House Do'Urden
Encyclopedia
House Do'Urden is a fictional clan
of dark elves in the Forgotten Realms
campaign setting
, created by R.A. Salvatore.
It is one of Houses of the Underdark
drow city of Menzoberranzan
which first appeared in Homeland. House Do'Urden was Tenth House of Menzoberranzan at the start of the series. It was the house of the famous drow Drizzt Do'Urden
.
"Do" means "walkers in", and "Urden" means "the darkness". Thus "Do'Urden" means "walkers in the darkness".
), on the day which Drizzt Do'Urden
was born, House Do'Urden attacked House DeVir, which was Fourth House of Menzoberranzan
at that time. Using the power of the birth of Drizzt Do'Urden
, Malice Do'Urden was able to create a spell capable of defeating House DeVir. With this defeat House Do'Urden became Ninth House of Menzoberranzan
.
When Drizzt Do'Urden
saved the life of Ellifain, an elven child he encountered on a surface raid, House Do'Urden lost the favor of Lolth
. House Hun'ett (the Fifth House), which already considered House Do'Urden a threat, prepared to attack. The first part of the battle was supposed to occur with the killing of Drizzt, but he in turn killed Masoj Hun'ett and Gelroos Hun'ett (who was actually Alton DeVir, last survivor of the House DeVir) giving House Do'Urden an edge in the war.
Matron Malice Do'Urden became aware of her son's actions, which had placed the house in disfavor. To regain the favor of Lolth
, she sacrificed Zaknafein (Drizzt's father), who volunteered to save his son's life. Drizzt, returned from his battle with Masoj and Gelroos, and discovering what had happened to his father, deserted House Do'Urden and left Menzoberranzan
.
House Hun'ett lost two of its wizards and the favor of Lolth for failing to kill Drizzt, and House Do'Urden lost the favor of Lolth due to Drizzt's desertion.
Ten years passed with small sneak attacks between House Do'Urden and House Hun'ett, because neither of the houses had regained Lolth's favor. Also both were severely weakened by various losses. House Do'Urden lost its principle weapon masters and House Hun'ett lost its two most powerful mages. In Exile (1338 DR), when finally House Hun'ett launched an attack to House Do’Urden with the help of Bregan D'aerthe, Malice Do'Urden turned the tide of the battle by making a better offer to Jarlaxle
. House Do'Urden became Eighth House of Menzoberranzan
and made its way to ruling council. But they had lost a lot of soldiers and had yet to regain Lolth's favor. SiNafay Hun'ett became a member of House Do'Urden to offer the house additional power. (under the name Shi'nayne Do'Urden).
To regain Lolth's favor, House Do'Urden needed to kill Drizzt. After Briza and Dinin failed, Matron Malice took her biggest risk and desired Zin-carla to hunt Drizzt down. Giving SiNafay as a sacrifice, Zaknafein's was risen as Zin-carla which is also known as a spirit-wraith. This removed Malice's disfavor in the eyes of Lolth, however, it did not regain Malice favor. When Zaknafein regained his senses for a little time he jumped into an acid pit, destroying himself and causing the failure of Zin-carla. This caused House Do’Urden to lose Lolth's favor forever, as Matron Malice had failed in her distinct orders to kill Drizzt. Briza took the lead by killing her mother but House Baenre
, under orders by Lolth, attacked House Do'Urden, killing most of its members. Vierna and Dinin survived this attack and joined Bregan D'aerthe in order to survive.
In The Legacy
(1357 DR), Vierna tried to rebuild House Do'Urden by attempting to kill Drizzt. She had Lolth's favor and got help from Bregan D'aerthe. She turned Dinin into a drider
. During their attack on Mithral Hall
, Bruenor killed Dinin in his drider form, and Drizzt killed Vierna, making Drizzt the last known Do'Urden.
, she was angry and brutal, and she always punished infractions quickly. She killed her mother, Malice Do'Urden when she learned that her mother Malice had not successfully completed Zin-Carla, the highest gift of Lolth (Drizzt refers to it as Lolth's greatest lie). She had little time to savor her power, for house Do'Urden was attacked immediately after by house Baenre. She was the last Matron Mother of House Do'Urden, even if only for a few moments, until Jarlaxle killed her himself, stating that he never liked her to begin with.
, first appearing in R.A. Salvatore's Dark Elf Trilogy, beginning with the first book Homeland, following in the second book Exile, and returning in the Legacy of the Drow
series' first book The Legacy.
