Zinzerena
Encyclopedia
In the Dungeons & Dragons
role-playing game
, Zinzerena is the drow deity of chaos and assassins. Her symbol is a shortsword draped in a black cloak, symbolizing her hidden menace. In the Forgotten Realms
cosmology, she has been killed or banished by Lolth
.
In many campaign setting
s, the drow pantheon of gods consists of the leader Lolth, as well as Kiaransalee
, Vhaeraun
, and Zinzerena
. Other drow gods may be present in different campaign settings.
(1992), including details about his priesthood. Her role in the cosmology of the Planescape
campaign setting was described in On Hallowed Ground
(1996).
, where she hides in the cities of the drow, inspiring chaos wherever she goes.
One of their proverbs, referring to Lolth, is The legs of the spider are made to be broken.
. She is a patron of assassins and illusionists. Members of the planar faction known as the Revolutionary League also hold her as a patron.
A newer myth written for Zinzerena in Drow of the Underdark says that at the time where her renown had grown to the point that she was worshipped by many drow as a goddess in her own right, she was betrayed by a client who had ostensibly hired her to kill a rival, trapping her with web golem
s. She bragged that she had become entirely illusionary, immune to capture, and when her captors ordered their golems to rend her asunder, they found no body within her clothes. Immediately after Zinzerena's alleged death, drow everywhere gained their innate powers over light and darkness for the first time. Zinzerena continues to wander the Underdark
to this day, an inspiration to rebels everywhere.
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
, Zinzerena is the drow deity of chaos and assassins. Her symbol is a shortsword draped in a black cloak, symbolizing her hidden menace. In the Forgotten Realms
Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
cosmology, she has been killed or banished by Lolth
Lolth
Lolth is a fictional goddess in the Dungeons and Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Lolth , the Demon Queen of Spiders, is the chief goddess of drow elves...
.
In many campaign setting
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
s, the drow pantheon of gods consists of the leader Lolth, as well as Kiaransalee
Kiaransalee
Kiaransalee is the fictional drow deity of slavery, undead, and vengeance. She was created for the AD&D Second Edition, first appearing in Monster Mythology, and as such is a general deity not specific to any one game world.-Publication history:Kiaransalee was first detailed in the book Monster...
, Vhaeraun
Vhaeraun
Vhaeraun , also known as the Masked Lord and the Masked God of Night, is the drow god of thievery, drow males, and evil activity on the surface world in many Dungeons & Dragons campaign settings.-Publication history:...
, and Zinzerena
Zinzerena
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Zinzerena is the drow deity of chaos and assassins. Her symbol is a shortsword draped in a black cloak, symbolizing her hidden menace...
. Other drow gods may be present in different campaign settings.
Publication history
Zinzerena was first detailed in the book Monster MythologyMonster Mythology
Monster Mythology is a sourcebook for the second edition of the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. Released by TSR in 1992 and written by Carl Sargent, with interior illustrations by Terry Dykstra, John and Laura Lakey, and Keith Parkinson, Monster Mythology was released as a companion volume for...
(1992), including details about his priesthood. Her role in the cosmology of the Planescape
Planescape
Planescape is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, originally designed by Zeb Cook. The Planescape setting was published in 1994...
campaign setting was described in On Hallowed Ground
On Hallowed Ground
On Hallowed Ground is an accessory book for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, for the Planescape campaign setting.-Contents:This book contains information about deities' planar domains from 20 separate pantheons...
(1996).
Description
Zinzerena, though a mistress of disguise, commonly takes the form of a dexterous-looking cloaked and masked drow elf. Her cloak, won from a slaad, displaces her image in space and has randomly varying protective capabilities, while her slaad-won sword, whose bonus also varies at random times, bleeds a magical paralyzing venom. She also carries a crop with a black handle that she uses to stun; it also has the powers of a wand of wonder.Relationships
Zinzerena was born a mortal, but gained a fraction of Keptolo's divinity through a ruse. As a result she is hunted by virtually the whole drow pantheon, though Keptolo hates her most of all.Realm
Though now divine, Zinzerena has not yet shaken off all the echoes of her mortality, and thus remains on the Prime Material PlanePrime Material Plane
The Prime Material Plane is the central plane of existence in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game...
, where she hides in the cities of the drow, inspiring chaos wherever she goes.
Dogma
Zinzerena's followers believe in raising themselves up by bringing down others. They avoid revealing their true strength or hatred until their victims are helpless. They wait until they have the advantage to strike; fair fights are an alien concept to them. Zinzerena's followers believe in the value of cruelty, stealth, misdirection, and survival by any means necessary.One of their proverbs, referring to Lolth, is The legs of the spider are made to be broken.
