Pharaun Mizzrym Pharaun Mizzrym was a talented wizard and and Master of Sorcere from House Mizzrym in Menzoberranzan . Description . He was charismatic , well dressed , eloquent , and never left standing on one foot . He employed a variety of tools to get the job done - - magic and subterfuge were the two most often seen , but he did not hesitate to make a deal with a whore , break a promise to an ally , or endanger the lives of his apprentices to gain power . Pharaun was very appearance oriented . He considered himself at the height of current fashion . During his travels at the time of the Silence of Lolth , he moped about the lack of proper hair - dressing and bathing facilities . His general appearance was graceful and elegant . Personality . Pharaun ' s condescending manner was obvious in all of his interactions , including those with people of higher social standing than himself . He had a lack of respect for authority and for priestesses in general . He delighted in verbally jabbing and giving back - handed compliments to any he considers inferior - - which was to say everyone . This attitude included the glabrezu Belshazu , Jeggred Baenre ' s demonic father , whom Pharaun attempted to seal forever in magically frozen ice . His taunting to the party of Quenthel Baenre , Jeggred Baenre , and Danifae Yauntyrr enraged the priestesses almost to the point of murder . Only his magical skills , and promise of extreme retribution to the draegloth , prevented his immediate death or grave injury . He was very persuasive . When traveling with Quenthel and her group , Danifae noted that he seemed to be the most important member of the group and operated as its covert leader ( not that Quenthel would have agreed ) . Pharaun had a penchant for casting spells with dramatic gestures whenever possible . Pharaun had his eyes on becoming the Archmage of Menzoberranzan , replacing Gromph Baenre . He believed his involvement in investigating the Silence of Lolth would help him raise his status and increase his likelihood of becoming the Archmage . History . Early life . Pharaun was born to House Mizzrym in Menzoberranzan , a noble house known for producing mage s and illusionist s of high quality and skill . Never much for physical confrontation , he preferred to have lackeys and subordinates fight for him . As a youth in Menzoberranzan , he was embroiled in numerous family plots and schemes . Finding his intellect was well - stimulated by these games or dominance , he used his fledgling powers to aid one of his sisters , Sabal against her stronger twin , Greyanna , which earned her enmity towards him . The twin he backed was finally disabled by Greyanna , who had given her a cursed amulet . Greyanna then focused her energies on Pharaun . Pharaun slew her during his last visit to the House manor in 1372 DR . Pharaun alluded several times to an experience he had in the Demonweb Pits prior to 1372 DR . Apparently , he was sacrificed to Lolth and exiled to the Demonweb Pits , but Lolth returned him to the living . Sometimes he almost believed it to have been a dream rather than reality . Academy . Pharaun was able to gain post at Sorcere after his sister Greyanna Mizzrym attempted ( and failed ) to kill him because he had allied with her twin sister , Sabal Mizzrym . At the Tier Breche Academy ( whether as student or master is unclear ) , Pharaun met the warrior Ryld Argith and the two became close friends , at least as close as drow could be . During Pharaun ' s and Ryld ' s third year at the academy ( whether as students or teachers is unclear ) , they hunted down a Cloaker Lord and 67 other chasm ray s in its party . War of the Spider Queen . " Dissolution " . In 1372 DR , an experiment led by Pharaun at Sorcere led to the death of a number of apprentices . As punishment , Gromph Baenre , Archmage of Menzoberranzan , assigned him to track down a number of missing drow males . Ryld , bored with his position at Melee - Magthere , agreed to assist him . The two skulked around the poorer districts of Menzoberranzan until they found a group of " undercreatures " ( mainly goblinoids ) who were meeting together under the call of a man called the Prophet , who was an agent of of a group of drow renegades led by the illithilich Syrzan . Syrzan was planning on using his newly gathered troops to attack Menzoberranzan with the purpose of reducing the number of priestesses , then leaving the city upon for Syrzan to take control . Pharaun and Ryld unraveled the plot , but not before the undercreatures started revolting . Pharaun betrayed Ryld by leaving him to fend off pursuers and presumably die while in the hideout of the renegade drow . Meanwhile , Pharaun took control of the forces of Sorcere protecting the city , and he was the one to slay Syrzan . Although Ryld survived the encounter , it set a deep rift between the two . " Insurrection " . Pharaun was assigned to join Quenthel Baenre , Jeggred Baenre , Faeryl Zauvirr , Valas Hune , and Ryld to Ched Nasad in order to determine the city ' s status and whether it was afflicted by