Elaith Craulnober

Elaith Craulnober was a moon elf adventurer and crime lord living in the city of Waterdeep. He was a cunning and opportunistic elven rogue with an infamous reputation.

Description
Elaith Craulnober was tall elven noble in his prime with with sharp, handsome features and a graceful build. He was 5'8" tall. Elaith had silver hair and the pale skin common to his people.  His eyes were the color of amber. He favored his trademark black cape and elven daggers, which he often used to solidify his already fearsome reputation. He was often likened to a "silver snake" because of his appearance, which in part gave him his alias of "The Serpent."

Personality
Elaith was a tragic character who never truly recovered from his initial fall. His descent from the Captain of the King's guard on Evermeet to the brutal and heartless crime lord he is today has given him oft contrasting qualities. Before meeting Arilyn Moonblade, Elaith has been a heartless crime lord with a penchant for cruelty. He was portrayed as a manipulative and evil elf whose canny intelligence managed him a worthy position among Waterdeep's nobility. Elaith was also portrayed as a very proud elf, where any slight made to him is answered brutally. Despite his often unforgiving manner, Elaith has a twisted sense of honor, and seems to fully respect (albeit in a twisted fashion) many elven traditions - including his use of "Elf-friend". During the events of the Songs and Swords series, Elaith has undergone a drastic change. He became more questioning in his moralities, and even began to actively seek redemption - through any means possible. Currently, Elaith is still an evil crimelord, albeit with a little less than cruel streak.

Talents and Abilities
Foremost to his abilities would be his fearsome reputation and his willingness to commit the vilest, cruelest acts. Elaith has honed his reputation to a point where he is nigh untouchable in the City of Waterdeep. He is also the owner of a large portion of the city and numerous magical trinkets, not to mention a fortune in gold. Elaith often prefers to hire mercenaries to perform his illegal activities for him.

Aside from his wealth and reputation, Elaith is also very capable in combat. Elaith, the Serpent, is popularly known for his quickness and agility - even after elven standards, as shown in the book Elfsong. Elaith is also a master in wielding daggers, and often dual wields them to confuse (or to toy with) his opponents. He has also exhibited various magical capabilities, including scrying and invisibility.

Elaith is also quite familiar with the criminal underground, and practices larceny quite easily. He is known to deactivate locks and traps with ease. And he is also known for blending well into shadows. Whether he performs these by mundane means, or by magical means is still up to debate.

Possessions
Elaith is a veritable collector of magical items, and as such, his entire inventory would be impossible to note. His more notable magical trinkets are as follows:

His dormant Moonblade, an elven artifact that previously rejected him as its owner (because of his questionable character) - inevitably causing his exile. It was reactivated in the novel, Elfsong, and Elaith is currently holding it until his daughter is old enough to inherit it.

Elaith also owns a magical dagger that returns to his hand after it is thrown. He obtained it through a trade from the harper, Danilo Thann.

A black knife, kept tucked in his left boot. This knife is used to create a Necromancer's rune on a dead bodies forehead that prevents others from speaking with their spirit or determining the cause of death.

Finally, Elaith owns a scrying ball, which he uses in conversing with prospective clients - and potentially spying on them.

Amnestria
Elaith's strongest bond was with the Princess Amnestria of Evermeet, Arilyn Moonblade's mother, and his supposed bethrothed. Elaith left her and the elven community after he was rejected by his Moonblade - inflicting himself with a self-imposed exile. Elaith's unresolved emotion for the princess is as such that it is one of the few things that can break his iron self-control. During the The Dream Spheres event, he was almost killed because of this weakness.

Children
Elaith has two children, although only one of them is known to him. Azariah Craulnober, for whom he attempted to recover the dormant moonblade, was sent to Evermeet to be fostered in the royal household, to inherit the moonblade when she is old enough. For Azariah's sake, Elaith attempted to avoid situations in which he might be killed, although he continued his evil dealings.

Elaith also had a son by the Princess Amnestria. However, she gave birth to him in secret after Elaith moved to Waterdeep. The lost prince's story has not yet been told.

Danilo Thann
Elaith's other closest companion was, ironically, the Harper who was formerly his most hated enemy, Danilo Thann. Early in their relationship, Elaith tried to have Danilo killed because he detested the human noble. However, after Danilo saved his life in 1364 DR and grew fond of Azariah, Elaith developed a grudging respect for him. Elaith named Danilo an elf-friend in return for the Waterdhavian bard saving his life, though he has been known to refer to this as an act of supreme folly.

Arilyn Moonblade
He views the half-elven assassin Arilyn Moonblade as elven royalty - and possibly as the daughter he never had with Princess Amnestria (as evidenced in Elfshadow). Initially mistaking her for Princess Amnestria, he has forged a tentative alliance with the brooding half-elf.

Elaith has professed a seething hatred for Arilyn's human father, the Harper Bran Skorlskun - a former friend. Whether this hatred stems from his human heritage, or to the human's inability to protect Amnestria, or to the fact that she loved the human more than she loved him - is unclear in the novels.

Bronwyn Caradoon
Elaith also briefly met the charming rogue, Bronwyn Caradoon, secretly a Harper Agent sent to sabotage one of his plans in The Dream Spheres. He has displayed an uncharacteristic attraction with Bronwyn, an attraction that constantly prevented him from killing the sly female rogue.

Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun
He also has a somewhat awkward "treaty" with Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun and the Lady Larael, as he had saved the archmage's life from a powerful charmed state during the events in Elfsong.

Quotes
"As you will learn, my pride has a very high price indeed. – Elaith Craulnober, Elfshadow

Elaith Craulnober, under different circumstances I believe we could have become very good friends. – Laeral Silverhand of the Seven Sisters in grim agreement with Elaith's twisted justice, Elfsong

Better to embrace evil than to become overcome by it. – Elaith Craulnober, The Dream Spheres

Thanks, but I don't want you to get troubled on my account. No offense, but who will believe that you fought to protect my honor? – Bronwyn gently refusing Elaith's offer to help, The Dream Spheres

The difference between a rogue and a hero often comes down to who tells the tale. – Danilo Thann describing Elaith, The Dream Spheres"

Novels and short stories
Songs and Swords series:
 * 1) Elfshadow
 * 2) Elfsong
 * 3) Silver Shadows
 * 4) The Dream Spheres

Other:
 * Evermeet: Island of Elves
 * Silverfall: Stories of the Seven Sisters
 * "The More Things Change" (in Realms of Infamy)
 * The City of Splendors: A Waterdeep Novel

Computer games

 * Neverwinter Nights (chapter 2)