Demipower of the Abyss, CE

PORTFOLIO:             Drow warriors
ALIASES:               Zanassu
DOMAIN NAME:           66th level/Lolth's Web (the Demonweb Pits)
SUPERIOR:              Lolth
ALLIES:                Garagos, Lolth
FOES:                  Deep Duerra, Eilistraee, Ghaunadaur, Laduguer, the
                       Seldarine, Sharess, Vhaeraun, Blibdoolpoolp, the
                       Blood Queen, Diinkarazan, Diirinka, Great Mother,
                       Gzemnid, Ilsensine, Ilxendren, Laogzed,
                       Maanzecorian (dead), Psilofyr
SYMBOL:                Crossed sword and mace overlaid with spider image
WOR. ALIGN.:           LN, N, CN, LE, NE, CE

Selvetarm (SELL-veh-TARM) is the Champion of Lolth and the patron or
drow warriors. Seen as the embodiment of unequaled fighting prowess,
Selvetarm is worshiped by a few drow in the northern and western
reaches of the Underdark beneath Faerun, particularly in the city of
Eryndlyn beneath the High Moor and in the dungeons of Undermountain
beneath Waterdeep. The Spider Demon is also venerated by many of the
aranea of the Spider Swamp in southern Calimshan where he is known as
Zanassu, the Spider That Waits. A few drow in the Forest of Mir as well
as a handful of Volothanni seeking any advantage to advance themselves
politically in the Gem City of Calimshan round out the ranks of
Selvetarm's faithful.  Selvetarm is the offspring of an ill-fated tryst
between Vhaeraun and Zandilar the Dancer, an demipower once venerated
by the elves of the Yuirwood. When the Dancer's elven followers began
to falter in the face of relentless assaults by Lolth's minions,
Zandilar sought out the Masked Lord and seduced him in an attempt to
either gain information or elicit his direct assistance in battling the
Spider Queen. The Masked Lord betrayed Zandilar and imprisoned her, and
only the timely assistance of Bast, an errant Mulhorandi demipower,
allowed the Dancer to escape. Selvetarm was birthed shortly thereafter
when the weakened Zandilar voluntarily merged her essence with that of
Bast, creating the goddess now known as Sharess.

Selvetarm walked a solitary way for many centuries, spurning both of
his parents, for he was not wholly given over to evil but neither was
he aligned with the forces of light. Eventually his path crossed that
of his aunt, Eilistraee, and he began to appreciate the goodness of the
Dark Maiden, as exhibited in her teachings and deeds. By way of
Selvetarm's redemption, Eilistraee hoped to begin to heal the breach
between the majority of dark elves and the Seldarine. The Dark Maiden's
hopes were dashed, however, by the insidious plotting of Lolth.

The Queen of Spiders had long resented the existence of Zanassu, a
minor Abyssal Lord with pretensions of suzerainty over spiders, nearly
as much as she disliked the possibility of Eilistraee winning an
ally-Selvetarm-among the pantheon of the drow. When the Spider Demon
lost much of his power after a conflict on the Prime (against Qysara
Shoon V of the Shoon Empire), Lolth convinced Selvetarm to destroy
Zanassu and seize the Spider Demon's burgeoning divine power. She did
so by suggesting to Selvetarm that a victory would increase his
personal power and win him favor in the eyes of Eilistraee, whom he
greatly admired. While Selvetarm prevailed in battle over the Spider
Demon, the absorption of Zanassu's wholly evil and chaotic nature
overwhelmed Selvetarm's nascent beneficial aspects and weakened him
sufficiently that he could not escape the traps by which the Spider
Queen bound his will tightly to her own.

Cruel and malicious by nature, Selvetarm cares only for battle and
destruction. The Champion of Lolth harbors a deep hatred for all living
things, including his dominating mistress, and the only beauty he can
appreciate is a well-honed and deadly fighting style. Selvetarm can
exhibit a great deal of patience while waiting for prey to fall into an
ambush he has set, but he prefers the wild abandon of battle frenzy to
a careful and deliberate attack.

Selvetarm's Avatar (Fighter 24, Cleric 16)

Selvetarm appears as a large black spider, sometimes with the head of a
drow male. He wields a long sword and mace in his front appendages. He
prefers spells from the spheres of all, animal, chaos, charm, combat,
elemental, guardian, healing, protection, sun (reversed only),
travelers, and war, though he can cast spells from any sphere.

