The Zhentarim are essentially the most notorious evil group that no person is aware of precisely what they do. Here’s what you have to know.

As far as shadowy organizations go, the Zhentarim are one of many shadowiest. Odds are good, you will discover ’em in any metropolis alongside the Sword Coast. On the floor, they’re a bunch of retailers and bodyguards. But even their finest clients know they’re as much as one thing. Eve in case you can’t pin down precisely what they do, there’s no query: the Zhentarim are as much as no good. But the place does this status come from?

Origins Of The Zhentarim

The reply, like most issues in D&D is as a result of a Wizard did it. In this case the Wizard in query is Manshoon. Manshoon is a darkish Wizard who had designs on ruling over the whole lot of the Moonsea. Which, if you consider it, is precisely the type of factor a villain would do. He integrated the Zhentarim as a mercenary firm. Their job can be to assist cement his rule over the Moonsea, and from there, the world.

It didn’t work out. It seldom does, in Faerun. But the Zhentarim had been particularly given to the adage of “evil contains the seeds of its own destruction.” They got to infighting, greater than most organizations. In truth, you could possibly say that the Zhentarim, in some ways, had been the bane of their very own existence.

The Rise of Fzoul Chembryl

This is an particularly ironic twist, as a result of one of many first large batches of recruits had been followers of Bane, god of oppression and hate and tyranny.

Out of this tyrannical-power-hungry batch of recent recruits, one man rose by way of the ranks. Fzoul Chembryl, a worshipper of Bane. Fzoul made secret offers with leaders within the Moonsea to assist prolong the attain of the Zhentarim. Only not as a navy arm of Manshoon’s will, however slightly as their very own group. Under Chembryl’s steerage, he sought to make use of the group to govern issues behind the scenes, and the Zhentarim took on a way more benign outward look.

To many, they characterize a number of the finest guards and mercenaries you will discover. They help highly effective retailers, with the intention of getting a monopoly on safety providers amongst Faerun’s nice merchants, making certain that every one enterprise depends on them as a corporation. Of course, their rise to energy was by no means going to be on the extent.

And if the Zhentarim discovered themselves competing with different mercenaries, they’d use their appreciable wealth and energy, in addition to outright lies and treachery to destroy those that may problem them. As for the place this cash comes from?

Now we get into the opposite facet of the Zhentarim. Their huge community of mercantile contracts permits them entry to unprecedented assets, and it isn’t unusual for Zhentarim brokers to deal in illicit items and contrabands, utilizing the looks of legitimacy to deal in poison, medicine, and worse.

To assist cement their place on the high, the Zhentarim would select highly effective allies, focusing significantly on highly effective evil creatures that might assist them of their endeavours. It was not unusual to seek out Zhentarim coping with numerous Beholders and dragons–particularly black dragons, and highly effective undead creatures to safe their place because the pressure to be reckoned with within the Forgotten Realms.

Even now they unfold their affect slowly, like a shadow creeping within the backrooms of service provider dens round Faerun.

Good luck, and beware the Zhentarim–until you may have the coin to rent them, that’s

Bell of Lost Souls Staff Writer and DM, J.R. covers RPGs of all stripes and from time to time eats sandwiches. You can ask him about both at [email protected]

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