Jarlaxle Baenre Jarlaxle ( born Jarlaxle Baenre ) was a drow mercenary and leader of the Bregan D ' aerthe mercenary company . He was one of a small number of male drow who actually had significant power in a Lolth - worshiping city , although he increasingly spent little time in the city itself as he adventured on the Surface . Description . Slender , handsome , and tightly muscled , Jarlaxle was the dandy of Menzoberranzan . He chose the brightest colors for his clothes and wore a cape that shone in every color in both the visible and infrared spectra . He commonly wore high boots and bracelets that could be made to be clack loudly or be silent at his discretion . He also wore a magical eye patch that protected his mind from magical and psionic intrusions and allowed him to see through walls and other solid objects . He often shifted the patch from eye to eye to keep others guessing as to its powers . Another staple item was his wide - brimmed hat , plumed with a diatryma feather and worn atop his clean - shaven scalp , which was a symbol of his refusal to conform to society ' s expectations in Menzoberranzan , a society where rank and position were reflected by hair style . Jarlaxle walked with mild limp from an injury that never completely healed . Personality . More than anything , Jarlaxle was an opportunist . His wealth was considerable , but official station in drow society meant nothing to him . He observed that the best way for a male to survive and prosper in the matriarchal drow society was to be outside the system and to be too valuable to be eliminated — and he was audacious enough to take his life in that direction . Always calm and graceful , Jarlaxle enjoyed flaunting his independence and was proud of the fact that the noble houses come to him for aid . In the city of Menzoberranzan , intrigue and double - dealing were a way of life , and no one played them better than Jarlaxle did . As a male outsider who had no qualms dealing with the " lesser races , " Jarlaxle had much information few others beyond Lolth ' s priestesses were likely to have access to . He was one of the most powerful males , if not individuals , in the city and the surrounding Underdark . He benefited from the chaos of Menzoberranzan and was always able to align himself with the winning side in any conflict . In his later years , he preferred to see adventure and profit in the World Above . ( Although in his earlier years he had thrived on the internal politics of Menzoberranzan , they had always disturbed him . Once he escaped the " wretched hole in the ground , " he did not want to return . ) He found that he felt most alive when he was with friends and when he was taking risks . He had an " insatiable curiosity and a desire to know — everything . " This curiosity made him antsy when he remained stuck in one place too long and drove his quest for personal exploration . He had a very charismatic personality , always willing to talk his way out of situations rather than resort to force of arms . Moreover , talking was what Jarlaxle did best . His words easily worked past the handicap of his race ' s evil reputation , able to turn potential enemies into allies . He loved irony , sarcasm , and wit . He was extremely intelligent and a brilliant tactician who was always prepared for any imaginable or unimaginable circumstances . Jarlaxle ' s lieutenant Kimmuriel Oblodra revealed a deep understanding of Jarlaxle ' s personality . He recognized that his gambling and sometimes foolish - seeming attitude was a very good facade , underneath which lay a frighteningly intelligent mind . Jarlaxle preferred to avoid killing someone as long as that person could be manipulated to serve his interests , no matter how small his or her role might be . In fact , Jarlaxle didn ' t like to kill somebody unless he had to , an unusual trait in a drow — and likely the reason he did so in the first place . Several times , he played the hero just for the sake of it . Jarlaxle was also a flirt . He had no qualms about flirting with ( and sleeping with ) dragons . History . Early life . Jarlaxle was born to Yvonnel Baenre , the matron mother of House Baenre , the first house of Menzoberranzan . Due to the status of his birth order , Jarlaxle was to be sacrificed to Lolth . However , the sacrificial blade of Matron Baenre could not pierce the infant . Her second - oldest son , Doquaio Baenre , was ordered to assist , but as he grabbed the infant , all of the kinetic energy of the attempted sacrifice was reflected on to him through the psionic power of the matron mother of House Oblodra . Doquaio was killed . The failure of the sacrifice was kept secret , but Matron Baenre feared Jarlaxle from that time forward and believed that her fate was tied with his . Jarlaxle was viewed as favored by the Spider Queen . Indeed , Lolth did favor him as an agent of chaos and granted him the memory of his near - sacrifice . However , he rejected her and she withdrew her favor , although the matron mothers of Menzoberranzan never learned of that fact . Kimmuriel Oblodra was one of only three living drow who knew the truth of the story ; the event and involvement of Matron Oblodra was apparently passed down through the years among the members of House Oblodra . Jarlaxle attended Melee - Magthere , the warriors ' academy . He was recognized for his mastery of strategy and tactics and his strength was in the non - physical aspects of fighting , although he was a skilled swordsman as well . However , he favored a stealthy dagger over hand - to - hand combat . At some point , Jarlaxle became close friends with Zaknafein Do ' Urden , later the father of Drizzt Do ' Urden . He eventually betrayed Zaknafein in undisclosed circumstances and still felt guilt over it many years later . Bregan D ' aerthe . Jarlaxle later left his house and his name ( but not his connections ) behind and founded Bregan D ' aerthe , a mercenary band of rogue males that grew to be very powerful . It could be said that the band they forged its own underworld empire in Menzoberranzan . Bregan D ' aerthe was present amongst the troops of Baenre during the fall of House Do ' Urden . In 1357 DR , Jarlaxle worked with Artemis Entreri during the early phases of Baenre ' s attempted conquest of Mithral Hall . Entreri had requested a fight against Drizzt Do ' Urden — a fair one — and offered his services in return . However , a fair fight was not , at the time , able to be given . Entreri " joined " Bregan D ' aerthe and was led to Menzoberranzan , but there he felt trapped and fled the Underdark ( with Jarlaxle ' s implicit aid ) with Drizzt and Catti - brie . Nevertheless , Jarlaxle continued to aid Baenre during the conquest of Mithral Hall all the way to the failure of the conquest . In 1364 DR , Jarlaxle then arranged a fight between Entreri and Drizzt Do ' Urden . During the fight , he acquired Crenshinibon . At this time , Jarlaxle approached Entreri with the hopes of extending his empire to the surface , starting with Calimport . In 1366 DR , they created a faction out of the Basadoni guild and placed Entreri as the pasha . Jarlaxle increasingly fell under the influence of Crenshinibon until his two lieutenants , Kimmuriel and Rai - guy , enacted a plot to overthrow him . He was only rescued from his own follies by Entreri , who claimed to need Jarlaxle alive to protect him from the two drow lieutenants . Jarlaxle made an agreement with Kimmuriel for co - leadership of Bregan D ' aerthe while Jarlaxle went traveling around the surface . Bloodstone Lands . After leaving Calimport , Jarlaxle and Entreri eventually wound up working in the Bloodstone Lands ( namely Damara and Vaasa ) in 1368 DR . He and Entreri started working for Ilnezhara and Tazmikella , the copper dragon sisters of Heliogabalus , who wanted them to investigate the appearance of Zhengyi an constructs in Vaasa . They joined a party of adventurers , battled the dracolich Urshula , and invaded a replica fortress of Castle Perilous . Jarlaxle disappeared during the fight , drawing Entreri ' s mistrust , but Jarlaxle claimed the castle for " King Artemis I . " In Damara , Jarlaxle obtained Idalia ' s flute and gave it to Entreri in an apparent attempt to help him resolve his emotional problems . Instead , the flute brought up all sorts of memories , leading Artemis back to Calimshan to search for ( and murder ) his father . He refused to travel with Jarlaxle further after that point . However , Athrogate remained by Jarlaxle ' s side . During his travels with Artemis , Jarlaxle stayed in regular contact with his lieutenant Kimmuriel Oblodra , in whose capable hands he left Bregan D ' aerthe . Although he did not at the time take an active role in leading his mercenaries , he still requested the resources of the group when it suited his needs . The option was open for Jarlaxle to retake control of the mercenaries , as Kimmuriel wished to be done with his duties leading the group so that he could spend more time with matters of the mind . At some point after they split ways , Jarlaxle was forced , against his will , to betray Artemis in Baldur ' s Gate to the Netherese , who were seeking to recover the Charon ' s claw sword . To refuse to aid the Netherese would have resulted in war between the Empire of Netheril and Menzoberranzan and possibly in Jarlaxle ' s own execution . Jarlaxle trapped Entreri in one of his extra - dimensional pockets , originally planning to rescue his human friend immediately after handing him over . However , Kimmuriel Oblodra and House Baenre had worked to lower Jarlaxle ' s magical defenses so that Kimmuriel to enter his mind and change his memories about the betrayal . He came to believe that Entreri had betrayed him . By the time Jarlaxle had found out the truth , Entreri was beyond Jarlaxle ' s reach , and