AC -2; MV 15, Wb 21; HP 180; THACO -3; #AT 7/2 and 1 bite
Dmg 2d8+poison (bite) and ld8+15 (long sword +5, +8 STR, +2 spec.
bonus in long sword) and ld6+12+special (footman's mace +3, +8 STR)
MR 70%; SZ L (15 feet across, 6 feet high)
STR 22, DEX 20, CON 20, INT 15, Wis 18, CHA 16
Spells P: 9/9/8/7/4/3/1
Saves PPDM 3, RSW 5, PP 4, BW 4, Sp 6

Special Att/Defc In his right hand Selvetarm wields Venomace, a
footman's mace +3 that continuously oozes a noxious sludge of acid and
venom that inflicts an additional ld4 points of poison damage (if a
saving throw vs. poison is not made) and ld4 points of acid damage
every round for 3 rounds after a successful hit. In his left hand, the
Spider Demon wields Thalack'velve, a long sword +5, defender.

Victims bitten by Selvetarm must succeed at a saving throw vs. poison
at a -4 penalty. A failed saving throw results in death in 1 round, but
even if the saving throw succeeds, the poison inflicts 3d6 points of
damage.  Selvetarm is immune to poison and sustains only half damage
from cold, electricity, and lightning attacks. He is only affected by
+1 or better magical weapons. Magical cold iron weapons get a +2 damage
bonus when striking him.

Selvetarm can at will, one at a time, use any of the following
spell-like powers once per day instead of casting a spell: charm
monster, charm person, command, darkness 15' radius, detect good,
detect invisible, dimension door, dispel magic, fly, infravision,
invisibility, know alignment, protection from good 10' radius, speak
with monsters, telekinesis (up to 5,000 gp), teleport without error,
unholy word, and web. The Spider Demon can summon spiders (01-20%;
1d6+6 large spiders, 21-50%: 1d4+4 huge spiders, 51-90%: 1d6 giant
spiders, 91-00%: 1d2 phase spiders) at will, once per round, instead of
casting a spell.

Other Manifestations

Selvetarm rarely bothers to simply manifest in the Realms when
entreated by his followers, as he prefers to either dispatch his avatar
directly or ignore the supplication. He occasionally manifests when his
avatar is otherwise occupied and the outcome of the fray is of great
interest to him. In such situations, Selvetarm manifests as a tiny
sphere of absolute blackness that slowly grows in size over the course
of 3 rounds from about 1 inch in diameter to about 1 foot in diameter
and then explodes in a shower of blades equivalent in effect to the
6th-level priest spell blade barrier, though it grants its victims no
saving throw vs. spell against its effects.

The Church

CLERGY:           Clerics, crusaders, fighters, specialty priests
CLERGY'S ALIGN.:  NE, CE
TURN UNDEAD:      C: No, Cru: No, F: No, SP: No
CMND. UNDEAD:     C: Yes, Cru: No, F: No, SP: No

Selvetarm commonly acts through the appearance or presence of myrlochar
(soul spiders), retrievers, and spiders of all sorts. The Spider Demon
shows his favor through the discovery of rogue stones, pieces of dried
silver-bark, and webstone, and his displeasure by causing steel weapons
and armor to shatter in combat even after a glancing blow.

All clerics (including cleric/fighters, a multiclassed combination
allowed to drow priests of Selvetarm), crusaders, and specialty priests
of Selvetarm receive religion (drow), religion (elven), and
reading/writing (drowic) as bonus nonweapon proficiencies.

Outside of the Spider Swamp, the city of Volothamp, and the dungeons
beneath Waterdeep, Selvetarm is little known on the surface world. He
does appear in a few Calishite tales as the Demon of the Swamp in which
he is depicted as a lurking evil capable of insidious charms and
unchecked battle fury. Aside from the drow city of Eryndlyn, where
Selvetarm's name is synonymous with the nigh-unstoppable battle prowess
of drow male warriors in the service of Lolth, the Spider Demon is
known in the Underdark in only a few drow cities that follow the Way of
Lolth. Few drow are aware that he is divine being, as most tales depict
him simply as a powerful tanar'ri and a minion of Lolth.

