Eilservs

Template:Greyhawk Organization House Eilservs is, in 592 CY, ranked seventh among the eight noble houses of Erelhei-Cinlu.

Headquarters

Eilservs controls the Ghetto of the Dead in the city proper, although they have their own estates across the Pitchy Flow.

History

House Eilservs was ranked first among the houses in 576 CY. Having long believed that the Vault of the Drow needed a single queen to rule it, the ruler of the house, Eclavdra, believed she was best suited to become that queen. The High Priestess of Lolth, Matron Charinida, disagreed, believing the presence of a queen would undermine her own position as the ultimate arbiter of disputes and actions of the dark elves. Charinida therefore supported the other houses in denying Eclavdra's claim. In response, Eclavdra renounced Lolth and took up the worship of the Elder Elemental God, allying House Eilservs with House Tormtor in defying the other families. There was not, at first, a war in the Vault of the Drow, but Eclavdra's actions caused a cold war of sorts filled with simmering hatred. Eclavdra's plot to establish a puppet kingdom on the surface of the world ruled in the name of the Elder Elemental Eye was thwarted and House Eilservs was forced to retrench. Adventurers from the surface world followed Eclavdra's trail back to Erelhei-Cinlu and assaulted not only the Eilservs Estates but the Fane of Lolth itself. With nobles of the house held hostage and the wealth and pride of the house shattered, Eilservs fell victim to its rivals and was driven from the city. Many fled to the lesser drow city of Angrimm, which was subsequently overrun by the true ghouls of the White Kingdom. Eclavdra herself disappeared, and many assumed her dead, though it seems she became a servant of Graz'zt for a time.

In the Eilservs' absence, its ally House Tormtor started a war with the other houses, announcing it had renounced Lolth once again in favor of the newly militant goddess Kiaransalee. The civil war spread death and violence throughout the Vault of the Drow, and only ended when Eclavdra reappeared, having reembraced the faith of Lolth. Eclavdra somehow convinced Lolth to intervene directly to end the war, and at the end House Eilservs was reinstated in its old position, though it was reduced to the status of seventh among the eight houses. Eclavdra was made Lolth's ambassador to Iuz, though she was Graz'zt's ambassador simultaneously, with both demon lords fully aware of her status as a double agent.

Just three months ago (as of 592 CY), Eclavdra returned to her position as head of House Eilservs, having betrayed Graz'zt as part of her bargain with Lolth. It was then that Eclavdra began her plan to challenge Matron Charinida for leadership of the Great Fane of Lolth, the highest position a priestess of Lolth can hold on Oerth. Charinida had ruled for over two centuries, but her position had been weakened when she took sides during the civil war, a decision that only prolonged the war and diminished her authority. Eclavdra struck swiftly and as of 597 CY she had recently succeeded in her gambit.

In Fourth Edition

The 4th edition sourcebook Underdark claimed Eclavdra had recently died of apparent poisoning, and said it was rumored she dwelled in the Ghetto of the Dead in a state similar to that of a lich. Underdark notes that the youthful matron Na' Dhaunxutal has replaced her as ruler of House Eilservs. However, the Monster Manual 3, published after Underdark, printed Eclavdra's full game statistics and presented Eclavdra as very much alive, now the most powerful servant of Lolth.

References

Bibliography

• Baur, Wolfgang. "Kingdom of the Ghouls" Dungeon #70. Renton, WA: TSR, 1998.
• Cook, Monte. Dead Gods. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 1997.
• Gygax, Gary. Descent into the Depths of the Earth. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1978.
• -----. Vault of the Drow. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1978.
• Gygax, Gary, David C. Sutherland III, David Cook, and Jeff Grubb. Queen of the Spiders. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1986.
• Heinsoo, Rob, and Andy Collins. Underdark. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2010.
• Marmell, Ari, Anthony Pryor, Robert J. Schwalb, and Greg A. Vaughan. Drow of the Underdark. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2007.
• Mearls, Mike, Greg Bilsland, and Robert J. Schwalb. Monster Manual 3. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2010.
• Weining, Frederick. "The Vault of the Drow." Dragon #298. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2002.

Zavoda Index Entry

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