Zhentarim
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.
Structure
After 1370 DR, the Black Network followed a strict linear hierarchy with Fzoul Chembryl serving as the Zhentarim's Grand Tyrant. Only the powerful lords would report directly to him, while lesser officers and agents would only report to their immediate superiors. There were a number of changes within the hierarchy of the Zhentarim. Sememmon exiled himself from Darkhold and many devout followers of Cyric were ousted upon the return of Bane.
The only exception to the inherent power structure of the Zhentarim was Manshoon. While he allowed Fzoul to act as the supreme leader of the Zhentarim, he maintained command over any of its agents or resources to further its goals or his own endeavors.
Culture
As an extension of the will of the dark wizard Manshoon, the Zhentarim was initially formed as a mercenary company to support his rule over the Moonsea with the aim of spreading that control over all of Faerûn. After he recruited the faithful of Bane, unscrupulous merchants and lesser mages to his cause, they collectively sought to dominate all aspects of the Realms, either by manipulation, outright control or, if they couldn't exert control over something, extinction.
After the mass purge of the Cyricists, known as the Banedeath, and the subsequent partial destruction of Zhentil Keep following the Cyrinishad debacle, the power of the Zhentarim passed to the Bane-worshiping Fzoul Chembryl. He made secret deals with leaders in the Moonsea to erect temples to Iyachtu Xvim, Bane's divine son, within the capitals of their city-states. His aim to extend the will of the Lord of Tyrants across Toril was a dynamic factor behind many of the changes within the organization. He sought to use the Black Network to set the stage for the return of the Lord of Tyrants.
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 their 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.
Public Agenda
In order to achieve their financial goals the Zhentarim agents often dealt in illicit goods and contraband, using their extensive mercantile contacts to move products throughout the Moonsea, neighboring lands and over Faerûn's more hazardous terrains. The types of commodities they dealt in were slaves, poison, drugs and even smokepowder weapons.
As a means of eliminating their competition, the Zhentarim used the Zhentilar army of Zhentil Keep or recruited bands of monstrous humanoids to take down rival caravans, often completing the route under their own banner to earn good faith and new business with merchant groups. They were not above resorting to sabotage, blackmail, arson to outright murder to undermine their mercantile or political opponents. They were even known to purposefully upset the balance of natural beasts, stir up aggressive monster populations within the wild, and even have their mages summon foul monstrosities to threaten isolated towns and villages, in effect forcing the residents to rely upon the protection of the Zhentilar.
Assets
The Moonsea
- Zhentil Keep: This city-fortress main base of operation for the Zhentarim.
- Citadel of the Raven: This isolated stronghold was a chain of interconnected fortresses straddling the Dragonspine Mountains. It was intended to stop any possible invasions from either The Ride or Thar. The Zhentarim stole it from the other Moonsea powers in 1355 DR, some 15 years before Manshoon made it the stronghold from which he would pursue his arcane interests.
- Melvaunt: Seemingly always at war with Zhentil Keep, Mulmaster was infiltrated by agents of the Zhentarim, in an attempt to take over their slave trade, including Lyran Nanther who was almost able to attain lordship of the city-state with the pendant of Ashaba.
- Mulmaster: This former enemy became an ally to the Zhentarim after the High Blade was secretly replaced by his twin brother in 1368 DR.
- Phlan: Another long-time foe, the settlement was finally conquered in 1380 DR.
- Yûlash: The Zhentarim took this city in a long and bloody civil war, where they pitted their forces against those of Hillsfar.
Western Heartlands
- Darkhold: The castle-keep of Darkhold and the surrounding Far Hills were conquered by the Zhentarim in 1312 DR. The stronghold was the seat of power for the group in the west, ruled by the mage Sememmon until Bane's resurrection. It had strong ties to Cyricists, fitting as its two ruling lords were the enigmatic Pereghost and the High Priest of the Black Sun, Dhamir Ercals. In the following century, following the Spellplague, Darkhold would serve as headquarters for the restructured Zhentarim, led by the Pereghost.
History
Founding
The Zhentarim was founded in 1261 DR by the power-hungry wizard Manshoon, the lord of Zhentil Keep, as tool for his ambitions of expanding his realm of control. He was soon joined by the Baneite cleric Fzoul Chembryl, in 1263 DR, who broke away from the orthodox church in Mulmaster, bringing with him a small army of his fellow priests into the lesser ranks of the Zhentarim. He then disposed of the high-ranking priests within Zhentil Keep and converted the city's lesser clergy to the worship of Bane. Paranoid even in the early years of their alliance, Manshoon offset the possible threat of Fzoul's influence by concocting a plan with the beholder Xantriph. They had the Banite priests confess their sins and swear fealty to Manshoon alone. Xantriph's lair, the floating Temple in the Sky, became an outpost for Zhentilar troops and Banite priests in former Teshendale.
