Demonweb Pits

The Demonweb Pits

## Planar Traits

* Great Wheel
* World Axis
* World Tree

The **Demonweb Pits**, also known as **Lolth's Web**, was originally the 66th layer of the Abyss. By the end of the Silence of Lolth, Lolth had moved her domain in the Demonweb Pits to its own planar space.

The realm was ruled over by Lolth, the primary drow deity, who resided in a huge iron fortress that moved under its mistress's will on spider-like legs. Her deific consort Selvetarm lived with her there until he fell before a wielder of the *Crescent Blade*. After that, for a century, every creature who resided in the Demonweb Pits answered solely to Lolth. In the 1480s DR Selvetarm returned to life and to his domain.[*citation needed*]

## Description

### Old Demonweb Pits

When Quenthel Baenre and her companions visited the Demonweb Pits in the Abyss during the Silence of Lolth in the Year of Wild Magic, 1372 DR, they found the realm unusually empty of souls. The realm consisted of black emptiness with an acrid smell and giant spider web. It was very hot there. The Pits were covered in corpses of monsters and demons lying dead and dying, particularly goristros. Lolth dwelt in a black temple suspended in the web. Her stone face covered the entrance.

When Quenthel's expedition returned to the same location in the Year of Rogue Dragons, 1373 DR, they found the Demonweb Pits abandoned and in ruins. A gate guarded by abyssal widows led to the new Demonweb Pits.

### New Demonweb Pits

The new Demonweb Pits was a plane of rocks with chasms and rocky gorges. There were many pits and craters. The land looked dead. There were giant petrified spiders with webbing over everything from the songspiders. There was a distant red sun during the day and eight bright red stars at night.

There was a river of souls flowing to Lolth's city, an iron citadel in the Infinite Web. Lolth stood atop a dais in a temple on a pyramid with webs on the walls.

There were a number of geographical features on the plane, including the Plains of Soulfire and the Pass of the Soulreaver at the base of the Mountain of Eyes.

The plane was inhabited by spiders (including songspiders) and chwidencha. The Soulreaver dwelt in the Pass of the Soulreaver and was a gray spectral form, with a bloated serpentine body containing screaming drow souls.

After the Second Sundering, Lolth returned her realm to the Abyss.

## Gods and Domains

All drow gods were originally located in the Demonweb Pits and Lolth claimed to be the queen of them all.

* Lolth's son, Vhaeraun, maintained a realm named Ellaniath where he schemed against his mother almost constantly, an activity Lolth actually encouraged. After Lolth's Silence, Lolth exiled him from the new Demonweb pits.[*citation needed*]

* Lolth's daughter, Eilistraee, also had a place in the Demonweb pits, but her main realm was in Ysgard and successively in Arvandor. However, after the Silence of Lolth, her secondary realm was removed from the Demonweb.[*citation needed*]

* Kiaransalee had her own citadel made of bones called Thanatos in a desolate area of the plane. She grudgingly worked for Lolth as her servant since her own layer of the Abyss was stolen from her by the reincarnated demon prince Orcus. However with her death due to the high magic of Q'arlynd Melarn, her dominion crumbled. As of the 1480s, Kiaransalee re-emerged.[*citation needed*]

* Ghaunadaur resided at the very bottom of the pits, surrounded by slime and fungus that caused multicolored lights to appear. However, in the Year of the Lost Keep, 1379 DR, fed up with the Spider Queen, he removed his dominion to the Deep Caverns.[*citation needed*]

* Selvetarm resided with the Spider Queen without maintaining a realm of his own.

## Appendix

### Appearances

#### Adventures

*Out of the Abyss***Referenced only**
*Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage*#### Novels & Short Stories

*Condemnation* • *Annihilation* • *Resurrection* • *Sacrifice of the Widow*#### Video Games

*Dungeons & Dragons Online: Menace of the Underdark*#### Card Games

*Spellfire* (RR)#### Organized Play & Licensed Adventures

**Referenced only**
*Szith Morcane Unbound*
### Further Reading

* Michael E. Shea (July 2012). “Denizens of the Demonweb”. In Christopher Perkins ed. *Dungeon* #204 (Wizards of the Coast) (204)., pp. 55–59.

