caught the attention of Lolth, who covets having
control over magic and the rules of magic, so the Lady of the
Dance has become increasingly weary of her mother
attempting to slip influence into the workings of the Council.
10
Malar (Chaotic Evil)
Symbol: A bestial five-digit claw with brown fur and curved
talons.
Malar, the Faerûnian pantheon’s god of bloodlust, evil
lycanthropes, hunters, marauding beasts and monsters, and
stalking, is one of the Deities of Fury, along with Auril,
Umberlee, and Talos. The Black-Blooded Pard has had many
dealings with Lolth as the Spider Queen’s ally, and caused
great trouble for Eilistraee’s work. Malar’s champions enjoy
hunting the faithful of the Dark Maiden in the wilderness, and
Eilistraee’s champions in turn hunt the faithful of Malar, as
well as any evil lycanthrope they detect. A violent skirmish
between the faithful of these two deities is often one in which
they challenge each other in the realm of ambush tactics and
survival skills.
Selvetarm (Chaotic Evil)
Symbol: A spider superimposed on a crossed sword and
mace.
Of all the tragedies to sadden Eilistraee, the corruption of her
nephew Selvetarm may be the greatest. Selvetarm, the Dark
Seldarine (drow) pantheon’s god of bloodlust and battle
prowess, was born the son of Vhaeraun and Zandilar (a
demigoddess who merged with Bast to become Sharess). He
was taken in by Eilistraee for a time, learning the ways of
good, until he was tricked by Lolth to kill a demon lord and
absorb the demon lord’s power. The absorbed demonic
essence transformed Selvetarm into a twisted abomination of
his former self, both mentally and physically. Lolth took
advantage of Selvetarm’s pliability following his
transformation, and convinced him to serve his grandmother
as her bodyguard and exarch. During the conflicts that led to
Eilistraee’s vanishing, Selvetarm was slain by Cavatina Xarran,
a Darksong Knight serving Eilistraee. As such, all hope for
redeeming him someday seemed to have been lost. When
Selvetarm was raised from death during the Sundering, he
reassumed his duties as the exarch of Lolth, but Eilistraee still
hopes that Selvetarm could be cleansed from the evil that
poisoned his very soul.
Set (Lawful Evil)
Symbol: A coiled cobra.
Set is the Mulhorandi pantheon’s god of the desert,
destruction, drought, night, rot, snakes, hate, betrayal, evil
magic, ambition, poison, and murder. The Father of Jackals
promotes corruption, hatred, and cruelty in the realms of
Mulhorand and Unther, which are in great opposition to the
tenets promoted by Lady Silverhair. It fills Eilistraee with a
deep sense of disgust whenever she must interact directly with
Set in meetings of Mystra’s Council of Arcana, but the
Dancing Goddess finds comfort in the fact that good gods such
as Isis and Hathor have managed to keep Set from spreading
his cult too far beyond his pantheon’s designated region.
Shar (Neutral Evil)
Symbol: A full black disk with a deep purple border.
Shar, the Faerûnian pantheon’s goddess of caverns, dark,
dungeons, forgetfulness, loss, night, secrets, and the
Underdark, is a cunning foe equipped with eons’ worth of
insight and knowledge. The Mistress of the Night vehemently
despises her sister Selune, and seeks the destruction of
Eilistraee simply because Selune has affection for the Dancing
Goddess. The presence of Shar’s faithful in the Underdark is
counted among the many dangers to those of Eilistraee’s that
venture beneath the surface realms to bring refugees among
the Drow to the light above.
Shevarash (Chaotic Neutral)
Symbol: A broken arrow bent (broken ends upward) over a
teardrop.
Shevarash is the Seldarine (elven) pantheon’s god of hatred of
the drow, vengeance, crusades, and loss. The relationship
between the Night Hunter and the Dancing Goddess is a
complicated one. Although Shevarash is devoted to eradicating
the drow from the multiverse, he makes an exception for the
faithful of Eilistraee and Vhaeraun as a matter of truce
agreement. The church of Shevarash is therefore technically
the enemy of Eilistraee’s church by the teachings of vindictive
discrimination that they spread, but Shevarash’s faithful are
instructed to avoid intentionally harming the faithful of
Eilistraee.
Talona (Chaotic Evil)
Symbol: Three golden amber teardrops on a purple triangle,
with the teardrops arranged in triangle formation, and both
the teardrop formation and purple triangle pointed
downwards.
Talona, the Faerûnian pantheon’s goddess of disease and
poison, is determined to spread misery and ugliness to all the
Realms. Eilistraee’s faith promotes compassion and beauty,
making its existence completely incompatible with Talona’s
reason for being. The followers of Eilistraee will actively
oppose Talona’s cultists at every turn, and vice versa.
The Queen of Air and Darkness (Chaotic
Evil)
Symbol: A black diamond within a circle of ten stars
The Queen of Air and Darkness is the goddess of illusions,
darkness, secrets, murder, and Winter in the Unseelie Court
pantheon (as well as the pantheon’s leader). Eilistraee made an
enemy of this malevolent deity when she saved her friend
Fionnghuala (of the Seelie Court pantheon) from being fatally
wounded by the Wretched Queen’s magic. The Queen of Air
and Darkness holds grudges well, and will not likely forget the
Dark Maiden’s meddling for thousands of years to come.
11
Exarchs
Exarchs are deities and demigods that serve other (usually
more powerful) deities that protect, rule over and/or provide
them with support against their enemies.
Cavatina Xarran (Chaotic Good)
Symbol: A downward sword superimposed on a full moon.
Cavatina, the Seldarine pantheon’s goddess of song elves,
loyalty, and pride, as her mother before her, served as a
Darksong Knight of Eilistraee until her death in 1379 DR
(Year of the Lost Keep). Touted as one of the greatest warriors
to ever serve the Lady of the Dance, Cavatina became a
legend when she took up Eilistraee’s most powerful sacred
artifact, the Crescent Blade, and slew the evil god Selvetarm
with it. Although Cavatina herself was slain not long after her
greatest victory, she somehow retained a tiny portion of divine
essence absorbed from the body of the slain Selvetarm. This
divinity may have saved her soul from being horrifically
rendered by the Crescent Blade’s power when it was used by
an enemy against Cavatina.
After Eilistraee returned from supposed death, Cavatina
rejoined her former mistress, and was given life anew. Much to
everyone’s surprise, Cavatina ascended upon resurrection as an
immortal demigoddess thanks to the residue of divine essence
acquired from Selvetarm. Cavatina swore to use her newfound
power in furtherance of the great cause of Eilistraee.
Cavatina is an aggressive combatant in battle, yet maintains
her composure in all situations. In the past, she had a short
temper and allowed herself to become arrogant as she grew
strong and accomplished; such behavior led to carelessness at a
critical moment, and Cavatina will never allow herself to
forget the failure caused by her hubris.
THE SONG ELVES
In 1379 DR (Year of the Lost Keep), a drow wizard
named Q’arlynd Melarn led a group of fellow drow
mages to cooperatively perform the ritual for a spell of
Elven High Magic. This ritual channeled magical energies
of epic proportions to dispel the effects of the Descent
upon all descendants of the ancient Miyeritari elves,
including Q’arlynd himself and his companions. A small
fraction of all drow in Realmspace reverted to their
ancestors’ original dark brown skin, black hair, and black
eyes.
To differentiate themselves from the drow, these
“original form” dark elves have popularly adopted the
name “song elves”, for it has been said that the subtle
song of Eilistraee led to their casting off the chains of
Descent. After Cavatina Xarran ascended to divinity,
since she herself was a song elf, the servant of Eilistraee
took up the role of being the song elves’ protector.

