Drizzt Do'Urden

Drizzt Do'Urden is a good Drow Ranger who has forsaken both the evil ways of his people and their home (in the Underdark).

Drizzt was born in Menzoberranzan, the son of Malice Do'Urden and Zaknafein, Malice's sometime consort. As the third son, drow culture demanded that he be sacrificed to Lolth, but the death of this older brother, Nalfein, shortly after his birth made him the second son and spared him from being sacrificed.

Being a male, and drow culture being matriarchal and man-hating, Drizzt did not enjoy the first 16 years of his life, 10 of them spent being a slave to his older sister, Vierna, and the next 6 being spent in service to the entire household (but mostly to the women).

At 16, Drizzt started his weapons training, Zaknafein having persuaded Malice that he should become a warrior instead of replacing Nalfein as the house wizard. This is where he first starts learning the skills that would lead to him being one of the best warriors in the Forgotten Realms setting.

At 20 years old, he went to Melee-Magthere, Menzoberranzan's warrior academy, where he excelled in his studies no matter what the masters of the academy tried to do to bring him down (this included matching him against students three years above him - he beat these easily as well). His time at the academy would have been spotless (by Drow standards) except for the graduation ceremony, where he disgraced himself (again by Drow standards) by refusing to take part in an orgy by refusing the advances of two high priestesses (one his sister Vierna) and damning Lolth.

After graduating he took part in a surface raid in which he spared the life of an elven child (not a good thing in Drow culture) by hiding her underneath her murdered mother. Zaknafein, similar to Drizzt in his morals, thought he had done it, 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 women 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 and Drizzt, on realising what had happened, 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 brought back from the dead (sort of) by Malice to find Drizzt. In the end, Zaknafein regained enough control to make himself fall into a pool of acid, destroying him.

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) did just that, with only Vierna and Dinin (Drizzt's older brother) surviving.

Drizzt then realised that neither he nor anyone around him would be safe in the underdark, so he decided to travel to the surface.

to be done - the events of the Icewind Dale Trilogy and beyond