#the legend of drizzt fanfiction

[defnotjarlaxle]

Arcane Temptation (Fanfiction)

Legend of Drizzt, Gromph Baenre, Y/N, Fantasy

As you find yourself sitting at a exquisitely carved wooden table within the confines of a quiet chamber, ambient radiance emanating from the enchanted candles that cast whimsical shadows upon the venerable tomes and mysterious artifacts surrounding you, the tranquility is abruptly shattered.

Archmage Gromph, venerable master of arcane knowledge, strides into the room he had asked you to wait in.

"You're here. Good. Listen attentively because I will not repeat myself."

With a flourish of his hand the arcane tablet adorning the wall illuminates with flowing script as he picks up a pointing stick with a luminous crystal at its tip.

"The Faerzress, also known as "Mythral Dust," is a highly complex arcane phenomenon. It manifests as a subatomic emanation of exotic elemental magic originating in the depths of the Feywild and crossing into our plane. This transition is known in scientific terminology as "Dimensional Mycorrhizal Passive Transfer" or DMPT, it is a connection of mycorrhiza representing the fairy symbiosis between different life forms and passivity to the reality plane.

It is an invisible and subtly pulsating energy that interacts with the submolecular structures of matter, causing them to vibrate and resonate. This results in an increased activation of subatomic strings in the quantum cosmos, leading to a distortion of space-time continuity."

You are sure he continued talking, his lips moving, but your ability to absorb his words falters. Despite your best efforts to remain focused, your attention is inexplicably drawn elsewhere... Perhaps it's his long silky hair or those otherworldly amber colored eyes with the slightest hint of pink around the iris...

Wait, why.. are his eyes so close all of a sudden?

You flinch as a book is slammed on your table by the Archmage himself who looks down at you, a burning rage in his eyes.

"Accessing the Faerzress is extremely challenging and requires a profound understanding of fractal geometry and the theory of resonant singularities! You dare to daydream during such a crucial lesson?"

He raises your chin with the glowing crystal of his pointing stick and pierces you with an intense glare. Prickling sensations and goosebumps ripple across your skin as powerful arcane energy courses through you, almost stinging your body because of it's intensity. Your breath quickens, your heart starts racing, beating faster and faster...

"Next time, I will not be as forgiving. If you're even lucky enough to get the opportunity for a next time."

Before you can respond, he releases you and leaves.

Sinking back into your chair, your sole focus is on regaining control of your breath as you strive to restore your composure.

[spacemonkeysalsa]

I read about an evil magistrate in another Faerûn city, a few decades after Astarion had that job in Baldur's Gate and it has me thinking about his pre-vampire days, and my irl time as a Las Vegas law clerk. A lot.

Full disclosure: I feel a little guilty that I wrote so much on this topic rather than on one of my fics.

I wrote very little in July 🫣but it's because I was drawing and reading instead.

I read 13 books, but they were the first 13 Legend of Drizzt books.

And while writing fic, I've avoid details about Astarion's background as a magistrate, for reasons I've talked about a lot before, but I might need to rethink that, because one book in the Drizzt series just gave me SO MUCH context for what the world was like around the time that Astarion would have had this job, and also, what that job was like, and how it was very effected by geography and race. And I have THOUGHTS. Thousands of words of thoughts, apparently, below the cut.

TL;DR - The popular idea that pre-Cazador Astarion is the biggest possible asshole so he "earns" his fate is boring as hell, not actually supported by canon, or the examples of magistrates that we see in FR (who don't even need to be corrupt to satisfy cruel inclinations) and I deeply prefer going in a totally different direction. Below the cut is me working through my headcanon, and why I came to these conclusions.

I tagged this appropriately I think, but to emphasize, topics of relevance include horror movie tropes, torture, the deeply flawed American justice system, and the even more deeply flawed one in Faerûn as described by the Forgotten Realms novels I've read and the mentions/demonstrations in Bladur's Gate 3.

If you feel you need to avoid thinking about all of that, you are valid, and probably more correct than me for doing so.

And as always, it's just my opinion, based on my experiences. All headcanon is equally headcanon.

To start, I'm going to briefly reiterate that:

Astarion's canon backstory is thin on purpose and that all we really know about him is that he was a magistrate with not-red eyes who made an unpopular ruling that was unpopular for an unspecified reason and got jumped by Gur for a (heavily implied to be unreliable narrator influenced) reason.

That artbook is a developmental tool that is actually less likely to ever be considered canon than even a later stage developmental tool like a full manuscript outline precisely because of its position in the process.