Afterlife
Arborea
Also known as the Olympian Glades of Arborea, this domain
of the gods is a place of intense sensations, powerful emotions,
and mystically beautiful nature, with dangers to match its
wonders. Arborea consists of three infinitely expanding planar
layers, each hosting a distinct set of climates and
environments. Naturally occurring portals between the layers
resemble clusters of shimmering air; the portals lead from one
layer to the next or previous in an ordered sequence, with the
spatial coordinates of the destinations remaining relatively
consistent for most of the portals. When entering Arborea,
petitioner souls appear as they did in life, at least until they
enter a particular god’s realm within the plane, whose ambient
magic may alter their appearance according to the god’s
preference.
In the first two layers of Arborea, the wildlife and flora are
abundant, and the land is teeming with primal spirits of the
land. The abundance of fruits and vegetables as well as the
strong fertility of the soil makes it easy for inhabitants and
visitors alike to forage for food or to cultivate crops.
Each layer of Arborea experiences a regular 24-hour day and
night cycle, with bright, sunny days and warm nights; a golden
sun travels over each layer during the day, and at night a white
moon is accompanied by a dark sky filled with stars of white
mixed with different colors. Clouds in the sky appear at the
whims of the layer’s weather patterns.
The first layer of Arborea is known as Arvandor or Olympus,
named after one of two well-known territories of the same
names within the layer, separated by hundreds of miles of
unclaimed wilderness. This layer features mountains, deep
forests, pristine lakes, bountiful rivers, and vast open fields of
flowers and grass. Portals to the planes of the Beastlands and
Ysgard can be found in Arvandor/Olympus. Most of the
deities in Arborea inhabit the first layer.
The planes-crossing river Oceanus enters Arvandor/Olympus
from a plane known as the Beastlands, streaming along the
ground in a consistent route before disappearing into a misty
portal that leads to the second layer of Arborea.
There are seven sprawling hills topped with golden flowers
scattered across Arvandor/Olympus. Each of these hills is a
planeshifting hub that leads to a corresponding hill in the
gnome pantheon’s plane of Golden Hills; a visitor standing on
one of the hills can activate the magic of the hub with a
mental command (requires an action), focusing on their desire
to visit Golden Hills (of course some may be prevented from
activating the effect by the gnome deities or the gatekeepers
appointed on the hills). As such, the gnome deities and their
faithful can be seen coming and going on these hills,
disappearing into thin air as they will themselves to their
destination; this planeshifting appears as though the travelers
are gradually turning invisible over a course of a second as the
air shimmers around them.
12
The Seldarine (elven) pantheon gather in a clustered region of
divine realms known as Arvandor in Arvandor/Olympus,
which is ruled over by their coronal Corellon Larethian. The
gods here live in harmony with the wilderness, building
structures around trees rather than through them, or in open
glades where they can more easily construct buildings without
disturbing the land’s natural beauty.
Among Arborea’s most famous intelligent residents are
celestial eladrin and lillendi. Celestial eladrin are native
to Arborea while many lillendi immigrate to Arborea to
experience the intense emotions present in the plane’s
environment.
CELESTIAL ELADRIN
Petitioner souls that live in Arborea sometimes
evolve into elf-like fey creatures known as celestial
eladrin, not to be confused with high elves who also
refer to themselves as eladrin. Some scholars surmise
that celestial eladrin might be the forerunners of the
high elves, while others propose that they are
completely unrelated races of fey. There are many
varieties of subrace among the celestial eladrin as well,
often producing great differences in their respective
cultures. All celestial eladrin possess magical powers
that vary by their subraces, such as the ability to control
flames, or the ability to communicate with telepathy.
THE LILLENDI
A race of magical creatures native to the plane of
Ysgard but known for being astral travelers. The lillendi
are able to fly, breathe underwater, understand any
intelligent language, innately cast spells, move freely
through water, move freely across water without
sinking, and are immune to poisons, nonmagical fire,
noxious gases, positive energy, negative energy,
musically produced magic, and the charmed condition.
A lillend’s body has its head and torso resembling
that of a comely human or elf, connected to a lower half
that consists of a stout, multicolored serpent’s tail. The
torso of a lillend has a pair of feathery wings extending
from the back, with a combined maximum span roughly
equal to a third of the length of the lillend’s body (which
can measure as long as 20 feet).
There is a massive rocky mountain surrounded by towns,
villages, vast farmed fields, tended pastures, rolling hills, and
blue seas. This is Olympus, the home of the Olympian
pantheon, the place from which the goddess Tyche originated
(before she was split into Tymora and Beshaba). Kiltzi of the
Maztican pantheon also lives in this region, near the base of
the mountain in a realm known as Rainbow Valley, famous for
its wide variety of different colored fruits and vegetables.
Bala of the Zakharan pantheon makes his home in Arvandor/
Olympus, in a titanic brown-gray barked tree known as the
Tree of Melody, where the deity lives with his faithful. The
Tree of Melody hosts several town-sized districts on its
branches, along with a network of stairs, bridges, and
platforms along its trunk. Bala lives at the top of the tree, in a
large wooden palace carved into the great tree itself.
The Raptoran pantheon resides at a shared territory in
Arvandor/Olympus, called the Valley of Four Seasons; this
realm is a forested land with five city-sized trees on top of
which the deities of the pantheon have built homes for
themselves and their faithful. Four of the Trees represent the
four seasons of nature’s cycle and as such appear as though
they are experiencing the seasons that they represent. The
Skyward Tree, residence of the pantheon’s leader Tuiviel
