| Eilistraee | |
|---|---|
| Forgotten Realms character | |
| First appearance | The Drow of the Underdark (1991) |
| Created by | Ed Greenwood |
| In-universe information | |
| Race | Deity |
| Gender | Female |
| Title | The Dark Maiden, The Dark Dancer, Lady of the Dance, Lady Silverhair, Moon Maiden, Dancing Goddess, Dark Lady, The Masked Lady([note 1]) |
| Alignment | Chaotic Good |
| Home | Arvandor |
| Power level | Lesser |
| Portfolio | Song, beauty, dance, swordwork, hunting, moonlight |
| Superior | Lolth |
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. In the game world, she is a goddess in the drow pantheon, and her portfolios are song, dance, swordwork, hunting, moonlight and beauty.[1]
Eilistraee's name is pronounced as EEL-iss-TRAY-yee",[1] "eel-ISS-tray-ee",[2] "eel-iss-tray-yee"[3] or "eil-iss-tray-yee".[4]
In the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, Eilistraee is the daughter of Corellon Larethian and of Araushnee (who later took the name Lolth after being punished by Corellon), a free-spirited and kind-hearted goddess, with a fiery streak in her personality.[1][5] When, during her youth, a host of evil deities assaulted Arvandor (her home), Araushnee's treachery almost made her slay her own father. Even though she was cleared from any guilt, Eilistraee chose to share her mother's exile, because she knew that the drow would need her light and help in the dark times to come.[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][5][6] Hers is an uphill battle, however, as her power is little and she is opposed by all the gods of the Dark Seldarine. But, despite having to overcome many hardships and setbacks, Eilistraee has never given up fighting for her people.[1]
In the 1370s DR, her conflict with her mother over the souls of the drow race ultimately led to Eilistraee's defeat and disappearance.[7] It lasted for about a century, until The Sundering (c. 1480s DR), when Eilistraee returned to life and to her followers.[8][9][10][11][note 2]
Cite error: There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=note}} template (see the help page).
- ^ a b c d e f Cite error: The named reference
Demihumanwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
TDotUwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
FRCS3Ewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
FAPwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference
Evermeet: Island of Elveswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Greenwood 2006 Iwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
AotLwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
forum.candlekeep.comwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Kim Mohan ed. (2015) Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 23, 108. ISBN 978-0786965809.
- ^ Ed Greenwood (June 2016) Death Masks (Wizards of the Coast)
- ^ "Candlekeep Forum - Questions for Ed Greenwood (2015)". Forum.candlekeep.com. Archived from the original on 28 August 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2018.