Zhentarim
Encyclopedia
The Zhentarim is a fictional organization in the Forgotten Realms
campaign setting
of the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy
role-playing game
. Also known as the Black Network, it is an evil organization based on the continent of Faerûn
. One of its goals is to dominate the lands from the Moonsea to the Sword Coast North. Originally a secret society, the Zhentarim have operated openly in the area of the Moonsea, particularly around Zhentil Keep, its greatest base of operations. In the most current iteration of Forgotten Realms continuity, the organization is led by Fzoul Chembryl, Chosen of Bane
and High Lord of the Zhentarim.
are also hired to conjure up or enrage foul monsters. During the period of time described by version 3.5, the Zhentarim have been sending some older members of their organization to frontier nations such as the Silver Marches, where they buy land and become peaceable homesteaders, raising their own families and biding their time until they are called upon again.
The original Zhentarim rose to open rule in what is now Zhentil Keep, then seized control of the Citadel of the Raven from the other Moonsea cities that shared it. They expanded their influence by conquering Teshendale, Voonlar, and Yûlash, and have plotted the conquests of Shadowdale, Daggerdale, and Mistledale. The Zhents have entire armies hidden away in the Citadel of the Raven and in a fortress called Darkhold
, which is somewhere in the Western Heartlands. Zhents govern affairs east to the walls of Mulmaster, north through the Ride and the Cold Lands to the Great Glacier, and south through the weaker Dales.
The Zhents are soldiers commanded by cruel minor wizards, who report to powerful mages known as the Black Cloaks headed by Lord Manshoon—the Zhentarim's founder. The Zhentarim can also count amongst their forces some beholder
s (led by one named Xulla), many cleric
s of Bane, and clerics of Cyric
. The Zhentarim's sole objective is to enrich themselves and control towns, villages, and entire realms along a trade route linking the Moonsea to the Sword Coast—the Waterdeep
area, specifically—via Darkhold. Along that route, they smuggle slaves, poisons, and contraband.
Fzoul Chembryl, the ambitious Chosen High Priest of Iyachtu Xvim, joined the Zhentarim when Lord Manshoon (then leader of the Zhentarim) forged an alliance with him. He served as second-in-command for years, seemingly content with his position, but he schemed with another high-ranking Zhentarim, Lord Orgauth, a pit fiend, and eventually ousted Manshoon from power. Fzoul intended to turn the Zhentarim into an arm of the faith of Xvim (now the faith of Bane), and forced from the Zhentarim both loyalists to Manshoon (including Manshoon's lieutenant, the powerful mage Sememmon) and the faithful of the rival deity of Cyric. This led to a brewing war within the organization, with the western Zhentarim of Darkhold led by Sememmon and the Cyrisists opposing the Zhents and Banites, until Sememmon was forced to abandon Darkhold and go into hiding. The Zhentarim of Darkhold, however, led by the evil Cyrisist knight
known as the Pereghost and a priest of Cyric called Dhamir Ercals, remain at odds and on the verge of war with the Banites. Fzoul, having slain Orgauth, had almost gained full control over the Zhentarim.
Among the ranks of the Zhentarim's other major players are the Banite priest Teldorn Darkhope—the lord of the Zhentarim in Mintar, and a close ally of Fzoul—and Lady Scyllua Darkhope—Zhentil Keep's champion, who administers the defenses and day-to-day affairs of the keep itself. Apart from Fzoul, the most influential member of the Zhentarim remains Manshoon, for despite being forced from command and slain, his death awakened over a dozen magical clones who attacked each other in the so-called Manshoon Wars, and eventually several escaped, including one who returned to the Zhentarim some time later to work directly for Fzoul.
/ Stormfront Studios
Gold Box
computer games Curse of the Azure Bonds
, Pools of Darkness
, Gateway to the Savage Frontier
, Treasures of the Savage Frontier
and the MMORPG
Neverwinter Nights
(exclusively on AOL, 1991–1997).
The halfing assassin Montaron and mad necromancer, Xzar work for the Zhentarim in the computer game Baldur's Gate
. They were sent to investigate the so-called Iron Ore "crisis", and are available to join the Player Character's party.
The Zhentarim are also antagonists in Neverwinter Nights: Darkness over Daggerford.
Zhentilar: A defunct term for the military of Zhentil Keep to distinguish them from members of the Zhentarim.