Glithien, changes its appearance every day in order of the
seasons, and towers above the rest.
There is a small landlocked sea surrounded by woods and
grassland in Arvandor/Olympus, where a perpetual mist
hangs over the water. Once in a while, an island appears in the
middle of the lake; the island is known as Avalon, and it shifts
between the planes of the Beastlands, Ysgard, and Arborea. A
land of eternal twilight, Avalon features a woodland
environment with many glades and a single lake near the
center. The island also hosts a realm known as the Seelie
Court, where the gods of the Seelie Court pantheon live. This
is one of the most sacred places in the multiverse to many fey
who worship the Seelie Court, and those who are allowed to
step onto the island itself are considered blessed. Unwanted
invaders will find themselves teleported to a random location
in Arborea should they enter the mists with ill intent. The
island is home to many fey creatures, and aside from the
exquisitely crafted buildings at the island’s center where the
Seelie Court deities congregate, there are a few shrines as well
as a single settlement on the shores of the island; only natives
of the island and invited guests are able to perceive (whether
physically or magically) the locations of Avalon’s shrines and
settlement.
The second layer of Arborea is known as Aquallor (also known
as Ossa to the Olympian gods, the Endless River to the selkies,
and the Green or Abiding Sea to the Mulhorandi gods). This
entire layer consists of an endlessly spanning ocean over an
uneven rocky terrain; the ocean has few islands on its surface
and is about three feet deep everywhere except for sprawling
chasms that can reach down dozens to thousands of feet; the
underwater valleys at the bottom of the chasms are where
most of the inhabitants of this layer can be found. The ocean
is abundant with sea life, including intelligent aquatic races;
one may encounter largest beasts and aberrant creatures in the
deeper regions and trenches of Aquallor. If searching carefully
enough, travellers can find portals to the Elemental Plane of
13
Water sparsely spread out in the middle and deeper levels of
the ocean. If traveling above the water, sailors are warned of
great storms that migrate at varying speeds over the ocean’s
surface.
The planes-crossing river Oceanus makes its final destination
in Aquallor’s waters, coming in from the first layer of Arborea;
the river is a popular means of travel into Arborea, with
numerous floating towns located near where Oceanus meets
the surface of Aquallor’s ocean. There are also maelstroms in
the ocean that bring those who enter them to the head of
Oceanus at Thalasia, fourth layer of the plane Elysium.
The third layer of Arborea is known as Mithardir. This layer’s
name means “white dust” in the elven language, and aptly so,
for Mithardir consists of an endless desert of white, chalky
dust. According to scholars, Mithardir used to be a great forest
inhabited by deities and titans of old, but now it is an
abandoned realm dominated by dust mounds and ruins of
ancient cities. Lightning storms whose winds can drive huge
dust storms are common in this layer, sending unprepared
visitors to their dooms under the dust.
There is a sanctuary temple in Mithardir maintained by
Iallanis of the giant pantheon, which serves as a refuge from
the storms, and hosts a portal that leads to Iallanis’ realm of
Florallium in Jotunheim (Ysgard).
Arvandor
Vast forests that span across the horizon, majestic mountains
capped with pure white snow, pristinely clear lakes and
streams, and a deep green sea. The realm of Arvandor (The
High Forest in elven) is the home of the Seldarine, the
pantheon of gods primarily worshipped by the elves. In this
paradise of natural wonders, Corellon Larethian rules over a
multitude of elven deities and archfey, and each deity has a
personal realm that he/she maintains within the greater
realm’s borders, which span for more than a thousand miles in
each direction from the center.
When crossing from one deity’s realm to another, there may be
a gradual shifting of the sky’s appearance, as well as the
amount of light in the environment; the landscape otherwise
remains unchanged, seamlessly connecting every realm as a
consistently shaped world.
There are buildings, and even cities amongst the wild
splendors of Arvandor, and they are all constructed in
aesthetic harmony with the natural surroundings of the plane.
In many cases, structures have been directly integrated into the
environment, such as stairways carved from branches spiraling
up around the trunks of titanic trees, or palaces craved out of
the rocky sides of the mountains, or underwater shrines made
completely out of coral.
All souls that pass on from the mortal world to Arvandor take
on the forms of elf-like fey, even non-elves. The angels that
protect the plane all either resemble elves, or wear helmets and
masks made to resemble the heads and faces of elves. Many
different types of fey, as well as faerie dragons, agathinon,
treants, and asuras also live in Arvandor.
At scattered locations between the deities’ realms as well as on
the outer realms of Arvandor are ancient ruins that were
inhabited by giants and titans before the Seldarine took hold
of the region. The current inhabitants of Arvandor have
largely left the ruins alone, letting nature gradually reclaim the
abandoned dwellings, but a few such places are being heavily
guarded; it is rumored that the guarded ruins hold ancient
artifacts of such dangerous power that even attempting to
move them would pose an unacceptable risk of theft.
Most of the deities’ realms are clustered around the center of
Arvandor, with various kingdoms ruled by elven royalty and
archfey scattered around the other parts of the region; this
cluster of divine realms is known as the Elven Court.
Corellon Larethian’s towered palace of ivory-white stone walls
and orange roofing, Tiru’Tel’Coronal (Tower of the Coronal),
also known as The Overlook, is at the center of the Court,
rising high above all over structures in the region; the Coronal
of the Seldarine conducts much of his work as sovereign in the
tower but otherwise comes down to rest and relax in the
Crescent Grove that surrounds the tower. Corellon’s exarchs
Felarathael and Lashrael also reside in the palace, ever ready
to carry out their liege’s commands.
Sehanine Moonbow presides over the Crescent Grove that
