Homeland

Homeland is the first book in the Dark Elf trilogy by R.A. Salvatore. It was later reissued as book one of the Legend of Drizzt series.

"Travel back to strange and exotic Menzoberranzan, the vast city of the drow and homeland to Icewind Dale hero Drizzt Do'Urden.

The young prince of a royal house, Drizzt grows to maturity in the vile world of his dark kin. Possessing honor beyond the scope of his unprincipled society, young Drizzt faces an inevitable dilemma. Can he live in a world that rejects integrity?''"

Plot
On the night Drizzt Do'Urden is born of Matron Malice Do'Urden and Zaknafein Do'Urden, House Do'Urden Daermon N'a'shezbaernon is in the process of eradicating House DeVir. Matron Malice utters a sacred chant as Drizzt Do'Urden enters the drow city of Menzoberranzan. The ensuing explosion knocks her and four other high priestesses of the evil drow deity, the Spider Queen Lolth. Drizzt is the third male child of Matron Malice. By all drow laws, he should have been sacrificed to appease Lolth, but at the time of birth, Dinin Do'Urden, the second son, drives a sword through the heart of Nalfein, the first son. So Drizzt is spared accordingly, much to the chagrin of Briza, the high priestess of House Do'Urden at the time.

Meanwhile, Alton DeVir, a surviving witness, flees the scene and with the help of Masoj Hun'ett, a servant noble to Gelroos Hun'ett, kills Gelroos and takes on his identity, under the protection of Matron SiNafay, Matron of House Hun'ett. There, he resides, planning his revenge on the house that massacred his.

Drizzt is found unique, as lavender eyes are an extreme rarity among drow elves, and they show up purple, even in the infrared spectrum. He is given to Vierna Do'Urden, a priestess, to serve as a Page Prince. During that time of ten years, Drizzt accomplishes many remarkable feats, including being able to levitate at least 20ft by the age of 5, a young age for any drow, as they normally live up to 7 centuries.

At sixteen years old, Drizzt is admitted into the noble rank as a secondboy, and he meets Zaknafein Do'Urden, unknowing that the legendary weapons-master is his real father, not the Patron wizard, Rizzen. At their first meeting, Zaknafein takes an immediate liking to Drizzt, forming a friendship bond that was not a wise move according to Matron Malice. In front of Matron Malice and a few other Do'Urden nobles, Drizzt proves he is a fighter belonging to the Fighter's Academy by performing a "Two-Hands" fighter trick in one go that Zaknafein had taken 12 tries to complete successfully. Proving Matron Malice wrong, Zaknafein takes Drizzt to his new quarters, a tight hall resembling a chapel. After exchanging a few wry words and Drizzt taking a nap with help from Zaknafein in the form of a curled fist, the weapons-master takes him to the armoury, where Drizzt is stunned by the amount of different weapons there are and starts taking practice with the lot of them. He eventually chooses dual scimitars.

Alton DeVir has learnt the name of the house that he desires revenge against, after failing many times. He gets the information from the Matron Mother herself, and he now knows that it is House Do'Urden, Ninth House of the City, Daermon N'a'shezbaernon. He now draws up battle plans and awaits the perfect moment to take revenge on the house, plotting to kill Drizzt.

As Drizzt nears the end of his training with Zaknafein, an unsuccessful raiding between two lesser houses occurs. He is shocked by the brutal reality of the events, and will forever hold it against the drow society.

Drizzt is accepted as a noble into the Fighters' Academy with the highest honours from his family, and makes friends with Kelnozz Kenafin, of the fifteenth house. At the entrance ceremony, a master, Hatch'net, talks and intimidates the young drow class with stories of the surface and they begin their training in lore. This lasts for fifty cycles of Narbondel and at the end is a Grand Melee, held every year. It is situated in a cavern with the 25 students battling each other for rank. Drizzt teams up with Kelnozz and defeats most of the other students, but at the end, Kelnozz, showing typical drow respect, betrays Drizzt, leaving him in eighth place in the class.

The rest of the year goes uneventfully, with Drizzt regularly serving the older students and masters, leaving him no time to ponder the betrayal.