the Silence of Lolth . During this time , Pharaun encountered and became a lover of Aliisza the alu - fiend , the consort of Kaanyr Vhok . This affair was beneficial to both parties with the sharing of confidential information . Considering himself a great lover of women , he also made attempts to seduce Danifae Yauntyrr , to no effect . He also saved Danifae from certain death by transforming into a harpy to grab her when House Melarn ' s manor plunged into a chasm during the destruction of Ched Nasad ; It was thought that Lolth herself precipitated this move , as Danifae was eventually chosen as the Yor ' thae of Lolth . " Condemnation " . After the group escaped Ched Nasad , Pharaun used his magic to transport the group to the Labyrinth to consult with Tzirik Jaelre , a Vhaeraun ite priest . However , when they arrived there , they found that House Jaelre had apparently left for the surface . They took a portal from House Jaelre ' s holdings in the Labyrinth to the surface forest of Cormanthor . Pharaun used a dramatic spell to determine where House Jaelre was located ; in the trance given him by the spell he prediced that " each of you save one will commit betrayal before your quest is done . " . Upon the group ' s arrival at House Jaelre in Minauthkeep , Tzirik offered his assistance only if they aided him in retrieving a magical tome from a beholder lair . They did so and Tzirik revealed that Lolth was still alive but that she was locked away in the Demonweb Pits . The group and Tzirik traveled via astral projection to the Abyss . Once there , Tzirik betrayed them and gated in Vhaeraun , who tried to destroy Lolth . Valas attacked Tzirik in an attempt to return the group to the Material Plane , but was unsuccessful . In the end , Pharaun was able to have Jeggred , who had stayed behind , kill Tzirik ' s mortal body to return them to Cormanthor . " Extinction " . Once again on the surface , Pharaun was ordered to Quenthel to summon the demon Belshazu ( Jeggred ' s father ) to obtain more information on returning to the Demonweb Pits . After obtaining information about a ship of chaos located somewhere near Lake Thoroot , Pharaun left Belshazu encased in never - melting ice ; in the mean time , Halisstra and Ryld defected to a group of Eilistraeeans . The rest of the group traveled to Lake Thoroot where Valas , given a spell of water - breathing by Pharaun , scouted out the water on the search for Zanhoriloch , an aboleth city where they hoped to locate additional information about the ship of chaos . Valas was captured by the aboleths , who turn him into a mutated sea - dwelling drow . He managed to escape back to his companions , and Pharaun returned him to drow form via " polymorph " spell . Pharaun and Danifae then went to Zanhoriloch to parlay with Oothoon , the matriarch of the aboleths . Pharaun openly offered to give her Quenthel as payment for knowledge of the whereabouts of the ship . Danifae warned Quenthel , who turned the betrayal around by working with Oothoon to fake her death and allow Pharaun to be eaten . However , a " contingency " spell cast on Pharaun allowed him to escape . The group set off together again , this time for the Lake of Shadows where the ship of chaos was located . They found the ship stuck in a permanent whirlpool , but Pharaun was able to bind Raashub , the uridezu captain . " Annihilation " . While waiting for the ship to rebuild itself , everyone ' s nerves were on end ( Pharaun ' s in particular because he was unable to wash ) . Quenthel sent Valas and Danifae to Eryndlyn to gather supplies for the coming journey while Pharaun continued to put the ship in working order . While they were gone , Raashub summoned hordes of rats and other uridezu in an attempt to escape . Pharaun was able to aid the group in defeating them , and he soon learned how to pilot the ship himself with the secret aid of Aliisza , who had been sent to spy on them on behalf of Kaanyr Vhok . He managed to pilot the ship through the planes to the Abyss , where the group discovered the Demonweb Pits had been moved by Lolth to a new planar space . When they arrived in the Abyss , Belshazu , who had bitten off his leg to escape his confinement , attacked them ; Pharaun was able to defeat him and take his " ring of flying " , although the demon destroyed his magical rapier . " Resurrection " . Pharaun accompanied the party to the very edge of the Demonweb Pits . He survived the Pass of the Soulreaver and defeated the ultroloth Inthracis , but was left immobile except for his " ring of flying " . He flew to the priestesses for aid , his constant taunting and irritation was repaid in full when Quenthel took his ring and left him helpless and without magical defenses , sprawled on the sand of the Abyss . A wave of spiders swarmed over and consumed him almost completely . Aliisza later found only a small remnant of him — a single finger bearing his ring from Sorcere — which she took with her as a keepsake . The Empyrean Odyssey . Aliisza became pregnant with Pharaun ' s child , Kael , who was born in the