Catti-brie

Catti-brie was a female human and a friend and later wife to Drizzt Do'Urden. She was a member of the Companions of the Hall and, later, a chosen of the goddess Mielikki. She was reincarnated as a Bedine girl named Ruqiah in 1463 DR.

Description
Catti-brie was a beautiful, auburn-haired , and blue-eyed woman.

When Catti-brie was struck by the blue fire of the Spellplague in 1385 DR, it gave her a spellscar in the distinctive form of an hourglass, the lower half of which was nearly filled while the top half had only a small sliver of bruising.

In her second life, despite her new heritage, the reincarnated Catti-brie appeared much the same as in her first body: she had thick, light brown hair with red highlights and blue eyes. She also had a spellscar on each arm: a seven-pointed star on circle of red on her left forearm (the symbol of Mystra); and a unicorn's head on her right forearm (the symbol of Mielikki). After the Weave began to return, her spellscars turned red.

In 1483 DR, Catti-brie wore a long, white, flowing dress that looked like one she wore in Iruladoon. She had commissioned it in the Shade Enclave. She often wore it with a black shawl.

Personality
Catti-brie was kind, tolerant, and pragmatic. Moreover, Catti-brie grew 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.

In her second life, Catti-brie was very confident and trusting in her goddess, Mielikki, to the point that she was so strongly anti-orc that it made Drizzt somewhat uncomfortable.

Early life
Catti-brie's mother died while giving birth to her, and subsequently her father moved with her from Mirabar to Termalaine in the Ten Towns. Her father was killed in a goblin attack on Termalaine, which was prevented by Clan Battlehammer's dwarves, led by Bruenor Battlehammer, who found the young Catti-brie and decided to adopt her as his own child.

Orc ambush
In 1370 DR Catti-brie snuck up on a pair of orcs at a campfire east of Shallows before realizing 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 magic missles. 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. Later went on to briefly study the art in silverymoon, before the events in the Ghost king.

Spellplague
In 1385 DR (the Year of Blue Fire), Catti-brie was struck by a strand of the falling Weave (Spellplague) during her meditations and got caught between two planes of existence: the Shadowfell and the Prime Material Plane. Her body remained on Toril, but her mind was caught between the Shadowfell and the and reliving her life. Drizzt took her to Mithral Hall where eventually Bruenor and Drizzt took her to Cadderly with the help of Jarlaxle through a disguised Athrogate. Drizzt, Bruenor, Jarlaxle and Athrogate teamed up and escorted her comatose form through to Spirit Soaring. Once they arrived, they faced the threat of a dracolich the Ghost King which was, in fact, a manifestation of the dragon Hephaestus, combined with both the illithid Yharaskrik and the spirit of Crenshinibon, the Crystal Shard. Although through Cadderly's sacrifice, the Ghost King was sealed away, no solutions to Catti-Brie's deadly trance was found although the quest ended in sadness several days later. Catti-Brie's spirit was pulled out by the goddess Mielikki but could not be returned to the world of the living in her state. She was granted one last night with her beloved Drizzt before her spirit, along with that of Regis, were taken away to an "Expresion of Mielikki"'s, private heaven a small pocket dimension (containing little more than a forest, some hills, a glade and a pond) that was part of, yet separate from, Toril, but was based partly off the memory of the Companions of the Hall of a world before the Spellplague. Catti-brie danced and sang continually within the forest and it was hinted that she became closely tied in with the dimension and was in fact the spirit protector of all within, while Regis was simply a guest. It was left unclear as to whether the strand of the Weave within her yet resided, although it was hinted that it yet remained.

Catti-brie's and Regis's bodies were buried in two side-by-side cairns in Mithral Hall.

