Choldriths are monstrous spiderlike creatures originally created to serve Lolth. They rule colonies of chitines (in this book) and lead them into battle in Lolth's war against her enemies.

When devotees of Lolth created the first chitines, she watched as her followers used arcane magic and demonic powers and invoked her aid for the divine spark needed to ensure the subjects' survival, expecting to see these new abominations dedicated solely to her, but the devotees performed no such ritual. As revenge for the devotees' betrayal, the Spider Queen manipulated the creation rituals so that they sometimes created choldriths instead of chitines.

At first, these devotees were unaware that the new creatures, which they dubbed choldriths, were signs of Lolth's wrath. Instead, they were pleased, because choldriths could lay eggs that birthed more chitines (and the rare choldrith) and could direct the chitines in their work. But the devotees soon realized their mistake—choldriths belonged to Lolth, body and soul. Choldriths whispered to the chitines of their adoration of the Spider Queen and their enmity against their creators, and led them in a successful revolt.

Choldriths are born with a mystical connection to Lolth, which gives them divine magic. They also make up the ruling caste of most chitine colonies. A colony can support numerous choldriths, who serve as commanders, priests, and supervisors. The choldriths continually jockey for position, although they rarely confront one another in a way that puts the colony at risk. The colony is ruled by a sovereign, who determines which colony members perform which tasks, including whether a choldrith is permitted to lay eggs. Sometimes a choldrith ruler receives a vision from Lolth that inspires the entire colony into some grand, often violent, action.