Gromph Baenre

Gromph Baenre was a drow and the Archmage of Menzoberranzan. He was also the Master of Sorcere, the arcane school, and the eldest son of Matron Mother Yvonnel Baenre, which made him the most powerful male in the city.

Description
Gromph was austere yet handsome. He had amber eyes, like his daughter Liriel. Despite his old age (he was old even by elven standards), Gromph appeared eternally youthful due to the effects of a magical amulet in his possession, which contains a piece of a unicorn's horn. As a powerful spellcaster and the archmage of the city, Gromph almost always wore the Robe of the Archmage of Menzoberranzan, a ceremonial garment that was heavily enchanted. He also displayed the badge of House Baenre at all times.

Interestingly, by 1361 DR, Gromph had not been able to enter elven Reverie for many decades, nor sleep; presumably, only the power of his brooch of perpetual youth kept him alive.

Personality
Gromph was arrogant, surly, and temperamental, with the occasional tendency to focus on petty disputes. He was cautious when his actions might affect his standing or involve the ruling matriarchy of Menzoberranzan, although he always kept an eye out for ways in which he might strengthen his power and influence. He was no fan of Lolth himself, but he understood her capriciousness.

Gromph viewed himself as the greatest wizard in the world.

History
Gromph wandered for some time and adventured before becoming the "leashed" Archmage of the Council of Eight (the eight ruling houses), according to a decree by Lolth. It was only logical for the Council to keep close watch on the male wizards, who are their only real challengers for power; Gromph especially so, as he has many responsibilities in the City of Spiders. Foremost, he had to energize Narbondel, the huge "clock" pillar of Menzoberannzan. For most it seemed to be a ceremony of power and therefore an honorable task, but in truth it was a short chain that tethered Gromph to the city itself. He was also tasked with minimizing the in-fighting of the potential students of Sorcere. After the failed invasion of Menzoberranzan by the duergar and the tanurukk, wizardly powers were in short supply.

Some consider Gromph the greatest archmage in all the Realms; Elminster, however, was more than eleven centuries old and Khelben a few centuries younger than that (both may be greater mages than Gromph, as they have had more time to study and perfect their mastery of the Art); as such, it may be more accurate to list him as a rival in power to the other archmages of the Realms.

Recently, and disturbingly, Gromph disappeared at a time when the city most needed him. After a failed attempt by the Lichdrow Lord Dyrr to force Gromph to join a consortium of wizards and rogues (including an alhoon and half drow/half shadow dragon members), he was attacked and imprisoned in a magical sphere. Using the abilities of his familiar, a rat named Kyorli, he escaped the confines of Sorcere, and ended up in the lake that surrounds Donigarten. He was discovered by a roaming illithid named Sluuguth, and tricked the illithid, sealing its soul into a magical axe. Gromph went from that point on to help secure the city from the many magical fires that were burning it to the ground, as well as help turn the tide of the siege that threatened to engulf Menzoberannzan.

In his second meeting against the Lichdrow Dyrr, Gromph was sent physically to the halfling sphere of heaven, the Elysian Fields. He returned with the soul of a dead halfing that became a huecuva. The huecuva was destroyed easily by the lichdrow, never intending to be more than a distraction. A terrific battle of magic ensued, destroying more than half of the Marketplace of Menzoberranzan. Gromph, near the end of the War of the Spider Queen, killed the lichdrow Dyrr with the help of Triel Baenre and destroyed his phylactery, which had been hidden in the main chapel of Lolth in House Dyrr. He barely survived this encounter.

Equipment
Gromph wore a ceremonial piwafwi with many spell components inside. It was a sign of his high status. He also had in his possession various powerful magical items, including: the Robe of the Archmage of Menzoberranzan, a brooch of perpetual youth, a brooch of lingering heat, a wand of viscid globs, a wand of acidic spheres, a brooch of number numbing, many contracts of Nepthas, a lens of speed reading, a talisman of memorization, numerous thought bottles, and a spider mask that allowed him to cross the House Baenre compound fence.

After reciting a spell to allow him to become a fighter for a short time (probably a derivation of the spell known as Tensor's transformation), Gromph obtained a soul-stealing battle axe of duergar manufacture. The most important soul encased in the axe was that of the illithid Sluuguth, although duergar souls were also trapped within the blade. In the battle for Menzoberranzan, when Gromph fought the Lichdrow Dyrr, he captured the lichdrow's soul inside the axe. This expelled the other spirits. The axe was subsequently lost when Gromph escaped House Agrach Dyrr, presumably destroying it. Its current fate, however, is currently unknown and the Lichdrow may yet survive.

Gromph had access to Sorcere's storehouse of magical items.

Residence
Gromph had a mansion in Narbondellyn, the nicest district in Menzoberranzan, which allowed him time away from his family for his magical items and mistresses. The black mansion had been carved into stalactites and its walls were covered in shifting symbols. It was generally avoided by the residents of the city.

Gromph also had quarters in Sorcere.

Liriel Baenre
Gromph's only daughter is Liriel Baenre. His mistress for a time was Sosdrielle Vandree, Liriel's mother, but when Liriel was five, Gromph had Sosdrielle put to death. . He then had Liriel's magical education and upbringing taken care of by House Shobalar, at least until she fled to the surface.

House Baenre
Gromph was the eldest son of Yvonnel Baenre, making him the eldest male of House Baenre. He had a number of siblings, all children of Yvonnel Baenre, but most notable of these were his sisters Triel Baenre, later Matron Mother of House Baenre, and Quenthel Baenre, Matron Mistress of Arach-Tinilith. He had a particular vendetta against Quenthel, who was Triel's main advisor in addition to him, and attempted to have her assassinated multiple times in 1372 DR.

Gromph had at least two brothers (in addition to the rogue, Jarlaxle) but both of them met their end in some way. The second son of Yvonnel Baenre and weapons master of the house, Dantrag Baenre, was cut down by Drizzt Do'Urden in his escape from the house. After Dantrag's death, Gromph's younger brother, Berg'inyon Baenre, became weapons master for the assault on Mithral Hall]. After that disaster, Berg'inyon joined Bregan D'aerthe and was later struck down by Drizzt's rival, [[Artemis Entreri.

Males of Menzoberranzan
Gromph's high-born heritage and high standing in the city served to make him the most influential males in Menzoberranzan, with the possible exception of Jarlaxle, leader of the mercenary band Bregan D'aerthe and also his younger brother (though from the 1350s DR onward, Jarlaxle was rarely seen in the city). Jarlaxle and Gromph remained in communication with each other even after Jarlaxle left the city. Gromph was also able to summon all major wizards in the city to his side with the help of vials bearing the House Baenre insignia; upon being broken at a certain time, the vials would bring the bearers to his audience hall.