Dark Elf Trilogy II - Exile

R.A. Salvatore

First Printing December 1990 - TSR

2000 Wizards of the Coast

Exile

Drizzt has regressed to a more primal state of mind, killing any creatures that are foreign to his home. It is a bleak existence, and he manages to slip out of the primal state thanks to his panther Guenhwyvar. Drizzt is a dark elf, and he lives out of contact with a city because he detests his fellows' dark beliefs and their dark goddess Lolth. He left when his mother sacrificed his father Zaknafein to Lolth in an attempt to make up for Drizzts' blasphemous actions against the cruel goddess. His mother, Malice Do'Urden is furious when Drizzt leaves Menzoberranzan and forsakes Lolth, but she must find a way to redeem herself in the eyes of Lolth or House Do'Urden will crumble and her position in the council of the eight ruling houses that she has sought for so many decades will be lost along with her life. Failure isn't an option in the eyes of Lolth. Desperate to regain favor, she also finds that SiNafay Hun'ett the matron mother of House Hun'ett, the house that attacked House Do'Urden and failed, is still alive. Malice accepts SiNafay only because the matron of the most powerful house in Menzoberranzan orders as such. She also finds that to regain Lolths favor she must find and kill Drizzt.

Malice requests "Zin-Carla" the so-called highest gift given by Lolth, and it is normally given only to those in her favor. But, the request is fulfilled and Zaknafein is resurrected in a half-life, slowly draining away from Malice. During this time Drizzt is struggling to control his more primal mindset that he calls " The Hunter," a state that he regresses to only when angry or perceives something as a great threat. While he had been living off a rothe herd, a basilisk drove most of them away, he kills it with several swift blows but must find his herd or he will run out of food. While looking he stumbles across a svirfneblin city he simply listens because he is fearful that he might be attacked if he approaches the city. After several weeks he manages to gather up even courage to go to the city. Dark elves are the mortal enemies of the deep gnomes so he isn't given a very warm welcome. He manages to survive because he took mercy upon a much honored deep gnome while he stilled lived in Menzoberranzan, Belwar. Drizzt lives with the deep gnomes for a short time but has to leave because they find that someone is looking for him and fear that it might be a Drow war party.

Belwar goes with him because he feels that Drizzt shouldn't be left alone in the Underdark anymore, they come across a crazed human wizard but he flees. While traveling they come across a Pech that has been polymorphed into a Hook Horror, one of the most feared creatures in all the Underdark. They name him Clacker, but, he is fighting the instincts of his hook horror side. During all of this they are avoiding whatever things that Malice might've sent after Drizzt. But, they are captured by the Illithid, creatures that use psychic powers to dominate and enthrall "lesser" creatures.