Timeless is a novel by R.A. Salvatore, the first book of a planned trilogy featuring Drizzt Do'Urden. The book was officially released on September 4th, 2018.
The greater nobles watched him, and one matron, in particular, decided to take him as her own. She connived with rival great houses to secure her prize, but that prize was caught for her by another, who came to quite enjoy the weapon master.
This was the beginning of the friendship between Zaknafein and Jarlaxle, and the coupling of Matron Malice and the weapon master who would sire Drizzt Do'Urden.
R. A. Salvatore reveals the Underdark anew through the eyes of Zaknafein and Jarlaxle—an introduction to the darkness that offers a fresh view of the opportunities to be found in the shadows and an intriguing prelude to the intriguing escapes that lie ahead in the modern-day Forgotten Realms. Here, a father and his son are reunited and embark on adventures that parallel the trials of centuries long past as the friends of old are joined by Drizzt, Hero of the North, trained by Grandmaster Kane in the ways of the monk.
But the scourge of the dangerous Lolth's ambitions remain, and demons have been foisted on the unwitting of the surface. The resulting chaos and war will prove to be the greatest challenge for all three.Summary[]
Prologue (1488 DR)[]
Zhindia Melarn, reeling from the attack on her house and loss of her daughter at the hands of Drizzt and Artemis Entreri, summons the yochlol Eskavidne to see if she can somehow be resurrected, but is told that there is nothing that can be done, since her soul was devoured by Entreri's dagger. They do imply however, that she now has Lolth's permission to kill Drizzt, who is seen as Lolth's champion by many drow following his recent defeat of Demogorgon. Gromph Baenre informs his sister Quenthel of the goings-on on the surface, and includes news that Zaknafein has been raised from the dead—something that should be impossible without the direct permission of Lolth, and why should she grant that for such a heretic?
Part 1 (1018 DR)[]
House Do'Urden plans it's ascent up the ranks of Menzoberranzan's nobility. Briza Do'Urden is sent to deliver her house's payment to House Xorlarrin for a service, who, in turn, hire Bregan D'aerthe to carry out said service—The abduction of Zaknafein Simfray from the chaos of an attack on House Simfray by House Tr'Arach. Jarlaxle also takes the opportunity to save the life of Duvon Tr'arach. Simfray would have successfully repelled the Tr'Arach attack, but Jarlaxle's lieutenant, Arathis Hune, assassinates the remaining Simfray nobles. Zak is told of the plan to make of him Matron Malice's patron, and he agrees on the condition that he can take his revenge on House Tr'Arach. Zak is then infiltrated inside the weakened House's throne room where he beheads the Tr'Arach Matron Mother. Bregan D'aerthe recruits the House's last remaining soldiers. Now Zaknafein Do'Urden, the weapon master finds himself bored, having his warrior reputation used as a figurehead for his new house rather than being used to do what he loves best—killing the priestesses of Lolth. Over the next few months though, Zak and Jarlaxle grow to enjoy each other's company, spending several nights together at the Oozing Myconid and cavorting about Menzoberranzan. However, Malice demands that Zak returns to her, ending his fun, and attempts to ban the two from seeing each other. In response, Jarlaxle goes to Yvonnel Baenre, his secret patron, and requests that Zak be ordered to accompany him on a mission to Ched Nasad that she is sending him on. Yvonnel agrees.
Part 2 (1488 DR)[]
Jarlaxle and Yvonnel take Zak through the Hosttower portal to Gauntlgrym where they introduce Zak to a shocked Catti-brie. Wulfgar expresses concerns, but they are interrupted by dwarves back from a brief trip to Bleeding Vines, including King Bruenor. Ignoring the ensuing political discussions, Cattie-brie instead takes Zak to the Ivy Mansion, where she and Drizzt are currently living. She throws him some practice swords and moves aside to reveal Zak, almost a stranger to Drizzt after centuries apart. Drizzt recognizes his father through combat, though is emotionally distraught and confused at the meeting. The three later share a meal, where Zak shows some racial biases regarding the inferiority of non-drow, and his distress at the fact that Drizzt spends his time mostly with non-drow and that his grandchild will be half-human. Angry, Drizzt attacks his father and defeats him, destroying the dining room in the process, which in turn, angers Catti-brie, but her calmer head prevails. Later that night, Drizzt takes his father out on a Bidderdoo hunt and introduces him to Guenhwyvar. Catti-brie sits Zak down to have a serious discussion while his son and Guen track down their quarry, confident that he will eventually see the world as Drizzt does.