In House Do'Urden's war against House DeVir in the opening chapters of Homeland, Dinin unwittingly saved his younger brother's life by murdering his older brother Nalfein, thus making Drizzt the Secondboy of House Do'Urden rather than the Thirdboy.
Dinin was also a master of Melee-Magthere until the beginning of the Do'Urden-Hun'ett conflict. When House Do'Urden was destroyed by House Baenre he was spared by Jarlaxle
under the conditions that he join the mercenary band Bregan D'aerthe. He was a trusted ally of Jarlaxle until he was turned into a drider
by his sister Vierna. In Vierna's raid on Mithral Hall
, Dinin (in his drider form) was killed by Bruenor Battlehammer
.
Drizzt
was born as the third son to House Do'Urden and was originally meant to be sacrificed to Lolth
, but was spared as Nalfein had been killed. Zaknafein trained him to be a great fighter, one of the greatest Menzoberranzan had ever produced. As an anti-stereotype drow, Drizzt has forsaken the evil ways of his people.
Drizzt left Menzoberranzan, and eventually found his way to the surface after time alone in the wilds of the Underdark
and a sojourn with the deep gnomes. Most people he met treated him with hatred and disgust, leaving only the most open-minded and open-hearted people to accept him.
He was to meet an important and true friend named Montolio Debrouchee (Mooshie). Drizzt was taught the ways of the ranger from Mooshie, and Drizzt realized he had followed these ways all of his life. From this time on, he made his patron goddess Mielikki
, Faerûnian goddess of the forest and of rangers.
Drizzt traveled through the realms in search of a new home. Eventually Drizzt found himself in Icewind Dale. There he met some of his best friends: Cattie-brie, Bruenor, Wulfgar, and Regis. A series of events led Drizzt and his friends south, to Mithral Hall, where they currently reside.
Sometimes Drizzt regresses into a bestial and instinctive state of mind in which he was identified as the Hunter. The first time this happened was after Drizzt had fled from Menzoberranzan and was living in the wilds of the Underdark
. When Drizzt is the Hunter, he reaches his physical apex, his skills honed to their utmost peak. His scimitars are like extensions of his own arms, and his senses are heightened beyond their normal capacity.
for a long time. She is the only known user of the power of the birth against her enemies. She was the mother of Drizzt
, Dinin, Nalfein, Vierna, Maya and Briza. She also had to adopt SiNafay Hun'ett. She first fell out of the favor of Lloth because of Drizzt's actions on the surface raid. She regained temporarily the favor of Lloth by sacrifing Zaknafein as an atonement. She again lost the favor of Lloth after Drizzt
's departure from Menzoberranzan
. Malice never regained Lolth
's favor but was given a final chance by Lloth to regain her favor by destroying Drizzt by the use of Zin-carla. She received the power for this spell by sacrificing SiNafay. She lost control of Zin-carla for a moment, which was enough time for Zaknafein to destroy himself. This caused Malice to forever lose the favor of Lloth and to be killed by Briza, in one last futile desperate attempt to regain Lloth's favor for House Do'Urden.
Malice had six children through three different males: the father of Briza is unknown, Zaknafein was the father of Vierna and Drizzt, and Rizzen was the father of Maya, Nalfein, and Dinin. When Malice's mother died, Briza, Zaknafein and Nalfein were still young, and Malice had just finished her clerical studies.
. She was slain by House Baenre
troops.
, he was betrayed and assassinated by his brother Dinin, who wished to become Elderboy himself. He was accepted as an appropriate sacrifice instead of Drizzt
that night, saving the young baby's life.
's birth, though it was common knowledge that he was not the father of Drizzt. He was the known father of Nalfein, Dinin and Maya.
's betrayal, her house was defeated and punished by the ruling council of Menzoberranzan
. After that, Matron Hun'ett became a member of House Do'Urden under her new name, Shi'nayne Do'Urden. She was tricked and sacrificed to Lolth
to summon Zaknafein by using Zin-carla.
, younger than Briza but older than Maya. Her mother was Malice Do'Urden and her father was Zaknafein Do'Urden. She is Drizzt's only full sibling, his other siblings being half-siblings, children of Malice and Rizzen, instead of Malice and Zaknafein.
Vierna is the only one of his three sisters for whom Drizzt felt any affection, because he recognized that, like him, she had inherited small goodness in her from Zaknafein. She was Drizzt's primary caretaker when he was a child, and alone of the rest of the family, she could sometimes show some kindness to Drizzt.
