Matron Mother Ardulace Despana is a high-ranking Priestess of Lolth residing within Ust Natha's Temple of Lolth. She is the Matron Mother of the House Despana.
| “ | *This* is that one? Illithids, eye tyrants, gnomes... and the mighty Solaufein! Are you sure? To me, <PRO_HESHE> looks scrawny, and there is... something... odd... | ” |
— Matron Mother Ardulace | ||
Gameplay[]
First off, if the party enters the Temple of Lolth, and she is present there - and then dares to speak with the Matron Mother, the priestess will give a curt and harsh reply to NOT speak with her uninvited. This is a warning. If spoken to two more times, she will become hostile. So, don't speak with her unless you must through other dialogue introductions, such as if you are double-crossing Phaere, which is an option at a certain stage of the story line. The player will know they are headed in the wrong direction if she says: "I have no interest in your questions, foolish <MALEFEMALE>. Begone! And do not interrupt me again!"
In general, the Matron Mother gives the player character some quest actions and tasks relevant to the main plot of getting the protagonist and party back to the surface from the Underdark, part of the The Drow Summoning Ritual quest line:
- Rescue her daughter Phaere with the aid of Solaufein. this order is passed on by Imrae a handmaiden of Lolth.
- Later, after several quests given by Phaere are completed: Retrieve either the Eyestalk of an Elder Orb, Kuo-toa's Blood or Elder Brain Blood for a planned ritual (or all three if you desire).
After these quests have been completed, Phaere will attempt to entice Gorion's Ward into betraying the Matron Mother. If this option is selected, and Solaufein is still alive, he will then offer the player the option to triple-cross both of the drow women.
There is more intrigue potentially with these lines of gameplay. The party can even report Phaere's plot to betray the Matron Mother directly to her.
Note that it is unlikely that the party will actually ever be in direct combat with the Matron Mother in this saga, as that would cause hostility of the entire city of Ust Natha, and prematurely end all open pending quest actions.
However, assuming the party does face the Matron mother in battle (it is possible), then she will force-cast a group of protective buffs at the outset to include Physical Mirror, Shield of the Archons, Regeneration (spell), Blade Barrier, and the use her Ring of Spell Turning to apply Minor Spell Turning.
The next spell attempted will be Earthquake. If her hit points fall to 40% or less, she'll regroup with a instant cast spell trio of Sanctuary, Heal and Protection From Fire (priest). She can do this action another time if her HP again falls to 40%.
All of the other spells listed in the InfoBox are scripted for use, and she will attempt any of those spells when on the offensive.
Related quests and encounters[]
- Inside the Drow City (several within)
- The Drow Summoning Ritual
Gallery[]
Mod content[]
This section is about unofficial content that is only available via fan-made mods.
The Sword Coast Stratagems revises this cleric's memorized spells, assigns a new "Smarter Priest" default AI script, and sets up the Matron Mother with a large group of instantly applied protective buffs and two summoned creatures when hostilities break out, including:
Globe of Blades, Blade Barrier, Armor of Faith, Spiritual Hammer, Draw Upon Holy Might (spell), Protection From Fire (priest), Physical Mirror, Energy Blades (priest), Shield of the Archons, Free Action (spell), Chaotic Commands, Aerial Servant, and Animate Dead. Offensive spells will be selected based on the AI's vulnerability assessment of targets and other threats. She'll heal herself several times if able.
Mod gallery[]
- Portraits from Portraits Portraits Everywhere
