The Legend of Drizzt

9ARCHMAGEDo’Urden; her daughter, High Priestess Berellip, murdered veryrecently by Drizzt and his friends; her house weapons master,the great Jaerthe, slain on some ridiculous venture to the frozenwilderness known as Icewind Dale; and a hundred of her warriorsand wizards killed in the Silver Marches.The troubles of Matron Mother Zeerith were not, in and ofthemselves, a bad thing for Matron Mother Baenre. She hadnever intended Q’Xorlarrin to be anything more than a satelliteof House Baenre, after all, despite the pronouncements ofit as a “sister city” to Menzoberranzan. Q’Xorlarrin, combinedwith Bregan D’aerthe, would serve as House Baenre’s way ofcompeting with House Hunzrin for trade with the surfacedwellers. That was the only seam in Baenre’s armor, the onlyadvantage the other Houses could use against the mighty FirstHouse of Menzoberranzan.Nor was Quenthel overly concerned over the reported death ofTos’un Armgo, a deserter rogue who was never much in MatronMother Mez’Barris Armgo’s favor anyway, and never anythingmore than a minor noble in House Barrison Del’Armgo.The combination of those things, though, along with thedeath of a white dragon and the destruction of Lady Lolth’sDarkening, could lead to all sorts of trouble. She worriedthat Matron Mother Mez’Barris would throw in with HousesHunzrin and Melarn, and so House Baenre would face allthree in defending Q’Xorlarrin. If so, then surely the SeventhHouse of Menzoberranzan, House Vandree, would side withthe conspirators.Matron Mother Baenre believed that the rest of the RulingCouncil was on her side, but would they pledge allegiance toher openly, with warriors, priests, and wizards?And these were drow Houses, after all, known for reliabilityonly in the fact that they could not be considered reliable. Thesebonds were not alliances as much as they were compacts of convenience,and Quenthel had turned the thumbscrews down hardon the other matron mothers, both in her actions in the Silver