The few temples of Selvetarm that exist are typically large
subterranean chambers dominated a huge black stone spider idol. The
Chapel of the Sericeous Sargh, a small shrine on the first level of
Undermountain (Room #12) beneath the streets of Waterdeep, is fairly
representative of the style.  The idol appears to merge with the center
of the room's eastern wall. A darkly stained altar sits before the
idol, and two of the spider's legs are outstretched in front of the
altar. Another two legs are raised up high, above the altar, suspending
an unlit brazier from each leg. The spider's other legs bend up and set
down close to its sides, forming large arches along the sides of the
idol. An eerie, purplish-blue radiance emanates from the statue's eyes,
providing the chapel's only illumination when the braziers are not lit.
Selvetarm's clergy are known collectively as the Selvetargtlin, which
is drow for warriors of Selvetarm. Titles used by Selvetarm's clergy
vary widely across temple hierarchies, but those used in the city of
Eryndlyn include Edge of the Axe, Crush of the Mace, Steel of the
Blade, Tusk of the Boar,
Hunger of the Swarm, Claw of the Cave Bear, Talon of the Wyrm, and
Bloodlust of the Berserker. High-ranking priests of the Spider Demon
have unique individual titles. Specialty priests are known as
spiderswords.  The clergy of Selvetarm includes both male (70%) and
female dark elves (8%) as well as male (15%) and female aranea (7%).
Selvetarm's clergy includes specialty priests (35%), crusaders (25%),
cleric/fighters (20%), fighters (15%, including nonpriest multiclassed
fighters), and clerics (5%).  Dogma: War is the ultimate expression of
individual power, and only through battle and death can one realize the
respect of one's comrades.  Hone fighting skills constantly and teach
those who will follow into the fray. Never give or receive quarter, and
die amidst the bloodlust of battle against overwhelming odds. Cultivate
as many different weapon tricks and combat maneuvers as a spider has
arms, and never fear that hidden venom, like a secret vengeance waiting
to strike, will serve you ill.

Day-to-Day Activities: Selvetarm's faithful spend most of their days
guarding fortifications, honing their fighting skills, participating in
patrols, guarding slave caravans, and getting into fights over status
and petty slights. Many spend much of their time training other
warriors in the art of war. While the Selvetargtlin are rightly known
for their skill in battle, the teachings of the faith place little
emphasis on tactics or strategy and thus few members of Selvetarm's
clergy achieve a high military rank.

Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: Selvetarm's faithful are expected to
observe the rituals of Lolth, as directed by her priests. (Those who
have recently emigrated from Eryndlyn have abandoned this practice, so
far without divine retribution, and are said to be praying for guidance
in new ways of honoring the Spider Demon.) Selvetarm does expect all
who take up arms in his name to cry out his name in the bloodlust of
battle as they deliver the killing blow to a foe. Since there is always
the chance that any attack will be a fatal one, the Selvetargtlin tend
to constantly scream out their god's name during a battle.

The aranea of the Spider Swamp venerate Zanassu with a totally
different set of rituals, notable in comparison for their emphasis on
patience, craftiness, and subtlety. Such ceremonies involve animal
sacrifices to the Spider That Waits-typically a boar or lizard-and
repeating litanies beseeching him to return. The holiest day of the
year is the 6th of Kythorn, the day on which Zanassu returned after his
millennial exile. On this day all of the aranea celebrate their
deliverance through fasting and ritual combat.

Major Centers of Worship: In the northern reaches of the Spider Swamp
of Calimshan lies a ruined city known as Lost Ajhuutal, rumored to have
been the capitol of the Maridlands millennia ago. The ruins have been
inhabited by a race of werespiders for centuries. The aranea are large,
intelligent spiders capable of assuming a single humanoid form.
Originally all could assume drow form, but increasing numbers assume a
human or half-elven form identical in all ways to Calishites of the
same racial mix.  In the center of oft-rebuilt Lost Ajhuutal stands the
Apostolaeum of the Spider That Waits, one of the city's few buildings
that is still relatively intact. The temple has a massive stone spider
as its central dome, with stone webs spreading out to the four minarets
flanking it at the corners.  Less than one hundred priests and
followers of Zanassu dwell within the temple, impatiently awaiting
opportunities for hunting or wars, but content to serve The Spider Who
Waits and the community by defending the temple. Recent expansions of
the aranea's territory into the southern reaches of the Forest of Mir
have given Zanassu's clergy the opportunity to war with the community
of wereboars who are resisting the incursions, but the primary worry of
the Spider Demon's priests is the concern that they may lose their
fullblood status as fewer and fewer of the aranea keep only drow
changeforms.

