Eilistraee

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 portfolio is song, swordwork, hunting, the moon and beauty. Her worshippers are good aligned drow hoping to escape the evils of the Underdark's evil, Lloth-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) and half elves.

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, located in the 66th layer of the abyss, along with the rest of the drow pantheon. She however has a home also at Arvandor where she does not have to contend with her mother. It is currently believed that She rarely even visits the Demonweb Pits.

Eilistraee, the daughter of Corellon Larethian and of Araushnee (who after being punished by Corellon assumed the name Lloth) 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 Lolth.

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 particular. They have only gained steady acceptance in small areas, particularly High Forest and Waterdeep (a notable temple to Eilistraee, the Promenade, is located near Skullport under the city), and 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 collectivelly known as "the Dark Ladies", although individual temples often have their own naming conventions for both the clergy collectively and individual titles. 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, and Ghost of the Moonstruck Night.

Priests 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 pennant the size of a hand, A silver long sword outlined against a silver moon with silvery filaments, 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.