"She didn't steal the fire. She found it sitting there, not being used by anyone in particular, and she thought it deserved better company."
— Kender theological position on the Sarenrae, The Dawnflower Incident
| Grandmother Spider — At a Glance | |
|---|---|
| Titles | The Finder of Lost Things, Nana Anadi, The Weaver, She Who Borrows |
| Alignment | Neutral |
| Areas of Concern | Family, illusion, stories, twilight, weaving |
| Domains | Artifice, Knowledge, Luck, Trickery |
| Subdomains | Deception, Fate, Memory, Thievery |
| Favored Weapon | Net |
| Holy Symbol | Four-pointed hollow webbed diamond |
| Sacred Animal | Spider |
| Sacred Colors | Blue, orange, yellow |
Kender Theology
Grandmother Spider is the most beloved deity in the kender pantheon, and the reason is simple: she gets them.
The kender version of Grandmother Spider's story goes like this: she used to weave stories for the bigger gods, and they never once said thank you. So she started helping herself to their things — Asmodeus, the Prince of Darkness's keys, Sarenrae's fire, a few other odds and ends — and when they got upset, she pointed out that they hadn't been using any of it properly. Then she rewove the strands of fate to suit herself, because if you're going to get yelled at anyway, you might as well be free.
Kender adore this story. They tell it to their children as a bedtime tale and to strangers as an explanation for why their coin purse feels lighter. Grandmother Spider is proof that small, clever, underestimated people can outwit anyone — and that the things you "find" were probably just waiting for someone who'd appreciate them.
Worship Among the Kender
Grandmother Spider's worship among the kender centers on storytelling. Every kender settlement has at least one elder who serves as a "Web-Keeper" — a storyteller who maintains the community's oral history, such as it is. Web-Keepers don't just preserve stories; they improve them, which Grandmother Spider apparently encourages.
Small woven spider figures hang from the eaves of kender treehouses, and it's considered good luck to find a spider web across your doorway in the morning — it means Nana Anadi visited overnight and left you a story to discover.
The Mama Schools tradition has reached kender communities, though kender have characteristically adapted it. Kender Mama Schools teach reading, writing, and the fine art of "finding things that aren't technically lost yet," which Grandmother Spider apparently considers an advanced curriculum.
Who Worships Grandmother Spider
Kender of all kinds feel kinship with Grandmother Spider, but she's especially favored by rogues, bards, investigators, and anyone whose primary skill set involves talking their way into — or out of — trouble. Kender who travel far from the Mwangi Jungle often carry a small woven spider as a reminder that home is wherever you're currently standing.
Edicts
Be skilled and clever. Think for yourself. Take due payment for your work. Humiliate the powerful when they abuse their position.
Anathema
Abuse someone you have power over. Harm someone who has shown you sincere kindness. Let a slight go unanswered. Own a slave.