Waterdeep:Jarlaxle Baenre

Jarlaxle Baenre is a drow mercenary and captain of the Bregan D'aerthe. Jarlaxle was the dandy of Menzoberranzan, and often flaunted societies expectations, such as his wide-brimmed hat in a city where rank and position were communicated via hairstyle.

Jarlaxle is of the position that the best way for a male drow to survive and prosper in the matriarchal drow society is to be outside the system and to be too valuable to be eliminated—a position he tests every day with his lifestyle and the Bregan D'aerthe. A charismatic man, Jarlaxle is able to talk himself out of nearly any situation. He avoids killing where possible, instead preferring to manipulate others to serve his interests, so long as they remain useful.

Aliases

Jarlaxle maintains multiple aliases, mostly through the use of his hat of disguise. Some of those aliases include:

• Captain Zardoz Zord, captain of the Sea Maiden's Faire. The three ships that make up the Faire have enchantments on them to disguise the drow crews as being human, in addition to Jarlaxle's own hat of disguise.
• J.B. Nevercott, a haberdasher in Waterdeep. Nevercott is also a separate individual from Jarlaxle, who merely uses his identity.
• Erystian Demarne, a young Luskan actor whose identity Jarlaxle assumes when he wishes to be more subtle, since most of his characters have a significant presence in any room they occupy.
• Rongquan Mystere, owner of the Seven Masks Theater.