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〃You　believe　the　priestesses　are　too　formidable；　even　divested　of　their　spells？〃
〃Oh；　they're　powerful。　They　may　well　extinguish　this　little　cabal。　Yet　for　the　moment；　I'm　more　concerned　about　the　undercreatures。　Do　you　realize　how　many　goblins　there　are；　how　fervently　they　hated　us　even　before　you　maddened　them；　or　how　dangerous　your　stoneconsuming　fire　is？　It　could　be　that　after　they　riot；　we　won't　have　a　Menzoberranzan　left　for　anyone　to　rule。〃
〃Nonsense。　The　ores　will　have　their　hour；　and　your　people　will　butcher　them。〃
Pharaun　sighed。　〃That's　what　folk　keep　telling　me。　I　wish　your　consensus　forted　me；　but　it　doesn't。　That's　one　of　the　drawbacks　of　knowing　yourself　shrewder　than　everybody　else。〃
〃I　assure　you；　the　ores　cannot　prevail。〃
〃At　the　very　least；　they'll　destroy　some　of　the　lovely　architecture　the　founders　sculpted　from　the　living　rock；　and　they'll　set　a　defiant　example　for　future　generations　of　thralls。　Your　scheme　will　harm　not　merely　the　priestesses　but　Menzoberranzan　itself；　and　I　disapprove　of　that。　It's　sloppy　and　inept。　Only　a　fool　mars　the　very　treasure　he's　striving　to　acquire。〃
A　sneer　in　its　tone；　Syrzan　said；　〃I　wouldn't　have　taken　you　for　a　patriot。〃
〃Odd；　isn't　it？　I'll　tell　you　something　even　stranger。　In　my　way；　I'm　also　a　devout　child　of　Lolth。　Oh；　it's　never　kept　me　from　pursuing　my　own　ends—even　past　the　point　of　murdering　a　priestess　or　two—but　though　I　strive　for　personal　preeminence；　I　would　never　seek　to　topple　the　entire　social　order　she　established。　I　certainly　wouldn't　conspire　to　place　her　chosen　people　and　city　under　the　rule　of　a　lesser　creature。〃
〃Even　gods　die；　drow。　Perhaps　Lolth　is　no　more。　If　Menzoberranzan　is　indeed　the　mortal　realm　she　loves　best；　why　else　would　she　abandon　you？〃
〃A　test？　A　punishment？　A　whim？　Who　can　say？　But　I　doubt　the　Spider　Queen　is　dead。　I　saw　her　once；　and　I　don't　just　mean　the　manifestation　who　visited　Menzoberranzan　during　the　Time　of　Troubles。　I've　gazed　upon　the　Dark　Mother　in　the　full　majesty　of　her　divinity；　and　I　can't　imagine　that　anything　could　ever　lay　her　low。〃
〃You　have　looked　upon　the　Spider　Queen？〃
〃I　thought　you　might　be　interested　in　that；〃　said　the　mage。　〃It　wasn't　long　after　I　graduated　from　Sorcere；　returned　home　to　serve　my　mother；　and　sided　with　my　sister　Sabal　against　her　twin　Greyanna。　One　night；　a　delegation　of　priestesses　came　to　our　stalactite　castle。　Triel　Baenre　herself　led　the　expedition—she　was　Mistress　of　ArachTinilith　in　those　days—and　she'd　brought　along　dignitaries　from　Houses　Xorlarrin；　Agrach　Dyrr；　Barrison　Del'Armgo；　and　other　families　of　note。　It　was　a　momentous　occasion；　especially　for　me；　because　all　these　great　ladies　had　e　to　arrest　me。
〃I　never　did　find　out　if　Greyanna　instigated　the　affair。　It　was　the　kind　of　thing　she　would　have　done；　but　it　needn't　have　been　her。　You'll　scarcely　credit　it；　but　in　those　days；　I　was　considered　an　insolent；　uppity　scapegrace；　a　far　cry　from　the　meek　and　modest　gentleman　you　see　before　you　today。　A　good　many　clerics　may　have　suspected　me　of　irreverence。〃
〃This　is　what　happened　to　Tsabrak；〃　Syrzan　said。　〃The　priestesses　arrested　him；　turned　him　into　a　drider；　and　drove　him　forth。〃
〃Sometimes　they　mete　out　punishments　even　fouler；〃　Pharaun　said；　〃but　first　they　examine　you　to　determine　your　true　sentiments。　I　hoped　my　mother　would　intervene。　She　was　one　of　the　great　Matrons　of　Menzoberranzan；　and　I'd　scored　a　number　of　coups　for　House　Mizzrym；　but　she　never　said　a　word。　Perhaps　she　believed　me　a　traitor　in　the　making　or　was　reluctant　to　disagree　with　the　Baenre。　Maybe　she　simply　found　my　predicament　amusing。　Miz'ri's　like　that。
〃Be　that　as　it　may；　the　priestesses　threw　me　in　a　dungeon　and　put　me　to　the　question；　employing　whips　and　other　toys。　Somehow　I　managed　to　resist　the　urge　to　make　a　spurious　confession　merely　to　stop　the　pain。　A　fellow　wizard　cast　a　mindreading　spell；　only　to　slap　up　against　the　defenses　most　mages　erect　to　protect　their　thoughts。　I　imagine　an　illithid　would　have　smashed　right　through；　but　he　was　unequal　to　the　challenge。〃
〃Then　you　passed　the　test？〃　Syrzan　asked。