Manshoon planned on capturing the Citadel of the Raven during the first days of the Zhentarim, though they were not powerful enough as an organization to openly attack a city of the Moonsea. While it was openly discussed for years, many senior members of the Zhentarim advocated against assaulting the city, fearful of losing their investments that funded the Black Network. Putting that scheme on hold, they greatly strengthened their economic holdings during the Moonsea War of 1306 DR. The allied forces of Zhentil Keep, Hillsfar, Melvaunt, Phlan and Sembia united together to defeat the city-state of Mulmaster.
Growth
In 1312 DR, Manshoon seized the fortress of Darkhold from the Lich-Queen Varalla in order to extend his control into the Western Heartlands.[58] Four years later they invaded and seized Teshendale in 1336 DR.
With the Zhentarim's successes with the Darkhold, Teshendale and Hillsfar, they had the entire Tesh Valley and Voonlar under their influence.[citation needed] They then conquered and installed their own rulers in Daggerdale in 1336 DR. Manshoon consolidated his rule over all Zhent lands and declared himself the High Lord of Zhentil Keep the following year. These actions caused the nations of the Moonsea to begin to grow wary of the Zhentarim and Zhentil Keep.
Also that year, Manshoon granted the previously-occupied Yûlash their independence, and maneuvered this act of "good will" to call a meeting of the rulers of the Moonsea in the neutral town of Elmwood. He called for a garrison to be established at the Citadel of the Raven to protect the greater Moonsea from a horde of orcs that was stirring further north. He "graciously" offered to move the recently-evicted Zhentilar soldiers from Yûlash to the city, though this was merely part of a long-term scheme to take over the city.
The Zhentarim saw significant losses in the next few years when Jyordhan, puppet ruler of Shadowdale, was assassinated by Khelben Arunsun, Xantriph was killed by the Knights of Myth Drannor and Malyk, the puppet ruler of Daggerdale, was killed by Randal Morn, leading to all-out civil war.
Despite their losses, the time was right in 1355 DR for the Zhentarim strike against their former allies in the Citadel of the Raven. They had their agents planted within the city kill as many as they could, using poison and magic. The orcs and Zhentilar poured into the city and claimed it for the Zhentarim. One of the few survivors within the Citadel was the mortally-wounded Galauntar Hawkhelm, whose eventual death would lead to the formation of the Knights of the North. He installed Kandar Milinal as the ruler of the city. This eventually led to civil war in the Zhent city of Yûlash.[
Banedeath
During the Time of Troubles, Bane arrived in the Black Altar,[66] he ordered his devoted priest Fzoul Chembryl and Manshoon's apprentice Sememmon to work together, much to their mutual displeasure, in an assault of Twisted Tower of Ashaba in Shadowdale so that he could enter Morningdawn Hall. After the destruction of the Dark God's avatar, the newly-ascended deity Cyric, who took on his divine portfolio, became the focus of worship for a great number of the members of the Zhentarim. Fzoul Chembryl and a few others maintained their faith, while some others converted to the veneration of Iyachtu Xvim, Bane's divine son.
The conflict between the opposing faiths embedded within the Zhentarim culminated in an event known as the Banedeath which began on Marpenoth 30, 1361 DR. Xeno Mirrormane, began a purge of all the remaining Banites within Zhentil Keep, eventually killing his brother and sparing none except for Fzoul Chembryl, due to his "special relationship" with Cyric. While the aid of the church of Cyric allowed Zhentil Keep to grow in power over the next few years, Manshoon realized that Cyric was no replacement for the calculating cunning and patience of Bane.
In a period of six months in 1366 DR, Manshoon quietly and discreetly shifted resources and personnel from Zhentil Keep to the Citadel of the Raven, distrustful of the impulsive Cyric and his inept clergy members. Fzoul Chembryl saw these actions and remained neutral, still bitter from his loss of influence as the High Priest of Bane.
Cyrinishad
Cyric was eventually undermined by a divine conspiracy involving High Lord Fzoul. The larger northern half of Zhentil Keep was left in ruins as a result. Some 1,500 Zhentilar and Zhentarim, many of whom were high-ranking officers, and all the orc troops fled the city. Fzoul and Lord Orgauth defeated Manshoon and Sememmon, killing Manshoon in 1370 DR.
Manshoon Wars
Manshoon lived on through clone bodies. Of these, one returned to the Zhentarim, conceded all leadership to Fzoul, and worked as an agent. When Bane was resurrected in 1372 DR, Fzoul became an expansionist, but was threatened by the reemergence of Myth Drannor. His paranoia lead him to attack Myth Drannor and Shadowdale, which he temporarily controlled. A Zhent named Karne attempted to take over the Onyx Tower, but the plan ultimately failed. Fzoul engaged in a hopeless alliance with the phaerimm, which enraged the Shadovar. The Netherese destroyed Zhentil Keep and the Citadel of the Raven, killing both Fzoul and the final clone of Manshoon, leaving only Darkhold.
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