Becoming a priestess of Lolth
made it impossible for her to break free of the evil of the drow and Menzoberranzan
like her brother Drizzt would.
In The Legacy, the first book of the Legacy of the Drow
series, Vierna had descended into Lloth-inspired madness; she turned her half-brother Dinin Do'Urden into a drider
and joined the forces of Jarlaxle
to hunt down Drizzt, with whom she had become obsessed. She failed, however, and Drizzt was forced to kill her in self-defense.
. He not only trained Drizzt to become an excellent warrior, he also played a great part in shaping his personality, protecting Drizzt from the brutality of Menzoberranzan for as long as he could. While drow males are expected to be subservient to the females and can be punished for the smallest slight, Zaknafein was shown to be very rebellious and free-willed. Malice Do'Urden often tolerated his behavior, and even once remarked that it was that very quality that made him desirable to her. Even the eldest Do'Urden daughter, the sadistic Briza, gave Zaknafein a wide berth when dealing with him.
Zaknafein Do'Urden was an excellent warrior, a truly legendary Weapons Master considered the finest in Menzoberranzan, who attempted to refute the evil of drow elves. He saw the cruelty of the drow, but could do little to stop it, apart from mercy killings. He did his best to live by his principles, in a world where greed overcomes compassion and ambition overrules all. He had a mysterious friendship with Jarlaxle
, leader of Bregan D'aerthe, but it is revealed in Road of the Patriarch that he was in some way betrayed by Jarlaxle
.
Zaknafein was sacrificed to Lolth
by Matron Malice when House Do'Urden fell out of Lolth's favor. Upon discovering this, Drizzt left Menzoberranzan for the wilds of the Underdark
. Zaknafein was later brought back by a powerful reanimation process called Zin-carla to hunt Drizzt in the Underdark. The spirit-wraith found Drizzt and fought him in a cavern where there were walkways over a pit of acid. Ultimately, Zaknafein fights through the mental barriers, and hurls himself into the pit of acid to prevent himself from killing Drizzt.
Years afterward, Drizzt learns that someone he thought lost became a prisoner of the demon Errtu
. Assuming that it was his father Zaknafein, he set out to rescue him. It was later revealed that Wulfgar
was the demon's captive, and that Zaknafein was indeed dead. However, the priest Cadderly Bonaduce summoned Zaknafein's spirit and dispatched it to Drizzt. The fallen warrior told Drizzt what had happened to him, and expressed the pride and love he felt for his son before disappearing.
Clan
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clan members may be organized around a founding member or apical ancestor. The kinship-based bonds may be symbolical, whereby the clan shares a "stipulated" common ancestor that is a...
of dark elves 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...
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...
, created by R.A. Salvatore.
It is one of Houses of 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...
drow city of Menzoberranzan
Menzoberranzan
Menzoberranzan, the City of Spiders, is a fictional city-state in the world of the Forgotten Realms, a Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting. It is located in the Upper Northdark, about two miles below the Surbrin Vale, between the Moonwood and the Frost Hills...
which first appeared in Homeland. House Do'Urden was Tenth House of Menzoberranzan at the start of the series. It was the house of the famous drow Drizzt Do'Urden
Drizzt Do'Urden
Drizzt Do'Urden is a fictional character in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Drizzt was created by author R. A. Salvatore as a supporting character in the Icewind Dale Trilogy. Salvatore created him on a whim when his publisher needed to...
.
"Do" means "walkers in", and "Urden" means "the darkness". Thus "Do'Urden" means "walkers in the darkness".
Plot
At the beginning of the book Homeland (1297 DRCalendars in the Forgotten Realms
In the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, years are referred to by names, each name is not consistent across the Realms. This helps alleviate any confusion from multiple writers using different names for the same year...
), on the day which Drizzt Do'Urden
Drizzt Do'Urden
Drizzt Do'Urden is a fictional character in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Drizzt was created by author R. A. Salvatore as a supporting character in the Icewind Dale Trilogy. Salvatore created him on a whim when his publisher needed to...
was born, House Do'Urden attacked House DeVir, which was Fourth House of Menzoberranzan
Menzoberranzan
Menzoberranzan, the City of Spiders, is a fictional city-state in the world of the Forgotten Realms, a Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting. It is located in the Upper Northdark, about two miles below the Surbrin Vale, between the Moonwood and the Frost Hills...
at that time. Using the power of the birth of Drizzt Do'Urden
Drizzt Do'Urden
Drizzt Do'Urden is a fictional character in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Drizzt was created by author R. A. Salvatore as a supporting character in the Icewind Dale Trilogy. Salvatore created him on a whim when his publisher needed to...