〃Alas；　no；〃　Pharaun　laughed。　〃The　examiners　deemed　the　results　inconclusive　and　accordingly　asked　a　higher　power　to　make　the　determination。　They　laid　me　on　an　obsidian　altar；　performed　a　dancing；　keening；　selfmutilating　ritual　together；　and　the　torture　chamber　faded　away。　You'd　think　I　would　have　been　glad　of　it；　wouldn't　you；　but　my　new　surroundings　were　no　less　ominous。〃
Pharaun's　captors　had　ignored　his　silver　ring；　obviously　thinking　it　mere　jewelry；　if　they　noticed　it　at　all。　As　soon　as　he'd　looked　at　Syrzan；　he'd　discovered　its　magic　operated　even　within　the　confines　of　the　lich's　phantasmal　creation。　He　forced　an　idea　into　his　subconscious　and　continued　to　prattle。
〃The　priestesses　had　drugged　me　to　prevent　my　resisting　their　attentions；　then　used　me　with　considerable　brutality。　It　took　me　a　while　just　to　lift　my　battered　head　and　look　around。　When　I　did；　I　perceived　that　I　lay　atop　an　enormous　object　with　the　shape　of　a　staffer　length　of　cord　made　of　a　substance　that　gave　ever　so　slightly　but　was　as　strong　as　adamantine　nonetheless。　Otherwise；　it　would　have　disintegrated　under　its　own　weight。　Far　ahead；　my　perch　fused　at　right　angles　with　another　such　object；　which　connected　with　still　others；　the　pattern　spreading　out　to　form；　I　suddenly　realized；　a　spiderweb　of　insane　plexity；　huge　enough　to　make　a　world。　If　it　was　attached　to　anything；　the　anchor　points　were　too　distant　for　me　to　see。　Perhaps　it　just　went　on　and　on　forever。〃
〃The　Demonweb；〃　Syrzan　said。
Pharaun　surreptitiously　examined　his　captor's　talismans；　using　the　magic　in　the　silver　ring；　trying　to　figure　out　which　one　would　allow　an　illithid　to　send　a　psionic　〃Call〃　to　every　ore　and　goblin　in　Menzoberranzan。
〃Very　good；〃　the　mage　said。　〃I　see　you　were　paying　attention　when　your　teachers　discoursed　on　the　sundry　planes　of　existence。　I　was　indeed　exiled　to　that　layer　of　the　Abyss　where　Lolth　holds　sway。　I　remembered　hearing　that　the　strands　of　the　web　were　hollow　and　that　much　of　the　life　of　the　place　existed　inside。　Well；　I　certainly　couldn't　see　any　source　of　food　or　water　on　the　outside；　let　alone　a　portal　to　take　me　home；　so；　still　dazed　and　sick　from　the　clerics'　attentions；　I　started　crawling　and　searching　for　a　means　of　entry。
〃Eventually；　I　might　have　found　one；　but　I　ran　out　of　time。　The　strand　I　was　traversing　began　to　tremble。　I　peered　about　and　saw　her　scuttling　toward　me。〃
〃Lolth？〃　Syrzan　asked。
〃Who　else？　Her　priestesses　say　she　travels　her　domain　in　a　mobile　iron　fortress；　but　she　must　have　left　it　behind　that　day。　I　beheld　the　goddess　herself　in　the　guise　of　a　spider　as　huge　as　the　Great　Mound　of　the　Baenre。　She's　appeared　to　others　in　the　same　shape　only　smaller；　but　she　was　colossal　when　she　came　for　me。
〃I　was　terrified；　but　what　was　one　to　do　about　it？　Run？　Fight？　Either　effort　would　have　been　equally　absurd。　I　exercised　the　only　sensible　option。　I　huddled　atop　the　thread　and　covered　my　eyes。
〃Alas；　she　denied　me　the　forts　of　blindness。　Her　will　took　hold　of　me　and　forced　me　to　look　up。　She　was　looming　over　me；　staring　down　with　a　circle　of　luminous　ruby　orbs。
〃I　felt　as　if　her　gaze　was　not　merely　piercing　but　dissolving　me。　The　sensation　was　intolerable；　I　wanted　to　die；　and　in　a　way；　she　granted　my　wish。
〃Her　legs　were　immense；　but　they　tapered　to　points　at　the　ends；　and；　moving　with　a　dainty　precision；　she　used　the　two　frontmost　members　to　dissect　me。　Did　the　process　kill　me？　I　don't　know。　By　all　rights；　it　should　have；　but　if　I　lost　my　life；　my　spirit　lingered　in　my　divided　flesh；　still　suffering　the　horror　and　pain。
〃My　soul　was　conscious；　too；　of　its　own　destruction。　Somehow；　as　the　Spider　Queen　picked　apart　my　flesh　and　bones；　she　was　filleting　my　mind　and　spirit　as　well。　It　irks　me　that　I　can't　describe　how　it　felt。　I　hail　from　a　race　of　torturers　and　spellcasters；　but　I　still　lack　the　vocabulary。　Suffice　it　to　say；　it　wasn't　pleasant。
〃In　the　end；　every　aspect　of　my　self　lay　in　pieces　before　her—for　inspection；　I　realize　now；　though　I　was　in　too　much　agony　and　dread　to　work　it　out　at　the　time。　When　she'd　looked　her　fill；　she　put　me　back　together。〃
Still　careful　not　to　betray　h