surrounds Tiru’Tel’Coronal, receiving and examining visitors
who wish to enter the central palace. This forested realm is a
place of calm and healing, like the eye of the storm in
Arvandor, where passions can easily run high in any other part
of the region. The deities Kethryllia Amarallis, Lafarallinn,
Naralis Abalor, and Vandria Gilmadrith also make the
Crescent Grove their home.
Hanali Celanil’s Crystal Palace is located northeast of
Arvandor’s center, floating on top of a lake known as the
Evergold Pool. Somewhere inside the crystalline walls of the
palace is the Fountain of Evergold, a pool of shimmering,
golden-lustered water surrounded by a crystal basin that exists
in multiple locations in the multiverse simultaneously. Aside
from the miraculous healing and rejuvenating powers of the
Fountain, one can use it to travel between different planes
where the various incarnations of this divine artifact exist. A
portal to Sune’s realm of Brightwater in the Gates of the
Moon can be found in the Crystal Palace. Hanali’s daughter
and exarch Melira Taralen runs a school for performing arts
known as the Evergold Conservatory on the shores of the
Evergold Pool.
Further northeast is the Sparkling Sea, where the Grottos of
the Sea Elves and Deep Sashelas’ aquatic city of Elavandor
are home to millions of water-breathing inhabitants, most
notably aquatic elves. There are portals here that connect to
the Elemental Plane of Water and the Coral Sanctuary, the
divine realm of Deep Sashelas’ consort Trishina in the Blue
Sea of the Deep Wilds (a plane administered by the Faerûnian
pantheon’s Silvanus and inhabited by many deities of nature).
Aerdrie Fenya’s residence, the Aerie, is a floating, glittering
city-sized palace of clouds to the southeast of Arvandor’s
center. Here the Winged Mother lives with her friend Syranita
and Syranita’s father Kocraa, the patron deities of the
aarakocra. Many elves, avariels, aarakocra, celestial eagles, and
rocs can be found living within the Aerie’s walls. There are
14
portals connecting to the Elemental Plane of Air in the Aerie.
Below the Aerie is a misty valley known as Mythralan, where
the Archmage of the Seldarine, Mythrien Sarath, and his
exarch Alobal Lorfiril reside. It is said that the Mythrien’s city
can only be reached by activating portals hidden within the
mists of Mythralan, and that there is a powerful mythal
warding the entire valley from unwanted guests.
Further southeast in the Elven Court is a massive, ancient ash
tree known as Yggdrasil. The tree is several miles in diameter,
and extends from its roots deep beneath the ground to the
clouds in the sky, where it seems to fade into the heavens. The
heavily ridged, diamond-patterned bark of the tree is an
earthy gray, covered in moss of green or red at different parts.
The thickest branches of the tree support wood-shaped
platforms on which hundreds of magically shaped wooden
structures house powerful eladrin soldiers who have been
tasked with sending out regular security patrols throughout
Arvandor.
THE MOTHER TREE
The great tree of Yggdrasil in the Elven Court is
not actually a whole tree, but a mere branch of an
unfathomably huge tree that extends its branches and
roots across the multiverse. This multiversal tree, also
known as the World Ash, is the true Yggdrasil, and its
seeds have been cultivated in hundreds, perhaps
thousands of planes and crystal spheres to form entire
worlds. To planeswalkers navigating the multiverse, the
World Ash is one of the more convenient ways to get
around. The branch of Yggdrasil that extends into the
Elven Court is connected to the plane by a shimmering
pool of many bright colors much like those found in the
Astral Plane. This color pool is a two-way portal that
leads to another plane touched by Yggdrasil.
Solonor Thelandira resides in a large tree-palace grown and
shaped from the trunk and branches of a gigantic white tree
with silver leaves. The palace, known as Pale Tree, is located
near the base of Yggdrasil, and is mainly used as a resting
stop, supply depot, and headquarters for the hunters who
revere Solonor. From Pale Tree many of Solonor’s faithful
have embarked on journeys to hunt wild game throughout the
planes, and many trophies from these hunts are displayed
along the walls of the palace.
At the center of a large glade northwest of Arvandor’s center
is the Vanishing Tower, home of Labelas Enoreth. The
hundred-foot high mithral tower gets its name from the fact
that it disappears without a trace from time to time. It is
rumored that the Lord of the Continuum uses the tower as a
vehicle to travel across time itself. There is a portal in the tower
that leads to the Spiral Castle, the residence of Labelas’ exarch
Alathrien Druanna in the Outlands.
Further northwest in the Elven Court is the Oak Grove, realm
of Rillifane Rallathil and his exarch Sarula Ilien, whose
faithful oversee travel along Ingmar Brook, known as a “fey
road” connecting the Oak Grove to the realm of Alfheim in
the plane of Ysgard (the magic of the “fey road”
dimensionally shifts travelers who walk along the shores of the
brook to a particular location in Alfheim). This is a particularly
popular route for elven pilgrims traveling to and from the lands
of the Seldarine. Since Ingmar Brook leads into Lake
Brithanion at the northernmost part of Oak Grove, Sarula’s
palace on the shores of the lake, open to all non-hostile
visitors, serves well as a station and rest stop for travelers.
Rillifane himself lives in relative seclusion inside a palace at
the top of an enormous oak tree, leaving most matters of the
realm to his exarch while he contemplates the harmony of
nature or instructs others in the art of “listening to nature”.
Erevan Ilesere, along with his exarch Avachel (also known as
Aasterinian of the draconic pantheon), reside in the Changing
Palace (though they rarely stay for long, preferring to wander
looking for fun). This wondrous castle of stone, wood, crystal,
and other natural materials is located on a sandy hill in the
southern area of the Elven Court, not far from Yggdrasil. The
Changing Palace transforms its architecture once every day at
dawn to a random configuration. Color-coordinated portals
and magically adapting maps spread throughout the Changing
Palace help inhabitants and visitors navigate their way through
the structure after each change. Scavenger games held just
