Drizzt Do'Urden

Template:D&D character Drizzt Do'urden (Template:IPAEng) is a character in the Dungeons & Dragons-based Forgotten Realms setting. Originally intended by author R. A. Salvatore as a supporting character in the Icewind Dale Trilogy, Drizzt has become one of the most well-known heroic characters of the Forgotten Realms, featuring as the main character of a long series of books. As a non-archetypal drow, Drizzt has forsaken both the evil ways of his people and their home (in the Underdark, in the drow city of Menzoberranzan).

Drizzt's story is told in the fantasy novels of R. A. Salvatore, including The Icewind Dale Trilogy, The Dark Elf Trilogy, the Legacy of the Drow series, the Paths of Darkness series, The Hunter's Blades Trilogy, and the short stories "The Dowry" and "Dark Mirror." He has also been featured in some D&D-based computer role-playing games, including the Baldur's Gate Series and the more action-oriented Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone. The Drizzt books are popular with fantasy fans and appear regularly on various best-selling top ten lists.

Biography

Drizzt was born in Menzoberranzan in 1297 DR as the third son to Malice Do'Urden (then Matron Mother of House Do'Urden (a type of family like a Scottish clan) or Daermon N'a'shezbaernon) and was originally meant to be sacrificed to Demon Queen of Spiders Lolth (the usual fate of the third living son of any house), but was spared minutes after he was born; the eldest Do'Urden brother, Nalfein, had been assassinated during a raid on another house by his second-oldest brother, Dinin. Through Dinin's actions, Drizzt became the second living son and his life was spared. His father, Zaknafein, was the renowned weapons master of House Do'Urden and secretly hated drow society as a whole. He taught Drizzt the way of the blade, and more importantly, reinforced Drizzt's innate moral code.

During a raid against a group of surface elves, Drizzt found himself unable to participate in the slaughter with his fellow drow, and faked the killing of an elven child while secretly helping her escape. Later, the deception was discovered, and Zaknafein was eventually sacrificed to Lloth as punishment. Following a war against another House, Drizzt cursed his family and the evil drow ways, and escaped Menzoberranzan into the Underdark. Hunted as a traitor to his race, he found that most other people he met treated him with hatred and disgust due to the legacy of the drow, leaving only the most open-minded and open-hearted to accept him.

One of these people was Belwar Dissengulp, a svirfneblin or deep gnome. After wandering together with Belwar and a polymorphed pech nicknamed Clacker through the Underdark, and fighting off the resurrected spirit-wraith of his father Zaknafein, he eventually left Belwar and found his way to the surface. Eventually, Drizzt met up with a blind human ranger named Montolio Debrouchee. Drizzt was taught the ways of the ranger from Montolio, and realized he had been following these principles unknowingly for all of his life. From this time on, he made his patron goddess Mielikki, Faerûnian goddess of the forest and of rangers.

After the death of his mentor, 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 (known later as the Companions of the Hall): dwarven king Bruenor Battlehammer; Bruenor's adopted human daughter, Catti-brie; the barbarian Wulfgar (Bruenor's adopted human son); and Regis Rumblebelly, a loyal but unadventurous halfling. A series of events led Drizzt and his friends south, to Mithral Hall (a city of the dwarves), where they currently reside.

Thrice in his life, Drizzt has regressed 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. The second was when he went back to his homeland to prevent harm from coming to his friends in the book Starless Night. The third time was during the war with King Obould Many-Arrows and his horde of orcs, when Drizzt had thought Bruenor dead, and wasn't certain if his other friends were alive.

After nearly defeating Obould atop a mountainside using the sentient magical sword Khazid-Hea, Drizzt left with his elf companion Innovindil to visit the grave of Ellifain, the elven child he had spared many years ago. Upon his return to Mithral Hall, Drizzt is conflicted by the idea that the formerly war-like orcs are trying to live together with the dwarves in harmony. By the end of events in The Orc King Drizzt and Bruenor fight alongside Obould, who now wishes to live in peace with the other races, against a power-hungry half-orc half-ogre named Grguch who is challenging Obould's right to rulership of the orcs. Drizzt also fights against a curious polymorphed wizard who has joined the orcish ranks named "Jack the Gnome".

In the drow language, "Driz" means "hard, steel, or unyielding" and also "dawn", and the suffix "-zt" means "finder or hunter." "Do'Urden" is the family or clan name; "Do" means "walkers in," and "Urden" means "the darkness." Thus, "Drizzt Do'Urden" means "unyielding hunter who walks in the darkness" or "dawn hunter who walks in the darkness".

