Catti-brie

Catti-brie is a female human and a friend and later wife to Drizzt Do'Urden. She is a member of the Companions of the Hall.

Orc ambush
In 1370 DR Catti-brie snuck up on a pair of orcs at a campfire east of Shallows before realising it was an ambush. She was outnumbered heavily and succumbed to the stones, spears and other weapons used against her, but not before slaying a number of the orcs. She thought that she was going to die, but was rescued by Wulfgar who single-handedly eliminated most of the rest of the orcs, causing the remainder to flee.

Injury
Her leg was badly injured after a giant-thrown boulder crushed it and clerics found it difficult to fully heal the injury. Cattie-brie never fully recovered from the wounds her leg suffered and her combat performance was hampered by it, even though she was able to walk again. In 1372 DR she was inspired by her friend Alustriel's use of magic and the power she felt after using some spell-empowered trinkets on loan to her. With her leg hampering her warrior training and Khazid'hea being studied by the elves of the Moonwood, Cattie-brie decided to take Alustriel up on her offer of training as a wizard. When Alustriel is busy, Cattie-brie studies under Nanfoodle.

Wizard training
This begins during the assault led by Grguch, chieftain of Clan Karuck after they attack the east wall and bridge; under construction by some Silverymoon wizards led by Alustriel Silverhand herself. Alustriel loans her a ring and a wand and tells her the words to use to make the wand create fireballs. In testing that she could say the words correctly, she causes wand to create one, fortunately the wizards were occupied by the orcs, so no-one saw that she'd unintentionally caused the wand to fire. Having been used to using her bow or her sword, she feels as if she'd be more of a burden to them, until the powerful ring she'd received from Alustriel, having started to become more familiar with the power, looses a series of fireballs that explode, incinerating many orcs.

Appearance & Mentality
Catti-brie is a beautiful auburn-haired and blue-eyed woman. She is kind, tolerant, and pragmatic. Moreover, Catti-brie has grown into the emotional compass for her adventuring companions, guiding both Drizzt and Wulfgar (prior to his time in Errtu's clutches) into wise action with her common sense and clear insight.

Equipment
Catti-brie is armed with the bow Taulmaril and the sentient sword Khazid'hea. , although she lost the sword to Delly Curtie, the since-deceased wife of Wulfgar. She possesses a magical cat's-eye circlet that allows her to see her surroundings in a light as bright as in a moonlit night. It was given to her by Fret courtesy of Alustriel Silverhand of Silverymoon.

As of 1372 DR, Drizzt uses Taulmaril more often than Catti-Brie does and Khazid'hea has been sent to the Moonwood for study. After she begins her training as a wizard she wears the robes of Jack the Gnome and adorns herself with other magical trinkets.

Khazid'hea
After aquiring the sword from the corpse of Dantrag Baenre, Cattie-brie spent some time trying to control its rebellious conciousness. She emerged from the battle of wills weary, but totally in command of the sword. She never allowed it to control her movements and could block out the weapon's telepathy with nary a thought, though, towards the end of the battle with the orcs for control of Mithral Hall, the blade did take control over her, but only through the fact that she was near exhaustion as the orcs came against them time and time again, never allowing much of a break in order to wear the dwarves down.

The sword is taken from her whilst asleep in her quarters in Mithral Hall following the frost giant thrown boulder injuring her hip and leg. She fears for the wielder knowing well how powerful the sword's sentience can be and despite the dwarves search, the sword was not recovered and used by her ever again.

Friends and Family
Drizzt Do'Urden (companion and husband ), Bruenor Battlehammer (adopted father and King of Mithril Hall), Wulfgar (man she was bethrothed to before his soul went to the Abyss), Regis the halfling, Guenhwyvar (Magical six-hundred pound panther called from the panther statuette), Danica Maupoissant (living at the Spirit Soaring), Captain Deudermont (Captain of the Sea Sprite)

Relationship with Bruenor
Catti-brie's mother died in childbirth, and her father moved with his daughter from Mirabar to Termalaine, one of the Ten Towns. For three years, he was quite successful -- but then a goblin raid ended the man's life. All of Termalaine might have fallen to a goblin onslaught but for the dwarves of Clan Battlehammer from their valley to turn back the horde. Bruenor himself saved the orphan girl from death. When the smoke cleared, he claimed Catti-brie as his adopted daughter.