### References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Eric L. Boyd (November 1998). *Demihuman Deities*. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 28. ISBN 0-7869-1239-1.
2. ↑ Map included in Paul S. Kemp (February 2006). *Resurrection*. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 0-7869-3981-8.
3. ↑ Ed Stark, James Jacobs, Erik Mona (June 13, 2006). *Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss*. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 122–127. ISBN 0-7869-3919-2.
4. ↑ Richard Baker, John Rogers, Robert J. Schwalb, James Wyatt (December 2008). *Manual of the Planes 4th edition*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 81. ISBN 978-0-7869-5002-7.
5. ↑ Mike Mearls, Brian R. James, Steve Townshend (July 2010). *Demonomicon*. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 80. ISBN 978-0786954926.
6. ↑ Richard Baker, James Wyatt (March 2004). *Player's Guide to Faerûn*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 141. ISBN 0-7869-3134-5.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Richard Baker, James Wyatt (March 2004). *Player's Guide to Faerûn*. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 149–150. ISBN 0-7869-3134-5.
8. ↑ Colin McComb (October 1996). *On Hallowed Ground*. Edited by Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc.), p. 100. ISBN 0-7869-0430-5.
9. ↑ Richard Baker (May 2003). *Condemnation*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 306. ISBN 0786932023.
10. ↑ Philip Athans (August 2005). *Annihilation*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 311. ISBN 0-7869-3752-1.
11. ↑ Richard Baker (May 2003). *Condemnation*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 342. ISBN 0786932023.
12. ↑ Richard Baker (May 2003). *Condemnation*. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 338–339. ISBN 0786932023.
13. ↑ Richard Baker (May 2003). *Condemnation*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 349. ISBN 0786932023.
14. ↑ Richard Baker (May 2003). *Condemnation*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 341. ISBN 0786932023.
15. ↑ Richard Baker (May 2003). *Condemnation*. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 352–353. ISBN 0786932023.
16. ↑ Philip Athans (August 2005). *Annihilation*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 306. ISBN 0-7869-3752-1.
17. ↑ Philip Athans (August 2005). *Annihilation*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 371. ISBN 0-7869-3752-1.
18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Paul S. Kemp (February 2006). *Resurrection*. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 29–31. ISBN 0-7869-3981-8.
19. ↑ Paul S. Kemp (February 2006). *Resurrection*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 54. ISBN 0-7869-3981-8.
20. ↑ Paul S. Kemp (February 2006). *Resurrection*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 361. ISBN 0-7869-3981-8.
21. ↑ Paul S. Kemp (February 2006). *Resurrection*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 39. ISBN 0-7869-3981-8.
22. ↑ Paul S. Kemp (February 2006). *Resurrection*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 214. ISBN 0-7869-3981-8.
23. ↑ Paul S. Kemp (February 2006). *Resurrection*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 316. ISBN 0-7869-3981-8.
24. ↑ Paul S. Kemp (February 2006). *Resurrection*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 13. ISBN 0-7869-3981-8.
25. ↑ Paul S. Kemp (February 2006). *Resurrection*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 189. ISBN 0-7869-3981-8.
26. ↑ Paul S. Kemp (February 2006). *Resurrection*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 81. ISBN 0-7869-3981-8.
27. ↑ Paul S. Kemp (February 2006). *Resurrection*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 266. ISBN 0-7869-3981-8.
28. ↑ Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins, James Wyatt (2014). *Dungeon Master's Guide 5th edition*. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 978-0786965622.
29. ↑ Richard Baker (May 2003). *Condemnation*. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 339–340. ISBN 0786932023.
30. ↑ Eric L. Boyd (November 1998). *Demihuman Deities*. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 36. ISBN 0-7869-1239-1.

### Connections

Cosmologies of the Realms

The Great Wheel

Prime Material plane • Feywild • Shadowfell • Fugue Plane
**Transitive Planes:** Astral Plane • Ethereal plane
**Inner Planes:** Elemental Plane of Air • Elemental Plane of Water • Elemental Plane of Earth • Elemental Plane of Fire • Elemental Chaos
**Para-Elemental Planes:** Frostfell • Swamp of Oblivion • Fountains of Creation • Great Conflagration
**Quasi-Elemental Planes:** Lightning • Radiance • Minerals • Steam • Vacuum • Ash • Dust • Salt
**Outlands:** Sigil
**Outer Planes:** Arcadia • Mount Celestia • Bytopia • Elysium • Beastlands • Arborea • Ysgard • Limbo •
Pandemonium • Abyss (Layers) • Carceri • Hades • Gehenna • Nine Hells • Acheron • Mechanus
**Energy planes:** Positive Energy plane • Negative Energy plane
**Planar Pathways:** Infinite Staircase • Oceanus • Mount Olympus • Styx • Yggdrasil
**Far Realm**

The World Tree

Prime Material plane • Cynosure • Fugue Plane
**Transitive Planes:** Astral Plane • Ethereal plane • Plane of Shadow • Spirit World
**Celestial Outer Planes:** Arvandor • Brightwater • Dwarfhome • Dweomerheart • Gates of the Moon • Golden Hills • Green Fields • House of Knowledge • House of the Triad
**Fiendish Outer Planes:** Abyss (Layers) • Barrens of Doom and Despair • Blood Rift • Clangor • Deep Caverns • **Demonweb Pits** • Fated Depths • Fury's Heart • Hammergrim • Nine Hells • Nishrek • Supreme Throne
**Neutral Outer Planes:** Dragon Eyrie • Heliopolis • House of Nature • Jotunheim • Warrior's Rest
**Inner Planes:** Elemental Plane of Air • Elemental Plane of Earth • Elemental Plane of Fire • Elemental Plane of Water • Positive Energy plane • Negative Energy plane
**Planar Pathways:** Infinite Staircase • River of Blood • World Tree
**Far Realm**

The World Axis

Prime Material plane
**Fundamental planes:** Astral Sea • Elemental Chaos
**Astral dominions:** Arvandor • Banehold • Celestia • Cynosure • Deep Wilds • **Demonweb Pits** • Dismal Caverns • Dwarfhome • Eternal Sun • Fugue Plane • Gates of the Moon • Green Fields • House of Knowledge • Nine Hells • Nishrek • Supreme Throne • Towers of Night • Tu'narath • Warrior's Rest
**Elemental realms:** Abyss (Layers) • City of Brass • Cresting Spires • Fimbulwinter • Hidden Realm • Muspelheim • Root Hold • Sky Home • Steading • Thraotor • Undying Pyre • Zerthadlun
**Parallel planes:** Feywild • Shadowfell
**Anomalous planes:** Far Realm

​