Appearance and personality

Drizzt is an unusual specimen of the predominantly evil drow race, whose society normally thrives on chaos, subterfuge and scheming. Much like his father Zaknafein, he was born with a strong sense of morals and fights on the side of good and justice. Despite his tremendous skill with weapons, Drizzt is primarily a peacemaker who is always willing to avoid a fight if he can, although he makes exceptions for irredeemably evil races such as orcs, giants, yetis, and goblins. Even then he looks for exceptions to the stereotypical prejudice of those races.

Drizzt harbors a deep love for the surface world and cherishes his place on it. Initially the sunlight was horribly painful to his eyes, accustomed to the little to no light of the Underdark; over the years he has spent above ground he has gradually become accustomed to it, although in his journal entries (which serve as chapter introductions in the novels) he remarks that the pain he still feels is a reminder not to ignore his heritage and the things he's done to overcome it.

He possesses a controlled anger, a legacy of the time he spent living alone in the wilds of the Underdark. While he has mastered that side of his psyche, which he refers to as the Hunter, he can still call upon it when he is hard-pressed. The Hunter is a purely instinctual being, which propels him to an almost invincible fighting state while stripping him of his compassion.

Drizzt stands at about 5 ft 6 in and weighs about 130 lb. His eyes are lavender both in the infrared and optical light spectrum. Because of this, he stands out from other elves, including other drow, whose eyes are red when using infravision (viewing in the infrared spectrum).

Weapons and Abilities

Early in his training, Drizzt found an affinity for the scimitar as his weapon of choice, and his training under Zaknafein coupled with his natural agility and insight into tactics make him a very dangerous fighter capable of taking on multiple opponents with ease. He currently fights with a pair of magically enhanced scimitars, named Twinkle, which glows blue in the presence of danger, and Icingdeath, a blade that protects its wielder from fire, which Drizzt obtained after slaying a large white dragon of the same name. He also uses a pair of magical bracers, originally enchanted to increase the wearer's attack speed, but wears them on his ankles to increase his already formidable movement speed instead.

Drizzt also enjoys the company of an extraplanar magical panther named Guenhwyvar, who he can summon by means of a small onyx statuette. Originally in the service of a powerful drow wizard, Guenhwyvar recognized a kindred spirit in Drizzt and managed to disobey her master, and Drizzt soon took the figurine for his own. He and the cat are close friends, and the panther seems to be highly intelligent, often serving as a sounding board when Drizzt ponders out loud and responding to his plans in battle. She is a formidable fighter, and compliments his fighting style. Although Guenhwyvar can be injured, she can heal most wounds on her own home plane when Drizzt dismisses her. Due to the limited amount of time that she can remain on this plane, she is often saved for dire emergencies.

Like all members of the nobility of the drow race, Drizzt can levitate, summon a magical globe of darkness, and illuminate his foes with a bright but harmless faerie fire. In recent novels, it is mentioned that these abilities are slowly becoming less powerful and instinctive, perhaps due to the many years he has spent on the surface.

Literature

Listed in the chronological order of the events in the books.

Drizzt's story is currently being revamped by Wizards of the Coast. The Dark Elf Trilogy, The Icewind Dale Trilogy, Legacy of the Drow, and Paths of Darkness have been re-released in its chronological order as the Legend of Drizzt series. The Hunter's Blades Trilogy and The Sellswords Trilogy, series are, as yet, still separate. There is also a book by Mark Anthony, Shores of Dusk, set between Siege of Darkness and Passage to Dawn. However, Shores of Dusk was never published.

The current Drizzt Do'Urden novel was released September 25, 2007 and returns where Hunter's Blades left off. The Orc King is part of a set of books under the name "Transitions". It will be followed by The Pirate King and finished with The Ghost King.

The Dark Elf Trilogy

Main article: The Dark Elf Trilogy

The trilogy was a prequel to the very successful Icewind Dale Trilogy. Oddly enough, Drizzt Do'Urden was originally written as a supporting character to Wulfgar in the Icewind Dale Series. However, the author soon realized how popular the character was, and he became the main character in subsequent novels.

Works included

1. Homeland (1990) — Homeland follows the story of Drizzt from around the time and circumstances of his birth and his upbringing amongst the drow (dark elves).
   1. The Fires of Narbondel (1996) - A short story in the Realms of the Underdark anthology. Zaknafein is the main character, but a young Drizzt has a supporting role.
2. Exile (1990) — Exile tells the story of Drizzt outside of the drow cities, trying to survive in the open wilds of the Underdark.
3. Sojourn (1991) — Sojourn is the story of Drizzt coming onto the surface of the world, and how he became a ranger and ultimately ended up at Icewind Dale.

