Zhentarim (z-HENT-ah-rim)
Faction Overview
The Zhentarim seeks to become omnipresent and inescapable, more wealthy and powerful, and most importantly, untouchable. The public face of the organization appears much more benign, offering the best mercenaries money can buy. When a merchant needs an escort for his caravan, when a noble needs bodyguards to protect her holdings, or when a city needs trained soldiers to defend its honor, the Zhentarim provides the best-trained fighting men and women money can buy. However, the cost of doing business with the Black Network can be high. The Black Network wants to make it necessary—and preferable, even—to deal with its members. It wants to secure, over time, an iron-fisted monopoly. Members must be the best—the cheapest, the fastest, and the most secure—at providing services and goods both legal and illicit, willing to lose coin if it means destroying a competitor, and securing profits from everyone they deal with, except when to do so would work against the Black Network's ultimate goal: to make everyone dependent on it. A member of the Zhentarim thinks of himself or herself as a member of a very large family and relies on the Black Network for resources and security. However, members are granted enough autonomy to pursue their own interests and gain some measure of personal power or influence.History
The Zhentarim, previously known as the Black Network, was a mercenary company, and greater mercantile organization in Faerûn, who, over their 200 years of existence, has had a storied history as a cadre of self-serving thieves, spies, assassins and malevolent wizards, who for a time, were indentured by their leaders to serve dark gods Bane and Cyric. Over the decades, the organization experienced several leaps and bounds in terms of successes, but also major misfortune, particularly for their historical strongholds around the Moonsea. As of 1489 DR the Zhentarim was headquartered in the Western Heartlands, at Darkhold Castle, nestled in the valley of the same name. By the late 15th century the goals of the Zhentarim came in line with their original ideals, despite their more benign public perception. By offering the best guards and mercenaries, with the final aim of an iron-fisted monopoly on protection services in the Realms, they sought to make the merchants of Faerûn, and thus the continental economy, completely reliant upon them as an organization. While many of the practices and services they offered were completely legal, they were not above spending a tremendous amount of gold to destroy their competitors and secure future profits to increase their wealth, influence, and power.Membership
Zhentarim could be of any age or profession, any sex or gender, and of any race. Humans, dwarves, gnomes, tieflings, half-orcs, and half-elves were most common among them, but a few halflings and elves, and even intelligent monster races also joined. Most members were either rogues or fighters, though wizards, clerics, rangers, and barbarians were also present. Priests could follow any faith; though it the most common being faiths that did not conflict with the Church of Bane or the Church of Cyric were the most common. Issues of faith, create some friction with the older lineage ranks of the order though all members are driven by results and success in their other goals to overlook matters of religion. The Zhentarim prefers their members to be exceptional and ambitious believing that recruiting the best is what matters the most over anything else. All are expected to fill the faction's coffers and increase the power of themselves and the faction.
The Zhentarim is an unscrupulous shadow network that seeks to expand its influence and power throughout Faerûn. The organization is ambitious, opportunistic, and meritocratic. Rogues and warlocks of neutral and/or evil alignments are commonly drawn to the Zhentarim.
Goals
- Amass wealth.
- Look for opportunities to seize power.
- Gain influence over important people and organizations.
- Dominate Faerûn.
Beliefs
- The Zhentarim is your family. You watch out for it, and it watches out for you.
- You are the master of your own destiny. Never be less than what you deserve to be.
- Everything—and everyone—has a price.
Member Traits
A member of the Zhentarim thinks of himself or herself as a member of a large family, and relies on the Black Network for resources and security. However, members are granted enough autonomy to pursue their own interests and gain some measure of personal power or influence. The Black Network is a meritocracy. As a whole, it promises “the best of the best,” although in truth, the Zhentarim is more interested in spreading its own propaganda and influence than investing in the improvement of its individual members.Ranks
- Fang (rank 1)
- Wolf (rank 2)
- Viper (rank 3)
- Ardragon (rank 4)
- Dread Lord (rank 5)
Notable Members
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