Drizzt Do'Urden
Drizzt Do'Urden is a
fictional character in the
Dungeons & Dragons-based
Forgotten Realms setting. As an anti-stereotype
drow, Drizzt has forsaken both the evil ways of his people and their home (in the
Underdark). Drizzt is one of the most well-known heroic characters of the
Forgotten Realms.
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.
Appearance
Drizzt Do'Urden is a drow, commonly known as a dark elf. Drizzt stands at about 5'4 (154 cm) and weighs about 130 pounds (59 kg). Like other drow, Drizzt's skin is jet black and his hair is white. Drizzt's most different feature, are his eyes, which are a lavender hue (quite different from the drow race's typical red, even when he uses his
infravision, which normally causes eyes to glow red) and seem to glow fiercely when he is angry or determined. It has been speculated that his violet eyes may be rooted to a minor gray elf heritage, as violet is a common eye color for gray elves. He normally wears a fur-collared forest green cloak and high black boots, with a necklace attached to a white
unicorn head, the symbol of his goddess,
Mielikki. It has been more than twenty years since Drizzt first ventured into the surface world, but his vision, accustomed to the pitch-blackness of the Underdark, has not completely adapted to the bright surface world. At present, he is in the neighborhood of seventy years old, not old enough to be considered an adult by elven cultural standards. It is common knowledge that the average lifespan of a drow is between 700 and 800 years, but accounting for displacement of the natural drow habitat, it is yet to be seen if his potential lifespan will be reached.
Personality
Outwardly calm and composed, Drizzt has a controlled anger within him, a legacy of the time he spent living in the wilds of the Underdark, where he had to survive by skill alone. While he has mastered that side of his psycheâ€"he refers to it as "the Hunter"â€"he can still call upon that part of his pysche when he is hard-pressed and under great emotional duress. The "Hunter" was a cold, passionless killer that epitomized Drizzt's fighting prowess. When not possessed by the "Hunter", Drizzt is cool-headed, a peacemaker, and is always willing to avoid a fight if he can (except with races such as
orcs or
goblins); however, he still will look for exceptions to the prejudice of these stereotypes. When the situation calls for it he can be incredibly daring, even reckless. He is confident to the point where several of his friends are convinced that someday the drow will leap into a situation that he will not be able to get out of. He harbors a deep love for the surface world and cherishes his place in it (he is awake at every sunrise), though many are still prejudiced against him. He cares little for the ungrounded prejudice of those who do not know him, however, saying it is their problem, not his. His usual reaction to the initial fear and surprise (but without plain aggression) is a kind and comforting smile.
Magical Items
Drizzt's favorite weapon is the
scimitar, and he carries two nicknamed Twinkle and Icingdeath. He also carries a
magical figurine, which summons his
black panther companion,
Guenhwyvar. Drizzt wears a pair of "Bracers of the Blinding Strike," which increase the agility of the bearer, although he wears them on his ankles, as opposed to his wrists, claiming that footwork is just as important, if not more than, the speed of the strike. Besides, he knows that a blindingly fast strike is difficult to adjust if the enemy is able to anticipate and react to it. Drizzt's attire is generally a cloth tunic, leather pants, and soft boots. For many years, Drizzt wore an enchanted suit of
mithril chainmail provided by
Bruenor, but it was damaged recently, and now wears a spider silk shirt that can magically protect its wearer from all but the most lethal attacks. The adamantine in his shirt is special, as it does not turn to dust in sunlight, unlike most
drow armor.
Weapons
Throughout the training sessions with his father,
Zaknafein Do'Urden, and in Melee-Magthere, Drizzt favored the use of scimitars, but was also schooled to mastery in every weapon conceivable to the drow. This did not change after he has come to the surface world. Drizzt is not above improvising in combat by making use of any weapons available to him, but most of the time he uses no weapon other than his two enchanted scimitars: Icingdeath and Twinkle.
Icingdeath
Drizzt found Icingdeath in the treasure pile of a white dragon, for whom the blade was named. Icingdeath is first mentioned in
The Crystal Shard. Drizzt usually holds Icingdeath in his right hand.
The hilt of the scimitar is of black adamantite in the shape of a panther (see quote below), and the blade is made of silver with a diamond edge. The panther-esque shape of the hilt is what attracted Drizzt to the sword in the first place, as it reminds him of his hunting companion, Guenhwyvar. The weapon absorbs fire and heat, protecting its wielder against fire. This magical blade saved Drizzt's life every time he faced the demon
Errtu, as fire is inherent in Errtu. It is possible that Icingdeath was designed to combat demons, as Drizzt has noticed a what he describes as a type of hunger emanating from the sword whenever a demon is near, which actually alerted him to the presence of a demon in
Seige of Darkness. According to
Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition rules, it is a "frostbrand scimitar +3", although in the more recent 3.0 ruleset it is a slightly more streamlined "+3 frost scimitar," though "frostbrand" would seem more accurate, especially given its ability to quench fires, a power "frost" swords do not have, and the weapon was devised when 2nd Edition was current.