But, before I get into what I read in Drizzt, I want to establish that my head space started from thinking about how much sadder it is if Astarion actually did have compassionate ideals and a balanced sense of justice prior to Cazador. The reason I think it's sadder is best illustrated by the choice to either make a doomed horror movie character sympathetic or an asshole. What happens to Astarion is basically a horror show, and some people prefer those fates are reserved exclusively for asshole victims. There's reasons to write this way, and it can be done well, but it's very easy to make it feel cheap and contrived and it's usually a sign of an amateur production, and a quick way to make an accessible film rather than a good one. Another option (which can also be done well or done poorly) is to harm characters who did absolutely nothing wrong.

To be clear, whether or not we like a character doesn't affect whether or not they "deserve" death. Horror movies often deal with totally disproportionate consequences, and the gruesome fate not really being "earned" can be an inherent part of the horror regardless of our sympathy.

But, I'm not sad when the evil teenagers in Toxic Avenger are killed. I am not that sad when Jigsaw's traps prove to be too much for his chosen victims. What happens to Julia's marks in Hellraiser doesn't move me as much as what's going on with Kirsty, even if they didn't deserve it, because they aren't particularly sympathetic.

And the thing about using characters like that is that it's not realistic. And to be clear, I don't think you always have to be realistic to tell a good story, in fact, please don't always cling to realism. But realism in characterization is usually a stronger choice, and should be considered generally. Most people are not as flat and unsympathetic as the asshole victims in slasher flicks. Even people who do bad things are not so one dimensional as to instill no sympathy in irl humans. I think people like to flatten Astarion in their mind, so that they don't have to confront the fact that very bad things happen all the time, and that most people didn't do anything to earn a horrible fate.

In the specific case of what happened to Astarion, even if he was a bad person, it's very difficult to ever make 200 years of torture, the loss of autonomy, exploitation on every level, including physical, sexual and psychological abuse, ever feel proportional. So at this point, some people need something to make it seem more just. Either because they hate the character, and want to feel that hating the character is objectively correct, or their worldview includes an idea of justice that can't accept such disproportionality.

And if you need that for your headcanon, dope. you're allowed whatever headcanon you want.

The "corrupt magistrate" thing isn't canon. It's headcanon. I understand that some people who really seem to know what they are talking about said it was canon, that's because they are wrong. People are wrong sometimes.

I recently became aware that although I thought we were all playing the same game, a bunch of players have never seen what I've seen, because it's all missable content. And, because everyone knows there's a bunch of stuff they haven't seen, it's real easy to just believe any random person on the internet who tells you something is buried deep in the game that you don't know about.

This specific situation with Astarion's canon backstory is that you'll never find much in the game, no matter how much you play, because there's nothing to find. Here's the facts: -There was never anything about Astarion being corrupt in the game, in early access, or in any of the writing that made it to recording. It was an idea that was discussed very early on---like back when we almost had a werewolf companion, (RIP Helia, you would've loved what I put you through) and they went in a totally different direction. Essentially, just imagine what they ultimately ended up doing with Gortash, and know that they were thinking about doing something similar with Astarion, but a long, long time ago.

-In the game, he'll lie and tell you he's a magistrate in Baldur's Gate and that it's tedious.

-Or, if you wait to ask him about himself until after you know he's a vampire, he'll tell you he was a magistrate, punishing troublemakers.

-Backstory complete!

-Art books are great, and beautiful, and it's baffling to me to see fans treat them like canon content, because if anything, they demonstrate various attempts to put together a story that ultimately didn't land for the creators. I love using materials like this when I write, I create character sheets and artbooks for my work all the time, and part of their charm is the features that didn't make it into the final work. Minthara is no longer an elven cleric, Shadowheart isn't covered in tattoos, and Astarion isn't one of corrupt elite of Baldur's Gate, or even elite, or a courtesan. Stop bringing up the artbook, you're embarrassing yourselves.

-There's actual explicit dialogue in game in which Astarion says he doesn't remember much from before he was turned. He says the person he was is gone, nothing left but a name on a rock. That's what's intentionally in the game. I think this is brilliant, because I think his character represents loss in a really poignant way, and that if they included anything too detailed about who he was before he got turned, that would undermine this theme, in a way that's especially unnecessary. It's better to keep it purposefully blank. A void of nothing. I'm actually really surprised that they didn't do this for Shadowheart, given that she's a Sharran, but in her story, we actually see a really nice counterexample: she does recall small details about her time in the city. Coming back there triggers memories and if you find all three of them---[spoiler deleted, please message me if you want to know about this, I've been informed I shouldn't just shout this out, because some people like to discover this stuff on their own. But also I'm not a gatekeeper, if you really want to know, I'm happy to tell you]. There's none of that for Astarion, in fact, if you go to the cemetery looking for his grave, which is something I think a lot of us did, you won't find any mention of him anywhere, but you will find one of those Shadowheart memories if she's with you. You only get to see Astarion's grave briefly, if you're romancing him, and even then, he once again takes the opportunity to talk about the person he once was truly is lost to him (and to us) and gone forever, long before we ever had the chance to know him.

It's tragic, and kind of perfect.

