Scylith

Elder Goddess of Light, Beauty, and Cruelty
Demonym: Scyllithene
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Pantheon Status: Extant Elder God
Domain: Light, Infernal
Organization: Deep Drow (Scyllithene)

Scylith is an Elder Goddess of Light, Beauty, and Cruelty. She is not a member of the Pantheon and is worshiped by the deep drow. She was ousted from Hell by Elilial.

Hell and Infernal Magic

Hell is Scylith's domain. It is the remnants of the plane she created during the time of the Elder Gods. Scylith's personal magic, the Infernal, is uniquely corrosive. Just as Fae magic comes from Naiya, Infernal magic comes from Scylith herself.

Because of Infernal magic's uniquely corrosive nature, the demons of Hell are not beings of infernal energy but rather those that were able to evolve to exist while suffused with it. They represent life that adapted to survive in the presence of Scylith's destructive power.

Some of the residents of Hell still adhere in their allegiance to Scylith, resisting Elilial who usurped her position as Queen of Hell.

The Elder War and Betrayal

It is well known that Scylith betrayed the other Elder Gods during the Pantheon's uprising. Her exact role in the betrayal is not known, but her betrayal is what allowed the Pantheon's uprising to succeed. Without Scylith's assistance, the mortals who became the Pantheon might never have overthrown the Elder Gods.

Reign in Hell

Following the Pantheon's Ascension approximately 8000 years ago, Scylith remained in Hell as its Queen. During this time, she maintained control over the infernal plane and the demons within it.

The Hell Wars

From 8000 years ago to 5000 years ago, Scylith launched two invasions of the material plane from Hell. In both cases, her deep-drow broke through to the surface and opened Hellgates, allowing demons to flood the world. These conflicts were devastating but ultimately repelled.

The Third Hell War

The Third Hell War, occurring around 5000 years ago, was different. Elilial launched a coup against Scylith to take control of Hell. During their battle, the veil between the material plane and Hell ripped open, allowing infernal forces to flood into the world.

The Third Hell War was by far the bloodiest of the three conflicts and lasted for decades, devastating the world and reshaping civilization.

Scylith's Fall and Current Status

The details of the Third Hell War's end are lost to history. The Pantheon preaches that Elilial's coup against Scylith was a first step to position herself to take down the Pantheon. While the Pantheon assisted Elilial in defeating Scylith and bound her deep in the dark places of the world, in doing so they also threw down Elilial for her supposed treason.

Elilial retreated to Hell and took up control of the plane, becoming the new Queen of Demons after Scylith's fall.

Currently, Scylith cannot regularly manifest and her existence has been specially diffused and muddled, bound deep beneath the world. Her presence, when concentrated, is easy for other gods to detect, such that her followers have trouble avoiding the attention of Pantheon Gods and servants when Scylith is invoked.

The Deep Drow

The deep drow still worship Scylith. She is uniquely able to provide them the ability to wield both Divine and Infernal magics at the same time—a feat that is normally impossible due to the catastrophic interaction between these opposing magic systems. This dual-magic capability makes Scylith's deep-drow worshipers particularly dangerous, as they can channel both types of power simultaneously without the violent clashes that would normally occur when both mana types are present in a caster's aura.

The society of Scyllithene Drow, as it existed before the Third Hell War, was run by Priestesses of Scylith. Casual cruelty and innate violence permeated the society. Since her defeat and binding, the structure of Scyllithene Drow society has changed dramatically, though many still maintain their allegiance to the Lady of Light and her ability to grant them dual-magic power.

Relationship with the Pantheon

The Pantheon, although having worked with and against Scylith on multiple occasions, regards her as particularly dangerous. They recognize that despite her betrayal of the other Elder Gods, Scylith herself represented everything wrong with the Elder Gods—cruelty, capriciousness, and a pathological need to cause suffering.

Vesk and other Pantheon gods have indicated that Scylith, despite having escaped the fate of the other Elder Gods, was perhaps the worst example of them.

Personality and Nature

Scylith is referred to by the nickname "Lady of Light." Her cruelty manifests as a pathological need to cause pain, even to the detriment of herself and her own plans. Some have described her as enjoying the suffering of others beyond all reason.

As a god, she is amused by attempts to betray her and encourages them. This trait is perhaps what led to her own downfall at the hands of Elilial.