"…uncovering a gem-encrusted sword pommel, its black adamantite hilt masterfully sculpted into the likeness of the toothed maw of a hunting cat." â€" The Crystal Shard
Ingeloakastimizilian, more commonly known as Icingdeath, was a white wyrm living in an ice cave in a part of the Reghed glacier called Evermelt. It was slain by Wulfgar and Drizzt. Much like Icingdeath's companion Twinkle, Icindeath's blade also glows blue, as shown in
Passage to Dawn, yet a slightly different shade of blue, and only in extreme cold temperatures.
Twinkle
Twinkle is Icingdeath's companion scimitar, held in his left hand (and worn on his right hip). Drizzt received Twinkle from the mage Malchor Harpell when he was chasing Artemis Entreri after the assassin captured Regis in the novel
Streams of Silver. Twinkle was first mentioned in the next novel,
The Halfling's Gem. According to
2nd edition Dungeons & Dragons rules, it is a Defender +5 while, again in 3.0 edition it is a slightly tweaked +2 Defending scimitar. The Defending property has been revealed in between the lines; if read closely, every time Drizzt is in combat and there is a blow headed toward him, almost always Twinkle is there to block the blow.
Forged by elves, Twinkle has a star-cut sapphire on its pommel, and the blade glows blue when danger is near. This may have been inspired by
Sting, the sword of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins from J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium.
" 'It was forged in the magic of the powers that all the surface elves hold dear,' said Malchor. 'Of the stars and the moon and the mysteries of their souls. You deserve it, Drizzt Do'Urden, and it will serve you well.' " â€" The Halfling's Gem
Mooshie's Longbow
Though only featured in
Sojourn (The last novel in the Dark Elf Trilogy) and the Icewind Dale Trilogy, this finely crafted longbow was given to him by Montolio Debrouchee at the end of Drizzt's ranger training. However, in other works Drizzt's use of an unnamed longbow is revealed.
Combat/Tactics
Drizzt fights in the two long-weapon style common among drow warriors. He was trained by his father,
Zaknafein, "the best weapons master to ever cross swords in
Menzoberranzan", who taught Drizzt the movements to transcend the basics of the drow martial art, to think creatively about any fight. His technique was more about training one's muscles to respond, quickly and in perfect harmony, to the calls of the mind, and more importantly, to the calls of the imagination. He taught that improvisation, not rote responses, separated a warrior from a weapons master.
When the tides turn bad, or when facing opponents such as dragons or frost giants, he calls upon his innate drow abilities to conjure up a globe of impenetrable magical darkness that neither himself nor his opponent can see through. Depending on the situation, Drizzt continues the fight from there. In this situation, Drizzt fights on instinct, using sound and even the feel of the air around him to predict enemy attacks and find holes in his opponents' defensesâ€"an act which generally gives him the upper hand, as very few people can match Drizzt in such a situation (the textual equivalent of the Blindfighting feat).
When chasing someone or unable to see his enemies, Drizzt often calls upon his innate abilities to surround his target by
faerie fire, purple flames that do not burn but can be seen, even if the target turns invisible, as demonstrated in
The Halfling's Gem, on the boat with Captain Deudermont fighting the pirate Pinochet and his lackeys. This ability is also demonstrated in
Streams of Silver during the Sky Ponies' attack, in which Drizzt enshrouds two of the tribesmen. Described as "unburning flames," Drizzt uses the faerie fire to simply throw the magic-fearing barbarians into disarray.
Drizzt never takes potions and the like with him on adventures, preferring to rely on his own skills, equipment and friends (generally
Bruenor,
Cattie-brie,
Wulfgar,
Regis and
Guenhwyvar) to help him out if he gets into too much trouble. This has, however, been dangerous at times, especially when Ellifain, an elf Drizzt had met early in his life, cast a fire-shield enchantment that mirrored Drizzt's attacks on his own body. According to the
Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, he is a 16th level character with a +2 character level adjustment, due to his being a noble drow.
Drizzt was born in 1297 DR as the third son to Malice Do'Urden (then Matron Mother of
House Do'Urden or
Daermon N'a'shezbaernon) and was originally meant to be sacrificed to
Lolth (the usual fate of the third living son of any house), but was spared minutes after he was born, as his oldest brother, Nalfein, had been assassinated by his second-oldest brother, Dinin. Drizzt was thus the second living son and not the third. 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, taught him a moral code.