Matron Mother Quenthel Baenre had forbidden Jarlaxle from involving himself in the affair further . Jarlaxle and Athrogate went on numerous adventures together over the next several decades but always did Jarlaxle regret what had happened to his old friend . Transitions . In 1376 - 1377 DR , Jarlaxle and Bregan D ' aerthe manipulated events in Luskan that resulted in the destruction of the Host Tower of the Arcane , the death of Deudermont , and Luskan becoming a free port . Jarlaxle allowed Regis and Drizzt to live and also took a scrimshaw piece from Regis that depicted Drizzt and Guenhwyvar , rather than taking the valuable ruby pendant . In 1384 DR , Jaraxle ' s dreams were invaded by Yharaskrik , the illithid killed in Servant of the Shard who had joined up with Hephaestus , the red dragon Jarlaxle had helped kill , and the lich kings captured in Crenshinibon , creating the Ghost King . He and Athrogate both joined up with Drizzt Do ' Urden , Bruenor Battlehammer , and Thibbledorf Pwent on an adventure to Spirit Soaring , where they hoped Cadderly Bonaduce could help them fend off the coming of the Ghost King . They succeeded in that task , albeit not in the manner they had expected . After Catti - brie wandered off ( died ) , Drizzt and Bruenor asked Jarlaxle to try to find her . He searched " half the Realms , " to no avail . The Neverwinter Saga . Around 1452 DR , Jarlaxle and Athrogate to joined Dahlia Sin ' felle in an expedition to Gauntlgrym , where they were tricked into releasing the fire primordial that destroyed the city of Neverwinter . In 1462 DR , Jarlaxle , Athrogate , and Dahlia once again joined up together and recruited Drizzt Do ' Urden and Bruenor Battlehammer in an attempt to right this wrong . They were successful , but in the process Bruenor was killed and Jarlaxle and Athrogate were overtaken by fire . Drizzt ( falsely ) presumed the latter two dead . However , in reality Jarlaxle had not died in Gauntlgrym . Some time later , he discovered that Drizzt , Dahlia , and their companions had been captured by the Netherese lord Draygo Quick and were being held in his home . With the help of Bregan D ' aerthe and his brother Gromph Baenre , he assaulted the castle to free Drizzt and company . Artemis Entreri had also been traveling with Drizzt at the time and Jarlaxle ensured that his petrified form was returned to flesh , although it was clear that Artemis did not forgive Jarlaxle for his betrayal . Drizzt disappeared in Icewind Dale not long afterwards , and Jarlaxle , despite many expensive attempts , was unable to locate him . " The Companions " and Companions Codex . When the reincarnated Regis passed through Luskan in 1483 DR , he stayed at One - Eyed Jax , an inn and tavern on the northern bank that was named for and owned by Jarlaxle ( through Ship Kurth ) . The barkeep , Serena , was " spoken for " by Jarlaxle , who was well - known by the tavern ' s patrons . Jarlaxle had a conversation with Regis , and while the drow didn ' t recognize the halfling , he was suspicious enough to send a Bregan D ' aerthe agent to keep an eye on him in Icewind Dale . That agent , Braelin Janquay , discovered Regis ' true identity , saving him and Catti - brie from some thugs from Ship Rethnor and presumably passing word of Regis ' s true identity to Jarlaxle . In 1484 DR , Jarlaxle was summoned back to Menzoberranzan by First Matron Mother Quenthel Baenre in order to serve as Captain of the Guard for the restored House Do ' Urden ( and to keep him away from Drizzt Do ' Urden ) . However , he bribed Gromph Baenre by arranging psionic s lessons for him from Kimmuriel Oblodra in exchange for Gromph allowing Jarlaxle to leave the city . Jarlaxle subsequently learned about the return of Drizzt and the reborn Companions of the Hall and traveled to Damara to recruit the dragon sisters Tazmikella and Ilnezhara , as well as Afafrenfere and Ambergris , to aid him in his interference in the Silver Marches against Quenthel ' s plans . Skills . Jarlaxle was extremely skilled in the two long - blade fighting style commonly used by the drow , though when mismatched with less skilled opponents he was known to use the less effective but visually more showy swashbuckling style to distract them . His mastery of this style was enough to impress even Artemis Entreri , who generally found the style ineffective . However , despite his proficiency with blades , Jarlaxle tended to prefer to use his many magic trinkets as a first resort . When forced into combat , Jarlaxle could throw a seemingly unlimited supply of magical daggers conferred to him by his bracers ; only one of every three were real , the rest were illusions . In situations where his daggers were of no use , he could magically extend two blades that he wore at his belt behind his back transforming them into long swords , not to mention the array of weapons he kept tucked around his person . Of course , Jarlaxle also possessed the typical drow weapon : a hand - held crossbow adorned with bolts dipped in sleeping poison . Jarlaxle was talented with languages . He spoke Common perfectly fluently , as well as his native Drow , Abyssal , Goblin , Svirfneblin , and Halfling tongues . Also , with the aid of his many magical devices and items , Jarlaxle could possibly speak any language fluently and flawlessly . Possessions . Jarlaxle was very fond of magical items and was renowned for having a seemingly unlimited supply of magical tricks . He was rarely seen with the same item more than once or twice . The following list contains merely some of his confirmed items . Relationships . Kimmuriel Oblodra . Jarlaxle rescued Kimmuriel Oblodra from the fall of his house and made him into a lieutenant of Bregan D ' aerthe . He and Kimmuriel shared a mutually beneficial relationship , and Jarlaxle passed on the bulk of the leadership of his band to Kimmuriel in 1366 DR when he ran off with Artemis Entreri . Originally , the arrangement was intended to be temporary , but Jarlaxle increasingly left the running of his band to Kimmuriel , who by 1463 DR was widely understood as the primary leader . Jarlaxle continued to work for Bregan D ' aerthe , but he had his own interests and often found himself paying for the band ' s services . Catti - brie . From their meeting in the Underdark , Jarlaxle showed an attraction to and fondness of Catti - brie . He chose to aid Catti - brie after she was afflicted by the Spellplague , and he even continued to search for her at Drizzt Do ' Urden ' s request . Artemis Entreri . The relationship between Jarlaxle and Artemis Entreri was often strained , but the two traveled together for many years and seemed to have develop some form of friendship — perhaps more so from Jarlaxle ' s perspective . Jarlaxle and Artemis met when Vierna Do ' Urden employed Artemis to help find , capture , and fight against Drizzt Do ' Urden . In Calimport , Artemis rescued Jarlaxle — claiming he needed the drow for protection — and escaped the wrath of Rai - Guy and Kimmuriel during the Bregan D ' aerthe takeover . Jarlaxle ' s treatment of Artemis during their adventures was somewhat bewildering . Jarlaxle ' s intentions in giving Artemis Idalia ' s flute were to free him from his emotional burdens to help him enjoy life . However , Artemis saw it as blatant manipulation of his psyche and in some ways a betrayal of their friendship . Idalia ' s flute was one of the main reasons Artemis left Jarlaxle in Jarlaxle later betrayed Entreri to the Netherese , for which Entreri never forgave him . Jarlaxle , for his part , had intended to rescue Entreri but was tricked by his fellow drow into forgetting the whole event . Jarlaxle greatly regretted the way events had turned out and it haunted him for many decades . Drizzt Do ' Urden . Drizzt Do ' Urden originally viewed Jarlaxle ( rightfully ) with a healthy dose of distrust . He was never quite sure of the mercenary ' s motivations . However , Jarlaxle claimed to have been a friend of Drizzt ' s father , and Drizzt came to believe it . Jarlaxle saved Drizzt ' s life a number of times , and after Drizzt ' s wife left Toril , Drizzt tasked Jarlaxle with finding her again . ( He tried but was not successful . ) By 1462 DR , the two considered each other friends . Jarlaxle was particularly interested in Drizzt because , in Jarlaxle ' s words , " He was the one who escaped " the heritage and fate of the drow . In Menzoberranzan , Drizzt was a symbol of male rebellion and the lack of acceptance of males ' positions among females . Jarlaxle , who always felt there was something wrong with Menzoberranzan and drow society , truly admired him . though he feared that Drizzt was forgetting his principles . Many years after Catti - brie ' s death , however , Jarlaxle worried that Drizzt was forgetting himself and crossing the line of honor he had always held himself to . Athrogate . Athrogate joined with Jarlaxle in Damara in 1368 DR and traveled with him for many , many years . Jarlaxle came to consider Athrogate his closest friend , and vice - versa . At Jarlaxle ' s request , Athrogate traveled the Nesme in 1484 DR to join up with the reunited Companions of the Hall . Tazmikella and Ilnezhara . Jarlaxle had a flirtatious relationship with the two dragon sisters of Heliogabalus , Tazmikella and Ilnezhara . He flirted with them ; Ilnezhara in particular found him very charming . He informed the king about their true identity as dragons then infiltrated their shops as a street waif . He claimed to " know " they wouldn ' t kill him and to " hope " they would reward him for his interference . Appendix . Appearances . Novels . The Dark Elf Trilogy : The Legacy of the Drow Trilogy : Paths of Darkness : The Sellswords Trilogy : Transitions : The Neverwinter Saga : The Sundering ( series ) : The Homecoming Trilogy : Companions Codex :