Reincarnation as Ruqiah
After decades (although it appeared as mere tendays to her) learning the song (magic) of Mielikki in Iruladoon, Mielikki gave Catti-brie and the other Companions of the Hall (minus Drizzt) the choice of proceeding to their professed god's home plane or reincarnation as a mortal newborn of the same race and sex as their first mortal form. All the companions chose rebirth with the understanding that they were to train themselves and meet at Kelvin's Cairn in 1484 DR to aid Drizzt.

Catti-brie was reborn on the spring equinox (19 Ches ) in 1463 DR as a Desai (Bedine) girl named Ruqiah in the Anauroch desert near the Shade Enclave. Her parents, Kavita and Niraj were both mages although they kept the fact hidden from the Netherese. From a very early age Ruqiah was able to use her link to Mielikki to call down divine power and she remembered the basic arcane magical training of her former life. At age five she called down lightening from the heavens to slay two Netherese assassins (Untharis and Alpirs De'Noutess) sent by Parise Ulfbinder who intended to kill her parents and kidnap her.

In 1469 DR, she came to the attention of the powerful Netherese witch Lady Avelyere who kidnapped Ruqiah and took her to Shade Enclave to study magic. Ruqiah became homesick for her parents and Lady Avelyere gave her special permission visit her parents once a tenday. During these visits her mother would teach Ruqiah arcane spells.

The Netherese had suspected that Ruqiah was Mielikki's Chosen for some time but it wasn't until Lady Avelyere charmed Ruqiah that they confirmed their suspicions. Ruqiah discovered that Avelyere knew her secret, faked her own death, and fled the Shade Enclave for the Silver Marches.

Interlude
After fleeing Netheril, Catti-brie spent several years (1479 DR - late 1482 DR) under the alias of Delly Curtie studying magic with the Harpell family of Longsaddle after her arcane magic failed her (an indication of the return of the Weave . When she learned that Avelyere was close to finding her location, she made her way to Icewind Dale in late 1482 DR, settling in Bremen and waiting for her friends to return. She retained her alias and had agreements to provide her services to several innkeepers and others in the area, such as Darby Snide at the Knuckleheader tavern in Bremen. She learned of Regis's arrival in Lonelywood and helped save him from ruffians from Ship Rethnor.

At the appointed time — the spring equinox of 1484 DR — Catti-brie and Regis ventured up Kelvin's Cairn and found Drizzt, mortally wounded, at the same time Bruenor showed up on the scene. By the grace of Mielikki, Catti-brie was able to heal Drizzt. Wulfgar also appeared, and so the Companions of the Hall were reunited once again.

Companions Codex
The Companions, reunited, traveled to Gauntlgrym to release Thibbledorf Pwent from his curse of vampirism. Along the way, they stopped in Longsaddle, where the Harpells gave her a scroll and a blood-red sapphire ring to serve as a phylactery to trap Pwent's soul. However, Catti-brie instead used the ring to entrap the lich Ebonsoul's soul, forcing her to later capture Pwent in Wulfgar's horn of summoning. In Gauntlgrym, the Companions learned about the entrapment of Artemis Entreri, Ambergris, Afafrenfere, and Dahlia Sin'felle. The Companions aided the first three in escaping, but Catti-brie was forced to collapse a tunnel on Dahlia in the battle between the proxy of Lolth (Dahlia) versus the proxy of Mielikki (Catti-brie). The Companions believed Dahlia dead.

The Companions then headed back to Longsaddle, where the Harpells released Pwent, although his embodiment remained in the horn of summoning. The headed out for Mithral Hall, but stopped in Nesme to take a stand against orc and goblin attacks involved with the Darkening. Catti-brie used her formidable magic, both arcane offensive and defensive spells, as well as healing magic, during the siege. The Companions left after a time; soon after, Nesme fell to the horde.

Skills
In her first life, Catti-brie was a skilled archer. However, in her second life, due to having no practice, she struggled with the bow and arrow, much preferring magic.

