Yvonnel Baenre Yvonnel Baenre , often known only as Matron Baenre or simply Baenre , was the matron mother of House Baenre in the city of Menzoberranzan . She led her house and the city itself with an uncanny strength bred from deceitful ambition . Description . Matron Baenre had lost much of the beauty she possessed while young to a combination of factors , including several uses of zin - carla . At the end of her life she looked haggard , with a patchwork of wrinkles across her face . Possessing an unusual vibrancy , she was capable of pregnancy till her late 1900s . History . Yvonnel Baenre was born in - 685 DR . She was the younger of twinborn drow priestesses , though not much was known of her youth . Some time in the past , she encountered Gandalug Battlehammer and his bodyguard Crowmower Pwent . During this confrontation her twin sister was slain by the first king of Mithral Hall amongst others ( mainly by the king ' s bodyguard ) . She managed to entrap Gandalug ' s soul in one of his teeth that had been knocked loose . During the following two thousand years she had many children , became the most powerful matron mother known to Menzoberranzan , with influences stretching across the Underdark and with so much of Lolth ' s favor bestowed upon her that she may have been rightly seen as Lolth ' s chosen prophetess . Several decades prior to her death , she oversaw the rise to power of House Do ' Urden , even going out on a limb ( by drow standards ) to help them defend their home while they continued their search for their blasphemous son Drizzt when they had little to no favor with Lolth . At the very end of her life she put into motion the plan she had been nurturing for two thousand years : an all - or - nothing assault upon Mithral Hall , the location , layout , and old defenses having been gleaned from the tormented spirit of Gandalug . Initially things seemed to be going well . In 1357 DR , she ended up with Drizzt Do ' Urden as her prisoner , but then Catti - brie rescued him with the aid of Artemis Entreri ( and Jarlaxle ) . As a parting gift , they sent a heavy stalactite crashing through the house chapel during a ceremony wherein Lolth ' s blessing was asked for the invasion of Mithral Hall . After that the Time of Troubles hit Toril in 1358 DR , further stalling Matron Baenre ' s plans . During this time she came close to losing her life when the psionic House Oblodra decided to abandon Lolth and attempt conquering Menzoberranzan . With the balor Errtu ' s aid ( courtesy of a deal made by the goddess Lolth ) she managed to wipe House Oblodra off the map ( and into the Clawrift ) . After the Time of Troubles ended , she led the army gathered from all houses in the city on her long - awaited conquest . Though they might have succeeded had drow not been drow , her plans where ruined by the valor of the defenders , dissent and desertion in her ranks , and by the unexpectedly successful headhunt by Drizzt ' s party . When Errtu ' s appointed general opened a chest with a dead - magic gem inside , all magic failed and Matron Mother Yvonnel Baenre fell to the floor from her glowdisc and was killed by an enraged Bruenor Battlehammer . In 1484 DR , Yvonnel ' s body was in the possession of her son , Gromph Baenre . Her head had been given to Gromph by Jarlaxle ; the illithid Methil El - Viddenvelp used it to psychically absorb her personality and pass some of it on to Matron Mother Quenthel Baenre , Yvonnel ' s daughter . Gromph ' s child ( with Minolin Fey ) was to be named Yvonnel after his mother and groomed as Quenthel ' s ( and thus Yvonnel ' s ) sucessor . Relationships . Yvonnel Baenre had twenty children in her life , fifteen of whom were priestesses . Her most notable children included Gromph , the Archmage of Menzoberranzan ; Triel , her immediate successor ; Jarlaxle , her rogue son and leader of Bregan D ' aerthe ; [ Other children included Doquaio , Dantrag , Bladen ' Kerst , Vendes , Sos ' Umptu , and the youngest son Berg ' inyon . During the last decade of her life , the illithid Methil El - Viddenvelp served as Yvonnel ' s " duvall " ( secret advisor ) . < ref name = " NotH - p27 " > < / ref Quenthel is listed as a cousin of Gromph in Charon ' s Claw : Neverwinter Saga , Book lll ( Legend of Drizzt book 22 ) . So subtract Quenthel and her issue from Yvonnel ' s children .