Eilistraee is represented by a drow female in the nude, dancing with a silver sword under the moon. Home Plane [1], Eilistraee demonstrates her favor and happiness through the discovery of particular minerals or gems (like mithral, moonbars, moonstones, and silver) or with a sudden inspiration to write a beautiful song or poem, or to craft a magnificent sword for those who had the ability. [1][15][4][21][25], After very nearly slaying her own father with a misplaced arrow, Eilistraee swore never to use ranged weaponry again, lest her missile go astray. Beauty, dance, hunting, moonlight, song, swordwork [1] They share the desire of seeing all races living in harmony, without pointless discrimination or wars, and work towards that goal (and those among them who are drow also fight to build their own place on the Realms above). Alignment Halisstra went on a mission to the Demonweb Pits, leading two fellow priestesses of the Dark Maiden, Uluyara and Feliane. Eilistraee wished the drow to peacefully return to the surface and build friendships with other races, while Vhaeraun wanted the drow to claim back the ancient prestige of Ilythiir through violence and conquest. 2e Others were convinced that Vhaeraun had succeeded and was disguised as Eilistraee. All drow met, when not working evil on others, are to be given the message of Eilistraee: A rightful place awaits you in the Realms Above, in the Land of the Great Light. Qilué asked the mage to take the place of one of the Vhaerunites and try to disrupt the ritual. [5] Even as she matured, these traits never really left her: she has a fiery streak and is prone to wild action, especially in protection of her faithful when they're harmed. [1], The Evensong is an intimate ritual that all followers of Eilistraee perform at the end of their day. Seeing the distraction and shock of the elven lord, an ogre god took advantage of the situation and charged towards his position: he almost managed to end his life, but Eilistraee acted swiftly to defend her father, loosing an arrow at the charging ogre-god. Qilué Veladorn and the church of Eilistraee retaliated with an assault against the Acropolis of Thanatos, in the drow city of V'elddrinnsshar, the main temple of the Vengeful Banshee. However she is also open to individuals of all races that wish for all people to live in harmony and peace (and some of them can be counted among her worshippers: humans, gnomes, elves, shapeshifters (children of the moon), half-orcs and half-elves). The Dark Maiden was infuriated by her mother's evil and corruption, and constantly strove to help the drow break free from her oppression and find their way back to the surface world. However, her hope was destined to die when Lolth tricked the young demigod into a terrible fall. [1] Eilistraeeans perform missions underground, looking for those dark elves who are in need of their help and that can be brought on the surface (mostly slaves, commoners, fallen and hunted nobles or drow who are generally unsatisfied with the life that Lolth imposes them), bringing them the Message of Eilistraee. She's comforted that some worked their way free of the Spider Queen's web. In the Forgotten Realms, Eilistraee, like all deities, has a definite set of teachings for her followers. [18], Though focused on the drow, Eilistraee accepts folk of all races who dance along her path, who delight in life and in the free-form expression of life in all its forms. The Silverhair Knights are an order of Eilistraeens fully dedicated to the conversion and subsequent protection of drow who have come to the surface of Faerûn. As her adulterous lover, he was initially tempted by her advances, but he ultimately declined the offer. At the same time, Vhaeraun was plotting against his sister and working to devise a method to slay her. It is a beacon of light, whose intensity and color can be controlled by the creator at will (ranging from a faint glow to a clear, bright – but not blinding – light). 3e The blades' Drow symbols can still be clearly seen, as can Eilistraee’s holy symbol: a nude long-haired female drow dancing with a silver bastard sword in front of a full moon. The attempt failed, but the inhabitants of the temple, and the followers of the goddess who used the Moonspring portals to aid them, suffered heavy losses. After her millennia-long exile, Eilistraee was allowed to move her divine realm, and the souls of all her followers (including drow), back to Arvandor. [4] In the 1370s DR, her conflict with her mother over the souls of the drow race ultimately led to Eilistraee's defeat and disappearance. Good drow, surface-dwelling elves, hunters They would sing freely for their goddess and dance following the rhythm of the music as it came, until the flame was extinguished. They have also to be skilled in the art of playing of at least one of the Dark Maiden's favored instruments (horn, flute, or harp); to be adequate singers as well as fit, graceful dancers, and to pass along and teach their skill. Despite Corellon being almost fatally wounded, the battle was ultimately won by the forces of the Seldarine and, as soon as the