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Yvonnel Baenre, called Matron Mother Baenre for centuries, was the matron mother of House Baenre in the city of Menzoberranzan, leading with an uncanny strength bred from deceitful ambition.
Appearance
Matron Mother Baerne had lost much of the beauty she posessed while young to a combination of factors, including several uses of zin-carla. At the end of her life she looked haggard, with a patchwork of wrinkles across her face. Posessing an unusual vibrancy she was capable of pregnancy till her late 1900s.
Relatives
Yvonnel Baenre's most notable relatives were her children Jarlaxle Baenre, her rogue son, Quenthel Baenre, Headmistress of Arach-Tinilith, Gromph Baenre, the archmage of Menzoberranzan and Triel Baenre, her eldest daughter and immediate successor as Matron Mother of House Baenre.
History
Matron Mother Baerne was the younger half of twinborn drow priestesses, though not much is known of her youth it is known that during a patrol (or attempted surface raid) she and her patrol encountered Gandalug Battlehammer and his bodyguard Crowmower Pwent. During this confrontation her twin sister was slain by the first king of Mithral Hall amongst others (mainly by the king's bodyguard). She managed to entrap Gandalug's soul in one of his teeth that had been knocked loose.
During the following two thousand years she had many children, became the most powerful matron mother known to drow with influences stretching across the underdark and with so much of Lolth's favor bestowed upon her that she may have been rightly seen as Lolth's chosen prophetess. Several decades prior to her death she oversaw the rise to power of House Do'Urden, even going out on a limb (by drow standards) by helping them defend their home while they continued their search for their blasphemous son Drizzt when they had little to no favor with Lolth. At the very end of her life she put into motion the plan she had been nurturing for two thousand years: an all-or-nothing assault upon Mithral Hall, the location, layout and old defences having been gleaned from the tormented spirit of Gandalug.
Initially things seemed to be going well, but then Catti-brie rescued the imprisoned Drizzt with the aid of Artemis Entreri and as a farewell gift sent a heavy stalactite crashing through the Baerne Chapel during the ceremony wherein Lolth's blessing was asked for the invasion.
After that the time of troubles hit Toril, further stalling Matron Baerne's plans. During this time she came close to losing her life when the psionic House Oblodra decided to abandon Lolth and attempt conquering Menzoberranzan. With Errtu's aid (courtesy of a deal made by Lolth) she managed to wipe most of House Oblodra off the map (and into the Clawrift).
After the time of troubles she led the army gathered from all houses in the city on her long-awaited conquest. Though they might have succeeded had drow not been drow, her plans where ruined by the valour of the defenders, dissent and desertion in her ranks and lastly by the unexpectedly succesful headhunt by Drizzt's party. When Errtu's appointed general opened a chest with a dead-magic gem inside, all magic failed and Matron Mother Yvonnel Baenre fell to the floor from her glowdisc and was killed by an enraged Bruenor Battlehammer.
References
- R.A. Salvatore, Michael Leger, Douglas Niles (1992). Menzoberranzan (The Houses). Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc), p. 6. ISBN 1-5607-6460-0.