, Malice Do'Urden was able to create a spell capable of defeating House DeVir. With this defeat House Do'Urden became Ninth House of Menzoberranzan
Menzoberranzan
Menzoberranzan, the City of Spiders, is a fictional city-state in the world of the Forgotten Realms, a Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting. It is located in the Upper Northdark, about two miles below the Surbrin Vale, between the Moonwood and the Frost Hills...
.
When Drizzt Do'Urden
Drizzt Do'Urden
Drizzt Do'Urden is a fictional character in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Drizzt was created by author R. A. Salvatore as a supporting character in the Icewind Dale Trilogy. Salvatore created him on a whim when his publisher needed to...
saved the life of Ellifain, an elven child he encountered on a surface raid, House Do'Urden lost the favor of 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...
. House Hun'ett (the Fifth House), which already considered House Do'Urden a threat, prepared to attack. The first part of the battle was supposed to occur with the killing of Drizzt, but he in turn killed Masoj Hun'ett and Gelroos Hun'ett (who was actually Alton DeVir, last survivor of the House DeVir) giving House Do'Urden an edge in the war.
Matron Malice Do'Urden became aware of her son's actions, which had placed the house in disfavor. To regain the favor of 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...
, she sacrificed Zaknafein (Drizzt's father), who volunteered to save his son's life. Drizzt, returned from his battle with Masoj and Gelroos, and discovering what had happened to his father, deserted House Do'Urden and left Menzoberranzan
Menzoberranzan
Menzoberranzan, the City of Spiders, is a fictional city-state in the world of the Forgotten Realms, a Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting. It is located in the Upper Northdark, about two miles below the Surbrin Vale, between the Moonwood and the Frost Hills...
.
House Hun'ett lost two of its wizards and the favor of Lolth for failing to kill Drizzt, and House Do'Urden lost the favor of Lolth due to Drizzt's desertion.
Ten years passed with small sneak attacks between House Do'Urden and House Hun'ett, because neither of the houses had regained Lolth's favor. Also both were severely weakened by various losses. House Do'Urden lost its principle weapon masters and House Hun'ett lost its two most powerful mages. In Exile (1338 DR), when finally House Hun'ett launched an attack to House Do’Urden with the help of Bregan D'aerthe, Malice Do'Urden turned the tide of the battle by making a better offer to Jarlaxle
Jarlaxle
Jarlaxle is a fictional character in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting based on the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. He first appeared in the 1990 novel, Exile, by R. A. Salvatore as the charismatic and opportunistic drow leader of the mercenary band, Bregan D'aerthe...
. House Do'Urden became Eighth House of Menzoberranzan
Menzoberranzan
Menzoberranzan, the City of Spiders, is a fictional city-state in the world of the Forgotten Realms, a Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting. It is located in the Upper Northdark, about two miles below the Surbrin Vale, between the Moonwood and the Frost Hills...
and made its way to ruling council. But they had lost a lot of soldiers and had yet to regain Lolth's favor. SiNafay Hun'ett became a member of House Do'Urden to offer the house additional power. (under the name Shi'nayne Do'Urden).
To regain Lolth's favor, House Do'Urden needed to kill Drizzt. After Briza and Dinin failed, Matron Malice took her biggest risk and desired Zin-carla to hunt Drizzt down. Giving SiNafay as a sacrifice, Zaknafein's was risen as Zin-carla which is also known as a spirit-wraith. This removed Malice's disfavor in the eyes of Lolth, however, it did not regain Malice favor. When Zaknafein regained his senses for a little time he jumped into an acid pit, destroying himself and causing the failure of Zin-carla. This caused House Do’Urden to lose Lolth's favor forever, as Matron Malice had failed in her distinct orders to kill Drizzt. Briza took the lead by killing her mother but House Baenre
House Baenre
House Baenre is a fictional clan of drow in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, created by R. A. Salvatore.A family born to the drow race the Baenre family is the family which has reigned in the fictional Underdark city of Menzoberranzan for over 2000 years...
, under orders by Lolth, attacked House Do'Urden, killing most of its members. Vierna and Dinin survived this attack and joined Bregan D'aerthe in order to survive.
In The Legacy
Legacy of the Drow
The Legacy of the Drow is a New York Times best selling fantasy series. It is the third series by R. A. Salvatore following the adventures of the Forgotten Realms character Drizzt Do'Urden.This series is followed up by the Paths of Darkness series....