last invader was driven from Arvandor, the elven deities—still unbelieving that the Dark Maiden could act against her father—gathered around the unconscious elven lord, trying to aid him and save his life. The Dark Dancer came to seek friends in the two elves, and to warn them of the danger represented by Vhaeraun and his followers, and of the strife and conflict that they (and even darker deities) would have brought to the People. Feasts should always be joyful events and food eaten with the accompaniment of music, save for sad occasions. [18], On Nightal 20 of the 1375 DR, Cavatina killed the demigod Selvetarm (with the help of the Lady Penitent), using the Crescent Blade that she had recovered almost intact. [20], She was the daughter of Araushnee (later Lolth) and Corellon Larethian, a free-spirited and kind-hearted goddess, with a fiery streak in her personality. [1][5], After the elven lord regained consciousness and the truth was made clear, he had to take the painful decision to banish all the dark elven deities for their roles in the war against the Seldarine. The Dark Maiden took part in the battle, enthusiastic and proud to be able to fight by her father's side in defense of their home. [1], Before 1489 DR, Eilistraee counted Vhaeraun, her own brother, among her enemies, and she was saddened by his cruelty and selfishness. [64] Despite being meant to sever the link between the faerzress and the drow, the ritual also transformed hundreds among the followers of Eilistraee (who, as lesser deity, had at least a few thousands of worshipers)[66] and those drow who were not tainted by Wendonai's blood, back to their original dark elven form. On the same date, Q'arlynd failed to accomplish his mission and Vhaeraun managed to enter his sister Eilistraee's realm and attempt to assassinate her. This symbol was still in use in the 1480s DR, after Eilistraee's return with the Second Sundering. Solaufein, a major NPC in Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, is also a follower of Eilistraee. For centuries, she fought Vhaeraun's corruption of the Ilythiiri, thwarting his efforts to gain influence over all the dark elves of the south. Strangers are your friends. She also counted as an enemy Malar, a rival and evil god of the hunt in the surface world. Even then, while not many refuse Lolth to cleave to Eilistraee, many secretly yearn for the goddess and all that she wishes for them. However, after being defeated at the hand of Quenthel Baenre, Halisstra ultimately decided to betray Eilistraee and convert back to the awakened Lolth. (Wizards of the Coast). She aided them in hunting, swordcraft, and other practical matters of their everyday lives, in immediately useful ways. She believed in offering kindness, shelter, and acceptance to anyone not working evil, especially if outcasts. [11] Lolth was powerless to stop these visions, as too much interference from two goddesses could easily bring a mortal's mind to insanity,[32] and despite her continued efforts to suppress any knowledge of her daughter,[11] the drow definitely came to "feel" the Dark Dancer at some point in their lives, with varying reactions. When the Lady Penitent used the Crescent Blade against Qilué Veladorn, the latter was being inhabited by the Dark Maiden, holding a part of her power (since deities could not fully manifest themselves on the material plane, as explained in. In −10,500 DR, the Dark Disaster—a magical cataclysm unleashed by the elves of Aryvandaar—caused the death of many of her people in Miyeritar, severely weakening the goddess' power. They can imbue it with a variety of magical enhancements, let it sing like a singing sword (making them strike with increased precision and rallying their hearts), or let it dance (like a dancing weapon) to attack the enemy on its own or to protect the priestess. The effect immediately ends if you are no longer presenting your holy symbol or if you fall unconscious. Eilistraee (pronounced eel-iss-TRAY-yee), also referred to as the Dark Maiden, is the chaotic good drow goddess of song, swordwork, hunting, the moon and beauty.She was greatly angered by the evil of most drow but glad that some worked their way free of the Spider Queen’s web. Powers: Each of these wicked weapons functions as a +5 holy, ghost touched, short sword and inflicts double normal damage on any successful attacks (critical hits will deal x2 damage as normal). It was a hard battle to endure, one that could weigh her down. [21], Due to a history of grief and losses, and to the suffering of her people, melancholy and sadness were deeply rooted in Eilistraee's heart. [51] Eilistraee's Moonsong, the ability to hear the song of people and places lit by the moon, guided Liriel to free the elven souls that had been trapped in a magical tapestry by the illithid Vestress of the Kraken Society,[52] and made her feel a connection to the followers of the goddess. [13] Eilistraee, in particular, was seen dancing and speaking to mortals in many places, especially along the Sword Coast. Eilistraee's identity as a nurturing and artistic goddess[22] showed in her magic and skills. No mortal actually witnessed the battle that ensued, so what happened remained largely unknown. Eilistraee was cleared from any wrongdoing, considered only an unwitting participant, but regardless she insisted upon this punishment: she foresaw that the dark elves would need a beacon of good within their reach and her help and support in the times to come. [4], However, the Dark Dancer could also let her displeasure be known, and did so by making a cold breeze rise, by making the disfavored ones feel a chill in their hands or feet, through a sudden lack of inspiration or talent in any form of art, or through the failure to catch anything while hunting.