after dawn have traditionally been one of the most popular
activities at Erevan’s residence; prizes await mortals who
manage to complete their finders’ lists before the next cycle
begins. According to the celestial elves living nearby in a
village called Gnarl, only a fool would attempt to brave “the
Game” unprepared, due to the many tricks and traps set up in
throughout the Changing Palace at any given time.
Elebrin Loithiel resides in the Red Grove east of the Elven
Court’s center. Here the Harvest Lord and his faithful cultivate
many different sources of fruits and vegetables, most notably
red-leaved trees that bear golden apples; it is said that these
trees are a variant of fruit tree originally seen in another
pantheon’s realm, and the fruits can grant immortality to living
mortals that consume them.
Further east in the Elven Court is Fennimar, realm of
Fenmarel Mistarine and Shevarash. Fennimar consists of a
mix of quiet, tranquil glades, and some of the thickest forest
and jungle habitats that can be found in the Elven Court. The
outcasts and wild elves that venerate Fenmarel are gifted daily
in Fennimar with wild game to hunt and plants to harvest. It is
said that there are many hidden wonders within the realm’s
labyrinth of trees, vines, and bushes, including secluded under-
glades where glowing plant-bulbs light up at night in dazzling
arrays of nature’s beauty.
The western part of the Elven Court hosts the abandoned
woods of Araushnee’s Grove, the former realm of Corellon’s
exiled former consort who is now known as Lolth. Perhaps for
the sake of nostalgia for a past era or to remind himself of
deep regrets and mistakes that should never be repeated, the
grove has been preserved by the Coronal but blocked off by a
ring of mountains except for a narrow, guarded passage
aligned with a river known as “Lolth’s Tears”. The realm has
15
been used as a place of somber meditation and spiritual
training for those who can receive permission to enter, a stark
contrast to the corruption that was once fostered in it.
Even further west beyond Araushnee’s Grove are the
neighboring realms of Eilistraee’s Teuivae Thil, and
Vhaeraun’s Haer’Ahnvaemor (“Center of Night’s Darkness”
in elven). Eilistraee favors a lightly wooded plain for her
realm’s environment while Vhaeraun enjoys a more heavily
wooded landscape with widespread canopies to provide plenty
of shadows for his faithful to train their stealthy skills in. The
followers of Vhaeraun have constructed an underground city
(Myth Vhaelar, “City of Shadows” in elven) beneath the forest
of Haer’Ahnvaemor; it is a place where one can find all sorts
of contraband and black market goods from across the
multiverse, gathered for sale by Vhaeraun’s most
entrepreneurial worshippers.
Teuivae Thil
Eilistraee’s realm in Arvandor is located in a lightly wooded
plain with shallow streams, tall grass, and an abundant spread
of blooming flowers. It is perpetually night in Teuivae Thil
(Moonlight Evening in elven), with a deep blue sky and a single
moon shining overhead; the moon cycles all of its phases over
the course of twenty-two hours, helping the inhabitants keep a
sense of time. The moonlight is bright enough to provide
comfortable dim light for the entire realm.
There are many intricately decorated cottages and shrines of
ivory and silver in various locations throughout Teuivae Thil.
The realm is also known for its theaters and open-air stages for
practitioners of the performing arts. A number of traveling
souls and even deities may be found visiting to watch a show
being performed.
Arael Tel’Quor
Arael Tel’Quor (Communion of the Heart in elven), is a
special arena stadium in Teuivae Thil, perched at the summit
of massive trees woven together at the base. Here those who
practice the dance of blades can spar and duel against each
other, often with interested onlookers sitting on the side.
Eilistraee’s divine magic heals all wounds inflicted within the
arena, and prevents serious wounds to the spirit bodies of the
arena’s participants. Martial tournaments and religious
celebrations are periodically held at Arael Tel’Quor, with the
goddess herself usually attending the most prestigious events.
This is one of the most sacred places in the realm, where
warriors can connect with each other’s hearts through the
exchange of blows and the singing of their swords. Most
notable of what sets the arena apart is that it is the place where
Eilistraee herself performs the Dance of the Moonlight Blade
once every thousand cycles, to bless all of her faithful with a
vision of the Dark Maiden’s divine artistry.
Aelou Drannor
Eilistraee maintains a sprawling garden estate where she keeps
many works of art and beautiful plants from different worlds,
as well as a personal table in the open where she can
occasionally be found sitting and divining possibilities for the
future of her faithful. There is a large open-air court, known as
Aelou Drannor (Meeting Song in elven) at the center where
Eilistraee will receive petitioners for her attention.
There are portals here connected to the Celestial
Conservatory, Milil’s divine realm in the House of Knowledge
(a plane administered by the Faerûnian pantheon’s Oghma), as
well as Finder Wyvernspur’s Castle Wyvernspur at Tymora’s
divine realm, the Great Wheel in the Gates of the Moon (a
plane administered by the Faerûnian pantheon’s Selune).
There is also a heavily guarded portal at Aelou Drannor that
serves as a 1-way entry point from a sanctuary in the 66th
layer of the Abyss, where Eilistraee once maintained a divine
realm.
16
Dogma
These are the tenets that worshippers of Eilistraee are given to
live by.
● Show kindness unto others, that you may bring them
happiness and hope, and battle against evil, that you may save
others from sadness and despair.
● Share your dance, song, and blade with those who are
willing to learn, to preserve the beauty of the arts.
● Promote friendship and charity, especially between the races,
for it is only through mutual acceptance and trust that peaceful
harmony can be achieved.
● Do not give in to anger, for it is a path to darkness, but also
do not be hesitant to repay violence with violence, for trouble
will fester when defenders are slow to act.
● To drow in distress, give aid and share this message. “A
rightful place awaits you in the Realms Above, in the Land of
the Great Light. Come in peace and live beneath the sun again
where trees and flowers grow.”

