House Do'Urden

House Do'Urden (known as Daermon Na'Shezbaeron) is a fictional clan of dark elves in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, created by R.A. Salvatore.

It is one of Houses of the Underdark drow city of Menzoberranzan which first appeared in Homeland. It was Tenth House of Menzoberranzan at the start of the series. It was house of the famous drow Drizzt Do'Urden.

"Do" means "walkers in", and "Urden" means "the darkness". Thus "Do'Urden" means "walkers in the darkness".

Plot
At the beginning of the book Homeland (1297 DR), on the day which Drizzt Do'Urden was born, House Do'Urden attacked House DeVir, which was Fourth House of Menzoberranzan at that time. Using the power of the birth of Drizzt Do'Urden, Malice Do'Urden was able to create a spell capable of defeating House Devir. With this defeat House Do'Urden became Ninth House of Menzoberranzan.

When Drizzt Do'Urden saved the life of Ellifain, an elven child he encountered on a surface raid, House Do'Urden lost the favor of Lolth. House Hun'ett (the Fifth House), which already considered House Do'Urden a threat, prepared to attack. The first part of the battle was supposed to occur with the killing of Drizzt killed Masoj Hun'ett and Gelroos Hun'ett (who was actually Alton DeVir, last survivor of the House DeVir) giving House Do'Urden an edge in the war.

Matron Malice Do'Urden became aware of her sons actions, which had placed the house in disfavor. To regain the favor of Lolth, she sacrificed Zaknafein (Drizzt's father), who volunteered to save his son's life. Drizzt, returned from his battle with Masoj and Gelross, and discovered what had happened to his father deserted House Do'Urden and left Menzoberranzan House Hun'ett lost two of its wizards and the favor of Lolth for failing to kill Drizzt, and House Do'Urden lost the favor of Lolth because of Drizzt's desertion.

Ten years passed with small sneak attacks between House Do'Urden and House Hun'ett, because neither of the houses had regained Lolth's favor. Also both where severally weakend by various loses. House Do'Urden lost its principle weapon masters and House Hun'ett lost its two most powerful mages. In Exile(1338 DR), when finally House Hun'ett launched an attack to House Do’Urden with the help of Bregan D'aerthe, Malice Do'Urden turned the tide of the battle by making a better offer to Jarlaxle. House Do'Urden became Eighth House of Menzoberranzan and made its way to ruling council. But they had lost a lot of soldiers and had yet to regain Lolth's favor. SiNafay Hun'ett became a member of House Do'Urden to offer the house additional power. (under the name Shi'nayne Do'Urden).

To regain Lolth's favor, House Do'Urden needed to kill Drizzt. After Briza and Dinin failed, Matron Malice took her biggest risk and desired Zin-carla to hunt Drizzt down. Giving SiNafay as a sacrifice, Zaknafein's was risen as Zin-carla which is also know as a  spirit-wraith. This removed Malice's disfavor in the eyes of Lloth, however, it did not regain Malice favor. When Zaknafein regained his senses for a little time he jumped into an acid pit, destroying himself and causing the failure of Zin-carla. This caused House Do’Urden to lose Lolth's favor forever, as Matron Malice had failed in her distinct orders to kill Drizzt. Briza took the lead by killing her mother but House Baenre,under orders of Lloth attacked House Do'Urden, killing most of its members. Vierna and Dinin survived this attack amd joined Bregan D'aerthe in order to survive.

In The Legacy (1357 DR), Vierna tried to rebuild House Do'Urden by killing Drizzt. She had Lolth's favor and got help from Bregan D'aerthe. She turned Dinin into a drider. During their attack on Mithral Hall, Bruenor killed Dinin in his drider form, and Drizzt killed Vierna, making Drizzt the last known Do'Urden.

Vartha Do'Urden
Mother of Malice, Vartha was the previous matron mother of House Do'Urden. She died unexpectedly nearly about 400 years ago, which allowed Malice to take control of the house.

Malice Do'Urden
Malice Do'Urden was Matron of House Do'Urden until her death. She was a strong priestess and had favor of Lolth for a long time. She is the only known user of the power of the birth against her enemies. She was the  mother of Drizzt, Dinin, Nalfein, Vierna, Maya and Briza. She also had to adopt SiNafay Hun'ett. She first fell out of the favor of Lloth because of Drizzt's actions on the surface raid. She regained temporarly the favor of Lloth by sacrifing Zaknafein as an atonement. She again lost the favor of Lloth after Drizzt's departured from Menzoberranzan. Malice never regained Lolth's favor but was given a final  chance by Lloth  to regain her favor by  destroying  Drizzt by the use of  Zin-carla. She received the power for this spell by sacrificing SiNafay. She lost control of Zin-carla for a moment, which was enough time for Zaknafein to destroy himself. This caused Malice to forever lose the favor of Lloth and to be  killed by Briza, in one last futile desperate attempt to regain Lloth's favor for House Do'Urden.

Malice had six children through three different males. The father of Briza is unknown. Zaknafein was the father of Vierna and Drizzt. Rizzen was the father of Maya, Nalfein and Dinin. Drizzt believed that Malice was responsible for her mother's death, however he provides no evidence for this and given Malice's young age at the time this occurred, makes it seem unlikely. It was a difficult time in the House's history, which the further is reason to doubt Malice's role in her mother's death. Her death occurred when Briza, Zaknafein and Nalfein where still young, and Malice had just finished her clerical studies.