Worshippers
Zinzerena is beloved by those drow who wish to throw off the shackles of the priesthood of LolthLolth
Lolth is a fictional goddess in the Dungeons and Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Lolth , the Demon Queen of Spiders, is the chief goddess of drow elves...
. She is a patron of assassins and illusionists. Members of the planar faction known as the Revolutionary League also hold her as a patron.
Clergy
Zinzerena's clerics are often multi-classed cleric/fighters or cleric/rogues. They are more common in the cities than the wilderness, though they may be found anywhere. Some are servants in the far-flung estates of drow nobles, and some are laborers, guides, physicians, poets, or prostitutes; even a few bohemian nobles have become traitors to their social class by joining the cult of the Princess of the Outcasts. Banished nobles have been among the greatest leaders in Zinzerena's church. Clerics of Zinzerena may be chaotic evil, chaotic neutral, chaotic good, or neutral. Their favored weapon is the short sword.Zinzerena's apotheosis
The myth, according to the game materials, is this: Zinzerena was born a drow mage with an aptitude for illusion magic. Her mother faked her death in order to smuggle her away from the priestesses of Lolth. She grew in power, studying alone as a spellcaster and assassin specializing in the use of poison and disguise, and gained her divinity by tricking Keptolo, Lolth's consort, out of a fraction of his.A newer myth written for Zinzerena in Drow of the Underdark says that at the time where her renown had grown to the point that she was worshipped by many drow as a goddess in her own right, she was betrayed by a client who had ostensibly hired her to kill a rival, trapping her with web golem
Golem
In Jewish folklore, a golem is an animated anthropomorphic being, created entirely from inanimate matter. The word was used to mean an amorphous, unformed material in Psalms and medieval writing....
s. She bragged that she had become entirely illusionary, immune to capture, and when her captors ordered their golems to rend her asunder, they found no body within her clothes. Immediately after Zinzerena's alleged death, drow everywhere gained their innate powers over light and darkness for the first time. Zinzerena continues to wander the Underdark
Underdark
The Underdark is a fictional setting which has appeared in Dungeons & Dragons role-playing campaigns and Dungeons & Dragons-based fiction books, including the Legend of Drizzt series by R. A. Salvatore...
to this day, an inspiration to rebels everywhere.
Waiting
Zinzerena once undertook to raid a beholder's lair only to find it was already in combat with a slaad. As most drow do in such tales, she waited until the combat was over, the beholder grievously weakened and the slaad dead, before she revealed herself, quickly slaying her foe and absconding with a sword and cloak that the slaad had brought with it. She used illusion, disguise, and misdirection to confuse the slaadi who came to reclaim the items.Additional reading
- Conforti, Steven, ed. Living Greyhawk Official Listing of Deities for Use in the Campaign, version 2.0. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2005. Available online:http://www.wizards.com/rpga/downloads/LG_Deities.zip
- Marmell, AriAri MarmellAri Marmell is an American novelist and freelance role-playing game writer.-Novels:His first novel, Gehenna: The Final Night, was published in 2004 by White Wolf Publishing...
, Anthony PryorAnthony Pryor-Career:Anthony Pryor has worked as a game designer for Wizards of the Coast, Inc. His professional RPG credits include the 1992 Greyhawk setting modules Patriots of Ulek and Rary the Traitor, the 1992 books Dune Trader and Asticlian Gambit for Dark Sun, Creative Campaigning in 1992, the 1993...
, Robert J. SchwalbRobert J. Schwalb-Career:His works for Dungeons & Dragons include: Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells , Drow of the Underdark -Career:His works for Dungeons & Dragons include: Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells (2006, with Robin Laws), Drow of the Underdark -Career:His works for Dungeons &...
, and Greg A. VaughanGreg A. Vaughan-Works:Grey A. Vaughan's role-playing credits for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game include Drow of the Underdark, Scepter Tower of Spellguard, Pathfinder #11: Skeletons of Scarwall, Anauroch: The Empire of Shade, The Twilight Tomb, and Pathfinder #6: Spires of Xin-Shalast.He was written...
. Drow of the UnderdarkDrow of the UnderdarkDrow of the Underdark is the name of two supplemental rules books for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, providing supplementary game rules focusing on drow culture, equipment and folklore for both players and Dungeon Masters....
. (Wizards of the CoastWizards of the CoastWizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
, 2007). - Weining, FrederickFrederick WeiningFrederick Weining is among those credited for design of the Dungeons & Dragons Gazetteer and the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, both published by Wizards of the Coast. He has also authored or co-authored a number of Greyhawk articles for the Living Greyhawk Journal, the Oerth Journal, and...
. "The Vault of the Drow." Dragon MagazineDragon (magazine)Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#298. (Wizards of the CoastWizards of the CoastWizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
, 2002).