Clergy
The clerics of Eilistraee, known as sword dancers, protect
places of beauty in the wilderness, keeping watch against dire
threats to the sanctity of such locations. These may include
naturally occurring nodes of magical power, or fountains of
blessed water, or gardens containing rare flowers of inspiring
loveliness. They also organize traveling troupes to earn funds
and trade for supplies. The sword dancers are known for
bringing exotic furs, meats, fruits, and vegetables that they
carefully gather from the regions surrounding their temples.
Even more renowned are the song and dance performances
staged by the clerics, often attracting large crowds in the towns
that they visit.
The paladins of Eilistraee are known as darksong knights.
They regularly patrol the regions in which the Eilistraeean
faithful have set up temples, and are often sent in groups to
deal with wandering monsters or to hunt animals. The
darksong knights will usually be accompanied by sword
dancers when approaching powerful enemies. Darksong
knights are also trained in song and dance just as the sword
dancers are.
Before the Spellplague, there existed only a dwindling, small
number of temples dedicated to Eilistraee. In recent years
following the Sundering and the return of Eilistraee, the faith
has had a generous growth of interest, and many new
congregations have formed, particularly in cities with healthy
performing arts communities. The main temples continue to
be built around or on top of natural places of beauty, but now
one can occasionally see minor Eilistraeean shrines in the
urban settlements. Although the number of faithful is yet
minor compared to greater deities such as Mystra or
Lathander, the faithful of Eilistraee are building a healthy
population among their own.
Clerics and paladins of Eilistraee usually pray for their spells at
moonrise; this symbolizes the hope of the faithful when
embracing the light that shines in the midst of darkness. They
also spend a few minutes to sharpen the blades of their swords
with whetstones, symbolizing their aesthetic dedication to an
implement of their performing and combative arts.
The standard daily ritual for the cleric or paladin of Eilistraee
is to gather together with comrades around a campfire in the
evening. There they’ll share songs and stories, or dance around
the fire to live music. This symbolizes a passion for life and
appreciation of companions as one seeks beauty and light even
in the darkest hours.
Once every season, the priests of Eilistraee will observe the
ritual of the High Hunt, in which they organize a mass night-
time hunt of dangerous beasts or monsters in the wilderness.
Guests may join, but all are required to use only bladed
weapons. A priest of Eilistraee will usually wear nothing,
carrying only a sword for the hunt.
When a priest of Eilistraee reaches their final years of old age,
they perform a “Last Dance”, in which they go off naked into
the wilderness following a song of Eilistraee. It is said that such
a priest continues dancing throughout the night until they
vanish into thin air. Scholars surmise that the Last Dance
brings a faithful directly across the planes to the afterlife.
17
Traditional ceremonial dress is a loose bare-sleeved, single-
piece tunic that stops just below the waist. The symbol of a
silver sword may be embroidered onto the tunic. The hair is
kept untied and unbraided. The legs and arms are also kept
bare, though jewelry may be worn. During a ceremony of
blessing, mourning, or thanksgiving, a comfortably loose,
silvery, diaphanous gown may be worn by practitioners of the
faith. Ceremonial dances will often have the faithful casting
aside all clothes to enable full freedom of their bodily motions
during the dancing.
Clerics and paladins of Eilistraee are mandated to assist any
cause that battles against evil, protects the innocent, or
advances the development of peace. The clerics and paladins
will resort to violence as a last resort, preferring to resolve
situations with diplomacy, but maintain their combative skills
in case diplomacy fails.
The lifestyle of a cleric and paladin of Eilistraee will usually
consist of hunting, gathering, gardening, trading, and
practicing arts of performance when one is not busy dealing
with more serious matters, such as defending against invading
forces of Lolth. Every cleric and paladin is encouraged to go
on a journey at least once in a while to learn more about the
world and the races in it, so that the faithful becomes more
capable of serving as an intermediary of peace. Adventuring is
also a great source of material for the songs and stories shared
around the campfire.
Tyranny and oppression are strongly opposed by the church of
Eilistraee. Ownership of slaves is forbidden among the
worshippers; there are also many former slaves among
Eilistraee’s faithful that were freed by her clerics and paladins.
Customs of the Faith
The priesthood of Eilistraee were often addressed as Dark
Ladies, but with the greater inclusion of non-female priests in
the past century (especially after Eilistraee’s temporary
absorption of Vhaeraun’s church), a more neutral term of
“Moon Singer” is gaining popularity among the faithful.
The faithful of Eilistraee are encouraged to feed the non-
threatening hungry people whom they meet, sharing food as
well as the compassion of the Dark Maiden. Surplus food
during plentiful times is stored in case of such encounters, or
given to priests of Eilistraee who will then distribute the food
to the hungry. The hunted carcasses of evil creatures however
must always be burned after subjugation.
A ritual that is practiced by faithful of Eilistraee is the
Evensong, in which the faithful sings a wordless song to release
the gathered emotions of the day; this symbolizes purification
of the soul by letting go of fears and doubts. This is usually
done in private, but occasionally a musician may be
commissioned to accompany this intimate performance.
A regular tradition among faithful is a hunt followed by a feast
and dancing, as well as a “Circle of Song”; the “Circle of
Song” is performed by sitting and dancing in turns in a circle
with other worshippers, with each member leading a song in
succession.
Feats
Clerics and paladins can take special feats as servants of
Eilistraee.
Sword Dancer of Eilistraee
Requirement: Cleric, worships Eilistraee
As a sword dancer of Eilistraee, you promote peace and
support pursuit of the performing arts.
● You have proficiency in Performance.
● You treat healing word as one of your prepared spells without
counting it towards your maximum limit. If you already do so,
then choose any other 1st-level cleric spell for this instead.
● When you cast Eilistraee’s moonfire, you may choose the color
of the light instead of rolling for a random result.
● When you prepare your cleric spells of 3rd level or lower,
you can choose spells from the bard spell list.
Darksong Knight of Eilistraee
Requirement: Paladin, worships Eilistraee