For the next 8 years, Drizzt came first, never trusting anyone to team up. By now, there were only ever 22 students out of the original 25. One had been executed for trying to assassinate a high-ranking student, another had been killed in the practice arena, and a third had been assassinated in bed. Growing reports of Drizzt's fighting prowess reached Alton DeVir's ears, and the plotting increased. "Practice Patrols" Hatch'net called them, where students went off on patrols through the Underdark. Drizzt was sent to one, where he killed two hook horrors single-handed, a feat not even Zaknafein could have easily achieved.

For the next six months, Drizzt spent his time under Masoj Hun'ett's tutelage, which was really a course to test Drizzt and find his limits and abilities for the use of Alton DeVir. They meet and Alton tries to kill Drizzt, but he was forced off by Guenhwyvar, the enchanted panther under the orders of Masoj. They form a close bond and begin going out on patrols by themselves.

At the end of his stay at the Academy, a ceremony is conducted, where students inhale mind-fogging drugs and subject themselves to the sensual pleasures the female students of Arach-Tinilith have to offer. Drizzt, being the different drow he is, rejects the offer, and is sent to the land of the driders by Vierna, his former weanmother and sister, for refusing a female priestess. He survives and is let off with a caution to obey the females of the drow society.

A meeting with Vierna Do'Urden offers all the information Alton, in the guise of Gelroos, needs. A coincidence, then, for Vierna wishes to hire who she thinks is Gelroos, as a spy against the upcoming war between the two houses. Unwillingly, Vierna gives out information that will help in the defeat of House Do'Urden to the very same wizard who was supposed to have killed Alton many years ago.

Drizzt was sent out to the surface, in a raid on the surface elves. In the struggle, Drizzt becomes sickened by the gruesome violence and non-existent mercy the drow have shown the surface elves. To cover his disgust, he 'kills' an elven child and strikes out against another member of the team for 'taking' his kill.

Drizzt, now accepted because of the surface raid, takes his place at point in an attack on a group of deep gnomes that have strayed too far into the drow territory. He kills an earth elemental in a fight during which Masoj Hun'ett tries to strike him down with a "missaimed" lightning bolt. He fails to finish this attack as the elemental grabs him from below and begins to pull him below. Drizzt saves Masoj by finishing the elemental off but is captured himself by the gnomes.

Drizzt's brother tracks him with the help of Gwen and proceeds to slaughter the gnomes holding Drizzt captive. All, that is, but Belwar Dissengulp who is spaired by a disguised act of mercy by Drizzt.

After the fateful attack, Zaknafein spars with Drizzt to kill him and end his torment, but saves him because Drizzt admits that he did not kill the elven child. Their bond grows even stronger as they embrace, but little do they know, that Matron Malice has been scrying the entire fight and now knows the truth.

Drizzt, finding no peace in his house, sets off to work through his inner turmoils in the more peaceful tunnels of the Underdark.

Alton DeVir's revenge is at hand and Gwenhwyvar is sent. Unbeknownst to him or the great cat, Drizzt is caught by a cave fisher due to his distracted mind. When Gwenhwyvar finds Drizzt near death, her concern for his safety breafly overcomes her masters orders and she helps defeat the fisher. Drizzt then helps Gwenhwywar understand that she is her own master and so overcome the magical urges. She then leads him to Masoj and Alton who try to kill him, resulting in both their deaths. Drizzt makes a vow to never kill another drow and takes the statuette used to call upon the entity of Gwenhwyvar (fearing Gwen may in fact be dead as she was caught in the same exploding wand that killed Alton), and returns to Menzoberranzan.

In the mean time, Zaknafein, while sleeping, is confronted by Matron Malice and the High priestesses of House Do'Urden. They explain that Drizzt's actions on the surface have cost his life though Zaknafein may sacrifice himself to save Drizzt.

Drizzt returns home to find that his family are preparing for war, but upon learning of Zaknafein's sacrifice, he is overcome with grief and then escapes and deserts the city in search of a life outside Menzoberranzan.

Notable characters

 * Drizzt Do'Urden
 * Zaknafein Do'Urden
 * Matron Malice
 * Briza Do'Urden
 * Vierna Do'Urden
 * Alton DeVir
 * Masoj Hun'ett
 * Dinin Do'Urden
 * Matron Baenre
 * Rizzen Do'Urden
 * Ellifain
 * Belwar Dissengulp
 * Guenhwyvar
 * Nalfein Do'Urden

Gallery
Homeland