Slaying the Dragon: A Secret History of Dungeons & Dragons

by Ben Riggs

One of her first notes to Salvatore was about his characters. He had used some of Doug Niles’s characters and settings in his pitch, and they all had to be removed. He had to write a new corner of the Realms. She wanted to differentiate the Forgotten Realms books from the Dragonlance books that had come before. The Dragonlance saga was about a central group of heroes, and whenever novels strayed from them, sales suffered. The Forgotten Realms, though, was a gigantic world. Authors could claim pieces of the geography and develop them with their own characters and stories. The company could then watch which authors’ series did better and double down on those. This also set up an opportunity because there was now room for a sidekick to Salvatore’s hero, the barbarian Wulfgar. This news came to Salvatore in another call from Mary Kirchoff. He was happy not to use Niles’s characters and said he would get back to Kirchoff with some ideas for a sidekick in a few days.

Kirchoff said, “No, Bob, you don’t understand. I gotta go to a meeting to tell the marketing team about your book. I need to get them excited, and I need a sidekick for Wulfgar.” Salvatore looked at the clock. It was nearly noon. He said, “Look, I won’t take lunch. I’ll work for you, and come up with a sidekick for Wulfgar—” “Bob, you’re not understanding. I’m standing across the hall from a room where I’m late for a meeting with the sales force. And I need a sidekick for Wulfgar.” Salvatore, panic hitting him, said off the top of his head, “A drow.” There was a long pause in Lake Geneva as Kirchoff digested the idea. Salvatore continued, “A drow ranger that fights with two swords. Yeah, that’ll be cool.” Kirchoff said, “A drow? A drow ranger?” “Yeah, it should be cool. Nobody’s ever done that before.” “Bob, there is probably a reason why nobody’s ever done that before.” Salvatore said, “No, no, no, no, that’ll be cool. Drow ranger.” The pair bickered over it a bit more until Kirchoff relented. “Since it’s a sidekick character, I’ll let you get away with it. What’s his name?”

Recalling the moment decades later, Salvatore said, “Off the top of my head, I have no idea how or why, or whatever, I said, ‘Drizzt Do’Urden of Menzoberranzan.’” She said, “...