And in the meta of all this, it's intentional that we'll never known him. We might think we do, but we literally can't, because it's not in the story.

Which is good because it would ruin the scene a bit if he'd been like "btw I was a real piece of shit lmao." Just like it kind of ruins the affect of the empty backstory to go ahead and add a backstory.

But. We're curious, we speculate, and we expand, that's what fanfiction is for—it exists outside of the canon. I usually write post-canon, canon-consistent content, but there's a possibility I'll need to add a few scenes from Astarion's mortal life in this one fic—maybe not, idk—but in preparation for maybe doing that (or not), I had considered working through what I think his life was life before he was turned, and the events leading up to Cazador capturing him. I wasn't sold on the idea, but I was thinking about it.

And, then I started reading Spine of The World, which features an actual magistrate from DR 1365. This one is um. Corrupt. Or, at least, we would consider him to be corrupt? He's actually doing his job perfectly according to the very messed up justice system in Luskan, where he works. They don't have a concept of burden of proof there, or of innocence at all after you manage to get yourself arrested, and instead essentially just torture people to death publicly and explicitly for entertainment. It's not chill. It's not subtle. They call it Prisoner's Carnival.

This magistrate has Astarion's exact job, in a different city and a few decades later (and those differences matter, we'll get to it) but the important features are the same. So, here's some things to note: being a magistrate is a position of limited power, you have total discretion over the prisoners given to you for punishment (minus a few notable exceptions that come up in Spine of The World), but that's it. It's not like an influential political position of respect or anything. It can't be, because they are beholden to laws they can't change, and cultural traditions that are non-negotiable parts of the community.

This guy is referred to multiple times are a carnival barker. And there's loads of magistrates, they all have different reputations and and ymmv on how sadistic they individually are in Luskan. In a later book, when this particular magistrate is brought up again to another magistrate in Luskan, it's clear that the carnival barker thing isn't entirely universal and that he's considered one of the really bad ones, but regardless, they all acknowledge that what he does is legal and "serves a purpose" and they all direct and orchestrate the torture and slaughter of prisoners, and they all admit that many of them are probably innocent. The magistrates, and more importantly, the people in charge of them, maintain the necessity of the system, and the fear it instils to keep troublemakers in line.

One of the more reasonable and intelligent wizards in the series (a guy called Robillard who I can't help but envision as Gale of Waterdeep, because almost everything he does and says makes him sound like Gale of Waterdeep) shocks Drizzt by defending this system of justice very passionately.

Actually, Drizzt's thoughts in general about the Prisoner's Carnival are S-tier Drizzt musings, I love a man who keeps a journal. Likes cats too. Drizzt is lovely.

Drizzt also notes that this is a popular system in human societies specifically. Other races don't go in for it so much, and tend not to participate unless it's as... um... you know... as the prisoners being tortured. I think it's interesting that he mentions that elves in particular (in his experience) are universally disgusted by it. It's also explicitly stated that Baldur's Gate is different, and a much preferrable place to get tried by a magistrate. That isn't in his journal entry though, that's earlier in the novel. A moment of foreshadowing.

The whole world is brutal, but Baldur's Gate is a bit more modern and open to change than other places. That's probably one reason it keeps getting featured and mentioned even though we've barely spent any time there in Drizzt's series so far. It's a bit more relatable a place to actually live in long term than somewhere like Luskan, where you may have to seek out real estate that's far enough away from the square that you're not constantly hearing the death screams of someone being drawn and quartered in front of a cheering crowd. So that's the basics of it, and getting back to Astarion and the backstory that I would personally novelize for him, we have options:

If I'm going to try to fit this into the context that I now have though, it's important to keep in mind that 1) Baldur's Gate is considered one of the "nicer" places to be tried and 2) culturally, elves don't go in for cruelty, especially not as systemic "justice." None of this has to apply to Astarion, but if I'm writing it, I'm not going to ignore this cultural context. At a minimum, I'm going to say that appointing an elf as a magistrate in a city that's known for being more progressively compassionate about their treatment of prisoners was probably pointed on the part of tptb. Baldur's Gate wanted him to set an example for these bloodthirsty humans about mercy and justice and the balance between them. Racism dictates that you don't go to a human for that. They're carnival barkers. If you want a more compassionate magistrate, appoint an elf. And from there, we get to decide whether or not Astarion met their expectations, or if he defied them. Because maybe he was an asshole. Maybe he was just as bad as his human magistrate counterparts. That's not outside the realm of possibility at all, there's an argument to be made that we write him as a counterweight to the stereotype. Astarion is written to be capable of anything, so you can literally go in any direction with his disposition.

But, considering how Cazador rages that he "made" Astarion, and Astarion doesn't even argue with that sentiment. I think it's more likely (and loads sadder) if this unmaking and making included a complete and total overhaul of Astarion entire sense of justice. I actually think the harsh sentiments that Astarion expresses at the tribunal in Ansur's trials are a really good example of the flickers of Cazador and the person he twisted Astarion into, than they would ever be indicative of who he was before getting turned.

