Ryld Argith Ryld Argith was a drow master of Melee - Magthere in Menzoberranzan . Description . Ryld was unusual for a drow due to his large and burly build . He stood about five and a half feet ( 168cm ) tall . Quite unlike a typical male drow ' s sense of vanity , Ryld had a warrior ' s pragmatism and kept his hair close - cropped to prevent foes from grabbing it during combat . Personality . Although Ryld worshiped Lolth , Ryld was not particularly religious . He was not overly fond of the spider motifs dedicated to Lolth that were so prevalent in Menzoberranzan . He was a " sava " master . He apparently had a liking for duergar brandy , which he snuck out of Gracklstugh and carried with him on his journeys . History . Background . Ryld was a commoner who grew up in the poor district of Braeryn in Menzoberranzan . When Ryld was six years old , he was involved in one of the nobles ' notorious Hunts through Braeryn that ended in a massacre of fire . He was badly burned and buried under dead bodies . He attended Melee - Magthere and became lesser master there , the highest rank he could achieve with his non - noble status . However , he later grew bored with his position . Ryld learned concentration at a young age . At Melee - Magthere students had to maintain concentration naked while masters dropped poisonous centipedes on them . If students gasped or cried out when bitten , they were punished . On the first breach , they were rapped on the head . On the second breach , they were rapped harder . On the third breach , they were expelled . In Ryld ' s class , only he and five others passed . During his years at the academy , Ryld befriended Pharaun Mizzrym , a mage from Sorcere of noble birth . They had as close a relationship as any drow could have . During Pharaun ' s and Ryld ' s third year at the academy ( whether as students of teachers is unclear ) , they hunted down a Cloaker Lord and 67 other chasm ray s in its raiding party . Ryld once encountered a ghost of a man whose throat had been slit and was dripping blood . War of the Spider Queen . When Pharaun was assigned to track down a number of missing drow males in 1372 DR , Ryld agreed to assist him . Unfortunately , their friendship did not prevent Pharaun from leaving him to fend off and presumably die from pursuers while in a hideout that belonged to renegade drow and drider s led by the alhoon Syrzan . Although he survived the encounter , it set a deep rift between them . Ryld was then chosen as a member of a drow party led by Quenthel Baenre sent to investigate the Silence of Lolth . During the cataclysmic fall of Ched Nasad , the party met Halisstra Melarn and Danifae Yauntyrr , priestesses of Lolth . Halisstra , doomed survivor of a fallen house , had no choice but to follow the Menzoberranyr to find out the fate of their silent goddess . She fled with them through a portal to the surface land of Anauroch . After a grueling fight against lamia s , Halisstra revealed her secret knowledge of drow bardic music , or " baeq ' ueshel " , to pull Ryld from the brink of death . After visiting the Abyss and losing hope in ending the Silence of Lolth , Ryld and Halisstra eventually left to try and find a different life devoid of drow corruption . On the surface , they were attacked by a troll and rescued by Eilistraee ans . In order to save Ryld , Halisstra claimed to want to convert to the worship of Eilistraee , but the claim quickly became her true desire and she joined the dancing priestesses . This left Ryld feeling isolated and doubting his decision to follow Halisstra to the surface . In his view , there were three reasons for Ryld to return to Menzoberranzan : 1 ) he was an outcast from the Eilistraeeans for killing a giant sloth , 2 ) he was not a worshiper of Eilistraee , and 3 ) he was male . There was only one reason to stay : Halisstra . At one point , Halisstra was off with the priestesses and Ryld encountered a young werewolf boy named Yarno . Yarno inadvertently bit Ryld but then took the drow to his grandfather , who gave him belladonna to ward off the lycanthropy infection . Yarno found him again and nursed him back to help . Ryld claimed that Yarno reminded him of himself . Halisstra was given the task to retrieve the Crescent Blade in order to kill Lolth . She intended to retrieve the blade alone , but Ryld secretly followed her to the Cold Field . There they encountered a purple worm , which poisoned Ryld and swallowed Halisstra . Halisstra was able to escape , using the Crescent Blade she found within the worm to cut herself free , and carried Ryld to the edge of the moor , where the priestesses Uluyara and Feliane found them and healed them . When Danifae contacted Halisstra and Ryld , Halisstra went to meet her and the draegloth Jeggred Baenre , despite Ryld ' s warnings not to trust her . Danifae ordered Jeggred to kill Ryld in a battle that slaughtered an entire house full of loggers in the Flooded Forest . Ryld was able to cut off one of Jeggred ' s hand , but the draegloth used an enchanted axe to break Ryld ' s sword and slay him . The draegloth then ate Ryld ' s heart . In the Astral Plane , searching for Lolth , Halisstra encountered Ryld ' s spirit as she came upon a procession of souls moving to the new Demonweb Pits . He told her that he loved her but he nevertheless chose to go to the afterlife with Lolth . Equipment . Rather than wearing chain mail under the traditional " piwafwi , " as most drow did , Ryld wore black duergar plate mail and vambraces . Ryld had a magical hole / cloth of holding made of phase spider silk . He wielded a magical greatsword was known as " Splitter " . " Splitter " was capable of penetrating nearly any material and it dispelled magic with a successful hit . Ryld liked to attend to his sword , having convinced himself that the sword ( though not sentient ) appreciated it . Moments before Ryld ' s death , Jeggred sundered the blade with a magical axe taken from a soldier killed in the midst of the struggle . He also employed a wickedly sharp , enchanted short sword for close encounters . He also carried a crossbow , but rarely used it . Ryld had two magical rings . When he left Quenthel ' s expedition , he gave the lesser one to Danifae to " prove " he was returning . The greater ring had a dragon on it and marked him as a master of Melee - Magthere . It also made his skin as tough as a dragon ' s . Ryld carried an emblem of Melee - Magthere , which allowed him to levitate like a noble drow . Relationships . Halisstra Melarn . During their travels , Ryld grew close to Halisstra Melarn of Ched Nasad , developing a relationship and even coming to love her , in a sense . They were lovers , but Ryld was still a bit wary of their relationship , unhappy with his treatment at the hands of the Eilistraeeans and wary of future betrayal , such as had happened with his close friend Pharaun Mizzrym . At one point , Ryld wondered if Halisstra had cast a spell on him and even tried to dispel it with his sword . He died loving her , but nevertheless chose to go to the Demonweb Pits for an afterlife with Lolth .