In her second life, from a young age, Catti-brie was able to cast both divine and arcane spells. She was able to use healing magic from Mielikki from the age of five. She was well-versed in both new and old arcane magic, and was particularly fond of flashy evocations. She also had an affinity for druidic magic, including the spell call lightning. Until her shapeshifting left her upon the return of the Weave in 1479 DR, she was able to shapeshift into the following forms: wolf, owl, hawk, and eagle.

Possessions
Catti-brie was armed with the bow Taulmaril and the sentient sword Khazid'hea:


 * Khazid'hea: After acquiring Khazid'hea from the corpse of Dantrag Baenre, Catti-brie spent some time trying to control its rebellious consciousness. The sword was a sentient artifact that wished to be wielded by the best fighter in the land. With Dantrag being defeated in battle by Drizzt, it assumed the shape of a unicorn on its pommel to lure the renegade drow with the image of his deity. Catti-brie assumed ownership instead, and the sword managed to compel her to try and force herself upon Drizzt as a manifestation of the Khazid'hea's desire. 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. Years later, the sword was taken from her while she was asleep in her quarters in Mithral Hall. She feared for the wielder knowing how powerful the sword's sentience could be. Khazid'hea later found its way into the hands of Delly Curtie, Drizzt Do'Urden, Tos'un Armgo, and Doum'wielle Armgo, and Andzrel Baenre.

She also possessed a magical Cat's Eye circlet that allowed 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 used Taulmaril more often than Catti-Brie did and Khazid'hea was sent to the Moonwood for study. After she began her training as a wizard, she wore the robes of Jack the Gnome. She also adorned herself with a small dagger, an assortment of wands, and a pair of powerfully enchanted rings, one of which she claimed could bring the stars themselves down from the sky.

In 1484 DR, Drizzt gave Catti-brie the magical ruby ring band he had retrieved from Brack'thal Xorlarrin. She discovered that the ring was attuned to the Elemental Plane of Fire: it protected her from flame, it allowed her to speak and understand the language of the Elemental Plane of Fire, and it gave her the ability communicate telepathically with the primordial. She later accidentally summoned a fire elemental with the ring.

Drizzt Do'Urden
Catti-brie was the first person in Icewind Dale to accept Drizzt, although she was very young, just eleven years of age, when Drizzt came to know her.

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. However, they were happily married for eight years before her death.

Bruenor Battlehammer
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 regarded Bruenor as her father, not having many memories of her parents.

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 Wulfgar 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 drow 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
Catti-brie was at Regis' house in Bryn Shander with two dwarves after Cassius had told her that Regis was to have his possessions 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 traveling 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.

Appearances
Dark Elf trilogy:
 * Novels:
 * 1) Sojourn

Icewind Dale trilogy:
 * 1) The Crystal Shard (1988)
 * 2) Streams of Silver (1989)
 * 3) The Halfling's Gem (1990)

Legacy of the Drow series:
 * 1) The Legacy (1992)
 * 2) Starless Night (1993)
 * 3) Siege of Darkness (1994)
 * 4) Passage to Dawn (1996)

Paths of Darkness series:
 * 1) The Silent Blade (1998)
 * 2) The Spine of the World (1999)
 * 3) Sea of Swords (2001)
 * * Servant of the Shard (2000) has been removed from this series and placed within the Sellswords series, which follows Jarlaxle and Artemis Entreri.

Hunter's Blades trilogy:
 * 1) The Thousand Orcs (2002)
 * 2) The Lone Drow (2003)
 * 3) The Two Swords (2004)

Transitions series:
 * 1) The Orc King (2007)
 * 2) The Pirate King (2008)
 * 3) The Ghost King (2009)

The Sundering series
 * 1) The Companions (2013)

Companions Codex:
 * Night of the Hunter
 * Rise of the King
 * Vengeance of the Iron

Homecoming
 * ''Archmage


 * Short stories:
 * "Iruladoon" in The Collected Stories: The Legend Of Drizzt
 * "The Dowry" in The Collected Stories: The Legend Of Drizzt


 * Video games:
 * Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn
 * Arena of War