Zhentarim

The Zhentarim—often called the Black Network—are a secretive, mercenary-driven organization that blends criminal enterprise with political manipulation. Ostensibly a trade consortium, they are in truth a sprawling syndicate of spies, assassins, mercenaries, and opportunists. They prize power, profit, and influence, and will use any means to achieve their ends.

Founding & Purpose

The Zhentarim originated in Zhentil Keep on the Moonsea, initially as a merchant network seeking to secure trade routes. Over the centuries, they have evolved into a shadow empire, leveraging wealth and military muscle to dominate regions and undermine rivals. Their guiding principle is simple: everything is for sale—loyalty, security, even governments.

Wherever they go, the Zhentarim offer two things:

• Protection (from dangers they often create)
• Opportunity (with strings attached)

Structure & Organization

The Black Network operates through layers of secrecy and compartmentalization, ensuring few know the full picture.

• High Dreadlords: The supreme leadership, often based in Zhentil Keep or other hidden strongholds.
• Regional Envoys: Ambitious agents who control local cells, often posing as traders, mercenary captains, or advisors.
• Cells & Cliques: Independent groups handling extortion, smuggling, espionage, and assassinations.

They recruit heavily among mercenaries, disenfranchised adventurers, and ex-soldiers, valuing pragmatism over ideology.

Symbols & Secrecy

• Symbol: A black serpent curling into a circle, often etched subtly into weapons or jewelry.
• Colors: Black and gold.
• Watchwords: Power is freedom. Gold is power.

Tactics & Influence

The Zhentarim prefer corruption before conquest. They insert themselves as indispensable—offering solutions to problems they quietly orchestrate. When persuasion fails, they escalate: sabotage, intimidation, and if necessary, bloodshed.

• Trade Domination: Controlling goods and supply lines.
• Mercenary Armies: Providing “security forces” to clients, later tightening the leash.
• Political Manipulation: Blackmail, bribes, and secret treaties.

Recent Activity in the Western Heartlands

In the early 1400s DR, the Black Network sought to extend influence into Berdusk and its First Folk families. They approached House Evenshade under the guise of protection and trade partnership. When Baroness Sandibar Evenshade refused, their plan backfired—leading to the infamous “The Night of Silent Flames ” (1426 DR).

The disaster nearly destroyed the Network’s reputation in the region, forcing them into the shadows. However, whispers suggest Zhentarim agents still linger near the River Chionthar, watching for opportunities to reclaim lost ground.

Relations with Other Factions

• Harpers: Bitter enemies, locked in a cycle of sabotage and counter-intrigue.
• Lords’ Alliance: Outwardly tolerated, secretly despised.
• Thieves’ Guilds: Often rivals—unless convenient partnerships can be struck.

Adventure Hooks

• A Shadow Rekindled: Strange coin stamped with the Zhent serpent surfaces in Evenshade’s market—twenty years after their retreat. Why now?
• The Black Ledger: Rumors persist of a lost book listing bribes and deals made with local leaders—worth a fortune to Harpers and Zhents alike.
• The Silent Envoy: In 1455 DR, an assassin believed responsible for the Night of Silent Flames has reappeared, older and desperate, offering secrets for sanctuary.