Eilistraee

in universe
subject = a
described_object = a fictional location
category =

Forgotten Realms Deity
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name=Eilistraee
title=The Dark Maiden, Lady of the Dance, Lady Silverhair, Moon Maiden, The Masked Lady
home=Arvandor
power=Lesser
alignment=Chaotic Good
portfolio=Song, beauty, dance, swordwork, hunting, moonlight
alias=
super=Lolth

Eilistraee, also referred to as "The Dark Maiden" is a fictional deity in the "Forgotten Realms" campaign setting of the "Dungeons & Dragons" role-playing game. She is a goddess in the drow pantheon, and her portfolios are song, swordwork, hunting, the moon and beauty. Her worshippers are good-aligned drow hoping to escape the Underdark's evil, Lolth-worshipping matriarchal society, and regain a place in the surface world.

She is worshipped by song and dance, if at all possible, in the surface world under the moonlit night among the woods. She takes great pleasure in bards learning new songs, craftsmen at work, and the doing of kindhearted deeds. Among her followers are drow, humans, gnomes, elves, shapeshifters (children of the moon), half-orcs and half-elvesOr|date=January 2008.

Eilistraee is represented by a drow female in the nude, dancing with a silver sword under the moon. The Dark Maiden's home plane is the Demonweb Pits, along with the rest of the drow pantheon, which was originally located in the 66th layer of the Abyss, however following the events of The War of the Spider Queen, Demonweb Pits are no longer part of the Abyss, but a separate plane in its own right. She, however, has a home at Arvandor where she does not have to contend with her mother. It is currently believed that Eilistraee rarely even visits the Demonweb Pits.

Eilistraee, the daughter of Corellon Larethian and of Araushnee (who after being punished by Corellon assumed the name Lolth) was cast down along with the rest of the drow pantheon for her apparent part in the war against the Seldarine. Once she was cleared of any wrongdoing, she insisted to her father that she be punished in the same manner as her sibling Vhaeraun and mother. She realized that the drow people would later need an escape from the malevolent priestesses of Lloth.

Eilistraee's clergy

Eilistraee's followers are fairly small in number, and frequently met with distrust from both the generally drow-fearing outside world, and followers of evil drow deities in particularWho|date=January 2008. They have only gained steady acceptance in small areas, particularly High Forest and Waterdeep. The most well-known temple to Eilistraee, the "Promenade", is located near Skullport under the city. The other places of worship are shrines with only a small number of priestesses and warriors, located in areas like the Gray Forest. They are working on both making their presence known and dispelling fears, as well as trying to convince evil drow to abandon their ways and join them.

The clergy of Eilistraee are collectively known as "the Dark Ladies", although individual temples often have their own naming conventions for both the clergy collectively and individual titlesWho|date=January 2008. Young initiates and acolytes are known as Maids. Individual titles vary greatly from temple to temple, but some suitable examples include Moon Dancer, Moon Singer, Dark Huntress, Argent Maid, Living Sword, Unsheathed Blade, Sword Smith, Bright Edge of Darkness, Darksong Knight, Protector and Ghost of the Moonstruck Night.

Priestesses of Eilistraee have no ceremonial garb; instead, they aim to wear as little as possible during their official ceremonies. When relaxing, they prefer silver, diaphanous gowns. The holy symbols of the faith vary, including: a silver sword pendant the size of a hand, a silver bastard sword outlined against a silver moon with silvery filaments, and a nude long-haired female drow dancing with a silver sword in front of a full moon. These are often worn as a pin or hung around the neck by means of a slender silver or mithril chain. Recent events show that the faith of Eilistraee is opening up to male priests, despite the initial dislike of the female worshipersOr|date=January 2008.

One of the highest rites and ceremonies of Eilistraee is 'The Hunt'. The followers of the Dark Maiden take up their blessed weapons after stripping themselves of armor and clothing, under the light of the full moon, they hunt a chosen animal (and in some more violent cases, orcs, werekin or other such fiends that threaten the safety of the surrounding area and its occupants). Ceremoniously, they partake in something of a dance as they chase down the animal (or fiend) and sacrifice it in the name of their Deity. If it is an animal that they chose, the body is usually dressed and prepared as a meal for the partakers in The Hunt. The meal is followed with a celebration of song and dance in praise of Eilistraee and of the earth and moon itself.

Two of the most popular Eilistraee followers in the "Forgotten Realms" novels are Liriel Baenre and Qilué of The Seven Sisters. Halisstra Melarn, the Lady Pentinent, was also a priestess of the Dark Maiden during the Silence of Lolth.

In the computer game , Eilistraee's followers stand at the forefront of the ragtag rebel army's fight against the evil Valsharess. A mysterious priestess of Eilistraee known as the Seer leads a small band of Eilistraeen drow in an abandoned Lolthian temple, located in the Underdark port city of Lith My'athar.

The Lady Penitent trilogy

Following the War of the Spider Queen series, Lisa Smedman's "Lady Penitent" trilogy continues the story of drow in the Forgotten Realms.

In book 1, Sacrifice of the Widow, Eilistraee slays Vhaeraun and acquires his portfolio and thus many of his priests. Cavatina Xarann, a Darksong Knight, recovers the Crescent Blade and uses it to slay Selvetarm, Lolth's champion.

In book 2, Storm of the Dead, Vhaeraun's clergy have been warily accepted into Eilistraee's faith, and the goddess now is known as the Masked Lady. A small faction of Vhaeraun's remaining clerics believe that, instead, Vhaeraun slew Eilistraee and is masquerading as her. A mixed force of Eilistraee's Protectors, Nightshadows and drow wizards go on a raid on the main temple of Kiaransalee, the drow death goddess. High magic is used to erase Kiaransalee's name from memory, causing the goddess' death from lack of worship. Qilué, uncharacteristically, orders the slaughter of the helpless former cultistsWho.

In book 3, Ascendancy of the Last, the Promenade is beset by the cultists and oozes of Ghaunadaur. The attackers have been baited by uncontented Nightshadows and the Balor, Wendonai, acting through the Crescent Blade and Qilué. In the ensuing battle the Promenade and the followers of Eilistraee is almost annihilated and Ghaunadaur's followers are rendered feebleminded. Qilué and Eilistraee tries to save the entire drow race from Wendonai's taint but fails and are both beheaded by Halisstra Melarn. Meanwhile Q'arlynd Melarn succeeds in re-transforming the descendants of Miyeritar and followers of Eilistraee from drow to dark elves, whereafter Corellon Larethian takes this new elven subrace under his protection.

References

# Greenwood et al. (2001). Eilistraee (Lesser Goddess). In Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams and Rob Heinsoo, "Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting," pp. 240—241. Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
# Boyd and Mona. (2002). Eilistraee. In Eric L. Boyd and Erik Mona, "Faiths and Pantheons," Forgotten Realms Campaign Accessory, pp. 23—25. Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
# Boyd. (1998). Eilistraee. In Boyd, Eric. L., "Demihuman Deities," Forgotten Realms Campaign Accessory, pp. 14-16, TSR, Inc.
*Greenwood, Ed. "The Drow of the Underdark" (TSR, 1991).
*McComb, Colin. "On Hallowed Ground" (TSR, 1996).

External links

* [http://www.eilistraee.com/ Chosen of Eilistraee: Drow & Eilistraee fansite]
* [http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20020503a/ Eilistraee The Dark Maiden, Lady of the Dance] (from Wizards of the Coast)
*http://www.eilistraee.org/ Eilistraee, the Dark Maiden fansite