Liriel Baenre

Liriel Baenre (born Liriel Vandree) is a drow mage, fighter, and former priestess who was a noble of House Baenre, the first house of Menzoberranzan. Liriel has a sardonic and witty personality and is described as one of the most beautiful drow females in Menzoberranzan.

Description
Liriel is described as slender and delicate. Like most drow, she has black skin and thick white hair. Her eyes are the color of amber and reveal her intelligence and fondness for mischief. Her face is expressive and often flickers from one emotion to the next. In Menzoberranzan, she was fond of fancy dresses. In Skullport, she wore a piwafwi, tight black leathers and black chainmail.

Relatives
Liriel was born in 1322 DR. Liriel is the only known daughter of Gromph Baenre, archmage of Menzoberranzan. Her mother was Sosdrielle Vandree. Drow almost always trace their descent matrilineally, but Gromph recognized Liriel's magical potential when she was a child, and killed her mother in order to be able to take her into House Baenre. This was possible because Gromph has a much higher station in Menzoberranzan than the typical male drow.

Childhood
At the age of five, Liriel was placed by Gromph under the magical instruction of Xandra Shobalar, but Xandra was told to keep this a secret. She excelled at her studies immediately and in a few years she had outgrown the ability of all of her peers, inciting the envy of Xandra. She shared a bedroom with Xandra's daughter, Bythnara Shobalar, whom she later killed by pushing into a lake of pyrimo flesh-eating fish after Bythnara made an attempt on Liriel's life. (Syzwick witnessed the murder but his life was spared when he swore never to speak of it.)

Liriel privately coined the term "the mask" to refer to the facade she displayed when required of her. It was a neutral expression of apparent ignorance designed to hide her true emotions.

The Blooding
In 1348 DR Liriel was given a vial of holding and a pair of boots of elvenkind by Gromph before the Blooding ritual began. When her prey was revealed to be the human wizard Tresk Mulander, she refused to take part in the ritual, believing that she should face a more monstrous creature, but both Xandra and her mother, Hinkutes'nat Alar Shobalar, insisted. It was at this moment that Liriel realized Xandra wanted her dead. Xandra also gave her the key to the amulet of containment around Tresk's neck, although she did not explain its function.

Liriel was caught by surprise by Tresk and a magical battle ensued, but she soon came to realize that he was only using drow magic and that he knew a great deal about drow tactics. Liriel was able to cast a spell to disrupt Tresk's piwafwi, proof to her that Tresk had been equipped. When he summoned a darkenbeast from a concealed mole on his body, Liriel was forced to use much of her magical strength against it, after which she capitulated. She threw the key to Tresk, which she had placed in the vial of holding. Tresk opened the vial without realizing what it was and became imprisoned within. Liriel returned to Menzoberranzan where she smashed the vial, unleashing Tresk, who attacked Xandra. She slew Tresk but not without suffering a deep wound to her face. Although Xandra tried to claim that the Blooding had not been fulfilled because Liriel had brought back Tresk alive, Liriel's argument was that she had been entitled to use whatever weapon she preferred to kill Tresk, and she had used Xandra as a weapon. This view was upheld by Hinkutes'nat, and Liriel was accepted as having fulfilled the Blooding.

Starlight and Shadows
Liriel Baenre originally belonged to House Vandree before her talent for arcane magic was discovered by her father. Taken into the ranks of the Baenres, Gromph still sought to keep her separated from the influence of his sisters and mother, and he sent her to stay with a minor House to hone her magical talent rather than study to be a priestess. Her mentor, whom she even considered a friend in a way, was Kharza-Kzad Xorlarrin, a master of Sorcere, the drow school of magic. Liriel grew independent and soon found the restrictions of Arach-Tinilith, where she was forced to enroll by Triel Baenre, too binding. Using a book given to her by her father, Liriel traveled to the surface lands where she met drow followers of Eilistraee, the Dark Maiden of benevolent drow. Her desire to return to the surface increased, but she feared being unable to use her drow magic. She believed that an artifact called the Windwalker could help her keep her magic. Coincidentally, this was the same artifact sought by Fyodor of Rashemen to control his out-of-control beserker rages. The artifact was obtained by the Vhaeraunite merchant-turned-mercenary band the Dragon's Hoard, led by Nisstyre, but Liriel subsequently retrieved it and later lost it again to Nisstyre. Liriel -- a powerful mage, warrior, and ex-priestess of Lolth -- led a struggle against them with the help of her friends, Fyodor, the mutant two-headed deep dragon Zz'Pzora, and the Eilistraeean forces of Qilué Veladorn.

Settling for a life on the surface, Liriel found herself hunted by her House and father. She traveled across the ocean to Ruathym with Fyodor, who became her lover and friend, and a pirate named Hrolf, who took her in as a daughter. Liriel's adventures caused drastic consequences for all drow, including the return of her aunt Quenthel to her old House, as well as allowing drow magic to function on the surface.

Religion
Liriel was trained for a brief time as a priestess of Lolth at Arach-Tinilith, and initially upon acquiring the Windwalker amulet, she had the favor of Lolth, as indicated by the reversion of a statue to her face in the House Baenre temple. However, Liriel later renounced the worship of Lolth. She might have become a priestess of Eilistraee had events in Windwalker not closed that door for her. She since has converted to the worship of Mystra and is a lone priestess of her faith.

Appearances

 * Daughter of the Drow
 * "Rite of Blood", a short story included in The Best of the Realms
 * "The Direct Approach", a short story included in The Best of the Realms III and Realms of Magic
 * Tangled Webs
 * Windwalker
 * "Answered Prayers", a short story included in The Best of the Realms III