The Dark Elf Trilogy

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The 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^{[citation needed]} the barbarian. However, the author soon realized how popular the character was, and Drizzt became the main character. The final book Sojourn made the New York Times Best Seller list.^[1]

Works included

The trilogy consists of:

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). The book takes the reader into Menzoberranzan, the drow home city. From here, the reader follows Drizzt on his quest to follow his principles in a land where such feelings are threatened by all his family including his mother Matron Malice. In an essence, the book introduces Drizzt Do'Urden, one of Salvatore's more famous characters from the Icewind Dale Trilogy.
2. Exile (1990) — Exile tells the story of Drizzt outside of the drow cities in the open wilderness of the Underdark. For the ten years following his abandoning his house, he is left with no one but his faithful Guenhwyvar, a magical panther he had acquired in Homeland. Drizzt is also met with great dangers that he meets with the business ends of his scimitars. Struggling with conflicting emotions, which involve his failure in Menzoberranzan and a deep grief for his father and friend Zaknafein, he makes his way to the surface to face newer dangers.
3. Sojourn (1991) — Sojourn is the story of Drizzt coming to the surface of the world and facing adversity due to the infamy of his kin. It follows him trying to find his place among the humans that live between the city of Sundabar and Citadel Adbar. He is rejected, and hunted, before meeting and living with an elderly blind man known as Montolio DeBrouchee. Montolio teaches Drizzt what it means to become a ranger and together they defend Mooshie's home against a raid by local orcs. Drizzt ultimately leaves the Sundabar area and makes his way to Icewind Dale where he befriends Catti-brie and Bruenor Battlehammer and finds a place to call home.

Plot

Drizzt was born to the tenth noble House of Menzoberranzan, Daermon Na'shezbaernon (more commonly known as House Do'Urden). He was the son of Malice, the Do'Urden Matron Mother and her consort, Do'Urden weaponmaster (and sometime Patron) Zaknafein. As the third son, drow culture demanded that Drizzt be sacrificed to their goddess Lloth. However, the death of his older brother, and first son, Nalfein, (incidentally, at the treacherous hand of the second son, Dinin) in the battle against House DeVir which raised Daermon Na'shezbaernon to the 9th ranked in the city during his birth, made him the second son and spared him.

Being a male in the matriarchal drow society, Drizzt Do'Urden suffered considerable abuse at the hands of his family in the first sixteen years of his life. His first ten years were spent in the care of his older sister Vierna; though she was far from kind, in his later years Drizzt would recall some affection for her, stemming from the fact they shared paternity through Zaknafein.

As a child, Drizzt displayed amazing reflexes and coordination. Consequently, Zaknafein was able to persuade Malice that Drizzt should become a warrior, instead of replacing Nalfein as the house wizard. Thus, at the age of sixteen, Drizzt began his weapons training. It was then that he began learning the skills that would lead to him become one of the most formidable swordsmen in both the Underdark, and Faerûn.

At twenty years of age, he went to Melee-Magthere, Menzoberranzan's warrior academy, where he excelled in his studies despite his resistance to the attempted brainwashing by the masters of the academy. When it was clear that there were none in Drizzt's class who could beat him, the masters of the academy matched him against students three years above him. Drizzt defeated that class easily. His time at the academy would have been spotless (by Drow standards) except for the graduation ceremony, where he disgraced himself by refusing to take part in an orgy, refusing the advances of two high priestesses, one of them his sister, and damning Lolth. Although he thought that no one noticed because they themselves were too "distracted" by the ceremony; therefore, he still graduated with honors.

After graduating he took part in a surface raid in which he saved the life of a child of the most bitter enemy of the drow, the surface elves, by hiding her underneath her murdered mother. Drizzt's weaponmaster Zaknafein, having similar morals to Drizzt, thought he killed the child, but Lolth knew he hadn't and dropped the Do'Urden family from her favour because of it. Zaknafein then fought with Drizzt, thinking he had become like other drow, and was told the truth of the matter by Drizzt.

