by Ice Dragon

Created on: June 07, 2008   Last Updated: July 31, 2010

There are only a few really famous characters in the Forgotten Realms. Drizzt Do'Urden and his companions, and Elminster the mage are the top two. There are a few more, slightly less well known characters that are known more to the avid reader and or gamer. Of those, Manshoon, Khelben Blackstaff Arunsun, and King Azoun are the most known.

Drizzt Do'Urden is a drow, or dark elf, that originally came from the realm known as the Underdark, a subterranean network of caverns, caves and cities that span the world. His adventures are notated in depth in the books by R.A. Salvatore. Chronologically, the books to start with are the Dark Elf Trilogy (Homeland, Exile, and Sojourn), followed by the Icewind Dale Trilogy (Crystal Shard, Streams of Silver, and Halfling's Gem). Legacy of the Drow set of books, Paths of Darkness set of books, and The Hunters Blades Trilogy follow in order. As a Dungeons and Dragons character Drizzt is a ranger, a person more suited to the wilds than in a city. This is a really popular character to most of the gaming community, but one of the things I enjoy most is the almost diary-like entries that separate sections of the books. I think they give the books an almost personal quality.

The next major character is Elminster Aumar, or just Elminster. This guy has made appearances in several novels, sometimes as a side character, but mostly as one of the main characters. If you can imagine a dirty minded, know it all grandfather type of person, this is him. He is well over several hundred years old, thanks to being one the chosen of the goddess of magic. This has given him a rather unique view on the world, allowing him to do or say just about anything at any time. It also gives him a well-developed sense of humor that is raises its head in most, if not all, of the novels featuring him by Ed Greenwood. The first book, Elminster the Making of a Mage, gives a great in depth history of Elminster, and the beginning of how he came to be the most powerful mage in the Forgotten Realms setting.

Of the lesser known characters, Manshoon is the arch nemesis of Elminster. Manshoon is a very powerful human wizard that resides in Zhentil Keep. So powerful in fact, that he can give Elminster a run for his money. He keeps company with beholders (giant, many eyed monsters that shoot powerful spells out of their eyes), and many other nasties. The priests of Bane (the god of strife), and the mages under Manshoon pretty much rule Zhentil Keep with an iron fist, but there are intense power struggles virtually every day to have one group on top of the other.

Khelben Blackstaff Arunsun is another chosen of the goddess of magic, like Elminster. A mage of considerable power, he meddles on occasion in Realms affairs (though usually around his home city of Waterdeep) and helps out Elminster once in a while. His trademark item is, rather unsurprisingly, a black staff. It is also rumored that Khelben is one of the hidden Lords of Waterdeep, a hidden circle that rules the city.

Finally, there is King Azoun of Cormyr. He is the direct descendant of the first king of Cormyr, founded so long ago, that the truth is shrouded in the mists of history. Each king has had an adviser; the first was trained by the elves that had claimed the area for their own. The best book for the history of the kingdom, and the king, is the book Cormyr, but King Azoun has made appearances or been mentioned in several books.

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