(1357 DR), Vierna tried to rebuild House Do'Urden by attempting to kill Drizzt. She had Lolth's favor and got help from Bregan D'aerthe. She turned Dinin into a drider
Drider
In the Dungeons and Dragons roleplaying game, a drider is an aberration that was formerly a drow . Driders are centaur-like creatures in the game, appearing as drow from the waist up, with their lower portions replaced by the abdomen and legs of immense spiders. They are most commonly found in the...
. During their attack on Mithral Hall
Mithral Hall
In the fictional world of Forgotten Realms, Mithral Hall is the fabled dwarven home of Bruenor Battlehammer, an old dwarven city where tunnels were often lined with natural veins of mithral as thick as an arm....
, Bruenor killed Dinin in his drider form, and Drizzt killed Vierna, making Drizzt the last known Do'Urden.
Briza Do'Urden
Briza Do'Urden was the oldest of three daughters of Matron Malice Do'Urden. A powerful priestess 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 was angry and brutal, and she always punished infractions quickly. She killed her mother, Malice Do'Urden when she learned that her mother Malice had not successfully completed Zin-Carla, the highest gift of Lolth (Drizzt refers to it as Lolth's greatest lie). She had little time to savor her power, for house Do'Urden was attacked immediately after by house Baenre. She was the last Matron Mother of House Do'Urden, even if only for a few moments, until Jarlaxle killed her himself, stating that he never liked her to begin with.
Dinin Do'Urden
He is brother of Drizzt Do'UrdenDrizzt Do'Urden
Drizzt Do'Urden is a fictional character in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Drizzt was created by author R. A. Salvatore as a supporting character in the Icewind Dale Trilogy. Salvatore created him on a whim when his publisher needed to...
, first appearing in R.A. Salvatore's Dark Elf Trilogy, beginning with the first book Homeland, following in the second book Exile, and returning in the Legacy of the Drow
Legacy of the Drow
The Legacy of the Drow is a New York Times best selling fantasy series. It is the third series by R. A. Salvatore following the adventures of the Forgotten Realms character Drizzt Do'Urden.This series is followed up by the Paths of Darkness series....
series' first book The Legacy.
In House Do'Urden's war against House DeVir in the opening chapters of Homeland, Dinin unwittingly saved his younger brother's life by murdering his older brother Nalfein, thus making Drizzt the Secondboy of House Do'Urden rather than the Thirdboy.
Dinin was also a master of Melee-Magthere until the beginning of the Do'Urden-Hun'ett conflict. When House Do'Urden was destroyed by House Baenre he was spared by Jarlaxle
Jarlaxle
Jarlaxle is a fictional character in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting based on the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. He first appeared in the 1990 novel, Exile, by R. A. Salvatore as the charismatic and opportunistic drow leader of the mercenary band, Bregan D'aerthe...
under the conditions that he join the mercenary band Bregan D'aerthe. He was a trusted ally of Jarlaxle until he was turned into a drider
Drider
In the Dungeons and Dragons roleplaying game, a drider is an aberration that was formerly a drow . Driders are centaur-like creatures in the game, appearing as drow from the waist up, with their lower portions replaced by the abdomen and legs of immense spiders. They are most commonly found in the...
by his sister Vierna. In Vierna's raid on Mithral Hall
Mithral Hall
In the fictional world of Forgotten Realms, Mithral Hall is the fabled dwarven home of Bruenor Battlehammer, an old dwarven city where tunnels were often lined with natural veins of mithral as thick as an arm....
, Dinin (in his drider form) was killed by Bruenor Battlehammer
Bruenor Battlehammer
Bruenor Battlehammer is a fictional character in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. The character first appears in the Icewind Dale trilogy by author R. A. Salvatore. He has also appeared in subsequent books as the trusted dwarven companion...
.
Drizzt Do'Urden
Drizzt
Drizzt Do'Urden
Drizzt Do'Urden is a fictional character in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Drizzt was created by author R. A. Salvatore as a supporting character in the Icewind Dale Trilogy. Salvatore created him on a whim when his publisher needed to...
was born as the third son to House Do'Urden and was originally meant to be sacrificed to 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...
, but was spared as Nalfein had been killed. Zaknafein trained him to be a great fighter, one of the greatest Menzoberranzan had ever produced. As an anti-stereotype drow, Drizzt has forsaken the evil ways of his people.