Unfortunately, the females of House Do'Urden, in a bid to find out why Do'Urden was no longer in Lolth's favour, were watching this battle. The end result of this is that Zaknafein offered himself as a sacrifice to spare Drizzt.

Drizzt went back to house Do'Urden but could not find Zaknafein. He went to go confront Matron Malice about it she told him that he had been sacrificed to the evil spider queen Lolth.

She told Drizzt to serve as the houses weapon master. Drizzt nearly laughed aloud at the irony of her words. She thought he would fail where Zaknafein had failed, would fall into her trap as the former weapon master had fallen, never to climb out back out. You are the one who underestimates me, Drizzt said. Drizzt left house Do'Urden to live in the Underdark wilderness.

Drizzt then spent some years in the Underdark, during which he was enslaved by mind flayers and then had to fight Zaknafein again, who had been made undead by Malice, thanks to Lolth's "greatest gift" Zin-Carla, to find Drizzt. In the end, Zaknafein regained enough control to make himself fall into a pool of acid, destroying himself.

For Malice's failure to use Zaknafein to kill Drizzt, Lolth decreed that house Do'Urden should be destroyed, and House Baenre (the most powerful house in Menzoberranzan and also the highest in Lloth's favor) did just that, with only Vierna and Dinin (Drizzt's older brother) surviving.

Having lived in the Underdark for over forty years, Drizzt then realized that neither he nor anyone around him would be safe, so he decided to travel to the surface. There he met with much adversity because of his race, but also found his true calling in life as a ranger. He eventually moved to Icewind Dale, where he joined with Catti-Brie, Bruenor Battlehammer, Regis the halfling and Wulfgar the barbarian.

Characters

• Roddy McGristle is a human bounty hunter, and has two dogs that he uses to hunt and wields an axe named "Bleeder." He seeks out the bounty on Drizzt, who kills one of the dogs and cuts off one of Roddy's ears. He begins to follow any rumors based upon Drizzt in order to get revenge upon him, using the deaths of the Thistledowns as an excuse to get men to help. In actaulity he cares little for the Thistledowns and later doesn't even care for the bounty. Making the grudge personal, he eventually tracks Drizzt down to Icewind Dale, but Roddy is easily defeated. He is then driven from the mountain and is never heard from again.
• Clacker is a pech, who is transformed into a Hook Horror by a human wizard. Under the effects of this spell, he forgets his name, much of his past, and eventually his mind begins to transform into that of a mindless beast. He meets Drizzt and Belwar Dissengulp as they journey through the Underdark. He eventually has a moment of resurgence, where he becomes more in-tune with the earth than a regular pech. He uses his abilities to save his friends, and then asks them to kill him before he completely turns. He is killed by Zaknafein, and his body, having returned to its true form, is placed into a pool of acid.
• Kellindil A wood elf, and part of Dove Falconhand's group he meets Drizzt and attacks him assuming him the enemy though he suspects Drizzt's good intentions. He then keeps an eye on Drizzt during the time he spent with Mooshi. He and his elves arrive in time to offer some help in the attack from King Graul and his orcs. He finds Roddy and takes him captive intending to question him. However Roddy is freed and kills him.

Comics

The books have been adapted into comic book form by Devil's Due Publishing. The artist for the comic series Tim Seeley with Andrew Dabb as the writer under the supervision of R.A. Salvatore. The trade paperback Sojourn Vol 3 of the Dark Elf ranked 19 in the August 2006 Graphic Novels sales with an estimated sale quantity of 3,465.^[2]

Reception

Homeland received a positive review from critic Cindy Speer. She stated the novel was an impressive start to the characterisation of Drizzt.^[3]

In March 26 1991 Sojourn debuted at 13 of the New York Times Best Seller list.^[4] Ian Strelec awarded the final book of the trilogy, Sojourn with a B+ rating. He stated he found the book short and although not incredible, it was an important component of the Drizzt mythos. ^[5]

References

External links

• Introductions by R.A. Salvatore & Ed Greenwood.