Catti-brie regards Bruenor as her father, not having many memories of her parents, she speaks in the distinctive dialect common amongst dwarves having lived with them for many years. She is tough and has strength, she is as hardy as most dwarves and can wield a smithing hammer as well as any of them.

Relationship with Drizzt
Catti-brie was the first person in the Icewind Dale to accept Drizzt, although she was very young when Drizzt came to know her. Catti-brie possesses a stubborn and tough dwarf personality due to her foster-father.

Catti-brie was torn between her romantic feelings for Drizzt as an extension of the companionship they had developed, and the thought of any potential children they might have turning into outcasts because of their drow characteristics. Their differing lifespans, the short-lived nature of humans compared to the long lives of elves, was also of concern to her. Though conversations between her and Drizzt seem to have lessened that concern.

Relationship with Wulfgar
Catti-brie and Wulfgar have previously been romantically involved towards the end of The Icewind Dale Trilogy and then into The Legacy of the Drow books where she and Wulfar were due to be married, but when Wulfgar fell to the yochlol that Drizzt's sister Vierna Do'Urden called upon, he was thought dead after collapsing the cavern with his mighty warhammer Aegis-fang. Instead he was pulled to the Abyss by the yochlol coming into the hands of Lolth who eventually offered him to Errtu in exchange for Errtu overseeing the drows during the Time of Troubles. At the end of Passage to Dawn, six years after his supposed death, he returns as Errtu's prisoner. Errtu was in search of Crenshinibon and hoped to use Wulfgar as a bargaining chip to obtain the artifact.

This was where Catti-brie next met Wulfgar, helping to defeat Errtu and banishing him back to the Abyss for another hundred years. Unfortunately for Wulfgar, Catti-brie had managed to recover from his loss during the years and on an adventure with Drizzt on the Sea Sprite, though she was uncertain of her feelings when the two met again, she helped him to recover from his suffering at the hands of Errtu, seeing that Wulfgar was not the man she had once known though, her feelings remained cloudy and ultimately they were just friends.

Catti-brie had been doubtful about the marriage before Wulfgar was thought dead, his pride and protectiveness over Catti-brie was beginning to take its toll on their relationship; her adventuring spirit was not ready for his barbarian lifestyle where wives are not held in high regard and were not permitted to go on adventures, stifling her free will, which she hated and continued to adventure regardless.

Artemis Entreri
After Regis went off with Bruenor, Drizzt and Wulfgar having discovered that the assassin, Artemis Entreri, was in Icewind Dale seeking Regis and the ruby he had stolen from Pasha Pook; the group went off in search of Mithral Hall. Catti-brie was at Regis' house in Bryn Shander with two dwarves after the original owner had told her that Regis was to have his posessions removed. She and the dwarves were there to undertake the task but she was taken hostage by Entreri who was pursuing the halfling. He killed both the dwarves and tied her to a chair, interrogating her and then setting off after Regis with her in tow.

She was so frightened by him that she feared she would never be able to stand against the assassin. Even when she wasn't bound by him, she was so apprehensive that she did exactly as he told her. After travelling as his captive she does manage to free herself of her fear of him over a long period and succeeds in freeing herself from him, taking a tumble down a rocky outcropping and running to Bruenor just outside Mithril Hall which the group had only recently rediscovered.

Spelling
There is some debate as to the spelling of Catti-brie's name (the most common alternative being Cattie-brie). Most of R.A. Salvatore's works use the spelling found at the beginning of this article, but the alternative is printed several times.