According to legend, the aranea were created by Calishite wizards
during the Night Wars to infiltrate the ranks of the drow and destroy
them from within. With the defeat of the dark elves and the end of 260
years of warfare in -530 DR, the aranea were cast off by the Calishites
and either killed or driven into the Spider Swamp. Among the dank fens
of the Venomire, as the Spider Swamp is also known, the aranea
developed a relatively pacifistic, neutral culture, trading in silk,
herbs, and poisons with the coastal city of Volothamp. During this time
some aranea began to manifest humanoid forms other than that of dark
elves, facilitating their ability to move unhindered through Calishite
cities and towns. When Qysara Shoon V cast the spider-people as
scapegoats for a plague that ravished Almraiven in the Year of Full
Cribs (290 DR), the aranea were nearly destroyed by the resultant
backlash from Volothamp's military and populace. In response, some of
the aranea turned to Zanassu, then a minor Abyssal Lord, to defend them
against the Shoon Empire. Zanassu was banished back to the Abyss by the
qysara in the Year of Frostfires (292 DR), but by that time the Spider
Demon's cult had taken root among a large fraction of the oncepeaceful
aranea. Since early in the 4th century Dalereckoning, the aranea have
dwelt relatively peacefully in the City of Maridsorrows, their safety
secured by the militant followers of Zanassu.

For ten centuries, Zanassu's aranea priests foretold the triumphant
return of their deity after his ignominious defeat by Qysara Shoon V.
While the Spider Demon was rumored to have stalked the Spider Swamp on
multiple occasions during his millennial absence, his avatar did not
actually return to the Apostolaeum until the Year of the Wandering
Waves (1292 DR), 1,000 years to the day after his banishment. For 66
years (a baleful portent given the Spider Demon's lair in the 66th
level of the Abyss), Zanassu-or a powerful tanar'ri claiming to be
him-dwelt within the heart of the Apostolaeum. Zanassu did not emerge
from his temple until the Fall of the Gods in the Year of Shadows (1358
DR), at which time the Lord of the Venomire stalked northward toward
the Forest of Mir and did not return. During the nearly seven decades
of his rule, Zanassu's minions infiltrated the corridors of power in
Volothamp and the surrounding region so thoroughly that the
then-reigning vizier, Ramslett N'door and a number of his senior
advisers fell victim to Zanassu's charms. During the Time of Troubles,
however, Zanassu's hold over the government of Volothamp swiftly
dissipated in the magical chaos of the time. With the strife of the
Darkstalker Wars of the Year of the Serpent (1359 DR) following on the
heels of the Avatar Crisis, 66 years of unseen tyranny vanished with
barely a trace.

Affiliated Orders: The city of Eryndlyn, located in hidden caves
beneath the High Moor, is characterized by barely contained hostilities
between the worshipers of Lolth, Ghaunadaur, and Vhaeraun. During the
Time of Troubles, the avatar of Selvetarm rampaged through the drow
city, attacking strongholds of the followers of Ghaunadaur and
Vhaeraun.  Priests of Lolth hailed the monster as the swordarm of
Lolth, sent to demonstrate her absolute rule. The avatar of Selvetarm
was finally driven into the wild Underdark by an alliance between the
victimized cults, but not without great losses. It is unknown whether
Selvetarm's avatar still remains in the Underdark or if he has returned
to the Abyss.

As a result of Selvetarm's rampage through Eryndlyn, droves of drow
worshipers in that strife-torn city have allied themselves with the
priests of Lolth. A new military order called the Selvetargtlin-a name
also associated with the clergy at large-has shifted the balance of
power in the cult of Lolth's favor and consequently driven the
worshipers of Ghaunadaur and Vhaeraun into an uneasy alliance. It is
uncertain how this will affect the long term balance of power in the
city.

A few drow in Eryndlyn began to worship Selvetarm in his own right.
This displeased Lolth's clergy immensely, and the blasphemers were
quickly driven from the city and into exile. These drow are believed to
have recently settled in the Underdark beneath Waterdeep in the hopes
of building their own city. Patrols of Selvetarm's faithful have been
encountered exploring the dungeons of Undermountain-where they recently
constructed the Chapel of the Sericeous Sargh, detailed above- and
searching for new magic with which to defend the exiled cult.  Priestly
Vestments: Priests of Selvetarm wear long, rich, scarlet robes lined in
chain mail. They wear their long hair in thick braids, the tips of
which are soaked in blood and allowed to harden into rock-hard clumps.
(In desperation, a priest can employ his braids in close quarters as a
flail by whipping his head to and fro. Such attacks are made at at a -2
attack penalty and inflict ld4 total points of damage.) Steel gauntlets
are worn on the hands, each of which sports a sharp blade-equivalent to
a dagger-on the back of the hand emerging from the knuckles at the base
of the fingers.  The holy symbol of the faith is a platinum disk at
least 3 inches in diameter with an embossed depiction on both its
obverse and reverse in jet black enamel of a crossed sword and mace
overlaid with the image of a spider.

