Charon ' s Claw ( novel ) Charon ' s Claw is third novel of The Neverwinter Saga by R . A . Salvatore . Summary . In the underground drow city of Menzoberranzan in 1463 DR , Ravel Xorlarrin , Matron Mother Zeerith Q ' Xorlarrin ’ s second son and the leader of the House ’ s wizards , met with the other members of his family . Through spying into a magical skull gem possessed by Gromph Baenre , the Archmage of Menzoberranzan , Ravel had ascertained that the devastation of the city of Neverwinter over a decade earlier had been caused by a fire primordial that was magically entrapped in the ancient dwarven homeland of Gauntlgrym . After Ravel told his family what he had discovered , Zeerith ordered him to lead an expedition to Gauntlgrym and attempt to construct a new drow city that was under the control of House Xorlarrin in the dwarven stronghold . In addition to Ravel , Zeerith sent Brach ' thal Xorlarrin , Ravel ’ s older brother and father and a wizard of diminished power since the Spellplague in 1385 DR ; Jearth Xorlarrin , the weapons master of the House ; and Berellip and Saribel Xorlarrin , Ravel ’ s sisters and priestesses of Lolth , the Spider Queen , the evil goddess of the drow . Besides the Xorlarrin nobles , the expeditionary force consisted of one hundred drow , twenty driders , and a large number of goblin slaves . Matron Mother Quenthel Baenre , the unofficial ruler of Menzoberranzan , sent her nephew Tiago Baenre , the assistant weapons master of House Baenre , with the Xorlarrin contingent to ensure that the establishment of a drow city in Gauntlgrym followed her wishes . Tiago was accompanied by the drow Gol ' fanin , a former warrior and wizard who was now an accomplished weaponsmith . Meanwhile , in a forest near Neverwinter , the drow ranger Drizzt Do ' Urden and the elf warrior Dahlia Sin ' felle planned to journey to the city . Nearby , the misshapen tiefling warlock Effron spied on the two companions and had several members of the Netherese mercenary organization known as Cavus Dun prepare to ambush them . Effron had hired the group of mercenaries to kill Drizzt and capture Dahlia . The Cavus Dun band consisted of Jermander , the leader and a swordsman ; Ratsis , a spider tamer ; Parbid and Afafrenfere , warrior monks and friends ; Amber Gristle O ' Maul ( Ambergris ) , a dwarf priestess ; Bol , a large tiefling warrior ; Horrible , a silent female warrior ; and the Shifter , a Shadovar mage . Also at that time , a struggle for power was occurring between different groups in Neverwinter . The Shadovar tiefling warlord Herzgo Alegni declared himself the ruler of Neverwinter and named his Netherese forces as the city ’ s defenders , despite opposition from the local leader Jelvus Grinch and the settlement ’ s citizens . Arunika , a succubus disguised as a mysterious human woman , and her associate Brother Anthus , a priest of Oghma , the god of knowledge , tried to find a way to undermine Alegni ’ s rule while waiting for the eventual return of the Abolethic Sovereignty . Arunika traveled to the remnants of the Dread Ring , a necromantic area of devastation , in Neverwinter Wood in search of Valindra Shadowmatle , an insane lich and the new leader of the Thayan forces in the region following the death of the sorceress Sylora Salm . Arunika could not locate Valindra , and instead found her imp familiar Invidoo and Sylora , who had been transformed into a deformed zombie that was bent in half and unable to walk . Invidoo wanted his freedom from service to Arunika , who promised to grant it to him if he could find a replacement for himself who was familiar with Drizzt . Artemis Entreri , an assassin who was a former nemesis of Drizzt and was now essentially Alegni ’ s slave because he could be controlled by the tiefling ’ s magical sword Charon ’ s Claw , decided to seek out the drow ranger and Dahlia . Entreri hoped that the three of them could work together to defeat Alegni and find a way to end his servitude to Charon ’ s Claw . As Drizzt and Dahlia were journeying toward Neverwinter , the mercenaries of Cavus Dun beset them , and during the fight , Entreri arrived and helped the two companions defeat the Shadovar . Bol , Parbid , Horrible , and Jermander were killed , and the Shifter and Ratsis fled to the Shadowfell . In the confusion , Ambergris knocked Afafrenfere unconscious and carried him away , and the two of them later made their way to Neverwinter . After the clash , Drizzt , Dahlia , and Entreri joined forces and traveled to Neverwinter together to confront Alegni . Dahlia and Entreri began to share a common bond because of the pain that they had both suffered at the hands of Alegni , a connection that Drizzt did not share . As the Xorlarrin expedition journeyed through the Underdark , a power struggle began to occur between Ravel , his two priestess sisters , and Tiago as to who was in overall command . Eventually , the contingent reached Gauntlgrym and defeated the multitude of dwarf ghosts guarding the ancient stronghold . Tiago soon decided to support Ravel , giving the wizard an advantage over Berellip and Saribel , and also allowing him to rise above Brach ' thal in the hierarchy of House Xorlarrin . Ravel and the other drow quickly began the process of securing complete control of Gauntlgrym and reactivating the legendary forges of the city . Although his magical powers were diminished , Brach ' thal had a major role in the expedition ’ s activities in Gauntlgrym because he was skilled at controlling elementals . Drizzt , Dahlia , and Entreri decided to secretly enter Neverwinter through the sewers . As the companions made their way through the sewers , they were continually attacked by a large group of snakes . Drizzt ’ s ranger knowledge caused him to realize that something was wrong with the high number of snakes , and he eventually reached the conclusion that they were babies . The trio followed them to their " mother , " which was really an aboleth sentry and scout left behind by the Sovereignty . Dahlia and Entreri were subdued by the aboleth ’ s telepathic seduction , but Drizzt ’ s harrowing encounter with illithids during his journey to the surface of Toril over a century earlier gave him the power to resist for a short time . As Drizzt finally succumbed , his magical panther Guenhwyvar attacked the aboleth and broke its control over the three companions , allowing them to assail and kill the psionic creature . When Drizzt , Entreri , Dahlia , and Guenhwyvar emerged from the sewers , they confronted Alegni on Neverwinter ’ s prominent bridge . However , Alegni had been expecting them since he had already learned of their presence in the city . After a vicious fight , Drizzt and his comrades managed to defeat Alegni and take possession of Charon ’ s Claw , and when the wounded tiefling tried to escape through a shadow gate , he was tackled by Guenhwyvar . They both traveled through the gate to the Shadowfell , where Guenhwyvar was magically imprisoned by Draygo Quick , a Netherese warlock and lord . The citizens of Neverwinter viewed Alegni ’ s defeat as an ideal opportunity to revolt against the Shadovar forces occupying the city , and they immediately attacked the Netherese . Ambergris and Glorfathel , a Shadovar elf wizard of Cavus Dun who served Draygo and was one of the leaders of the Netherese troops in Neverwinter , quickly realized that Alegni ’ s soldiers were outmatched by their opposition . Glorfathel decided that the battle was lost and retreated to the Shadowfell with the surviving Netherese troops . Ambergris remained in Neverwinter and met with Drizzt and his companions , offering to heal their wounds . The dwarf also told Drizzt to speak with Arunika , who informed him that Guenhwyvar was no longer connected to the onyx figurine that summoned her . Alegni was healed in the Shadowfell by Shadovar priests , and Draygo ordered him to retrieve Charon ’ s Claw , making it clear that failure was not an option . Shortly after the battle in Neverwinter , Drizzt , Dahlia , and Entreri decided to travel to Gauntlgrym , since the primordial was their best chance to destroy Charon ’ s Claw . The trio was attacked by a group of Shadovar while they were journeying to the ancient dwarven complex , but they defeated them . When the companions entered the tunnels that led to Gauntlgrym , the Shifter approached Drizzt and offered to give him back Guenhwyvar in