As a darksong knight of Eilistraee, you fight to destroy evil and
protect all beautiful things from destruction.
● You have proficiency in Performance.
● You treat thunderous smite as one of your prepared spells
without counting it towards your maximum limit. If you
already do so, then choose any other 1st-level paladin spell for
this instead.
● When you cast Eilistraee’s moonfire, you may choose the color
of the light instead of rolling for a random result.
● When you prepare your paladin spells of 3rd level or lower,
you can choose spells from the bard spell list.
18
Exclusive Spells
Clerics and paladins of Eilistraee are able to prepare the
following spells, unique to worshippers of Eilistraee.
Eilistraee’s Moonfire
1st-level evocation
SPECIAL: You must be a worshipper of Eilistraee, as well as
a cleric or paladin to cast this spell.
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Touch
Components: V, S
Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes.
Your hand glows with a soft light, producing bright light out to
10 feet, and another 10 feet of dim light outwards. You can
adjust the amount of light produced from half to double the
radius.
When you cast this spell, roll 1d4. Based on the result that you
rolled, the light is one of the following colors, with an
associated benefit.
(1) Blue-White. As an action, you can make a melee spell
attack against a creature; on a hit, the creature takes 2d8 plus
your spellcasting ability modifier cold damage and the spell
ends.
(2) Soft Green. As an action, you can cause the light of your
glowing hand to leave it and form a tiny, floating sphere of
light that flies to any point within 30 feet of you when you use
a bonus action to command it to move. The light sphere
produces bright light out to 20 feet, and another 20 feet of dim
light outwards. If the light sphere is more than 30 feet away
from you, the spell ends.
(3) White. As an action, you can make a make a melee spell
attack against a creature; on a hit, the creature takes 2d8 plus
your spellcasting ability modifier radiant damage and the spell
ends.
(4) Silver. You can touch one willing creature with the
glowing hand as an action; the creature regains 1d8 plus your
spellcasting ability modifier hit points and the spell ends. This
has no effect on undead or constructs.
At Higher Levels. If you expend a spell slot with a higher
level than 1st for this spell, then you increase the damage or
healing by 1d8 for each level above 1st. The maximum radius
of light also increases by 5 feet of bright light and 5 feet of
dim light for each level above 1st.
Blessing of the Sword Dance
3rd-level transmutation
SPECIAL: You must be a worshipper of Eilistraee, as well as
a cleric or paladin to cast this spell.
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Range: Touch
Components: V, S
Duration: 72 hours
You invoke the blessing of Eilistraee to bestow special
properties to a bladed weapon, such as a long sword or
greatsword. You plant the sword’s blade point-down into the
ground, and then perform a special dance known as the Sword
Dance, briefly brushing each of your limbs against the sharp
edge of the blade to let your blood onto it. At the completion
of the spell’s casting, the weapon gains the following properties
until the spell ends.
● The weapon itself is immune to acid, radiant, and thunder
damage, as well as rusting effects.
● The weapon can be treated as a holy symbol by worshippers
of Eilistraee.
● The wielder of the weapon has resistance to thunder
damage and advantage on saving throws that would apply the
deafened condition.
● The weapon glows with a silvery radiance when drawn,
producing bright light out to 10 feet, and dim light another 10
feet outward. Invisibility is suppressed in this light.
● The weapon is treated as a magical weapon for the purpose
of overcoming damage resistance and immunity against non-
magical bludgeoning. piercing, and slashing damage.
At Higher Levels. If you expend a spell slot with a higher
level than 3rd for this spell, then you double the duration of
the spell’s effect for each level above 3rd.
19
Misc. Lore
Other stories and information that might be shared among the
faithful of Eilistraee.
The Descent of the Drow
Long ago, the evil goddess Lolth was once the consort of
Corellon Larethian, and held a position as a minor deity
within the Seldarine. She was known as Araushnee the Weaver
at the time, and hatched a plot in conspiracy with the enemies
of the Seldarine that she might seize power for herself
(replacing Corellon as Coronal, ruler of Arvandor).
Araushnee’s treachery was revealed in time, however, and the
Seldarine were able to defeat the invasion of their realm.
Araushnee was banished from Arvandor for her crimes; she
then made a new realm for herself in the Abyss where she
continued her plotting, by her newly adopted name of Lolth,
and surrounded by the very evil that matched her corrupted
ways.
Eilistraee’s brother Vhaeraun was also banished for his support
of Lolth’s planned invasion, but Corellon hesitated to punish
Eilistraee. The Dark Maiden had been framed as a betrayer
when her arrow in flight was intercepted by magic of evil
intent, striking Corellon during the defense of Arvandor.
Corellon could see through the deception and knew that his
daughter was no traitor, but Eilistraee insisted on receiving
punishment.
Eilistraee believed that she could become a true symbol of
redemption among the dark elves by devoting her future
actions to redeeming herself in the eyes of the Seldarine, many
of whom were distrusting of Eilistraee after she was framed of
betraying them. The Lady of the Dance was thereby banished
and worked tirelessly to redeem herself as well as save the
future of the dark elves.
The manipulation of her arrow during battle also happened to
be the reason for Eilistraee’s relinquishment of her bow, and
devotion to the sword, so that control of her power could
never again be stolen for evil ends.
The Dark Maiden’s Leap
There is a small clearing in the northern part of the High
Forest southeast of Everlund on the continent of Faerûn. In
the clearing is a large, flat-topped gray stone with a left
footprint on it in the size and shape of a drow woman’s foot; to
faithful of Eilistraee, the stone is known as the Dark Maiden’s
Leap (the locals know it as Hastrin’s Grayrock). In 1358 DR
(Year of Shadows), during the Time of Troubles, a group of
drow fleeing the tumult of the chaos affecting the world
happened upon the clearing. The drow refugees witnessed an
old drow woman dancing at the stone, to music that seemed to
come from nowhere. The old woman transformed into a
young maiden as she danced, and faded away towards the end,
showing the drow such beauty in the dance that they realized
that the woman was a goddess; moved, the witnesses pursued
faith in the goddess to experience the warmth and freedom
shown to them, such that the faith of Lolth could never grant.
 Update Log