Drizzt left Menzoberranzan, and eventually found his way to the surface after time alone in the wilds of 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...
and a sojourn with the deep gnomes. Most people he met treated him with hatred and disgust, leaving only the most open-minded and open-hearted people to accept him.
He was to meet an important and true friend named Montolio Debrouchee (Mooshie). Drizzt was taught the ways of the ranger from Mooshie, and Drizzt realized he had followed these ways all of his life. From this time on, he made his patron goddess Mielikki
Mielikki (Forgotten Realms)
Mielikki is a fictional goddess in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Mielikki is the goddess of autumn, druids, dryads, forests, forest creatures, and rangers. Her symbol is a gold-horned, blue-eyed unicorn's head facing left, and her...
, Faerûnian goddess of the forest and of rangers.
Drizzt traveled through the realms in search of a new home. Eventually Drizzt found himself in Icewind Dale. There he met some of his best friends: Cattie-brie, Bruenor, Wulfgar, and Regis. A series of events led Drizzt and his friends south, to Mithral Hall, where they currently reside.
Sometimes Drizzt regresses into a bestial and instinctive state of mind in which he was identified as the Hunter. The first time this happened was after Drizzt had fled from Menzoberranzan and was living in the wilds of 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...
. When Drizzt is the Hunter, he reaches his physical apex, his skills honed to their utmost peak. His scimitars are like extensions of his own arms, and his senses are heightened beyond their normal capacity.
Malice Do'Urden
Malice Do'Urden was Matron of House Do'Urden until her death. She was a strong priestess and had favor 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...
for a long time. She is the only known user of the power of the birth against her enemies. She was the mother of Drizzt
Drizzt Do'Urden
Drizzt Do'Urden is a fictional character in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Drizzt was created by author R. A. Salvatore as a supporting character in the Icewind Dale Trilogy. Salvatore created him on a whim when his publisher needed to...
, Dinin, Nalfein, Vierna, Maya and Briza. She also had to adopt SiNafay Hun'ett. She first fell out of the favor of Lloth because of Drizzt's actions on the surface raid. She regained temporarily the favor of Lloth by sacrifing Zaknafein as an atonement. She again lost the favor of Lloth after Drizzt
Drizzt Do'Urden
Drizzt Do'Urden is a fictional character in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Drizzt was created by author R. A. Salvatore as a supporting character in the Icewind Dale Trilogy. Salvatore created him on a whim when his publisher needed to...
's departure from Menzoberranzan
Menzoberranzan
Menzoberranzan, the City of Spiders, is a fictional city-state in the world of the Forgotten Realms, a Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting. It is located in the Upper Northdark, about two miles below the Surbrin Vale, between the Moonwood and the Frost Hills...
. Malice never regained 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...
's favor but was given a final chance by Lloth to regain her favor by destroying Drizzt by the use of Zin-carla. She received the power for this spell by sacrificing SiNafay. She lost control of Zin-carla for a moment, which was enough time for Zaknafein to destroy himself. This caused Malice to forever lose the favor of Lloth and to be killed by Briza, in one last futile desperate attempt to regain Lloth's favor for House Do'Urden.
Malice had six children through three different males: the father of Briza is unknown, Zaknafein was the father of Vierna and Drizzt, and Rizzen was the father of Maya, Nalfein, and Dinin. When Malice's mother died, Briza, Zaknafein and Nalfein were still young, and Malice had just finished her clerical studies.
Maya Do'Urden
Maya Do'Urden was the youngest of three daughters of Matron Malice Do'Urden; She was a powerful priestess 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 was slain by House Baenre
House Baenre
House Baenre is a fictional clan of drow in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, created by R. A. Salvatore.A family born to the drow race the Baenre family is the family which has reigned in the fictional Underdark city of Menzoberranzan for over 2000 years...
troops.
Nalfein Do'Urden
Once the elderboy of House Do'Urden, he was a powerful wizard and a great asset to House Do'Urden. On their attack on House DeVir, while Malice was giving birth to DrizztDrizzt Do'Urden
Drizzt Do'Urden is a fictional character in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Drizzt was created by author R. A. Salvatore as a supporting character in the Icewind Dale Trilogy. Salvatore created him on a whim when his publisher needed to...
, he was betrayed and assassinated by his brother Dinin, who wished to become Elderboy himself. He was accepted as an appropriate sacrifice instead of Drizzt
Drizzt Do'Urden
Drizzt Do'Urden is a fictional character in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Drizzt was created by author R. A. Salvatore as a supporting character in the Icewind Dale Trilogy. Salvatore created him on a whim when his publisher needed to...
that night, saving the young baby's life.
