Gromph Baenre

Archmage Gromph Baenre is a drow and the archmage of Menzoberranzan. He is also the master of Sorcere, the arcane school, and the first son of Matron Mother Yvonnel Baenre, which makes him the most powerful male in the city. His only daughter is Liriel Baenre whose magical education and upbringing he once paid House Shobalar for until she fled to the surface. Gromph lives in the Narbondellyn district of Menzoberranzan. He is far over 700 years old.

History
Gromph wandered for some time and adventured before becoming the "leashed" Archmage of the Council of Eight (the eight ruling houses), according to a decree by Lolth. It is only logical for the Council to keep close watch on the male wizards, who are their only real challengers for power; Gromph especially so, as he has many responsibilities in the City of Spiders. Foremost, he must energize Narbondel, the huge "clock" of Menzoberannzan. For most it seemed to be a ceremony of power and therefore an honorable task. But in truth it was a short chain that tethered Gromph to the city itself. He is also tasked with minimizing the in-fighting of the potential students of Sorcere. After the failed invasion of Menzoberranzan by the duergar and the Tanurukk, wizardly powers are in short supply.

Some consider Gromph the greatest archmage in all the Realms; Elminster, however, is more than eleven centuries old and Khelben a few centuries younger than that (both may be greater mages than Gromph, as they have had more time to study and perfect their mastery of the Art); as such, it may be more accurate to list him as a rival in power to the other archmages of the Realms.

Recently, and disturbingly, Gromph disappeared at a time when the city most needed him. After a failed attempt by the lichdrow Dyrr to force Gromph to join a consortium of wizards and rogues (including an illithid lich and half drow/half shadow-dragon members), he was attacked and imprisoned in a magical sphere. Using the abilities of his familiar, a rat named Kyorli, he escaped the confines of Sorcere, and ended up in the lake that surrounds Donigarten. He was discovered by a roaming illithid named Sluuguth, and tricked the illithid, sealing its soul into a magical axe. Gromph went from that point on to help secure the city from the many magical fires that were burning it to the ground, as well as help turn the tide of the siege that threatened to engulf Menzoberannzan.

In his second meeting against the lichdrow Dyrr, Gromph was sent physically to the halfling sphere of heaven, the Elysian Fields. He returned with the soul of a dead halfing that became a huecuva. The huecuva was destroyed easily by the lichdrow, never intending to be more than a distraction. A terrific battle of magic ensued, destroying more than half of the Marketplace of Menzoberranzan. Gromph, near the end of the War of the Spider Queen, kills the lichdrow Dyrr with the help of Triel Baenre and destroys his phylactery, which had been hidden in the main chapel of Lolth in House Dyrr. He barely survived this encounter.

Appearance
Gromph is austere yet handsome. Despite his old age (he is old even by elven standards), Gromph appears eternally youthful due to the effects of a magical amulet in his possession, which contains a piece of a unicorn's horn. As a powerful spellcaster and the archmage of the city, Gromph almost always wears the Robe of the Archmage of Menzoberranzan, a ceremonial garment that is also heavily enchanted. He also displays the badge of House Baenre at all times.

Relatives
Gromph's only daughter is Liriel Baenre. His mistress for a time was Sosdrielle Vandree, Liriel's mother, but when Liriel was five, Gromph had Sosdrielle put to death. The fact that Liriel is Gromph's daughter by one of his discarded lovers makes her claim to Baenre heritage shakey.

Gromph is the eldest son of Yvonnel Baenre, making him the eldest male of House Baenre. He has a number of siblings, all children of Yvonnel Baenre, but most notable of these are his sisters Triel Baenre, Matron Mother of House Baenre and Quenthel Baenre, current Mistress of Arach-Tinilith. Gromph's high-born heritage and high standing in the city serve to make him the most influential male in Menzoberranzan, with the possible exception of Jarlaxle, leader of the mercenary band Bregan D'aerthe and also his younger brother (though Jarlaxle is currently adventuring on the surface, leaving Gromph as the most powerful male).

Gromph had two other brothers but both of them meet their end in some way. The second son of Yvonnel Baenre, Dantrag, and Weapon Master of the House was cut down by Drizzt Do'Urden in his escape from the House. After Dantrag's death, Gromph's younger brother, Berg'inyon Baenre, became Weapon master for the assault on Mithral Hall and, after it's disaster, joined Breagan D'aerthe. He too was struck down, by Drizzt's rival, Artemis Entreri.

Equipment
Gromph wears a ceremonial piwafwi with many spell components inside. It is a sign of his high status. He also has in his possession various powerful magical items, including: a robe of the archmage of Menzoberranzan, a brooch of perpetual youth, a brooch of lingering heat, a wand of viscid globs, a wand of acidic spheres, a brooch of number numbing, many contracts of Nepthas, a lens of speed reading, a talisman of memorization, numerous thought bottles and a spider mask.

After reciting a spell to allow him to become a fighter for a short time (probably a derivation of the spell known as Tensor's Transformation), Gromph obtained a soul-stealing axe of duergar manufacture. The most important current soul is that of the illithid, Sluuguth, although duergar souls are also trapped within the blade. In the battle for Menzoberranzan, when Gromph fights the Lichdrow Dyrr, he captures the lichdrow's soul inside the axe. This expels the other spirits. The axe was subsequently lost while Gromph escaped house Dyrr, presumably destroying it. It's current fate, however, is currently unknown and the Lichdrow may yet survive.