Amarandaris

Lord Amarandaris was a member of the Zhentarim that served as the lord of Parnast for at least two decades during the mid–14 century DR. He was a calculating and pragmatic leader that sought to maintain order for his superiors in the Black Network, by whatever means he deemed necessary.

"Perhaps that fate awaits us all. But not by my will. Not by the will of my lord in Darkhold."

- Amarandaris, to the mage Druhallen about them meeting some unfortunate end.

Description
The lord was a rather unremarkable looking man, of middling height and average weight, save for the rapacious gleam to his eyes.

Personality
Amarandaris was a contradictory individual. He readily manipulated others and exerted tight control over his subjects, but did so to uphold the virtues of honest work and free trade. Despite his calm and outwardly cordial demeanor he was not above using barbaric tactics to achieve the goals set forth by his superiors.

His way with people led those he worked with to doubt the goings on in their lives, suspecting Zhentarim involvement in seemingly unrelated events.

Abilities
He was considered to be a spellcaster of very average ability.

Possessions
As befitting someone of his status, Amarandaris adorned himself with a number of fine-looking rings.

Activities
"Lord Amarandaris might not punish you, if he catches you. He might seduce you into working for him."

The lord maintained his private quarters on the third floor of the Zhentarim chapterhouse in Parnast. He enjoyed creature comforts such as fine food and extravagant furniture that were far and away better than those that could be attained by his fellow Parnasters.

Amarandaris and his men claimed ten percent of the goods or wealth from every caravan that passed through his isolated little village, always taking the most prized possessions recovered from scavengers in the nearby Anauroch desert.

Relationships
It was rumored that Amarandaris was selected to take rule over Parnast at the direction of Sememmon, Lord of Darkhold. In truth Parnast's lord was wholly loyal and dedicated to Sememmon's cause and would level the village if if fit the Zhentarim's greater schemes.

As the town's lord he formed a mutually beneficial relationship with the goblins that dwelled within the depths of the Greypeak Mountains, specifically dealing with their chieftains. The goblins provided Amarandaris with artifacts recovered from beneath the mountains, and helped keep the dreaded Beast Lord at bay in exchange for food that helped their ever-expanding population.

History
Amarandaris took charge of Parnast in the, and began to oversee the nearby ruined mines of Dekanter for the Zhentarim. While it an historical site of and importance to Amarandaris' superiors, it also served as a place where they could conduct their slave trade, beyond the trappings of free and civilized society.

Beginning in the, unusual conflicts arose between the goblin tribes of Dekanter that followed the being known as the Beast Lord. Within four years, all-out war broke out and refugees began pouring into Parnast. Amarandaris himself went into the goblin settlement and spoke with their leader Ghistpok, who offered groveling assurances that all was well. When a Zhent garrison within the mines was destroyed and a caravan bound for Yarthrain went missing, Amarandaris returned to the mines for revenge. After Ghistpok blamed the assaults on Red Wizards and their undead thralls, Amarandaris offered weapons to the Beast Lord's goblins so they could defend themselves.

While the guilty Red Wizards were caught by Amarandaris' men the following year, the Zhent garrison was leveled one again. According to the leader Ghistpok, the belligerent soldiers had been deformed by the Beast Lord into deformed, monstrous beings.

After another year went by, Amarandaris ordered the southern branch of the Dawn Pass Trail to be rerouted away from Dekanter, to avoid losing more men the increasingly-powerful Beast Lord. The trail was moved about to the east, away from the perilous mountains nearer the Lonely Moor. The Zhentarim slave trade in the region was put to an end, and goblin refugees continued to plague Amarandaris and Parnast well into the following year.

In order to bring some good fortune to the Black Network during a period of great strife, Amarandaris took action to manipulate the mage Druhallen whom he knew planned on delving into the Netherese ruins. specifically a powerful artifact he believed could be found within. Amarandaris offered protection and transportation to Druhallen and his companions in exchange for useful information to offer Sememmon and his other superiors. While Druhallen originally refused, Amarandaris tried another tack and coerced Druhallen's young companion Tiep, to track the party's movements through Dekanter alone and report back everything he witnessed along the way, and recover a small iron box from the ruined Zhent garrison.

When Druhallen, Tiep and their other companions left Weathercote Wood they were escorted by a dozen of Amarandaris' men back to Parnast. After sharing dinner in the lord's quarters, Druhallen offered Amarandaris a unique gift: a rubbing on a linen shirt of the Arcanus Fundare Tiersus, the first part of one of the fifty lost Nether Scrolls. In exchange, Druhallen requested that he and his lord Sememmon cease all contact with young Tiep and allow him to live his life free from Zhentarim influence. Amarandaris readily agreed, unaware the linen rubbing held none of the arcane power imbued within the original scroll.

Appearances

 * Novels
 * The Nether Scroll