House of the Triad and raised as a paladin of Torm . When Aliisza was trapped with Kael , the astral deva Tauran , and the soulless body of Zasian Menz ( who had become a Living Vessel ) , she retrieved Pharaun ' s desiccated finger from a compartment in her sword and used it to summon Pharaun ' s soul into Zasian ' s body so that Pharaun could use his magic to help the group escape . When they were captured by the Court of Tyr , he arranged for them to " polymorph " his new body into his original form . The vessel was imperfect , however , and was rapidly deteriorating ; Pharaun understood that his time was limited . While awaiting their trial , Pharaun got to know his son . Though the High Council of Tyr initially sentenced his soul to be banished back to the Abyss , Tyr ' s abdication and the invasion of Kaanyr Vhok ' s demonic army gave him the opportunity to fight alongside Kael and Aliisza . During the battle , Pharaun and Kael worked together to defeat an abomination formed from the fused bodies of the half – blue dragon half - hobgoblin Myshik Morueme and the astral deva Micus . Though Kael killed it by severing Micus ' s head , Pharaun saw Myshik ' s readying a blast of lightning and pushed Kael out of the way . Pharaun was struck by the full force of the blast , killing him instantly . Abilities . Like the rest of House Mizzrym , Pharaun was a noted specialist in the use of illusion magic , and frequently used evocation spells in combat . He was skilled in other forms of magic as well ; he was even able to cast a spell with his feet . He could transform himself into a harpy , which could fly . He was able to cast spells to deny mind - readers access to his brain . However , he was unable to conjure a floating disc because he had never taken the time to learn the spell . Some of Pharaun ' s favorite and most oft - used combative spells were variants of Bigby ' s hands ( such as Bigby ' s Clenched Fist and Bigby ' s Crushing Hand ) . Pharaun displayed a high level of ability to control demons . His lore in the methodology and binding of demonic entities was utilized heavily in the quest to investigate the Silence of Lolth . Pharaun was able to ride the foulwing s that guarded House Mizzrym . Equipment . Pharaun ' s equipment included a bag of holding . He wore a ring of identification , which may have been lost in his battle with Syrzan in 1372 DR . Just before that battle , he obtained a pair of " boots of striding " from Blundyth ' s wizard ' s supply shop in the Bazaar ( which Pharaun destroyed ) . Pharaun ' s signet ring ( which was thick and silver with spidery emblems engraved on its surface . ) from Sorcere lent power to his spells and enabled him to " detect magic " . ( This ring later came into the possession of Aliisza , who gave it to Kael upon her death . ) He also possessed a magical dancing rapier that he stored in a ring ; it was destroyed by the demon Belshazu in the Demonweb Pits shortly before Pharaun ' s death . In that same battle , Pharaun retrieved a took a " ring of flying " from Belshazu . Pharaun carried several wands , including a black iron wand of lightning , a wand of magic missile s , a wand of firebolt , and a wand of detect magic . Relationships . Ryld Argith . Pharaun was often contrasted with Ryld Argith ; the two had shared a steadfast friendship that was badly shaken when Pharaun abandoned him to renegade drow in Menzoberranzan . The relationship between Pharaun and Ryld remained strained after Pharaun ' s betrayal , although Ryld still risked himself for Pharaun ' s sake . For his part , Pharaun enjoyed Ryld ' s banter and admitted to himself that if Ryld were gone , he would miss him " perhaps for days . " However , Pharaun was a true drow , and Ryld ' s death didn ' t bother him overmuch . Pellanistra . Pellanistra was a prostitute at the Jewel Box tavern in the Braeryn in Menzoberranzan who had made an agreement to give Pharaun intelligence for 20 years . She detested him . Aliisza . Aliisza the alu - fiend was serving her consort , Kaanyr Vhok , when she met Pharaun in 1372 DR , but that didn ' t stop her from coupling with Pharaun and claiming him as her own when she felt threatened by his interest in Danifae Yauntyrr . She was particularly charmed by his wit . As she said , " Pleasure before business . Always . " Pharaun , in turn , liked her wit and her physical appearance , including how she played with her vampire - like teeth , which he found strangely alluring . Aliisza aided Pharaun in controlling the ship of chaos . She did not escort him all the way to the Abyss , but she did visit him briefly in the Demonweb Pits to say goodbye , having chosen to return to Kaanyr Vhok . After Pharaun ' s death , she retrieved a single finger of him from the Demonweb Pits to keep as a memento . Kael . Pharaun had little time with his son , Kael , but he expressed he would have liked to known him better . He claimed Kael reminded him of Ryld . In the end , Pharaun sacrificed himself for his son . Appearances . Novels . War of the Spider Queen : The Empyrean Odyssey :