Drizzt left Menzoberranzan in search of a better life, 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. One of these people was
Belwar Dissengulp, a
svirfneblin.
After wandering together with Belwar and a polymorphed
pech nicknamed Clacker through the
Underdark and fighting off a spirit-wraith (his father was murdered and, through
zin-carla, an unholy drow religious ritual, used as a puppet in an attempt to kill Drizzt), he eventually left Belwar and found his way to the surface.
Here he was to meet an important and true friend named
Montolio Debrouchee (Mooshie). Drizzt was taught the ways of the ranger from Mooshie, a blind human, and Drizzt realized he had followed these ways all of his life. From this time on, he made his matron 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): Bruenor Battlehammer; Bruenor's adopted human daughter, Cattie-brie; Wulfgar (Bruenor's adopted human son), son of Beornegar; and Regis, a decidedly unadventerous halfling. A series of events led Drizzt and his friends south, to
Mithral Hall, where they currently reside.
Thoughtful and sensitive to others, Drizzt holds himself to the highest ideals but does not expect the same of others. Ever alert for treachery and danger, he speaks little but is apt to be polite (if terse) in his dealings. A perfectionist who yearns to be accepted into places and groups and to make friends widely, Drizzt is haunted by the danger he brings to those he befriends thanks to the scrutiny of the clerics of
Lolth and his other foes (notably the demon Errtu and the human assassin Artemis Entreri). Those he meets perceive him as having a grim manner.
Early in his surface travels,
Alustriel Silverhand welcomed him warmly and personally, as she does all in need, but dared not let him openly into
Silverymoon at that time. His deeds have, very slowly, made Drizzt Do'Urden more welcome in the
Sword Coast North.
Thrice in his life, Drizzt had 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. Drizzt had thought Bruenor dead, and wasn't certain if his other friends were alive. 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. Though, mostly every time he goes in to battle, he becomes "The Hunter" to carefully think of his actions, to use every oppurtunity to strike or take toll on his opponent in some way. There is a great side effect on his and his allies part, because he could strike true on the oppurtune moment, even though his friends or he could be in severe danger.
As a dark elf, Drizzt is innately able to summon globes of darkness at will in an area or attached to a target. Because he is a drow noble, he can also summon a harmless "faerie fire," which outlines a target, making it easier to spot. At one time, he had the ability to levitate, but the sunlight destroyed the magic of his House insignia which enabled this feat, and he gradually lost this ability. He can, however, still adjust his eyes to the infrared spectrum, allowing him to see in the dark. His agility and fighting prowess are legendary, and many have described his movements as too fast to follow with the eye, drow or human.
"Driz" means "hard, steel, or unyielding," and the ending "-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."
Listed in the chronological order of the events in the books.
Note that 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 series are, as yet, still separate. There is also a more recently released book by Mark Anthony,
Shores of Dusk, set between
Siege of Darkness and
Passage to Dawn. However,
Shores of Dusk was never published.
The Dark Elf Trilogy
:
OverviewThe trilogy was a prequel to the very successful
Icewind Dale Trilogy. Oddly enough, Drizzt Do'Urden was originally written as supporting character in the Icewind Dale Series. However the author soon realized how popular the character was, and he became the main character.
Works included#
Homeland (1990) â€"
Homeland follows the story of Drizzt from around the time and cicumstances of his birth and his upbringing amongst the
drow (
dark elves).#
Exile (1990) â€"
Exile tells the story of Drizzt outside of the Drow Cities in the open
Underdark.#
Sojourn (1991) â€"
Sojourn is the story of Drizzt coming onto the surface of the world, how he became a ranger and ultimately ended up at
Icewind Dale.
The Icewind Dale Trilogy
:
Works included#
The Crystal Shard (1988) â€" 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. It also explains how Drizzt,
Bruenor,
Cattie-brie, and
Regis met
Wulfgar.#
Streams of Silver (1989) â€" 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.#
The Halfling's Gem (1990) â€" 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
:The
Legacy of the Drow is the third series about the character Drizzt Do'Urden.
Works included#
The Legacy (1992)::
Dark Mirror â€" A short story about Drizzt and Nojheim the goblin published in
Realms of Valor. (1993)#
Starless Night (1993)#
Siege of Darkness (1994)#
Passage to Dawn (1996)
Paths of Darkness
:
Paths of Darkness is the fourth series about the character Drizzt Do'Urden.