exchange for Charon ’ s Claw , but the ranger refused , earning him Entreri ’ s trust . Alegni and a Shadovar band that included Effron , Glorfathel , Ambergris , and Afafrenfere teleported into Gauntlgrym and intercepted Drizzt and his companions as they entered the city . A fight ensued , but it was interrupted as both groups were attacked by the Xorlarrin force . Drizzt and his comrades were captured by the Xorlarrins , but Entreri was able to convince the dark elves that they were agents of the drow mercenary company known as Bregan D ' aerthe . The Xorlarrins and Tiago decided to release them , and the entire drow expedition , except for Brach ' thal , who had allied with the primordial and gained control of a lava elemental , retreated to the lower levels of Gauntlgrym to avoid the fight that would inevitably resume between the three companions and the Shadovar . The drow ’ s withdrawal interrupted Gol ' fanin ’ s ongoing work on a magical sword and shield for Tiago . After their brief clash against the drow , Alegni and his forces made their way to the primordial chamber and prepared to confront Drizzt , Entreri , and Dahlia . Meanwhile , the trio traveled through Gauntlgrym and encountered Brach ' thal and his lava elemental . The group managed to kill Brach ' thal and destroy the elemental , and they then moved to engage Alegni and the Shadovar . While the three companions fought the tiefling warlord and the Netherese soldiers , Ambergris betrayed her comrades by throwing Glorfathel into the primordial pit , stunning Afafrenfere with magic , and assailing Effron . When he realized that defeat was inevitable , Alegni told Effron to retreat to the Shadowfell and was about to do so himself when Drizzt used Charon ’ s Claw to show the Shadovar warlord a vision of the sword being thrown into the primordial pit , begging for him to save it . This distraction provided an opening for Dahlia to launch an attack on Alegni that killed him . While Dahlia continued to brutalize the body of Alegni , Effron called out in anguish to his dead father , revealing that he was the son of the Netherese warlord and Dahlia , who had been raped and impregnated by Alegni decades earlier . Dahlia had attempted to kill her child shortly after he was born by throwing him from a cliff , but Effron ’ s revelation showed that he had survived and had developed a hatred for his elf mother . Before Dahlia or the others could act , Effron used his abilities as a Shadovar to escape to the Shadowfell . With nothing left stopping the group , Drizzt threw Charon ’ s Claw into the primordial pit , expecting that this action would kill Entreri as well . The sword was destroyed , but Entreri lived , for reasons that none of his companions understood . In the Shadowfell , Effron immediately began to plot his revenge on Dahlia , with Draygo ’ s consent . Afafrenfere attempted to attack Drizzt , but Ambergris stopped him and then placed an enchantment on him so that he could not ever assail the drow ranger . Even though Ambergris soon revealed that the spell was not real , her assistance had earned her Drizzt ’ s trust , and the group then left Gauntlgrym together . Ascertaining that all the opposition had left Gauntlgrym , Tiago urged Gol ' fanin to return to the forge and complete his work on the magical sword and shield . A short time later , in the throne room of Gauntlgrym , the dead dwarf battlerager Thibbledorf Pwent returned to life as a vampire . Meanwhile , Invidoo ’ s replacement imp revealed himself to be Druzil , a servant of Errtu , a balor whom Drizzt had defeated twice in the course of his adventures . Errtu ’ s one hundred years of banishment from the Prime Material Plane were almost over and he was plotting his vengeance on Drizzt . In the forge room of Gauntlgrym , Gol ' fanin revealed to Tiago that the drow who he thought was an agent of Bregen D ' aerthe was actually Drizzt Do ' Urden . The weaponsmith explained that the sword and shield that he was forging would give Tiago the power to become the weapons master of House Baenre , but the head of Drizzt would make him a legend in Menzoberranzan . Notes . " Charon ' s Claw " was part of the D & D Rise of the Underdark event .