That guy's gone, remember?

And if it's not obvious, I'm going in that direction with my fanfic. I'm going to say he actually thought he could help his community. He studied. He got this civil servant position. It was a bit disillusioning. It's better in Baldur's Gate than in other places, but the system itself is cruel, and he's rewarded for being cruel within it. It doesn't even matter that he originally got the job because they hoped he would be a compassionate elf judge amongst bloodthirsty humans, once he's actually in position, it's all about maintaining the status quo. That's what they actually want from him, in spite of their "progressive" leanings.

If anything, he's getting in trouble, and getting noticed by not quite being status quo. A soft-hearted elf, letting his charges get away with all kinds of mischief. I'd write him this way, because I think it then easily follows that Cazador takes note of him and targets him, precisely because he's too merciful. It's annoying.

And, little bit about me, I'm an attorney, and early on, during and right after law school I worked for a few judges.

If Faerûn is anything like the USA I figure that after a few years he has figured out that being a magistrate only gives him a limited amount of discretion and authority over the specific individuals who are brought before him.

It's really legislation that makes a difference and he is specifically forbidden from that. He rules from the bench, and hopes that if he's consistent and fair, and if nothing disastrous results from his rulings, (and if he doesn't get reversed too often, idk if that's a thing in Faerûn but it's a thing in America) then maybe he could eventually influence those who do legislate, but like, that's not his job. And it's going to take a long time because most of it's quite tedious and people don't pay attention unless it's someone they care about standing before him. Nobody cares about the vast majority of these people. His job is to stare at "troublemakers" who have supposedly broken the law, hear witnesses and confessions and denials and lies and decide what the truth is, and decide what's fair.

And it's emotionally heavy work. A lot of people describe being a magistrate as a political position, and that's not incorrect, but there's a valley of difference between Astarion's very hands on job, and what Gortash/Duke Ravenguard do. You are beholden to powerful politicians (like actual politicians) with a lot more influence who figured all this out long before they made the mistake of having ideals or believing in anything, or taking a job in which they would have to a) actually work with people to probable burnout and b) inevitably make a lot of people very angry regardless of what they did.

But, Astarion is still young, he's still got energy, he's not lost himself yet, he thinks he can handle this responsibility and he's wrong.

One day, someone is brought before him. This person is Gur and has supposedly broken the law. Other Gur are upset about the way Astarion ruled. He was way too harsh, or maybe he wasn't.

Quick sidebar: in court, I have watched people literally receive the death sentence and have zero reaction. Same with life w/o parole and other life ruining sentences. In my experience, what triggers an emotional reaction and anger targeted at a judge isn't the severity of the sentence, it's how the severity of the sentence stacks up against their expectations. The defendants (or their families, with proxy outrage) who get really angry, who try to attack the judge, or the ones who are so disruptive that we have to call it and go wait in the hallway while the baliffs calm things down, all have one thing in common: they legitimately thought they were going to just be sent home. They didn't think they were going to be held at all. For that reason, I actually saw a lot more rage from people who had committed minor offenses, because they didn't think what they had done was that big a deal, showed no remorse, ignored their atty, made no effort to express any respect for the law, or any victims, and then when the judge just decides to go with whatever the statute says, in light if zero mitigating factors, the defendant hears "60 days" for the very first time and assumes that the judge just made that up and hates them.

And like, I know it's fiction, and I'm speaking on a very niche experience that most people can't relate to. It's unlikely the writers had anything (let alone realism) in mind at all when they decided to be as vague as possible in the details about a character who embodies "loss" as a concept. I think they were vague because of the theme of loss. I think they were vague because of the theme of loss. I think they were vague because of the theme of loss. I think they were vague because of the theme of loss. I think they were vague because of the theme of loss.

But this sidebar is just to explain why whenever someone says "well he got beat to death for it so his ruling must've been racist and harsh" my knee jerk response is "not necessarily."

And sidebar within the sidebar: if I was going to fully novelize the story, I would actually go in the direction of having the ruling in question be uncommonly fair. I might hint at some racism though—nobody really talks about it below the surface level obvious stuff that's in the game, and part of that is because information about the Gur as a people isn't super accessible. But there is information, and synthesized: racism against the Gur seems pretty standard, especially for an elf who has had it up to here with human bullshit generally. Especially during that time period. He probably didn't have a good opinion of the Gur in life.

But, I have to assume that his animosity towards the Gur that we see in the game was at least affected by the fact that they beat him to death, and then, he spent two centuries as an undead being that they kill on sight with absolutely no justification needed. Like. I don't think it's wild to suggest that. I'm actually very confused by how much people push back on the idea that this could be responsible for his attitude, in part. And that's as far as I have combed through all this so far. Idk how much of it will end up in fic, but it's my personal headcanon now.