Rizzen Do'Urden
He was the patron of Matron Malice Do'Urden until his death, in which Malice tricked Rizzen into engaging the spirit-wraith Zaknafein in a fight, when he was promptly hacked to pieces. Malice claimed that it was no great loss as she had already chosen her next patron from amongst the soldiers of House Do'Urden. Rizzen was also the patron of House Do'Urden at the time of Drizzt Do'UrdenDrizzt Do'Urden
Drizzt Do'Urden is a fictional character in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Drizzt was created by author R. A. Salvatore as a supporting character in the Icewind Dale Trilogy. Salvatore created him on a whim when his publisher needed to...
's birth, though it was common knowledge that he was not the father of Drizzt. He was the known father of Nalfein, Dinin and Maya.
Shi'nayne Do'Urden/SiNafay Hun'ett
She was Matron of House Hun'ett for a long time. Thinking House Do'Urden posed a threat, she attacked it with help of Bregan D'aerthe. With JarlaxleJarlaxle
Jarlaxle is a fictional character in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting based on the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. He first appeared in the 1990 novel, Exile, by R. A. Salvatore as the charismatic and opportunistic drow leader of the mercenary band, Bregan D'aerthe...
's betrayal, her house was defeated and punished by the ruling council of Menzoberranzan
Menzoberranzan
Menzoberranzan, the City of Spiders, is a fictional city-state in the world of the Forgotten Realms, a Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting. It is located in the Upper Northdark, about two miles below the Surbrin Vale, between the Moonwood and the Frost Hills...
. After that, Matron Hun'ett became a member of House Do'Urden under her new name, Shi'nayne Do'Urden. She was tricked and sacrificed to 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...
to summon Zaknafein by using Zin-carla.
Vartha Do'Urden
Mother of Malice, Vartha was the previous matron mother of House Do'Urden. She died unexpectedly about 400 years ago, which allowed Malice to take control of the house. Malice notes that Vartha's death was "premature", though it is expected that Malice played a large part in her mother's demise.Vierna Do'Urden
Vierna Do'Urden was the second sister of Drizzt Do'UrdenDrizzt Do'Urden
Drizzt Do'Urden is a fictional character in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Drizzt was created by author R. A. Salvatore as a supporting character in the Icewind Dale Trilogy. Salvatore created him on a whim when his publisher needed to...
, younger than Briza but older than Maya. Her mother was Malice Do'Urden and her father was Zaknafein Do'Urden. She is Drizzt's only full sibling, his other siblings being half-siblings, children of Malice and Rizzen, instead of Malice and Zaknafein.
Vierna is the only one of his three sisters for whom Drizzt felt any affection, because he recognized that, like him, she had inherited small goodness in her from Zaknafein. She was Drizzt's primary caretaker when he was a child, and alone of the rest of the family, she could sometimes show some kindness to Drizzt.
Becoming a priestess of 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...
made it impossible for her to break free of the evil of the drow and Menzoberranzan
Menzoberranzan
Menzoberranzan, the City of Spiders, is a fictional city-state in the world of the Forgotten Realms, a Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting. It is located in the Upper Northdark, about two miles below the Surbrin Vale, between the Moonwood and the Frost Hills...
like her brother Drizzt would.
In The Legacy, the first book of the Legacy of the Drow
Legacy of the Drow
The Legacy of the Drow is a New York Times best selling fantasy series. It is the third series by R. A. Salvatore following the adventures of the Forgotten Realms character Drizzt Do'Urden.This series is followed up by the Paths of Darkness series....
series, Vierna had descended into Lloth-inspired madness; she turned her half-brother Dinin Do'Urden into a drider
Drider
In the Dungeons and Dragons roleplaying game, a drider is an aberration that was formerly a drow . Driders are centaur-like creatures in the game, appearing as drow from the waist up, with their lower portions replaced by the abdomen and legs of immense spiders. They are most commonly found in the...
and joined the forces of Jarlaxle
Jarlaxle
Jarlaxle is a fictional character in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting based on the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. He first appeared in the 1990 novel, Exile, by R. A. Salvatore as the charismatic and opportunistic drow leader of the mercenary band, Bregan D'aerthe...
to hunt down Drizzt, with whom she had become obsessed. She failed, however, and Drizzt was forced to kill her in self-defense.
