D&D: An Adventurer’s Guide to Drizzt Do’Urden
In all of Dungeons & Dragons, one name has come to represent two swords and a pocketful of memes: the brooding drow that is Drizzt Do’Urden.
Drizzt Do’Urden is a rather renowned figure throughout the northern parts of the Forgotten Realms. But where does this dervish-like Drow come from, and what has he done? Let’s take a look.
Drizzt
If you’re already familiar with Drizzt Do’Urden, you’re probably at least a little deep into D&D lore. Created by R. A. Salvatore, he was originated as a supporting character in the Icewind Dale Trilogy. Since, he has become one of the most popular characters of the Forgotten Realms and has been featured as the main character in a number of his own books, starting with The Dark Elf Trilogy.
Drizzt is a drow ranger who is lknown for leaving the Underdark, forsaking both his home and the “evil ways” of the drow, and goes on to become one of the most legendary heroes of the North. In addition to all of the abilities standard of drow and ranger adventurers, he is known for carrying two long scimitar named Twinkle and Icindeath and conjuring a globe of impenetrable magical darkness when battling especially difficult enemies. He has a black panther companion named Guenhwyvar. Drizzt holds himself to high ideals and standards, is always warry of potential threats and betrayals, but generally longs for acceptance and friendship, and follows Mielikki, the goddess of rangers.
Fictional Biography
Drizzt Do’Urden has lived a life of unexpected mercies. It all began when was born in the Underdark in the city of Menzoberranzan. Like many, his family was swept up in the backstabbing, intrigue, and politics of the city. In fact, he owes his life to the byzantine machinations of House politics—the second son of house Do’Urden, Dinin Do’Urden, murdered the eldest brother Nalfein Do’Urden the night that Drizzt was born, sparing the youngest Do’Urden son from being sacrificed to Lolth.
This should give you an idea of the difficulties that Drizzt Do’Urden went through growing up in Menzoberranzan. But it wasn’t all a horrible tragedy. While growing up and learning to fight, Drizzt befriended a magical panther named Guenhwyvar, who would end up saving his life when drow assassins came after him and tried to use Guenhwyvar to kill him.
At one point, he refused to kill a moon elf child, and Drizzt’s father was sacrificed to Lolth to regain the Queen of Spider’s favor. After discovering this, Drizzt realized he needed to escape Menzoberranzan, but even that wasn’t enough. The vengeful drow had reanimated the corpse of his father and had sent him to kill his son. After destroying his father’s corpse in acid, Drizzt realized that the Underdark had nothing left for him, and he escaped to the surface.
Life on the Surface
Once on the surface, Drizzt met with all sorts of misadventures, learned to become a ranger, and met with his bravest battle companions: Cattie-brie, Bruenor Battlehammer,Wulfgar, and Regis. The companions found themselves wrapped up in intrigue in Icewind Dale. After becoming a respected hero there, his past came calling once more. Drizzt’s sister, Vierna Do’Urden kid-panned the drow and killed Wulfgar in an attempt to regain Lolth’s favor.
Drizzt returned once more to the Underdark to deal with the figurative and metaphorical demons of his past, where he was captured and tortured, but eventually escaped, fighting in the midst of a war between the Underdark and the Surface.
Of course, that’s just the start of his adventures. Over the course of the years, Drizzt’s companions would all die–the Spellplague took the lives of Catti-brie and Regis, Bruenor died in the battle for Gauntlgrym, and even Guenhwyvar disappeared into the Shadowfell during the battle of Neverwinter, and Drizzt himself was mortally wounded in battle against some of his former allies from Icewind Dale. As Drizzt lay dying, his companions, returned to life by the goddess Mielikki, came to his aid and healed his wounds, reunited once more.
How Do You Pronounce “Drizzt”?
There are a number of answers to this question. According to the Forgotten Realms Wiki, it is ‘drist’ ‘drihz’. In the audiobooks it sounds a little like both of those combined or ‘drihzt’. But R. A. Salvatore himself is asked, his answer sheds the least amont of light on the situation.
He claims that he will pronounce ‘Drizzt’ differently with some consistency and won’t give a final, canonical answer to this question. According to him, he would rather a couple of kids argue over the pronunciation because it may drum up enough interest to convince another one of their friends to read his books for themself. And if he earns one more reader though this ploy of vagueness, as Salvatore puts it, ‘he wins.’
Do You Need to Read the Drizzt Books in Order?
You don’t need to, of course. But in general the chronological order of the novels will provide the most cohesive timeline for the character and his adventures and stories.
That said, there are thirty-nine Drizzt books out there. So if you’re a reader with somewhat limited reading time and need to be a little picky in which books you read, many people agree that the Icewind Dale Trilogy is the best place to start and then that some of the most worthwhile books include The Crystal Shard, Streams of Silver, and The Halfling’s Gem.
What Is Drizzt’s Alignment?
Chaotic Good.
Happy adventuring!