I love horror movies. I have watched so many of them it's embarrassing. My letterboxd is embarrassing. I do love several horror movies that feature asshole victims, but as I look at my very favorites, I'm noticing a pattern. I like to feel hurt. I like it when a movie doesn't shy away from dealing out universal, apathetic and disproportionate punishment to everyone. I can't think of anything quite so sad as seeing a perfectly normal, maybe even morally progressive person with their whole life ahead of them, and choosing to unmake them and twist them into a broken puppet in your own image. Sparing/saving no one and nothing in the process. Just make them lose everything, including their entire sense of who they are.

So, I'm going to hurt my own feelings with my Astarion headcanon.

[lawful-evil-novelist]

Chapters: 4/? Fandom: The Legend of Drizzt Series - R. A. Salvatore Rating: Mature Warnings: Major Character Death Characters: Drizzt Do'Urden, Zaknafein Do'Urden, Vierna Do'Urden, Dinin Do'Urden, Maya Do'Urden, Nalfein Do'Urden, Jarlaxle Baenre, Malice Do'Urden, Rizzen Do'Urden, Briza Do'Urden Additional Tags: Homeland-Era, Family Dynamics, Dysfunctional Family, Psychological Trauma, Childhood Trauma, Past Child Abuse, Past Abuse, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Eating Disorders, Parentification, Family Therapy, Estranged Parental Relationship, Repairing Family Dynamics, Canon-Typical Violence, Fighting as a Form of Affection, The Do'Urdens are a Mess, Unexplained resurrection, Resurrection, Yeah Nalfein Just Comes Back and I Chose Not To Explain It, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence

House Do'Urden has been built on Matron Malice's iron-clad control and the blessings of Lolth. She has pitted her children against each other and driven them away from their fathers. Yet, when her youngest is given a rare glimpse into the paths of his older siblings, he makes a choice that may very well save them from Malice-and Lolth-before it's too late.

[writing-with-moss]

I’ve found my first legitimate fanfic and omg it’s so good pls help me

I’ve already finished like 28 chapters

I’m so happy

it’s Origami Souls by ThousandOfWord and it’s a Drizzt Fic

🙏🏻

[theladyregret]

Fanfiction Archive

Fics on Ao3 written by yours truly all in one place for your convenience

~The Legend of Drizzt~

Skin Deep Series

(AU: Canon Divergence - Starless Night/Siege of Darkness) Catti-brie and Entreri fail to save Drizzt from the High Ritual in Starless Night resulting in Drizzt being turned into a Drider.

Violent Beginnings Series

(AU: Canon Divergence - Homeland) What could have happened if some of the elves during the surface raid hadn't been so helpless, what if some of them had been able to fight back?

I'm Not Afraid (Vagabond) - NSFW

(AU: Canon Divergence - The Last Threshold) Drizzt and Entreri come to some sudden and unexpected realizations about what they mean to each other on their way north.

It's All We Know

(AU: Fix-it - The Sea of Swords) What if Drizzt recognized Ellifain before it was too late?

A Clutter of Spiders

(Canon Compliant - Post Sojourn) Child Catti-brie has a fear of spiders and Drizzt seeks to help her overcome it.

Fungoid Dreams

(AU: Canon Divergent - Exile) Drizzt has an encounter with an unfamiliar species of fungoid monster which leaves him with an unwelcome gift.

A Hero In Periphery

(Canon Compliant - Pre-The Crystal Shard) Icewind Dale is home to many dangers, not all of which can be defeated with a sword. When Drizzt chooses to save another…will he also be able to save himself?

An Accident of Fate (unfinished)

(AU: Unspecified Timeline) An ill fated ambush leaves Drizzt dead, but death is only the beginning of this story.

~Dungeons and Dragons: Forgotten Realms~

We Get To Choose

(Canon Compliant - Baldur's Gate 3: Act 3) Astarion and The Dark Urge take turns pulling each other out of their own self hate as they face down their demons. (friendship fic)

The Crisis of Choice

(Canon Compliant - Baldur's Gate 3: Act 2) Divimar, a Cleric of Lolth, suffers a crisis of faith after he learns the truth about the Astral Prism. He makes a choice for the better…or so he hopes.

Tarnished Silver - NSFW

(AU: Canon Divergent - Jander Sunstar) A rewrite of the Vampiric invasion of Merrydale and the fall, and subsequent rebirth, of The Silver Six.

Twice Saved, Forever Damned

(Canon Compliant - Realms of Infamy: Blood Sport) Takes place after the short story "Blood Sport". An idea of what could have happened after it's rather abrupt ending and what led to Jander going from living among people within the city to secluding himself in a cave.

[too-many-blorbos]

Remember that AU I made where Drizzt is an omen of death?