Zhentarim: Can refer to either the organization itself or members of the organization (can be singular or plural).
Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
campaign setting
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
of the Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
. Also known as the Black Network, it is an evil organization based on the continent of Faerûn
Faerûn
Faerûn is a fictional subcontinent, the primary setting of the Dungeons & Dragons world of Forgotten Realms. It is described at a relatively high level in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting from Wizards of the Coast, and various locales and aspects are described in more detail by separate...
. One of its goals is to dominate the lands from the Moonsea to the Sword Coast North. Originally a secret society, the Zhentarim have operated openly in the area of the Moonsea, particularly around Zhentil Keep, its greatest base of operations. In the most current iteration of Forgotten Realms continuity, the organization is led by Fzoul Chembryl, Chosen of Bane
Bane (god)
Bane , is the god of hatred, fear, and tyranny and one of the main evil gods in the fictional Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting, Forgotten Realms....
and High Lord of the Zhentarim.
Description
Many Zhentarim are simply opportunistic merchants; however, some do resort to illicit acts such as attacking rival caravans, extorting villages for food, or far more serious crimes like arson and murder. Bandits are hired by the Zhentarim to attack other caravans and towns. WizardsWizard (Dungeons & Dragons)
The wizard is one of the standard character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A wizard uses arcane magic, and is considered less effective in melee combat than other classes.-Creative origins:...
are also hired to conjure up or enrage foul monsters. During the period of time described by version 3.5, the Zhentarim have been sending some older members of their organization to frontier nations such as the Silver Marches, where they buy land and become peaceable homesteaders, raising their own families and biding their time until they are called upon again.
The original Zhentarim rose to open rule in what is now Zhentil Keep, then seized control of the Citadel of the Raven from the other Moonsea cities that shared it. They expanded their influence by conquering Teshendale, Voonlar, and Yûlash, and have plotted the conquests of Shadowdale, Daggerdale, and Mistledale. The Zhents have entire armies hidden away in the Citadel of the Raven and in a fortress called Darkhold
Castle Darkhold
Castle Darkhold is a location in the fictional Forgotten Realms setting of Dungeons and Dragons.-General:Castle Darkhold, western stronghold of the Zhentarim, is located south of the Sunset Mountains in Western Faerûn....
, which is somewhere in the Western Heartlands. Zhents govern affairs east to the walls of Mulmaster, north through the Ride and the Cold Lands to the Great Glacier, and south through the weaker Dales.
The Zhents are soldiers commanded by cruel minor wizards, who report to powerful mages known as the Black Cloaks headed by Lord Manshoon—the Zhentarim's founder. The Zhentarim can also count amongst their forces some beholder
Beholder
The beholder is a fictional monster in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It resembles a floating orb of flesh with a large mouth, single central eye, and lots of smaller eyestalks on top with deadly magical powers....
s (led by one named Xulla), many cleric
Cleric (Dungeons & Dragons)
The cleric is one of the standard playable character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. In the game, clerics are versatile figures, both capable in combat and skilled in the use of divine magic. Clerics are powerful healers due to the large number of healing and curative...
s of Bane, and clerics of Cyric
Cyric
Cyric is a deity in the fictional Forgotten Realms campaign setting, a branch of Dungeons & Dragons. Cyric has many titles, including the Prince of Lies, the Dark Sun, the Black Sun, the Mad God, and the Lord of Three Crowns...
. The Zhentarim's sole objective is to enrich themselves and control towns, villages, and entire realms along a trade route linking the Moonsea to the Sword Coast—the Waterdeep
Waterdeep (city)
Waterdeep is a fictional city-state that forms part of a popular Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game campaign setting called the Forgotten Realms. It is a port city that is located along the western coast of the Faerûn sub-continent...
area, specifically—via Darkhold. Along that route, they smuggle slaves, poisons, and contraband.
