Down below the mass of Kelvin's Cairn, the lone peak of Icewind Dale, lies an unseen settlement, unknown to the casual observer. The Battlehammer clan of dwarves, in exile from their traditional home of Mithril Hall. Bruenor Battlehammer is ruler over the dwarves of Icewind Dale, and known for his stubbornness. Beneath his gruff exterior is a kind heart, as is proved by his taking in of the young the young fostering, Cattie-Brie. Cattie-Brie's parents had been killed during a gobllin raid when she was just a toddler, and Bruenor had shown a compassion uncommon among his kind, taking in a human. A few weeks after Drizzt arrives in the Dale, Cattie begs to be let outside, her human spirit stifled by halls meant for dwarven sensibilities. Against his better judgment, Bruenor acquiesces, and allows her to go out for a time.
Cattie goes outside, and quickly runs across Drizzt Do'urden and his great panther, Guenhwyvar. For the first time in years, Drizzt is not met with instant fear and prejudice. Though wary because of all the stories she had heard about drow, Cattie does not run away, but remains open with the curiosity of a child. Making instant friends with Guenhwyvar, Cattie-Brie speaks with Drizzt for a short time, and then runs back home before her father can get worried for her safety. Drizzt knew he had made a new friend, and he hoped that the friendship would open other doors as well.
Meanwhile, Bruenor himself had just learned of the presence of the drow elf from the spokesman of Bryn Shander, Cassius. Fearing for the safety of his daughter, Bruenor forbids Cattie from going out on the Cairn again without his express permission. She tries to tell Bruenor she had already met the elf and trusted him, but was unable to do so, and was cowed into promising him she would not go onto the mountain again. During an uncharacteristic mid-winter thaw, Cattie=Brie realizes she could keep her promise to Bruenor by staying on the paths that skirted Kelvin's Cairn, and then call out for Drizzt. Bruenor never told her not to contact the elf, just to stay off the Cairn. Every few weeks, Cattie would venture out of the dwarven caves, looking for her new friend. They passed the winter, their relationship growing ever more closer.
For his part, Bruenor had vowed to confront the dark elf as soon as the winter snows began to recede. He had never met a dark elf himself, but he knew their reputation, and would no longer suffer such a dangerous foe so close to home. While climbing the Cairn and looking for the drow, Bruenor is attacked by an ice worm, one of the huge dragon-like creatures that inhabit the Dale. Though he is initially caught by surprise and knocked down, Bruenor quickly gets the upper hand with his battle axe, cleaving the head of the beast cleanly. Up above, Drizzt is silently watching. When Bruenor sees him standing there, he calls out to Drizzt, calling him a vile creature. Disappointed in the dwarf after spending so much time with Cattie, Drizzt's initial reaction is to give in to his anger and allow the hunter to come and deal with the dwarven king. Drizzt's true nature, the individual Mielikki spoke to in his heart, won the day, and so Drizzt slowly turned and walked away. The dark elf's departure confused Bruenor, and flew in the face of all he had ever heard of the drow species. Bruenor convinced himself that the being must not be a drow after all.
A few weeks later, Drizzt's enemy, Roddy McGristle enters Icewind Dale. Somehow, he had been able to track Drizzt from Lurkwood all the way to Bryn Shander. From there, he was able to follow the clues to the throne room of Clan Battlehammer. Bruenor, still not believing he had encountered a drow, says he had not seen a dark elf. In addition, he states that, "If yer drow's about, he's been no bother." McGristle goes into his usual diatribe about how Drizzt attacked and killed the Thistledown family, killed one of his dogs, and scarred his face. To these accusations, Cattie-Brie calls McGristle a liar, and then Bruenor throws the ugly human out of his Hall for upsetting his daughter. After Roddy is gone, Bruenor turns on his daughter and yells, "Ye've been to the mountain and seen the drow, haven't ye? Ye've disobeyed me! And now we learn the dark elf's a killer!"
Disbeleiving the accusations, Cattie-Brie runs out into the winter snows to confront Drizzt, and tells him of Roddy and the rumors of the Thistledown family. "So that story has followed me event to the end of the world." Drizzt is shocked, but not surprised, and as they discuss the situation further, Drizzt realizes that his troubles will not soon end. He sends Cattie-Brie home, telling her not to fear for his own safety. At that moment, Drizzt decides he has no wish to further battle Roddy, and so decides to leave Icewind Dale. As Cattie is headed home, she is assaulted by Roddy, who has followed her and seen her with Drizzt. He threatens her and tells her she will take him to Drizzt, but he drow appears behind him suddenly and says, "Let the girl go, McGristle." After a brief, but heated exchange, Roddy lets Cattie go, and attacks Drizzt. Easily evading the brutish attack, Drizzt succeeds in knocking the hunter down, and has the man at his mercy. Instead of choosing to strike the bigot down, he slams his scimitar's pommels against Roddy's temples, knocking him unconscious. Drizzt leaves him lying in the snow. Hours later, Cattie-Brie brings Bruenor to where Roddy lay. He tells Roddy that he should not have touched Cattie, and furthermore should not caller her a liar. He takes a leg from the hunter's remaining dog as revenge. McGristle and his now three legged dog left the Dale and never returned, neither did he ever bother Drizzt again.
Bruenor then climbs Kelvin Cairn and finally meets Drizzt face to face. He tells the drow, "All my life I been told drow are evil. But then one comes to my valley, and worse, me own daughter goes to him! She tellsme he has a good heart, and I see in her eyes she's speakin' true, what then? I thought I knew, thought I had it all figured out, but I didn't know nothin'...but ye be keepin' yer eyes on me girl if she's so orc-headed as to keep visitin' ye! Be knowin' that I hold yerself responsible for her safety!" Unsure at first what to make of the dwarf's tirade, Drizzt eventually realized that Bruenor had accepted him. The dark elf decided he would not leave Icewind Dale. After nearly two decade, Drizzt had finally come home.
The fight against the barbarians of Icewind Dale brought anther human into the dwarven mines. A young boy named Wulfgar. Over the years the two of them became close. She watched as they set out to find Mithral Hall. During that time she was confronted by the assassin Artemis Entreri who was seeking Regis. In tears she told him theywere bound for Luskan.
That next day she set out with a caravan to Luskan. She would find her friends and warn them of thier tracker. But the assassin had other plans. Seeing the camp fire of the caravan behind him he went to investigate. Killing some of them he took Catti-brie hostage. Together they entered Luskan where they became allied with an apprentice, guard, and golem of the city.
Together they search for Drizzt and the Companions of the Hall. Over thier travel she lured the guard into a trap. One that had Artemis and the Guard Jierldan fighting, giving her the time she needed to escape and get to her friends. There she warned Drizzt about the assassin, and the companions went into Mithral Hall.
During the time there Catti-brie came upon a magical bow and quiver. They were called Taulmail the heartseeker, and the quiver of Anarial. She put them both to good use against the gray dwarves who now inhabited the Hall.
Losing her adopted father to the darkness, and her halfling friend to the assassin she journeyed with Drizzt and Wulfgar back to Longsaddle. There she made plans to form an army and retake Mithral Hall, in memory of Buenor. While Drizzt and Wulfgar went after the assassin Artemis to rescue Regis. Before they parted ways she gave Wulfgar a passionate kiss, telling him to keep safe and to come back to her.
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