Need Help Creating An Alternate Version of Lolth

[_Michael_]

So, I'm creating my own game world with the hopes of publishing in the future (it's a combination of 3.5e and Friday Night Firefight, tweaked so it's original and my own creation), and I've created my own version of the Drow called the Ebynai that live in my version of the Underdark called the Evergloom. However, the Drow worship Lolth, who isn't even an elf or of elven origin. I guess I'm asking for a little help in generating a proper mythos/background for my version, and I have only a few requirements:

1. It be female
2. It be evil
3. It be really, really old, like Machin Shin old (from Wheel of Time)

Shelob was such an existential evil--she gave exactly zero effs about Sauron and the orcs beyond what they could do for her, similar to Lolth in that she was a demon not a part of the original pantheon of Faerûn and simply wanted the Drow because she wanted them (like how possessive she suddenly becomes when a drow tries to leave Menzoberranzan).

Shelob + Lolth generates some interesting name possibilities. I've come up with quite a few, but I think I like the name Šeloth, with the hacek mark indicating it's pronounced more like SHAY-loth similar to how Spanish pronounces the "e." Not a hard A sound, but close. Also, she doesn't even have to be tied to spiders, though I can't really think of anything else that would be as ubiquitous and as easily missed as spiders in the tunnels and caves of the Evergloom.

Any help to point me in the right direction would be greatly appreciated.

 

[pmmg]

Marmeth, thousand eyes and thousand strands. Lives in the cave of webs. Born in a blackend pool deep in the earth. Feeds on the undergloom denizens and cave lost. Does not care about worship, but worship connects one to the web and her gloom powers.


To honest, i do not favor this attempt to copy. I think you should imagine greater. If you want lolth, make lolth.

 

[_Michael_]

To honest, i do not favor this attempt to copy. I think you should imagine greater. If you want lolth, make lolth.

I'm not averse to trying, I'm just not sure how to begin. I really do want to make it distinct from Lolth, but still in that same vein. What other creatures could I use? Nothing comes to mind that carries quite the same connotations as spiders. At one point, I was thinking of making it more akin to a giant carrion crawler that uses magic to spin illusions about itself to make it appear as anything other than what it is, and use chemical weapons as infectious agents to cause indoctrination in recipients of the chemical (likely some excretion of the creature itself that causes mild hypnotic states and opens a person up to suggestion and manipulation) similar to how Sovereign in the Mass Effect series operated, or in that same series, the Thorian.

I want something that is near-immortal and has a very long memory, and is older than the elves and dwarves. Something primordial that runs a shadow network of informants and spies, in addition to using magical divination such as Scry to maintain superseding knowledge to give it the illusion of omniscience. I could see it using the Ebynai elves as a sort of defense network to prevent exploration of the deeper caves and tunnels of the Evergloom to protect it's physical abode, and could also see it attempting to use them as followers in a bid for godhood, i.e., the more followers, the more powerful she becomes.

 

[Finchbearer]

Stones and bones. She is made from the oldest geological bones of the world, spiders scurry away from her in fear, the deep chasm in which she dwells is too cold for much of anything to exist.

 

[_Michael_]

How's this for a revision to the old Lolth story? Figure I'd give her the ability to do illusions and polymorph like a dragon to make her even more dangerous of a foe. Lolth might be forced to deal with you via proxy or sending a Yochlol to smash you, but Che'loth can simply show up in the flesh and snatch you down into the depths of the Evergloom herself.

Che'loth, an ancient and enigmatic entity, is a primordial denizen of the Evergloom. A colossal spider of immense age and cunning, she weaves the threads of magic itself far beyond the abilities of wizards and sorcerers. Unlike a conventional deity, Che'loth draws power from the very fabric of the magical realms, existing as a force of nature rather than a divine being.

With her potent magics and vast hoards of magical treasure, Che'loth can cast intricate illusions that manipulate perception and control the minds of those who come under her influence. The Water of Che'loth, a psychedelic excretion from the primordial spider's spinnerets, serves as a conduit for her influence. When the Ebynai priestesses partake in this mystical substance during their initiation, they enter a semi-hypnotic state that makes them susceptible to Che'loth's suggestions.

Seizing the opportunity to expand her influence, Che'loth convinced the Ebynai that she is a divine entity worthy of worship. The priestesses, under her chemical influence, become fervent followers, spreading the belief in Che'loth's godhood throughout the Evergloom by whip and slave collar. Unbeknownst to the Ebynai, they are caught in a mystical bid for godhood as Che'loth seeks to amplify her power through their worship.

She also shares a psychic link with other arachnoid creatures as well, creating a vast network of interconnected minds. This link allows her to perceive the world through the senses of her spidery minions, enhancing her understanding of the Evergloom and enabling her to react swiftly to external threats. This network also serves as a means of extending her influence, as she subtly nudges the behavior of the spiders to suit her own goals.

While Che'loth presents herself as a dark and sadistic force to guide the Ebynai, her true motivations are shrouded in mystery. Behind the facade of a goddess, Che'loth harbors a cunning ambition to ascend to a higher plane of existence. The worship and belief of the Ebynai, fueled by their devotion and the Water of Che'loth, serve as the stepping stones for the primordial weaver's mystical ascent. She cares nothing for other gods or their petty ambitions unless they interfere with her or have some use in her plans, nor does she consider herself bound by moral niceties such as good and evil due to the arrogance of near-immortality.