The Icewind Dale Trilogy

Main article: The Icewind Dale Trilogy

Works included

1. The Crystal Shard (1988) — This book tells the story of the battle between the Ten Towns (located in Icewind Dale) and Akar Kessel, a mage aided by the crystal shard Crenshinibon, a sentient and utterly evil magical relic. It also explains how Drizzt, Bruenor, Catti-brie, and Regis met Wulfgar.
2. Streams of Silver (1989) — Tells the story of the journey that Drizzt, Bruenor, Regis, and Wulfgar set upon to search for Mithral Hall, Bruenor's boyhood home. This is the first novel in which Artemis Entreri appears.
3. The Halfling's Gem (1990) — This is the story of Wulfgar and Drizzt's journey to rescue Regis, who was captured by the hired assassin Artemis Entreri. Entreri's employer was Pasha Pook, a very powerful Pasha in Calimport (the capital of the empire of Calimshan), who wants revenge for an enchanted ruby that Regis stole.

Legacy of the Drow

Main article: Legacy of the Drow

The Legacy of the Drow is the third series about the character Drizzt Do'Urden.

Works included

1. Dark Mirror — A short story about Drizzt and Nojheim the goblin published in the short story anthology Realms of Valor (1993). It describes events just prior to The Legacy.
2. The Legacy (1992)- Tells the story of a party of drow who infiltrated the tunnels under Mithril Hall, aided by Artemis Entreri, and the apparent death of Wulfgar.
3. Starless Night (1993)-The story of Drizzt traveling back to Menzoberranzan, with Catti-Brie following him closely, Drizzt's capture, and his rescue by Catti-Brie with the aid of Artemis Entreri.
4. Siege of Darkness (1994) - The story of the companions of the Hall preparing for and pushing back Matron Baenre's assault on Mithril Hall.
5. Passage to Dawn (1996) - Picking up 6 years after Siege of Darkness, the story of Catti-Brie and Drizzt's work on a pirate hunting vessel, the return of Errtu and the crystal shard Crenshinibon.

Paths of Darkness

Main article: Paths of Darkness

Paths of Darkness is the fourth series about the character Drizzt Do'Urden.

Works included

1. The Silent Blade (1998)Tells the story of the companions journey to destroy the crystal shard, and Wulfgars departure from the group.
2. The Spine of the World (1999) Tale of Wulfgar and his friend Morik the Rogue in Luskan and their encounter with the noble family of Aukney
3. Servant of the Shard (2000)*
4. Sea of Swords (2001)Tells the story of companions search for Aegis-fang and the reunion of the companions with Wulfgar

*Servant of the Shard (2000) is also the first book in the The Sellswords series, which follows Jarlaxle and Artemis Entreri.

The Hunter's Blades Trilogy

Main article: The Hunter's Blades Trilogy

Works included

1. The Thousand Orcs (2002) Tells the story of the beginning of the war that Obould starts.
2. The Lone Drow (2003) Tells Drizzts story as he goes to kill every orc he can find
3. The Two Swords (2004) Tells the story of the end of war that Obould starts

The Dowry — A short story appearing at the end of the novel The Highwayman (2004).

Comrades at Odds — A short story appearing in the Last Mythal Anthology Realms of the Elves (2006).

Transitions

Main article: Transitions (book series)

Works included

1. The Orc King (2007) Tells the story of the continuation of the war between, the now very strongly established Kingdom of Many Arrows, and the united forces of the Dwarves of Mithril Hall, the Elves of the Moonwood and the forces of the cities across the Silver Marshes.
2. The Pirate King (October 2008)
3. The Ghost King (October 2009)

Graphic Novels

Beginning in 2005, Devil's Due Publishing began releasing comic book adaptations of the Drizzt novels, covering each book in a 3-issue mini-series along with a trade paperback collection. To date, Homeland, Exile, Sojourn, The Crystal Shard, The Halfling's Gem, and Streams of Silver have been released.

Other appearances

Drizzt is featured in the Dungeons and Dragons Miniatures game, in a special boxed set that also includes Wulfgar and the great white dragon Icingdeath. The enclosed rules card features statistics for both the miniatures game and the D&D 3rd Edition ruleset.

See also

• List of Forgotten Realms characters
• R. A. Salvatore
• Dungeons and Dragons

External links

• Forgotten Realms series listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
• Lavender Eyes : A Drizzt fansite