Works included#
The Silent Blade (1998)#
The Spine of the World (1999) #
Servant of the Shard (2000)*#
Sea of Swords (2001)
*Servant of the Shard (2000) is also the first book in the
The Sellswords series, which follows Jarlaxle and Artemis Entreri.
|
The cover of The Lone Drow, showing Drizzt in Hunter mode. |
The Hunter's Blades Trilogy
:
Works included#
The Thousand Orcs (2002) #
The Lone Drow (2003) #
The Two Swords (2004)
::
The Dowry â€" A short story appearing at the end of the novel
The Highwayman (2004).
Novels with Drizzt as the title character tend to sell extremely well in comparison to other
Forgotten Realms-line books, often breaking into the
New York Times bestseller lists when first released and often out selling non-Drizzt related first-release products even in the back list version. While perhaps controversial among some
Forgotten Realms fans, Drizzt is certainly one of the better-known faces (if not
the best-known face) from the
Forgotten Realms, and books featuring him are among the most popular of the
Dungeons & Dragons inspired fiction. His popularity reaches beyond the
D&D gaming community, appealing to a wide range of fantasy and science fiction fans.
It should be noted that among a portion of fans of the
Forgotten Realms setting, Drizzt Do'Urden is considered to be a trite character and unrealistic to the setting. Prior to Salvatore's novels, drow had appeared almost exclusively as villains in the
Dungeons & Dragons adventure modules; they were the primary villains in the popular classic adventure series
Against the Giants and first featured in a relatively brief write-up in the
Fiend Folio. The appearance of Drizzt, his popularity, and the unbalanced rules mechanics for drow (the race had never been intended to be played) led to an explosion of Drizzt look-a-like characters in
Dungeons & Dragons games. Indeed, it has been joked that the entire drow population is composed of angst-ridden chaotic good drow rebelling against contemperary drow society, which was featured in the famous webcomic
The Order of the Stick. In addition to many significant rules changes, the third edition of the
Dungeons & Dragons game introduced a system for playing races that balanced drow relative to the weaker player character races, which had a significant impact on the frequency of appearance of Drizzt-look-alikes; however,
D&D is a game and people emulating Drizzt is a direct result of the popularity of both R.A. Salvatore and
Dungeons & Dragons.
Some also take umbrage at
R.A. Salvatore's changing of the canon of the
Forgotten Realms setting in his Drizzt novels (as, according to Ed Greenwood, creator of the
Forgotten Realms, anything published is considered canon). This problem is hardly limited to Salvatore's books as novels that share a setting with roleplaying books often contradict canon, likewise roleplaying supplements often can and do contradict published novels as well as previously published materials. Some of Salvatore's defenders also point out that he began to write novels set in the
Forgotten Realms at a very early stage in the development of the setting; only one other novel and very few game products were actually published at that time. Salvatore can be credited with the creation of Menzoberranzan and the whole of drow society as it appears in the
Forgotten Realms in his series of Drizzt Do'Urden books.
There has also been some criticism of the relationship between Drizzt and Cattie-brie. Over the length of several novels, Drizzt comes to realize that he's fallen in love with Cattie-brie, but can't (or won't) act on his feelings, due to his incredibly long elven life-span compared to the human Cattie-brie. There was no real romantic development during the course of these events; Drizzt's constant complaining that "they could never be together" began to grate on even the most dedicated Drizzt fans after the third repetition. Drizzt does, however, bed Cattie-brie in
The Two Swords, the final novel in
The Hunter's Blades Trilogy, and afterwards he seems to have come to terms with the idea of loving someone who will die of old age while he is still young.
Literature
*
The Dark Elf Trilogy*
The Icewind Dale Trilogy*
Legacy of the Drow*
Paths of Darkness*
The Hunter's Blades Trilogy*Short stories "
The Dowry" (in
Realms of Elves) and "
Dark Mirror" (in
Realms of Valor).
Related Characters
*
Artemis Entreri*
Belwar Dissengulp*
Bruenor Battlehammer*
Captain Deudermont*
Cattie-brie*
Clacker*
Dagnabbit*
Ellifain*
Guenhwyvar (cat)*
Gutbuster Brigade*
House Do'Urden*
Jarlaxle Baenre*
Montolio Debrouchee (Mooshie)
*
Thibbledorf Pwent*
Regis*
Roddy McGristle*
Thistledown family*
Weeping Friars*
Wulfgar*
rasalvatore.com forums â€" The Official R.A. Salvatore Message Boards
*
Reliks Swords and Collectibles The swords of Drizzt Do'Urden
*
Lavender Eyes â€" A large Drizzt fansite.
