Everything had been planned properly, and every potential hidden danger had been eliminated one by one.
All three were careful people. Going back and forth to verify the feasibility of the plan had taken quite some time; at the very least, they had to consider how they would escape the Underdark if it failed.
A week after telling Elminster the story of Ghost Blows Out the Light, the three set off.
Starting from Silverymoon, the pearl of the northern wilderness, they entered the underground through the tunnels of Mithral Hall with the help of Queen Alustriel, the eldest of the Seven Sisters of the North. Their first stop was Blades Edge City, the underground city of the Duergar, where there were at least human trade caravans and surface gold in circulation.
Elminster was equally in the dark about the underground world. He knew only the names of those cities, not their exact coordinates, so teleportation was impossible. They could only travel on foot.
After reaching Blades Edge City, the three split up to investigate the current state of the nearby Dark Elf cities, then regrouped to discuss their next move and select a target.
It could not be too weak or too strong. Ideally, it would be a house fanatically devoted to Rose, but not particularly bright.
The first three requirements were easy enough to find. A Drow house with bad brains was a little harder to locate, since fools and weaklings had long since died out.
Drizzt had been away from the underground for too long and was no longer very familiar with the current situation. His Dark Vision and old memories could help him find his way, but they could not help him find a suitable target.
All of this required intelligence.
Fortunately, Duergar were still dwarves. Though