Annihilation Annihilation by Philip Athans is the fifth book in the War of the Spider Queen series . Summary . The novel opens in Menzoberranzan , still besieged by the duergar army of Gracklstugh and tanarukk warriors of Kaanyr Vhok ' s Scourged Legion . Archmage Gromph Baenre seeks out new eyes ( literally ) as he prepares for his coming spell battle with the Lichdrow Lord Dyrr . Meanwhile , on the ship of chaos in the Lake of Shadows , everyone ' s nerves are on end . The leader of the group , Quenthel Baenre , sends Valas Hune and Danifae Yauntyrr to Eryndlyn to gather supplies for the coming journey while Pharaun Mizzrym continues to put the ship in working order . In Eryndlyn , Danifae tracks down Zinnirit Yauntyrr , the former house wizard of House Yauntyrr and convinces him to dispel her Binding with Halisstra Melarn before killing him and stealing his ring of teleportation . When she and Valas return to the ship of chaos , they find their group more ragged than before , having fought Raashub , the imprisoned uridezu captain , and his summoned hordes of rats and uridezu . Quenthel is despondent , leaving an angry and frustrated Jeggred Baenre to turn to the newly - released priestess as his mistress . Pharaun attempts to learn how to manipulate the ship on his own ( with the secret aid of Aliisza , who had been sent to spy on them on behalf of Kaanyr Vhok ) . On the surface , Halisstra has converted to the worship of Eilistraee and joined with a group of priestesses of the Dancing Maiden , leaving her lover , Ryld Argith , feeling isolated and doubting his choice to follow her to the surface . Danifae locates her former mistress and schemes to put in in as much misery as possible . She takes Jeggred , her new pet , to the surface to kill Ryld , offering to allow Halisstra to return to the sisterhood of priestesses . Heartbroken , she nevertheless resolves to continue with her mission to destroy Lolth with the Crescent Blade . In Menzoberranzan , Gromph engages in a battle with the Lichdrow . Dyrr initially prevails over Gromph , sending him to the Green Fields ( halfling heaven ) . Gromph is able to return , but one of the halflings named Dietr follows him to the city , becoming a huecuva ( undead halfling ) . Gromph forces Dietr to take the brunt of Dyrr ' s attacks , destroying the huecuva in the process . Then Gromph enters a long and protracted spell battle with Dyrr which destroys the Menzoberranyr Bazaar . Nimor Imphraezl , revealed to be half - shadow dragon , joins the battle and Dyrr is able to petrify Gromph . At that moment , Lolth ' s power suddenly returns to her priestesses . Triel Baenre transports herself to the Bazaar , turning her brother back to flesh and allowing him to kill the Lichdrow ' s corporeal form by exploding his Staff of Power . However , he knows the battle is not yet over ; he must still destroy the lich ' s phylactery . Having traveled to the the remains of the old Demonweb Pits , Quenthel ' s group discovers that Lolth has apparently removed her realm to its own planar space . Valas declares his job finished and returns to Menzoberranzan , but the rest follow a gate from the Abyss to Lolth ' s new domain , with calls of " Yor ' thae " ( Lolth ' s Chosen ) on the wind calling to Quenthel and Daniefae . On the Astral Plane , Halisstra and her Eilistraeean companions , Uluyara and Feliane , follow a line of drow spirits leading to the new Demonweb Pits . They run into the spirits of Ryld Argith , who tells Halisstra it is too late for him to join with Eilistraee , and Seyll Auzkovyn , who tells Halisstra she chooses oblivion over an afterlife with Eilistraee in order to protect Halisstra from the returning power of Lolth . However , Halisstra ' s doubts are strong and she too can here the call of " Yor ' thae " as they approach the gate . With the power of Lolth returned , the forces of Kaanyr Vhok retreat from Menzoberranzan , the duergar armies are set to be defeated , and Nimor returns to Ched Nasad to his Jaezred Chaulssin brother to inform them of his failure to obtain Menzoberranzan . The exact state of Lolth , however , remains to be seen in the final novel .