Adventuring Garb: Selvetarm's faithful employ the best armor and
weapons available, although they eschew the use of shields-with the
notable exception of spiked bucklers-and missile weapons such as bows
and crossbows. Most dark elves who venerate the Spider Demon employ
drow boots, a drow cloak, and drow chain mail inscribed with
Selvetarm's symbol on the breast. Most Selvetargtlin are trained in the
use of two melee weapons. Favorite combinations include sword and
dagger, sword and mace, and sword and axe.

Specialty Priests (Spiderswords)

REQUIREMENTS:      Strength 13, Wisdom 9
PRIME REQ.:        Strength, Wisdom
ALIGNMENT:         NE, CE
WEAPONS:           Any; no missile weapons
ARMOR:             Any; no shields except spiked bucklers
MAJOR SPHERES:     All, animal, chaos, charm, combat, healing, sun
                   (reversed only), war
MINOR SPHERES:     Divination, elemental, guardian, protection,
                   travelers
MAGICAL ITEMS:     Same as clerics and warriors
REQ. PROFS:        Blind-fighting
BONUS PROFS:       Tracking

* Spiderswords must be drow or aranea. * Spiderswords are not allowed
  to multiclass. * Spiderswords are immune to all spider venoms.

* Spiderswords are immune to magical fear and need never check morale.

* Spiderswords receive Constitution hit point adjustments to their Hit
  Dice as if they were warriors.

* Spiderwords can select nonweapon proficiencies from the warrior
  group without penalty.

* Spiderswords can incite a berserker rage in themselves. The rage
  lasts for 10 rounds. During this time, a spidersword has a+2 bonus to
  attack, damage, and all saving throws. A spidersword may use this
  ability once a day. If the spidersword runs out of enemies to fight,
  he must either attack the closest living target in the area (even a
  friend) or suffer 5 points of damage for each of the remaining
  rounds. This is a conscious choice of the berserk spidersword.

* At 3rd level, Spiderswords can cast remove fear or protection from
  good (as the 1st-level priest spells) once per day.

* At 5th level, Spiderswords can cast aid (as the 2nd-level priest spell)
  or enchant an edged, slashing weapon to ignite with a fiery
  blue-white glow visible to all once per day. It strikes with a +3
  attack bonus (but not damage bonus) in the next round in addition to
  any other bonuses it would normally accrue.

* At 7th level, Spiderswords can cast prayer (as the 3rd-level priest
  spell) once per day.

* At 7th level, Spiderswords can make three melee attacks every two
  rounds.

* At 10th level, Spiderswords can cast charm monster (as the 4th-level
  wizard spell) once per day.

* At 13th level, Spiderswords can make two melee attacks per round.

* At 15th level, Spiderswords can cast haste (as the 3rd-level wizard spell)
  once per day. They do not age from using this ability.

Selvetarmite Spells

2nd Level

Fortitude (Necromancy)

Sphere:           Necromantic
Range:            Touch
Components:       V, S, M
Duration:         2 rounds/level
Casting Time:     5
Area of Effect:   Creature touched
Saving Throw:     None

This spell gives the recipient the ability to ignore mortal wounds and
continue fighting for ld4+l rounds after being brought to 0 to -9 hit
points.  Beyond that the creature dies instantly. The effects of the
spell end once the subject dies or collapses into unconsciousness.

The material components of this spell are the priest's holy symbol and
several drops of cave bear blood.

4th Level

Venomous Blade (Necromancy)

Sphere:            Necromantic
Range:             Touch
Components:        V,S,M
Duration:          Special
Casting Time:      1 round
Area of Effect:    One bladed weapon
Saving Throw:      None

By means of this spell, a priest can enspell a single bladed weapon so
as to envenom the wounds inflicted by the three first attacks with the
blade. Any creature so wounded automatically suffers 1 additional point
of damage per round in subsequent rounds until the wound is bandaged or
10 rounds (1 turn) expire. Note that successive wounds continue to
cause damage in the same manner as the first. The spell fades after
three attacks or 24 hours expire, whichever comes first.

Similar to wounds inflicted by a sword of wounding, injuries caused by
a venomous blade cannot be healed by regeneration nor by potion or
spell short of a wish. Damage usually can be healed only by natural
means-rest and time. However, the underlying magic that prevents the
wounds from healing is can be removed by an entire elixir of health or
a cure disease cast by a 9th-level caster. After such a measure is
employed, the impediment to magical healing is removed.

The material component for this spell is a poisonous sludge of venoms
or other noxious ingredients that must be smeared on the blade to he
envenomed.