Zaknafein Do'Urden
Zaknafein Do'Urden , famed Weapon Master of House Daermon N'a'shezbaernon, was Drizzt's father, his mentor and his dearest friend. It was he who gave Drizzt the courage to leave MenzoberranzanMenzoberranzan
Menzoberranzan, the City of Spiders, is a fictional city-state in the world of the Forgotten Realms, a Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting. It is located in the Upper Northdark, about two miles below the Surbrin Vale, between the Moonwood and the Frost Hills...
. He not only trained Drizzt to become an excellent warrior, he also played a great part in shaping his personality, protecting Drizzt from the brutality of Menzoberranzan for as long as he could. While drow males are expected to be subservient to the females and can be punished for the smallest slight, Zaknafein was shown to be very rebellious and free-willed. Malice Do'Urden often tolerated his behavior, and even once remarked that it was that very quality that made him desirable to her. Even the eldest Do'Urden daughter, the sadistic Briza, gave Zaknafein a wide berth when dealing with him.
Zaknafein Do'Urden was an excellent warrior, a truly legendary Weapons Master considered the finest in Menzoberranzan, who attempted to refute the evil of drow elves. He saw the cruelty of the drow, but could do little to stop it, apart from mercy killings. He did his best to live by his principles, in a world where greed overcomes compassion and ambition overrules all. He had a mysterious friendship with Jarlaxle
Jarlaxle
Jarlaxle is a fictional character in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting based on the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. He first appeared in the 1990 novel, Exile, by R. A. Salvatore as the charismatic and opportunistic drow leader of the mercenary band, Bregan D'aerthe...
, leader of Bregan D'aerthe, but it is revealed in Road of the Patriarch that he was in some way betrayed by Jarlaxle
Jarlaxle
Jarlaxle is a fictional character in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting based on the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. He first appeared in the 1990 novel, Exile, by R. A. Salvatore as the charismatic and opportunistic drow leader of the mercenary band, Bregan D'aerthe...
.
Zaknafein was sacrificed to 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...
by Matron Malice when House Do'Urden fell out of Lolth's favor. Upon discovering this, Drizzt left Menzoberranzan for the wilds of 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...
. Zaknafein was later brought back by a powerful reanimation process called Zin-carla to hunt Drizzt in the Underdark. The spirit-wraith found Drizzt and fought him in a cavern where there were walkways over a pit of acid. Ultimately, Zaknafein fights through the mental barriers, and hurls himself into the pit of acid to prevent himself from killing Drizzt.
Years afterward, Drizzt learns that someone he thought lost became a prisoner of the demon Errtu
Errtu
Errtu is a balor, a true tanar'ri in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, chiefly in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting. Errtu was featured as a villain of the first book in the Icewind Dale trilogy, The Crystal Shard by R. A...
. Assuming that it was his father Zaknafein, he set out to rescue him. It was later revealed that Wulfgar
Wulfgar
Wulfgar can refer to:*Wulfgar, the herald of Hroðgar, a character in Beowulf*Wulfgar, the villain in the 1981 Sylvester Stallone film Nighthawks*Wulfgar, one of the Companions of the Hall from the Icewind Dale Trilogy...
was the demon's captive, and that Zaknafein was indeed dead. However, the priest Cadderly Bonaduce summoned Zaknafein's spirit and dispatched it to Drizzt. The fallen warrior told Drizzt what had happened to him, and expressed the pride and love he felt for his son before disappearing.
See also
- MenzoberranzanMenzoberranzanMenzoberranzan, the City of Spiders, is a fictional city-state in the world of the Forgotten Realms, a Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting. It is located in the Upper Northdark, about two miles below the Surbrin Vale, between the Moonwood and the Frost Hills...
- Drizzt Do'UrdenDrizzt Do'UrdenDrizzt Do'Urden is a fictional character in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Drizzt was created by author R. A. Salvatore as a supporting character in the Icewind Dale Trilogy. Salvatore created him on a whim when his publisher needed to...
- House BaenreHouse BaenreHouse Baenre is a fictional clan of drow in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, created by R. A. Salvatore.A family born to the drow race the Baenre family is the family which has reigned in the fictional Underdark city of Menzoberranzan for over 2000 years...
- Bregan D'aerthe
- Drow
- The Dark Elf TrilogyThe Dark Elf TrilogyThe Dark Elf Trilogy is a prequel to the Icewind Dale Trilogy by R. A. Salvatore. Drizzt Do'Urden, a drow, or dark elf, was originally written as a supporting character in the Icewind Dale Trilogy to Wulfgar the barbarian. However, the author soon realized how popular the character was, and Drizzt...