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 Alegni 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 Bounty Hunters of Cavus Dun band consisted of
Jermander, the leader and a swordsman; Ratsis, a spider tamer; Parbid and
Afafrenfere, both 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.
==Index==
===Characters===
====Main characters====
*Drizzt Do'Urden
*Dahlia Sin'felle
*Artemis Entreri
====Supporting Characters====
*Ambergris, dwarf of Cavus Dun
*Afafrenfere, human monk of Cavus Dun
*Berellip Xorlarrin, drow priestess
*Brack'thal Xorlarrin, drow wizard
*Effron, tiefling warlock
*Guenhwyvar, summoned panther
*Herzgo Alegni, tiefling lord
*Jearth Xorlarrin, drow weaponsmaster
*Ravel Xorlarrin, drow wizard
*Tiago Baenre, drow fighter
*Saribel Xorlarrin, drow priestess
====Minor characters====
*Alfwin, Shadovar sorceror
*Andzrel Baenre, drow weaponsmaster
*Anthus, human cleric
*Arunika, succubus
*Bol, tiefling member of Cavus Dun
*Byok, Tiago's riding lizard
*Draygo Quick, Netherese lord
*Druzil, imp
*Genevieve, former slave of aboleth
*Glorfathel, elven member of Cavus Dun
*Gol'fanin, drow weaponsmith
*Gromph Baenre, Archmage of Menzoberranzan
*Horrible, human member of Cavus Dun
*Jelvus Grinch, captain in Neverwinter
*Jermander, tiefling member of Cavus Dun
*Invidoo, imp
*Parbid, tiefling monk of Cavus Dun
*Parise Ulfbinder, Netherese lord
*Ratsis, human member of Cavus Dun
*Shifter, member of Cavus Dun
*Sovereignty Ambassador, aboleth
*Sylora Salm, Thayan
*Tutugnik, bugbear king
*Thibbledorf Pwent, dwarven battlerager
*Valindra Shadowmantle, lich
*Yerrininae, drider
*Zeerith Q'Xorlarrin, drow matron mother
*Zingrawf Bourdadine, Shadovar
====Mentioned characters====
*Akar Kessell
*Athrogate
*Bruenor Battlehammer 
*Catti-brie 
*Dantrag Baenre
*Errtu
*Gositek
*Horroodissomoth Xorlarrin 
*Jarlaxle 
*Kimmuriel Oblodra
*Nojheim
*Quenthel Baenre 
*Regis 
*Szass Tam 
*Wulfgar
*Yinochek
*Yvonnel Baenre
===Locations===
*Neverwinter
*Neverwinter Wood
*Gauntlgrym
*Shadowfell
*Menzoberranzan (minor)
===Creatures===
* Aboleth
* Bugbear
* Dire corby
* Drider
* Fire elemental
* Ghost
* Goblin
* Imp
* Kobold
* Lava elemental
* Orc
* Primordial
* Riding lizard
* Snake
* Vampire
* Water elemental
* Zombie
===Artifacts===
*Charon's Claw ("Claw")
*Dread Ring
*Icingdeath
*Kozah's Needle
*Orbbcress
*Twinkle
*Vidrinath
==Appendix==
===Notes===
Charon's Claw was part of the D&D Rise of the Underdark event.
===References===
Category:Novels
Category:Books
Category:Works by R.A. Salvatore
Category:Published in 2012
Category:Published in 2013