!!BEHOLD!!

IT IS FINISHED

[ladyslookingglass]

I’m still working on part three, but until then here’s Drizzt as he’s described in my fic “Affirmations” part two of my “Skin Deep” Series. I made art for the first part so I figured it was only fair to make one for the second part as well showing the dwarven style braids and new armor he was given.

[thespacelizard]

kiss in the sand

@fluffbruary day 3! and i am returning to my love my life my light my boys with some Jartemis beach-flavoured fluff. Up on AO3 as well here.

In which Jarlaxle and Artemis hit the beach.

Boots on the sand, a familiar tread; a thud and a huff next to him. A smile crooked the corner of Jarlaxle’s mouth, hidden by the hat set over his face to block the sun. “I take it you are finished being cross with me?”

Artemis plucked his hat away and he squinted in the sunlight. Entreri didn’t quite glower at him, just wore his usual faint exasperation at the world, and Jarlaxle in particular.

“No ridiculous disguise today? Are you feeling quite well?”

“Being myself is a disguise.”

Artemis dumped a handful of sand onto his bare stomach. “Do you ever think about what comes out of your mouth before you open it?”

“Frequently, when I am not talking to you.”

Jarlaxle sat up, brushing the sand off—then cleaned off his palm by ruffling Artemis’ hair. Entreri scowled delightfully and batted him away.

“Bothered by a little sand? What a terrible Calishite you are.”

“Says the drow so addicted to sunlight he is half naked on a beach on the surface.”

“It could be worse, abbil.”

“Could it now.”

Jarlaxle bared his teeth obnoxiously. “I could be entirely naked on a beach on the surface.”

Artemis rolled his eyes and made such a show of getting up to leave it could not have more obviously been a front. Jarlaxle grabbed his ankle and dragged him to the ground, the move precipitating a brief wrestling match that ended with him face down, spitting sand, Entreri’s knee in the small of his back.

“You could at least have taken your shirt off first,” he said. Who had put quite so many grains in beach sand? It was wretched. “Maybe put on some oils. It’s like you do not even care about my needs.”

“I don’t.”

“Liar.”

Jarlaxle relaxed for a moment, long enough to try to lull Entreri into a false sense of security, then surged up, twisting, trying to throw Artemis off. It half worked—now at least he was on his back with a hand free. Artemis had the other wrist pinned above his head, and a pleasant little shiver darted up his spine. He reached up, slowing when Entreri flinched away, and brushed his cheek with the back of his hand.

“Are you still cross with me about the dragon thing?”

Artemis sighed, and Jarlaxle made a happy noise when the human dipped his head and kissed him. Warm lips, warm skin beneath his palms, warm sand, warm sun. What better way to waste an afternoon? His hands started wandering of their own accord, and Artemis sat up.

“Public beach,” he pointed out. Jarlaxle ignored him and ran his hands up Artemis’ thighs, thoroughly enjoying having the human straddling him. He lazily rolled his thumbs back and forth at the highest point he could reach; Entreri’s breath hitched. Jarlaxle let his gaze trail up Artemis’ body, slow and hungry.

“I killed a dragon,” he said.

“You helped kill a dragon,” Entreri corrected. He very studiously ignored Jarlaxle’s attentions, as if doing so would make him stop. “I’ve heard them tell it—you did very little.”

“They would have done far worse without my considerable moral support. And financial assistance.”

“So you are buying your victories now, are you? Get your hands off.” Artemis finally slapped his hands away from where Jarlaxle had gotten his belt halfway unbuckled. He started to get up—Jarlaxle dragged him back down into another kiss. Soft lips, stubble scraping his chin, that familiar, welcome annoyance. Entreri sighed into his mouth, all fond frustration.

Jarlaxle behaved himself, and let him go after not nearly long enough; Entreri rolled off of him and flopped down in the sand. The late spring sun threw lovely pools of shadow in the curve of his neck, gilded the hair on his arms. Calling him beautiful was a quick way to a black eye—or worse—but Jarlaxle thought it anyway.

“Will you stay until the carnival is over?” he asked. He retrieved his hat from where it had fallen and set it back on his head. “I’ve so little to do now that the Grand Game has rather neatly wrapped up.”

“You have enough bed warmers.”

“I am bored of acrobats and actresses.” Jarlaxle knelt forwards. He traced along Entreri’s jaw with light fingers. “I’m in the mood for an assassin.”

His fingers brushed over Artemis’ mouth and Entreri bit him. Jarlaxle flicked his nose, getting a palmful of sand in his face for his trouble.

“I’ll stay,” Artemis said, whilst he was cursing and scrubbing sand from his eyes. “If you can promise me, definitively, that there will be no more dragons.”

Jarlaxle put a hand on his heart. “I swear on my life.”

“Not much of an oath.”

