Zhentarim

Zhentarim is a faction in Waterdeep that is currently at war with the Xanathar's Guild . They allegedly had a hand in kidnapping Renaer Neverember and Floon Blagmaar.

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.

Structure

Rank 1: Fang

Faction Ring: You are given a small silver ring with a small jade snake in the center, which functions as a Ring of Evasion. This ring has 3 Charges, and it regains 1d3 expended Charges daily at dawn. When you fail a Dexterity saving throw while wearing it, you can use your Reaction to expend 1 of its Charges to succeed on that saving throw instead.

Rank 2: Wolf

Faction resources: You gain access to faction caches throughout the realm and resources. You can call in favors from members to consult on lore, research, access resources or knowledge that pertain to your faction not available to the public—artifacts, magic items, research or spell books, gear, etc. Swift Death: You gain access to the Zhentarim Delivery Service. You will receive special sales prices for ranged and martial finesse weapons, and poisons. Moreover, the poisons catalog available to you will increase.

Faction Training: Your character can take advantage of accelerated training programs for tool kits and one skill most often used by your faction. This training comes at a lesser cost than usual tool training, taking half as long (125 downtime days), but you must pay an additional 125 gp as a training expense for each proficiency.
Tools: Forgery Kit, Poisoner's Kit, or Thieves' Tools
Skill: Sleight of Hand or Stealth

Rank 3: Viper

The right tool to kill: As a Viper, you’ll get better deals on materials for creating your own poisons: Truth Syrum (50gp), Assassin’s Blood (50gp), Drow’s Venom (100gp), Snake’s Venom (100gp), Essence of Ether (150gp), Malice (120gp).
You also receive a flying snake companion.

Rank 4: Ardragon

Master of Operations: You are provided with more faction missions of higher category that offer better pay. Furthermore, you may solicit a number of Zhentarim agents to aid you in missions for infiltration and/or assassination. The number of operatives may vary depending how many are available to help, and any inconvenience to be had will befall on you.
Improved Armament: You automatically gain proficiency with Poisoner's Kit if you don't already have it. Your proficiency will double if you are proficient.

Rank 5: Dread Lord

Death From Above/Improved Armament: You receive the Cloak of the Flying Snake: While wearing this cloak, you have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks. In an area of dim light or Darkness, you can use the cloak to fly at a speed of 40 feet. If you are no longer in dim light or Darkness, you lose this flying speed.
While wearing the cloak in an area of dim light or Darkness, you can use your action to cast Polymorph on yourself, transforming into a flying snake. While you are in the form of the snake, you retain your Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. The cloak can't be used this way again until the next dawn.
While polymorphed your snake bite does 3d8 poison damage. The creature attacked must succeed on a DC15 CON save or become poisoned for 1 minute.

Public Agenda

To amass wealth, power, and influence.

Type

Guild, Fighter / Mercenary

Leader

Manshoon

Controlled Territories

• Kolat Towers

Notable Members

• Agorn Fuoco
• Davil Starsong
• Urstul Floxin
• Yagra Stonefist
• Ziraj

Related Plots

• The Grand Game

Related Historical Events

• 1492
  Attack on Kolat Towers

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.

PARTY NOTES:

• Five Zhentarim jumped Floon and Renaer on the way out of the Skewered Dragon and took them to their warehouse. We have since rescued Floon with the help of Renaer, who escaped.
• The party learns from Davil that these Zhentarim are going against the rest of the Zhentarim.
• They have a warehouse on Candle Lane. Snake symbol on the door.
• Yagra is a Zhentarim
• Davil Starsong is her boss
• Davil says to call his and Yagra’s part of the Zhentarim the “Doom Raiders” to set them apart from the Zhentarim who kidnapped Floon.
• At their warehouse hideout, the kidnappers asked about Renaer’s father embezzling money. They thought Renaer knew something about the “Stone of Gallor.” They searched Renaer’s ivory locket and found a secret compartment in the locket and a gem. But Renaer hasn’t spoken to his father in years and doesn’t know what they meant.
• When Davil asked what we knew about the Zhentarim’s reasons for the kidnapping, we told Davil about the line of questioning regarding Renaer’s father and money embezzlement. We left out all the “Stone of Gallor” and locket stuff.