Changes in v1.1: Fixed a couple of typos - one on the paladin feat saying cleric spell instead of paladin spell, and a
minor misspelling of Vhaeraun's name in the misc. lore.

Changes in v1.2: It was pointed out that "beauty" was missing from the Divine Portfolio in the deity's descriptive
stats. Fixed.

Changes in v1.3: Minor typo on Eilistraee's moonfire spell text fixed - "make a" was repeated.

Changes in v1.4:

Added entries to Divine Allies for Selune.

Added entries to Divine Enemies for Shar.

Added paragraphs of text for the relationships with Selune and Shar.

Fixed (?) a formatting snafu.

Added Update Log to pamphlet.

Changes in v1.5:

Added logo to title cover.

Added Divine Realm entry to initial description stats.

Moved Teuivae Thil, Arvandor (Arborea) in Eilistraee’s Divine Residence entry to Divine Realm entry.

Revised and expanded Eilistraee’s history.

Reformatted Divine Allies and Divine Enemies sections, with added Alignment and Symbol lines.

Added text to Sharess’ entry in Divine Allies section: “As Sharess is technically also the mother of Selvetarm (since
Sharess is a merging of Bast with the goddess Zandilar, who gave birth to Selvetarm), Eilistraee considers Sharess as
family of a sort.”

Added Agni to Divine Allies section.

Added Bala to Divine Allies section.

Added Finder Wyvernspur to Divine Allies section.

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Added Fionnghuala to Divine Allies section.

Added Fu Hsing to Divine Allies section.

Added Hathor to Divine Allies section.

Added Iallanis to Divine Allies section.

Added Kishijoten to Divine Allies section.

Added Lliira to Divine Allies section.

Added Melira Taralen to Divine Allies section.

Added Mielikki to Divine Allies section.

Added Milil to Divine Allies section.

Added Oghma to Divine Allies section.

Added Selan to Divine Allies section.

Added Sharess to Divine Allies section.

Added Tuiviel Glithien to Divine Allies section.

Added Vandria Gilmadrith to Divine Allies section.

Added pantheon affiliations to deities that lacked them in their descriptions in the Divine Allies and Divine Enemies
sections.

Revised Vhaeraun’s description in Divine Allies section, including but not limited to changing Vhaeraun’s portfolio
from “thievery and drow rebellion” to “thievery, drow males, and arrogance”.

Shortened Vhaeraun’s description in Divine Allies section, since part of it became redundant with the revised history
text in this update.

Revised Lolth’s interest in Eilistraee’s connection to the Weave with updated lore regarding Mystra’s Council of
Arcana (invented for her pamphlet in this series as a logical course of action in the wake of the Second Sundering).

Added Baphomet to Divine Enemies section.

Added Blibdoolpoolp to Divine Enemies section.

Added Hoar to Divine Enemies section.

Added Malar to Divine Enemies section.

Added Set to Divine Enemies section.

Added Shevarash to Divine Enemies section.

Added The Queen of Air and Darkness to Divine Enemies section.

Added more information to Cavatina’s lore in Exarchs section, including her portfolios in the Seldarine and her year of
death.

Added Symbol line to Exarchs section.

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Added a side box explaining song elves.

Replaced Afterlife art.

Added side box explaining (celestial) eladrin and lillendi.

Expanded Afterlife section with lore on Arborea, and more information on Arvandor, including the divine realms of
other deities.

Revised lore on Arvandor as part of Arborea rather than a plane unto itself in Afterlife section.

Added in first paragraph of Arvandor entry for Afterlife section that the region spans for more than a thousand miles
in each direction from the center, for a sense of scale.

Added sentence to fourth paragraph of Arvandor entry for Afterlife section. “Many different types of fey, as well as
faerie dragons, agathinon, treants, and asuras also live in Arvandor.”

Added lore about the Seldarine realms in Arvandor entry for Afterlife section.

Corrected Teuivae Thil’s description of “grove” to “plain” in first paragraph of Teuivae Thil entry in Afterlife section.

Added information about portals in Eilistraee’s personal court.

Added Customs of the Faith section.

Moved paragraph about the Evensong from Clergy section to Customs of the Faith section.

Added lore about Last Dance ritual to Clergy section.

Rebalanced the Feats.

Increased the base damage die for Eilistraee’s Moonfire from 1d8 to 2d8.

Added “The Dark Maiden’s Leap” to Misc. Lore.

Renamed the Darkening to Descent, to avoid confusion since the name was given to a spell that is featured in a FR
novel involving the drow.

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