quest for a new diety

[Ettina]

I'd like some help hashing out a plotline I'm thinking up for a character in a D&D-based story.

She's a drow cleric of Lolth. But she's Chaotic Neutral, not Chaotic Evil (clerics, it seems, can be one step away from their diety in alignment). She has good intentions at heart, but in order to survive as a drow and rise to being a cleric she's had to be willing to do evil when she'd suffer serious consequences for not doing it. But she'll help the helpless if she knows no one will find out about it.

Her big ambition in life is to become a cleric for a different diety - basically any diety less insane than Lolth. But this is going to be extremely difficult - she needs to find a diety who would be willing to have her and powerful enough to save her from Lolth's wrath, convince said diety that she's worth protecting from Lolth, and do all this without tipping off Lolth before she's ready.

I had the idea of her finagling getting chosen for an undercover mission with a team of Good adventurers, one of whom serves the diety she's going to try to impress (cleric or paladin). She becomes a double agent, pretending to spy on the team while really working with the team, and tries to figure out something heroic to do that would be big enough to impress her desired diety.

But I need to hash out the details:

* why would a drow cleric be sent on an undercover mission among Good guys?
* how might a cleric of Lolth convince some nicer diety to take her on and piss off Lolth in the process? (Lolth seems to be a scary one to piss off, even for other gods.)
* how would she avoid Lolth figuring out her plan prematurely and crushing her?
* if her alignment shifted to Good before she's made her switch, what would happen to her? If her alignment is still CE, how will that affect her attempts to win over a (probably Good) diety?

[Slipperychicken]

I believe Drow often send agents to the surface for reconnaissance, slaving, and raiding. For infiltration, they typically send albino drow (they look more like normal elves), but I could see them using a normal one every so often. Getting her to the surface can help her rivals get her out of the way.

She could go ask Lolth's enemies. Maybe Corellon or one of the CG gods might take her?

As for protection, I think she'd be shunned by drow culture and get the occasional assassin no matter how she split with Lolth.

[Ettina]

As for protection, I think she'd be shunned by drow culture and get the occasional assassin no matter how she split with Lolth.

But what about Lolth herself? Is she likely to get divine retribution unless some other god takes her side?

[JusticeZero]

I'm reminded of this..
As you, personally, get stronger, you have more and more freedom in that regard. A level 1 cleric, nobody cares. A level 3 cleric might get some grief from their god. But at level 12? Your god is having to go out of their way to keep YOU happy. You are becoming more and more valuable and important, and increasingly hard to control.

[Brookshw]

But what about Lolth herself? Is she likely to get divine retribution unless some other god takes her side?

Ultimately up to your DM (as any NPC motivation is) but the idea that, unless you were some high priest or something, you even registering as more than a blip on a gods radar is kinda odd. They're playing the "BIG" game generally and it's not like there aren't other drow gods.

If you're really looking for something that could offer protection look into gods of at least Lolth's divine rank. If you like the idea of beating your enemies in the face until they recognize the wisdom of your ways I suggest St. Cuthbert.