Zaknafein Do'Urden
Zaknafein Do'Urden, famed Weapon Master of House Daermon N'a'shezbaernon, was Drizzt's father, his mentor and his dearest friend. It was he who gave Drizzt the courage to leave Menzoberranzan. He not only trained Drizzt to become an excellent warrior, he also played a great part in shaping his personality, protecting Drizzt from the truth of Menzoberranzan for as long as he could.

Zaknafein Do'Urden was an excellent warrior, the finest in Menzoberranzan, but most importantly, he was good beyond the ability of his kin. Noble, kind-hearted, and strong in his own way. He did his best to live by his principles, in a world where greed overcomes compassion and ambition overrules all.

Zaknafein was sacrificed to Lolth in Drizzt's place when House Do'Urden fell out of Lolth's favor. Upon discovering this, Drizzt left Menzoberranzan for the wilds of the Underdark. Zaknafein was later brought back through Zin-carla.

Zaknafein was brought back to hunt Drizzt in the Underdark. The spirit-wraith found Drizzt and fought him in a room in the Underdark where there are walkways over a pit of acid. Ultimately, Zaknafein fights through the mental barriers, and hurls himself into the pit of acid to prevent himself from killing Drizzt.

Briza Do'Urden
Briza Do'Urden was the oldest of three daughters of Matron Malice Do'Urden. She became a noble upon the death of Matron Vartha. A powerful priestess of Lolth, she was angry and brutal, and she always punished infractions quickly. She killed her mother, Malice Do'Urden when she learned that her mother Malice was not in the Spider Queen's favor, but she had little time to savor her power, for house Do'Urden was attacked immediately after by house Baenre. She was the last Matron Mother of House Do'Urden, even if only for a few moments. She is assumed to have been killed in the attack. (In the comic, Jarlaxle killed her himself.)

Vierna Do'Urden
Vierna Do'Urden was sister of the famous Drizzt Do'Urden. Her mother was Malice Do'Urden and her father was Zaknafein Do'Urden. She was pure hearted in her beginnings, but was ordered to become a priestess of Lolth; this destroyed her chance at becoming like her brother Drizzt and leaving Menzoberranzan. When she joined the forces of Jarlaxle, with her other half-brother Dinin, she had an obsession with killing her only full-blood brother, Drizzt; however, she was killed by him instead (takes place in the Legacy of the Drow series). In those few seconds in which she was still alive, with a scimitar plunged in her chest, she left Lolth, and the part that was good was freed and Vierna eagerly accepted her fate.

Rizzen Do'Urden
He was the patron of Matron Malice Do-Urden until his death, in which Malice tricked Rizzen into engaging the spirit-wraith Zaknafein in a fight, when he was promptly hacked to pieces. Malice claimed that it was no great loss as she had already chosen her next patron from amongst the soldiers of House Do'Urden. Rizzen was also the patron of House Do'Urden at the time of Drizzt Do'Urden's birth, though it was common knowledge that he was not the father of Drizzt. He was the known father of Dinin and Maya.

Maya Do'Urden
Maya Do'Urden was the youngest of three daughters of Matron Malice Do'Urden; She was a powerful priestess of Lolth. She was slain by House Baenre troops.

Nalfein Do'Urden
He was elderboy of House Do'Urden. He was a sorcerer and helped the house in battles. On their attack on House DeVir, while Drizzt was being born, he was tricked and killed by his brother Dinin. He was accepted as an appropriate sacrifice instead of Drizzt that night, saving the young baby's life.

Dinin Do'Urden
He is brother of Drizzt Do'Urden, first appearing in R.A. Salvatore's Dark Elf Trilogy, beginning with the first book Homeland, following in the second book Exile, and returning in the Legacy of the Drow series' first book The Legacy. In House Do'Urden's war against House DeVir in the opening chapters of Homeland, Dinin unwittingly saved his younger brothers life by murdering his older brother Nalfein, thus making Drizzt the Secondboy of House Do'Urden rather than the Thirdboy. Dinin was also a master of Melee-Magthere until the beginning of the Do'Urden-Hun'ett conflict. When House Do'Urden was destroyed by House Baenre he was spared by Jarlaxle under the conditions that he join the mercenary band Bregan D'aerthe. He was a trusted ally of Jarlaxle until he was turned into a drider by his sister Vierna. In Vierna's raid on Mithral Hall, Dinin(in his drider form) was killed by Bruenor Battlehammer.

Drizzt Do'Urden


Drizzt was born as the third son to House Do'Urden and was originally meant to be sacrificed to Lolth, but was spared as Nalfein had been killed. Zaknafein trained him to be a great fighter. He was best fighter of his age. As an anti-stereotype drow, Drizzt has forsaken the evil ways of his people.

Drizzt left Menzoberranzan, 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.

He was to meet an important and true friend named Montolio Debrouchee (Mooshie). Drizzt was taught the ways of the ranger from Mooshie, 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.

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. A series of events led Drizzt and his friends south, to Mithral Hall, where they currently reside.

Sometimes Drizzt regresses 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. 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.

Shi'nayne Do'Urden/SiNafay Hun'ett
She was matron of the House Hun'ett for a long time. She thought House Do'Urden was posing a threat and attacked it with help of Bregan D'aerthe. With Jarlaxle's betrayal, her house got defeated and punished by ruling council of Menzoberranzan. After that she had changed her identity and became a member of House Do'Urden. She changed her name to Shi'nayne Do'Urden. She was tricked and sacrificed to Lolth to summon Zin-carla.