Malice Do'Urden

Malice Do'Urden was matron mother of House Do'Urden of Menzoberranzan until her death. She was a strong high priestess of Lolth, although her fall was in losing the favor of Lolth.
==Description==
Malice was slender and deceptively small, around 5 ft (1.5 m), but she was very strong. Her eyes appeared red in the infrared spectrum, like most drow's, but appeared deep green in the light. Despite already being almost 5 centuries old, her appearance was still as youthful and lithe as when she was only one hundred years old. That changed when she had to maintain the Zin-carla functional, which drained much of her mental strength and diminished her physical body, progressively resembling Matron Baenre.
==Personality==
Malice's amorous exploits with the males of House Do'Urden (and many others) were legendary in Menzoberranzan.
==Possessions==
Matron Mother Malice owned a strange and unique rod of reincarnation, gifted to her during the House Do'Urden's good graces in the eyes of Lolth. The scepter possessed the abilities of a regular rod of resurrection, but also could instantly destroy a creature, rebirthing them as a completely random new being of the same power level. The knowledge of the item was lost with Malice's death as she kept the rod's existence a secret.
==History==
Malice was the daughter of Vartha Do'Urden, the former matron mother of House Do'Urden. Vartha was murdered by Malice through a spell of poisoning when Malice was about 100 years old (around the 11 century DR). Nobody asked questions and thus Malice ascended to the head of House Do'Urden, where she ruled successfully for four centuries.
In 1297 DR, Malice used the agony of childbirth to increase her clerical power in an attack against House DeVir, which was destroyed. The baby, Drizzt Do'Urden, was to be sacrificed as the third living son, but Dinin Do'Urden's assassination of elderboy Nalfein Do'Urden fulfilled that sacrifice and Drizzt was permitted to live.
In 1338 DR, House Do'Urden and Matron Malice first fell out of the favor of Lolth when a member of her house displeased Lolth. Malice scried a scene between Drizzt and his father Zaknafein Do'Urden and discovered that Drizzt refused to kill (and indeed saved) an elven child during a surface raid, thus drawing Lolth's wrath. Malice planned to sacrifice Drizzt, but Zaknafein offered himself up instead. Drizzt subsequently killed Masoj Hun'ett and Alton DeVir, triggering a decade war between House Do'Urden and House Hun'ett, and departed the city altogether.
Malice never regained Lolth's favor after Drizzt's actions. Ten years later, in 1338 DR, the two houses finally ended their covert war when House Hun'ett attacked and were defeated by House Do'Urden. Yvonnel Baenre forced Malice to "adopt" SiNafay Hun'ett as Shi'nayne Do'Urden, her eldest "daughter" recently returned home. Malice detested her and at the last moment sacrificed her instead of Rizzen to Lolth as an offering for Zin-carla, a "spirit-wraith" which was normally allowed only under Lolth's highest favor but was granted to Malice as a last-ditch effort to find and kill Drizzt. When Zin-carla (which was Zaknafein Do'Urden resurrected and controlled by Malice) found Drizzt, Malice lost control of it for a moment, which was enough time for Zaknafein to kill himself instead of allowing his body to kill Drizzt. This caused Malice to forever lose the favor of Lolth and to be killed by Briza, in one last desperate — and futile — attempt to regain Lolth's favor for House Do'Urden. The house was defeated by House Baenre in 1339 DR.
==Skills==
Malice was very good at making salves and unguents. She provided Gelroos Hun'ett (the Faceless One) with a healing unguent for his scarred face as payment for his killing Alton DeVir (although in fact Alton was not killed and instead took over the identity of Gelroos).
==Relationships==
===Children===
Malice was the mother of Briza, Nalfein, Dinin, Vierna, Maya, and Drizzt. Briza was born when Malice was about 100 years old. She was sired by Uthegentel Del'Armgo. Nalfein was born soon before or after her. The father of Vierna and Drizzt was Zaknafein Do'Urden, Malice's on-and-off lover, while the father of Dinin and Maya was Rizzen Do'Urden, the patron of House Do'Urden.
===Zaknafein Do'Urden===
Malice hated Zaknafein as much as she desired him. She permitted him to live despite his express disregard for Lolth.
==Appendix==
===Notes===
===Gallery===
Malice 5e wide.jpg|Malice Do'Urden from The Legend of Drizzt.
Matronmalice.jpg|The portrait of Malice from “The Legend of Drizzt: Homeland #1.”
ScWhip.png|Malice Do'Urden slain by a scourge of fangs
===Appearances===
===References===
de:Malice Do'Urden
Category:Drow
Category:Matron mothers
Category:Worshipers of Lolth
Category:High priests and priestesses
Category:Clerics of Lolth
Category:Clerics
Category:Members of House Do'Urden
Category:Inhabitants of West Wall
Category:Inhabitants of Menzoberranzan
Category:Inhabitants of the Northdark
Category:Inhabitants of the Upperdark
Category:Inhabitants of the Underdark
Category:Inhabitants of Faerûn
Category:Inhabitants of Toril
Category:Inhabitants