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For thousands of years the drow have lived in darkness, virtually trapped in the vast caverns and endless tunnels of the Underdark by the limits of their magic.   Then Liriel Baenre, an adventurous young member of the privileged Menzoberranzan nobility, happens upon the Windwalker: an artifact that enables the wielder to carry magic usually limited to sites of power. With it, she can take her drow spells and magical items to the surface and, with all her dark elven powers intact, explore to her heart's content.   But Liriel is not the only one seeking this artifact. Fyodor, a young berserker warrior, sees in the Windwalker his only hope of controlling the ever-increasing power of his battle frenzies. Neither wizard nor warrior could begin to understand where their personal quests might lead.

How does Liriel's story fit into the Forgotten Realms timeline?

A synopsis is given below.  The titles of books are in bold italics.  For more information, click HERE to read an article on the Wizards of the Coast official website.

1322 DR: Liriel [Vandree] Baenre is born.

1338 DR: The Dark Elf trilogy's second novel Exile depicts events that take place from 1338 to 1340 DR.

1340 DR: Sojourn, the final novel in the Dark Elf trilogy, takes place. (It covers from 1340 to 1347 DR.)

1342 DR: Fyodor is born.

1348 DR: The events in "Rite of Blood" in Realms of the Underdark take place. "Rite of Blood" features Liriel Baenre.

1351 DR: The Crystal Shard, the first novel in the Icewind Dale trilogy, covers a span of time from 1351 to 1356 DR. The Icewind Dale trilogy features Drizzt Do'Urden, a drow "renegade," who is a catalyst for House Baenre's efforts to attack Mithral Hall in 1356 DR.

1356 DR: Bruenor Battlehammer, with aid from Drizzt Do'Urden and others, leads the attempt to free Mithral Hall from the occupation of Shimmergloom the shadow dragon and the duergar. He and his forces succeed. He claims the title of Eighth King of Mithral Hall. (The novel Streams of Silver takes place during this year and covers Bruenor's and Drizzt's exploits. The Halfling's Gem, the final novel in the Icewind Dale trilogy, begins.)

1357 DR: The events in The Halfling's Gem end. The events in The Legacy and Starless Night unfold. (See the Legacy of the Drow Collector's Edition for more on this series!) A Thayan zombie army attempts to invade Rashemen.

1358 DR: The Time of Troubles begins. Deities walk Toril. (See Shadowdale, Tantras, and Waterdeep for more material on the Time of Troubles.) The drow of Menzoberranzan, under the leadership Matron Mother Yvonnel Baenre, raid Mithral Hall. The drow forces lose approximately 2,000 drow (500 were soldiers of House Baenre) and 4,000 slaves. The losses weaken Menzoberranzan considerably. The events in Siege of Darkness unfold.

1360 DR: The Tuigan horde invades Faerûn. The Tuigan horde, which is led by Yamun Khahun, is composed of approximately three hundred thousand horsemen from the Endless Wastes. After facing down the Shou and dealing with the Dragonwall, they started beating back the forces of Thay. Instead of facing the horde, Szass Tam, the zulkir of Necromancy in Thay, made a deal with the horde to teleport them to the borders of Rashemen in return for no further Thayan casualties. (Thus Fyodor and his fellow berserkers begin to fight off the Tuigan horde.)

1361 DR: The events in the Starlight & Shadows trilogy unfold. (Daughter of the Drow, Tangled Webs, and Windwalker.)  Also, a Liriel story called "The Direct Approach" (from Realms of Magic) takes place. Triel Baenre is now Matron Mother Baenre after the death of Yvonnel Baenre.

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