Regis is spying on Dagult Neverember in Neverwinter, whose political relationship with Bruenor and Jarlaxle was becoming more and more tense. He witnesses a meeting between Neverember and Bronkyn Stoneshaft, where Neverember sells Stoneshaft the deed to Thornhold for a massive amount of coin, guarded by an entire army. Regis meets with his wife Donnola and implores her to go to Jarlaxle and inform him of this development, while he follows his intuition that there is more to this deal than meets the eye. He learns from another Morada Topolino spy, Aiberdelle Allaley, that one of the few who accompanied the dwarven army who actually traveled mounted was the Waterdhavian noble Brevindon Margaster. Regis heads to the Driftwood Tavern where he is introduced to Inkeri and Alvilda Margaster. Regis gets Alvilda drunk and slips her a potion which allows him to read her thoughts. He learns that another Margaster, Luvidi, sold the Thornhold deed to Neverember for a paltry sum, whereupon Brevindon landed a ship containing the money north along the coast in the dead of night and brought it south to Neverwinter—and that the money is currently being stored in tunnels beneath Neverember's throne room. Regis informs Aiberdelle and asks her to head to Bleeding Vines to share what he'd learned, while he heads into the tunnels to unearth more. Regis finds the tunnels heavily protected by complex locks and guardian creatures, he is nearly drowned by a water weird before good fortune allows him to escape. He finds the money he's looking for has been secreted under the floorboards of the tunnel, but is then discovered by Margaster guards. Although easily dispatching the guards, he's then confronted by Inkeri Margaster, who, to his shock and dismay, transforms into a glabrezu demon, forcing him to flee, using his potions to escape in gaseous form. Even outside the city walls though, Regis finds himself pursued by yet more demons coming from Neverwinter Wood, but is rescued by Braelin Janquay, sent to aid Regis by Jarlaxle.
In response to what Regis had learned, Jarlaxle sent Athrogate and Ambergris to investigate Clan Stoneshaft, while Artemis Entreri and Dahlia, currently residing in Waterdeep, would look into the Margasters. He suspected a money laundering operation, but the introduction of demons into the scheme needed further investigating, especially considering what had happened with Malcanthet in Damara the previous year, so he also sends Zaknafein with Braelin, along with a team of Bregan D'aerthe scouts, into the Underdark to try and catch some emissaries from House Hunzrin, the drow merchants who'd been involved in the Damaran plot. Arriving at Thornhold though, the two dwarven members of Bregan D'aerthe are soon attacked by Clan Stoneshaft, who transform into demons themselves.
Part 3 (1018 DR)[]
Jarlaxle, Zak, and Arathis Hune travel with a trade caravan to Ched Nasad. Matron Sheeva Zauvirr has become too ambitious for Matron Baenre's liking, and has defamed her to a yochlol's face, so Bregan D'aerthe have been tasked with assassinating her. They are attacked as soon as they enter their rented lodgings, resulting in Jarlaxle and Arathis's capture, though Zak escapes and makes it inside House Zauviir, where he is told by Ssipriina Zauvirr, that Matron Sheeva has already fled the city. The trio are reunited after House Nasadra frees Jarlaxle and Arathis, and they leave to begin their hunt for Sheeva. They are given a group of halfling slaves to use as bait, which Sheeva and her entourage fall for, allowing the three to ambush them. Zak kills both Sheeva and her daughter, picking up the daughter's bullwhip that appeared to be capable of tearing open holes into the Elemental Plane of Fire. Zak and Arathis then come to blows over the fate of the halflings, with Arathis wanting to kill them. Jarlaxle breaks up the fight, and Zak escorts the halflings to the surface, returning to Menzoberranzan a week after the other two, having now earned Arathis' enmity.
