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{{tropework}}
''[[The Dark Elf Trilogy]]'' is a prequel series of books by R.A. Salvatore that describes the life of Drizzt Do'Urden, a young dark elf who starts his life in the drow city of Menzoberranzan. He being the third born male child (and thus due for ritual sacrifice immediately after birth), his mother, Matron [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast|Malice]] Do'Urden, spares him after his eldest brother is killed by second brother Dinin to gain in rank.
 
In Menzoberranzan, and in drow society as a whole, ascension to a higher rank is gained not by merit, but by strength -- ifstrength—if you can live long enough to [[Klingon Promotion|kill those that outrank you]], you gain rank and prestige. As long as it's done on-the-sly, and nobody remains to accuse you.
 
The drow place very little value on life -- childrenlife—children are set up as pawns in dangerous training exercises, the Academies of the city teach outright racism and genocide, and anyone who is not drow (and occasionally, not drow ''enough'') is quietly executed before they can become a liability.
 
Unlike others of his race, Drizzt is very honorable and kind, a mindset which clashes rather violently with that of his much more vicious kin. At first, Drizzt refuses to acknowledge that such evil can exist unpunished, but is eventually forced to confront (and question) his nature after his family's various schemes almost force him down the same dark path.
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Upon leaving his homeland, Drizzt spends several years roaming the Underdark (a massive series of caverns and tunnels that span from one end of Faerun to another) before befriending a deep gnome and finding his way to the surface.
 
Thus begins the tale of one of the Forgotten Realms' most popular characters -- incharacters—in fact, Drizzt has become so well-known (and stories featuring the character so widely-read) that many readers don't know that there ''are'' other characters in the Forgotten Realms canon.
 
Books in the series:
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See [[Forgotten Realms]], [[Icewind Dale]], [[The Icewind Dale Trilogy]] and the [[Legacy of the Drow Series]].
 
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{{tropelist}}
=== Provides Examples Of: ===
* [[Aerith and Bob]]: Among the drow, Maya is the only character whose name can also be a girl's name in the real world.
* [[The Aloner]]: Drizzt lives ten years all alone in the Underdark and he doesn't take it well. Seems that even [[Always ChaoticExclusively Evil]] company is better than no sapient company at all.
* [[Always ChaoticExclusively Evil]]: The drow, of course, with rare exceptions.
* [[A Real Man Is a Killer|A Real Drow Is A Killer]]: Drizzt's family enforces this trope in an effort to break Drizzt's morality.
* [[Attack Animal]]: Guenhwyvar is a magical panther that follows the commands of whoever holds the statute that summons her.
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* [[Brother-Sister Incest]]: Drizzt's sister has a (one-sided) thing for him; [[Even Evil Has Standards|not even Matron Malice approves]].
* [[Can't Catch Up]]: Drizzt's instructors eventually realize that, because of the training he had already received from Zaknafein, his classmates would never even approach his ability and start having him compete against more senior students.
** They [[Can't Catch Up|can't catch up]] either.
* [[Chekhov's Gun]]: The sphere of light Zak uses on Drizzt in an earlier chapter of ''Homeland'' is the same method {{spoiler|Drizzt uses to escape from House Do'Urden at the end of the novel.}}
* [[Clean Dub Name]]: In the Russian version of the books, Drizzt was changed into Dzirt, due to the original name resembling a sound of bowel evacuation. (Of course, in English, the Russian version sounds like he's a delicious confection of some kind.)
* [[Combat Pragmatist]]: Zaknafein, to a surprising extent despite his skill. He carries little glass spheres on him that bathe the room in blinding light when shattered, which to the drow who normally live in complete darkness can be quite detrimental, and uses one against Drizzt in a particularly vicious battle. He also has no qualms about [[Groin Attack|kicking a male opponent where it hurts.]]
** When Drizzt calls him out on it, Zaknafein brilliantly replies with this:
{{quote| '''Drizzt:''' Do you so hate to lose?<br />
'''Zaknafein:''' Do you not understand? To lose it to die! You may win a thousand fights, but you can only lose one! }}
* [[Death Is Cheap]]
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* [[Unstoppable Rage]]: Don't get Drizzt mad. '''''Ever'''''.
* [[Villain Corner]]: Vierna is supposedly the nicest of Drizzt's sisters, and it is implied that absent the corrupting influences of Drow she might have turned good. However, a few [[Kick the Dog]] moments and the fact that her occasional kindness towards Drizzt [[Brother-Sister Incest|does not come from pure intentions]] make it clear that she is, at best, only slightly less [[Chaotic Evil]] then the rest of her family.
* [[Wide -Eyed Idealist]]: Drizzt at the beginning of the first novel; then he gets a nasty taste of reality ...
* [[Wham! Line]]: Dinin's news about the attack at the end of ''Exile'' is one hell of a wallop.
{{quote| '''Dinin:''' "We are under attack."<br />
'''The new Matron Mother:''' "House Fey'Branche?"<br />
'''Dinin:''' {{spoiler|"Baenre."}} }}
** To put that in context, {{spoiler|the ''heads of Menzoberranzan'' have come to kill them. Even if anyone survives, nobody will take up their claims for revenge. House Do'Urden is ''screwed.''}}
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[[Category:Fantasy Literature]]
[[Category:The Dark Elf Trilogy]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dark Elf Trilogy, The}}
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