Fzoul Chembryl, the ambitious Chosen High Priest of Iyachtu Xvim, joined the Zhentarim when Lord Manshoon (then leader of the Zhentarim) forged an alliance with him. He served as second-in-command for years, seemingly content with his position, but he schemed with another high-ranking Zhentarim, Lord Orgauth, a pit fiend, and eventually ousted Manshoon from power. Fzoul intended to turn the Zhentarim into an arm of the faith of Xvim (now the faith of Bane), and forced from the Zhentarim both loyalists to Manshoon (including Manshoon's lieutenant, the powerful mage Sememmon) and the faithful of the rival deity of Cyric. This led to a brewing war within the organization, with the western Zhentarim of Darkhold led by Sememmon and the Cyrisists opposing the Zhents and Banites, until Sememmon was forced to abandon Darkhold and go into hiding. The Zhentarim of Darkhold, however, led by the evil Cyrisist knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
known as the Pereghost and a priest of Cyric called Dhamir Ercals, remain at odds and on the verge of war with the Banites. Fzoul, having slain Orgauth, had almost gained full control over the Zhentarim.
Among the ranks of the Zhentarim's other major players are the Banite priest Teldorn Darkhope—the lord of the Zhentarim in Mintar, and a close ally of Fzoul—and Lady Scyllua Darkhope—Zhentil Keep's champion, who administers the defenses and day-to-day affairs of the keep itself. Apart from Fzoul, the most influential member of the Zhentarim remains Manshoon, for despite being forced from command and slain, his death awakened over a dozen magical clones who attacked each other in the so-called Manshoon Wars, and eventually several escaped, including one who returned to the Zhentarim some time later to work directly for Fzoul.
Other media
Zhentarim are involved directly or indirectly as antagonists in the SSIStrategic Simulations, Inc.
Strategic Simulations, Inc. was a video game developer and publisher with over 100 titles to its credit since its founding in 1979. It was especially noted for its numerous wargames, its official computer game adaptations of Dungeons & Dragons, and for the groundbreaking Panzer General...
/ Stormfront Studios
Stormfront Studios
Stormfront Studios was a video game developer based in San Rafael, California which had one of the longest creative histories in the industry. In 2007, the company had over 50 developers working on two teams, and owned all its proprietary engines, tools and technology. As of the end of 2007 over...
Gold Box
Gold Box
Gold Box is the name for a series of computer role-playing games produced by SSI. The company won a license to produce games based on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game from TSR, Inc...
computer games Curse of the Azure Bonds
Curse of the Azure Bonds
Curse of the Azure Bonds is a computer role-playing game developed and published by Strategic Simulations, Inc in 1989. It is the second in a four-part series of Forgotten Realms Dungeons & Dragons Gold Box adventure computer games, continuing the events after the first part, Pool of Radiance.An...
, Pools of Darkness
Pools of Darkness
Pools of Darkness is the fourth in a four-part series of Forgotten Realms Dungeons & Dragons Gold Box adventure computer games, published by Strategic Simulations, Inc.. The game was released in 1991...
, Gateway to the Savage Frontier
Gateway to the Savage Frontier
Gateway to the Savage Frontier is a Gold Box Dungeons and Dragons computer game developed by Stormfront Studios and published by SSI for the Commodore 64, PC and Amiga personal computers...
, Treasures of the Savage Frontier
Treasures of the Savage Frontier
Treasures of the Savage Frontier is a Gold Box Dungeons and Dragons computer role-playing game. It was developed by Stormfront Studios and published by SSI for the Amiga and DOS.-Development:...
and the MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
Neverwinter Nights
Neverwinter Nights (AOL game)
Neverwinter Nights was the first multiplayer online role-playing game to display graphics, and ran from 1991 to 1997 on AOL.-Gameplay:Neverwinter Nights was developed to be played similarly to the Gold Box series of games...
(exclusively on AOL, 1991–1997).
The halfing assassin Montaron and mad necromancer, Xzar work for the Zhentarim in the computer game Baldur's Gate
Baldur's Gate
Baldur's Gate is a computer role-playing game developed by BioWare and released in 1998 by Interplay Entertainment. The game takes place in the Forgotten Realms, a high fantasy campaign setting, using modified Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition rules...
. They were sent to investigate the so-called Iron Ore "crisis", and are available to join the Player Character's party.
The Zhentarim are also antagonists in Neverwinter Nights: Darkness over Daggerford.
Zhent terminology
Zhent: A person from Zhentil Keep. Not all Zhents are members of the Zhentarim.Zhentilar: A defunct term for the military of Zhentil Keep to distinguish them from members of the Zhentarim.
Zhentarim: Can refer to either the organization itself or members of the organization (can be singular or plural).