Up in the mountains above Malobar, dwelt two creatures of Gehenna called barghests. Demonic creatures, they were near maturity and had been sent to the material plane to feed on the flesh of humans and grow strong enough to return home. Ulgulua, the older of the two, is informed by one of their servants of the slaying of the gnoll by a drow. In anger, Ulgulu bites the head off the messenger, and conferes with his brother, Kempfana, as to what they should do about a dark elf in their domain. Kempfana suggests that they use the drow as a scapegoat to explain the disappearances that have occurred since they came to the area. Ulgulu decides to investigate and sends his pet quickling, Tephanis, to gather more information.
Meanwhile, Liam Thistledown and his siblings have a run-in with Drizzt. By the next morning, the entire community of Malobar had heard the rumor of the dark elf. The town’s mayor, Bartholomew Delmo sends a request to nearby Sundabar for a ranger to come and help deal with situation. A local huntsman, Roddy McGristle, is skeptical that Conner saw what he says he saw, but volunteers himself to track whatever creature this might be, and organizes a search party on the spot. That afternoon, a body of men were led into the nearby forest by Roddy’s bloodhounds, and Drizzt shadowed them easily. He wanted to reveal himself, but understood they would likely see him as an enemy. While lost in his reverie, the quickling Tephanis dashes by, slashing Drizzt’s wrist and stealing a scimitar. Drizzt cries out, in surprise more than pain, and is heard by Roddy and his dogs. Calling on Guenhwyvar as a distraction, Drizzt hoped to get away, but the bloodhounds have clearly picked up his scent and catch up to him easily. When one bursts through the brush to attack, Drizzt cuts it down instinctively, and finds himself in a battle with Roddy. Not desiring to hurt the hunter, he dashed and ducked out of the way. Roddy’s great battleaxe caught on a nearby tree, cutting in down to fall on top of him, smashing him in the face. Drizzt runs as quickly as he can and loses himself in the forest.
Later that night, the barghest Ulgulu comes down off of his mountain carrying the stolen scimitar of Drizzt. All barghests are shape-shifters, and so Ulgulu took on the form of Drizzt and strode into the farmhouse of the Thistledowns. As Conner and his father, Conner Sr., sat discussing the events of the day’s hunt, the false drow bursts into their home, slaughtering the entire family. The next morning, Drizzt warily came down out of the mountains, hoping the search was no longer on. He hoped to reveal himself to the Thistledowns and make his peace with the locals, but when he arrives no one is yet stirring about the farm. Drizzt decides to sit and wait, but when there has been no activity from morning through late afternoon to evening, he began to sense something was amiss. He walks down and into the house, finding the murdered Thistledowns in gruesome display all about the house. Drizzt was shocked with his failure to protect the family, and immediately vowed to avenge their deaths.
The next morning, Drizzt takes his weapons and Guen and trudges up into the mountains, where all the signs of the murderous creature pointed. As they neared the hiding place of his new enemy, he heard the familiar sound of the running creature that had stung him and stole his scimitar. Not caugh unawares this time, he catches the little beast, a quickling name Tephanis, and forces to tell him who killed the farmers. After giving the name and location of the barghest Ulgulu, the green-skinned little creature stabs Drizzt in the hand to try and get away, but Drizzt ignores the pain, smashes the quickling against a rock, and throws it down into the valley below. He pulls the tiny dagger out of his hand and walks on.
At the barghest’s cave, he is confronted by two goblins, which he promptly slays and enters the cave. Inside, he finds the two demonic fiends standing inside, and immediately slips into The Hunter. Ulgulu, thinking he’s found easy prey and a final meal on the material plane, jumps toward the drow but is stopped in mid-air by Guen. Drizzt turns to attack Kempfana, and is set to hopping to stay out of the huge beast’s reach. Ulgulua shapeshifts into a great demon wolf after Guen bites him in the shoulder, and chases Guen from the cave. Kempfana, meanwhile, has caught Drizzt and is holding him up by the neck. When the barghest opens his mouth to bite off Drizzt’s head, the dark elf shoves his scimitar through the back of the demon’s mouth, impaling his brain. Released, Drizzt rushes out to see Ulgulu trap Guen near the canyon edge. When the demon wolf jumps, Drizzt uses the figurine to send Guen home, causing Ulgulu to miss entirely and plummet to the canyon floor below to certain death.