[4]. Eilistraee, also referred to as "The Dark Maiden", is a fictional deity in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. [speculation], Eilistraee's enemies were the drow gods of the Dark Seldarine—namely Kiaransalee, Ghaunadaur, her nephew Selvetarm, her brother Vhaeraun (only until 1489 DR), and especially her own mother Lolth. [55], At the beginning of the 1370s DR, the cosmology rearranged under the World Tree model. [36], That said, while her warrior skills came second to her bardic magic and artitic abilities,[34] Eilistraee could indeed fight. [4], Lolth ordered the persecution of all the worshipers of the Dark Maiden and the suppression of all information and records about her. She fights combining the grace and agility of her dance with the lethality of her fencing skills. Thereafter, the sword was the only weapon for her. During that time, many deities of Toril who were considered dead or lost managed to return to life,[26] the Dark Maiden being among them. This kind of magic is particularly common among the Sword Dancers of Eilistraee. She kept a small realm in the Demonweb Pits, but it remained mostly empty, and Eilistraee herself very rarely visited it. It is held whenever Eilistraee warns her followers of the presence of a peril/dangerous creature in the area (through the sound of her horn), in order to prevent it from hurting travelers or the inhabitants of nearby settlements. [1], Repay violence with swift violence, quickly removing dangers and threats, so that the fewest may be hurt. It is usually held once per season and ends with a circle dance for the goddess if the quarry is slain (coupled with a feast if the quarry is edible). Chaos, Charm, Drow, Elf, Good, Lust, Moon, Portal, Hunt, Night Worshipers Furthermore, the church of the Revenancer tried to call an army of undead from Death Heart, a city on the Negative Energy Plane, by feeding the faerzress with negative energy. Eilistraee's holy symbol was formerly a longsword, standing vertically with point upward, outlined against a full moon, which was surrounded by a nimbus of filaments representing her hair, all in silver. The Silverhair knights have a wide array of tools dedicated to such purpose. She would also very often[note 4] manifest when one of her priests led a new convert to her faith in prayer, which was itself an offering to Eilistraee. It was only after Dalereckoning that her faith regained a degree of prominence in Faerûn. Its congregants tend to gather in small, independent bands in deep forests across Faerûn. [24], Though focused on the drow, Eilistraee accepted folk of all races who danced along her path, who delighted in life and in the free-form expression of it in all its forms. A concept further reinforced by Ed Greenwood's explanation of how Mystra worked to help Eilistraee during the War of the Spider Queen crisis. Eilistraee's symbol is a bastard sword standing vertically, point up, outlined against a full moon and surrounded by a nimbus of filaments representing the goddess' ankle-long hair, all in silver. [1], Eilistraee is known to sometimes conjure the sound of a high and distant hunting horn, to rally or hearten her followers or to scare off aggressors, making them believe that reinforcements are coming for those harassed. This would be further supported by her belief that the drow needed to find their own path in life, and her gentle and never direct approach in helping them in such endeavour (. [15][2][4][21], Her face bore a certain similarity to that of her mother, Lolth, as it possessed delicately sculpted features and shape, but her eyes were large, with irises that held the shifting hint of blue of a moonstone, and expressive of her mood or emotions. Her temple was also destroyed, and her followers' plan thwarted. [1][5] Since after the descent of the drow, in the present era of the setting, Eilistraee tries her best to be a mother goddess to her people and bring them the hope of a new life: she fights to lead them back to the lands of light, helping them to flourish and prosper in harmony with all other races, free from Lolth's tyranny. [1][20], The faithful also have routine activities of food growing and gathering/hunting, preparation of cures and all that is needed to aid the drow to return to the surface. Eilistraee also manifests, usually through her light, in the moments when her "children" need her visible blessing and support or comfort. 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