Part 4 (1488 DR)[]
Jarlaxle asks Kimmuriel Oblodra to spy on Yvonnel. Yvonnel herself has settled on a physical form, having abandoned her illusory one that makes her attractive to all who look upon her. Notably, she has copied Drizzt's lavender eyes. Kimmuriel is then asked to spy on Ash'ala Melarn, to see if she can be counted on as an ally. Jarlaxle accuses Yvonnel of resurrecting Zaknafein in an attempt to seduce Drizzt, she admits to the seduction attempt, but not to the resurrection, saying she's willing to wait until Catti-brie dies to do so.
Zak and Braelin's scouting party are in the Upperdark, near the sewers of Waterdeep. They meet up with Valas Hune, who tells them that the House Hunzrin merchants are nearby. They create an illusion of a halfling encampment and wait for the Hunzrins to take the bait. When they do, the Hunzrins are revealed to be led by Charri Hunzrin who admits to selling the Margasters dozens of phylacteries containing major demons. When the news is later relayed to Jarlaxle, he realizes, to his horror, that Clan Stoneshaft almost certainly also has some of those phylacteries and that he has unwittingly sent Athrogate and Ambergris into a trap. Zak and Jarlaxle rush to Thornhold to rescue them. Upon their arrival, the Stoneshaft dwarves send a dozen chasme demons and a pack of hell hounds at the pair, forcing them to flee.
Yvonnel catches Drizzt up on all the recent happenings, including the rescue attempt at Thornhold, causing Drizzt too to rush there, Yvonnel following behind him in secret. Meanwhile, Athrogate is left in anguish in Thornhold's dungeon when the Stoneshaft dwarves present him with his wife Ambergris' severed head. Charri Hunzrin reports to Zhindia Melarn that Zaknafein is working for Bregan D'aerthe. Zhindia then reveals her plan—to lead House Melarn in an attack on Gauntlgrym at the head of an army of demons and driders, and to kill Drizzt and Zaknafein with a pair of retrievers, one for each heretic. In response to this revelation, Matron Shakti Hunzrin orders Charri to contact Inkeri Margaster to learn more about the humans' plans in relation to Bregan D'aerthe, knowing that attacking the mercenaries means attacking House Baenre. Charri and Inkeri discuss the possibility of giving Lord Neverember a phylactery and the destruction of Gauntlgrym. Inkeri agrees to attack Bleeding Vines and seal Gauntlgrym's surface entrance, but as Charri is preparing to teleport back home, Matron Zhindia is waiting for her, having eavesdropped on the discussion, and demands that Charri go back to Inkeri immediately and tell her to launch an attack on Bregan D'aerthe or Zhindia would kill Charri then and there.
Zak and Jarlaxle manage to double back to Thornhold and witness the arrival of Drizzt, who summons Guenhwyvar as a distraction, causing the dwarves to unleash their demons against the great cat. Chaos ensues, allowing Drizzt to slip into the dungeons unnoticed. After distracting the guards and retrieving Athrogate's belt and Amber's mace, he finds Athrogate chained up in a cell next to Amber's head. He put's Athrogate's belt back on right before the jailers return, whereupon Athrogate tears the chains from the wall and, in a rage at his wife's murder, goes on a rampage. Jarlaxle says that they are hopelessly outnumbered, but Zak insists that they help Drizzt, so they join the fray, allowing them to barely escape, but having to leave the seemingly mortally wounded Athrogate behind.
Epilogue[]
Regis meets with the Grinning Ponies, telling them of the drow trio's escape from Thornhold and the passing of Ambergris and Athrogate. Regis tasks them with warning all of the villages and farms along the Trade Way down to Waterdeep of the coming demonic trouble. Brevindon Margaster leads a pirate flotilla up the coast towards Luskan while he converses with Asbeel, the demon in his phylactery. Jarlaxle warns King Bruenor that war will be coming to his gates. Kimmuriel and Ash'ala are captured by Zhindia and an illithid ally and Ash'ala is condemned to execution by Scaphism for her collusion, and as a warning for her mother Kyrnill to not get any ideas. Yvonnel has rescued and healed Athrogate, but is baffled that Lolth would grant her the spells to do so...and to resurrect Zaknafein.