“Very much of an oath, you know how highly I value my continued existence.” He sprawled out next to Artemis and set his hat over his face again. “And if there is another dragon, I promise you can have first chance at feeding me to it.”

“I will hold you to that.”

Artemis slid a hand into his. Jarlaxle squeezed it, glad to have it back where he liked it. “Does this mean you will come and stay on the Eyecatcher with me instead of sulking in that awful tavern?”

“Don’t push your luck.”

Jarlaxle grinned. He’d take that as a yes.

[xacesxofxheartsx]

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences Archive Warning(s): Graphic Depictions of Violence Category: Gen Fandom: The Legend of Drizzt Series - R. A. Salvatore, Forgotten Realms Characters: Malice Do'Urden, Briza Do'Urden Additional Tags: Triple Drabble, One-Shot

Summary: It's a good thing drow don't have maternity testing~

[defnotjarlaxle]

Midnight Revelations (Fanfiction)

Legend of Drizzt, Jarlaxle, unnamed elven lady, Fantasy

-A few hours before-

As he sat at the grand table aboard his ship, the Eyecatcher, engaged in conversation with the group of adventurers he had chosen to align with, a subtle sense of unease crept over him.

Disguised as a dashing human captain, he found himself on the receiving end of numerous compliments and even observed two of the adventurers attempting to flirt with him. Yet, for Jarlaxle, something felt amiss.

Although he made a clumsy attempt to reciprocate the flirtation, particularly directed at the reserved elven woman he had taken a liking to, he couldn't ignore the unfamiliar sensation of nervousness that welled up within him. This was unlike Jarlaxle, who typically exuded confidence in all his romantic endeavors. It was at that moment that he hatched a plan to attend the shipwrights' ball scheduled for that very evening.

By securing invitations for the entire adventuring party, he ensured they would all be present. Yet, beneath the surface, he acknowledged the profound opportunity that this gathering presented to privately connect with the demure elven lady who had piqued his curiosity.

-At the masquerade-

Stepping into the opulent masquerade hall, Jarlaxle had abandoned his human disguise, opting for authenticity.

He positioned himself at the upper entrance, atop the grand staircase, affording him an advantageous view of the surroundings. Scanning the bustling crowd, he swiftly located the subject of his affection. His mind raced through various approaches, but before he could settle on a strategy, her gaze met his, and she began ascending the stairs.

Without hesitation, Jarlaxle made his way toward her. As they drew near, he gracefully extended his hand, gallantly addressing her, "An enchanting evening, my lady, wouldn't you agree?" With a courteous flourish, he placed a gentle kiss on the back of her hand. Then, with a charming smile, he posed the question, "Might you do me the honor of sharing a dance?" Her approving nod filled him with anticipation and delight.

They danced the night away, following Jarlaxle's carefully orchestrated plan, until the clock struck midnight. At that precise moment the masks adorning the masquerade guests lost their enchantments and dissolved into nothingness. Just before this transformation, Jarlaxle guided his dancing partner to a secluded balcony.

She briefly scanned the room, taking in the bewildered nobles of Waterdeep who were scrambling to conceal their true identities, but her focus soon returned to Jarlaxle.

His heart fluttered as her gaze locked onto him, and he couldn't help but smile.

Leaning against the balcony railing, they engaged in light conversation about the delightful chaos they got to witness.

Then, with a genuine warmth in his voice, Jarlaxle complimented her, "You know, without the mask, you're even more captivating. I didn't think that was possible. I would love to meet you again."

Her response was unexpected but not surprising to Jarlaxle. The woman transformed into the female Gith form she typically assumed. Unfazed, he maintained his smile and said, "You're beautiful, no matter which form you choose."

In that fleeting moment, she noticed her fellow adventurers required her presence and left Jarlaxle behind, offering one final smile.

As she departed, his smile wavered for a brief moment, replaced by a profound realization. His heart raced, and he knew with absolute certainty that he loved her. He was willing to go to great lengths to have her by his side, to protect her, regardless of the cost.

[peppymint1986]

Those of you who follow my writing are probably aware my annual writing event has flopped this year.  Boo for writer’s block.  I am going to try and combat this by branching out and writing one-shots for some new fandoms.  Well, new writing fandoms, I have been a fan of the Legend of Drizzt for a long time.

Inspired by Merfilly.  Specifically their series Different Paths but this could be any au where Drizzt ends up unexpectedly on the surface.  

Volte-face

Jarlaxle made no indication he knew he was no longer alone.  It was impossible to say what it was that had tipped him off exactly.  He did not hear or see anything to indicate something was amiss.  None of the sentries had signaled an alarm.  

Regardless, the drow hadn’t lasted this long in Menzoberranzan by mistrusting his instincts.  There.  Jarlaxle spun, dagger dropping smoothly into his hand.  Only managing to alter its course at the last possible moment before it left his fingers.    

Thud.  

The other drow didn’t even flinch.  Unbothered by the knife quivering in the wall just inches from his neck.  

The same could not be said for Jarlaxle.  “Zak,” he hissed, striding across the room, heels practically striking sparks.  His features were twisted in anger.  That had been far too close.  However, as he approached his friend the anger quickly gave way to concern.  “Zaknafein?”

“I thought I was ready,” Zaknafein said, face still unnervingly blank.  Though his daughter still breathed, Vierna had been lost to him long ago.  “I thought I was prepared to lose him.”  He had even tried to take the matter into his own hands once, thinking it was better for his dancer to die as himself.  He hadn’t been able to do it.  

Frowning, Jarlaxle took another step forward, now close enough to touch his friend.  “Drizzt?” he questioned softly.  As far as he knew, there was no other whose fate would affect Zakanfein like this.

“The raiding party returned without him.”  The weapons master had not stayed to hear the details.  It didn’t really matter.  All that mattered was his son was gone.  

“I’m sorry Zak.”

The weapons master stiffened at the first touch of a comforting hand on his shoulder.  Then he shuddered, before turning to bury his face in Jarlaxle’s colorfully clad shoulder.  Paying no mind to the arm that wrapped around his shoulders in return, or the way the fabric beneath his eyes was growing damp.  “I’m done Jarlaxle.”

The mercenary felt his heart skip a beat.  Surely the other didn’t mean . . .

“Take me from this place.”

And just like that, the world resumed its spin.  “Of course.”  

He had urged Zaknafein to leave House Do'urden many times, but the other drow had always refused.  Jarlaxle should have been thrilled at his friend’s request.  But somehow, seeing his friend’s grief, he could not help but grieve with him for a life cut far too short.

Poor Zak.  But unlike him, we know Drizzt is alive so there would eventually be a happy ending.  No guarantee I will write it though.  No guarantee I won’t either.  We’ll see. 

[geeky-awesomeness]

Art made for a @drowhumor's fanfic on AO3, Dangerous Beauty.

If you're a fan of Gromph Baenre, check it out!

[lawful-evil-novelist]

Exchanges clearly written before I made them fight.

[novarex]

Drow Reference Material for your OC and Fanfiction Purposes

This is not a complete list, but here are some references I use often when trying to write thins that are somewhat lore accurate.

This is one of the coolest books I have in physical form. Fortunately for you, you can get the whole book for free in digital form here. I used this CONSTANTLY when writing fics or formulating OCs.

Published in 2012, the same year the Legend of Drizzt book Charon's Claw released, it goes into INCREDIBLE detail about drow culture and the city of Menzoberranzan itself. 10/10

Published in 1992 , Menzoberranzan City of Drow, has a lot of interesting information, but some of it might be old and out of date. There are a few things I noticed that have been changed. This is still a great source of more drow information.

There are two Drow of the Underdark books... this one is for the Forgotten Realms setting and in 2e. The 2007 one is more for other settings as was pointed out to me.

Published in 2007, Drow of the Underdark provides more insight into drow culture. There are, however, aspects of this that are outdated. I take some of these older books as if they were written by a person who was observing the drow as an outsider with their own prejudices and preconceived notions.

Demihuman Deities has a ton of text on lots of gods. Good reference for drow gods and just about any other god you want more information on.

Drow language translator - I don't know how accurate this is, but I use it for fanfiction writing anyway.

Allright. That's it for now. I'm sure I'll be back with more later.

[theladyregret]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Legend of Drizzt Series - R. A. Salvatore, Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Forgotten Realms

Rating: Mature

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Drizzt Do'Urden/Artemis Entreri

Characters: Drizzt Do'Urden, Artemis Entreri

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Temporary Character Death, Canon-Typical Violence, Anal Sex, slow burn if you consider every moment from Streams of Silver on to be the build up, takes place during The Last Threshold, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Bottoming from the Top, Dahlia dies with little fanfare because I hate her, just saying, Enemies to Lovers, Porn With Plot, Whump

Summary:

Drizzt and Entreri come to some sudden and unexpected realizations about what they mean to each other on their way north.

[too-many-blorbos]

Chapters: 3/? Fandom: The Legend of Drizzt Series - R. A. Salvatore Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Drizzt Do'Urden, Guenhwyvar (Dungeons & Dragons), Connor Thistledown Additional Tags: Sick Character, Sick Fic, Book 3: Sojourn (The Legend of Drizzt), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, THERE IS PLOT, there is also drizzt getting warm tea and cocooning himself in blankets, and being dramatic about the flu, non-graphic descriptions of illness, including vomiting Summary:

An uncanny panther bullies the Thistledown family into aiding its master, a sickly drow. In the process of caring for their alleged enemy, they discover both a true friend and a threat far more deadly than a single drow.

AKA: Drow are famously resilient to toxins and illness. That resilience does not extend to surface diseases. Drizzt learns this the hard way.