Zhentarim

The Zhentarim are a mercenary company who, over their 200 years of existance, have experienced several leaps and bounds in terms of successes, but also several major defeats. They are a shadow of their former glory, but still an organization of great power and influence.

Zhentarim under Manshoon
Manshoon founded the organization in 1261 DR to support his rule over the city of Zhentil Keep and his ambitions for the future expansion of his power. It took 30 years to assemble the mages he dubbed his "Black Cloaks". In 1263, the charismatic priest Fzoul Chembryl was inducted into the ranks. With the Black Cloak's help, Fzoul used his influence within the church to convert the lower priests and dispose of the higher priests to become head of the temple in the Zhentil Keep. Manshoon, eager to gain more personal power to offset the threat of his new 'ally' began searching for magic, during this time he met the beholder Xantriph. The two concocted a plan in which Xantriph posed as the 'Voice of Bane' and encouraged the banite priests to swear fealty to Manshoon and confess their sins (which he then informed Manshoon of). The beholder's lair (a giant floating piece of rock in what was then Teshendale) became a base for Zhentilar patrols and a network of spies. The eye tyrant gave only the information he wanted to Manshoon though and spied on members of the Zhentarim as well as a part of his own nefarious plans, he also suggested actions that would benefit himself as well as the organization. With the immediate threat of the banites under control, Manshoon's organization began gaining power, prestige and wealth.

Through careful manipulation of his neighbours, Manshoon gained a significant share of the joint power in the recently refurbished Citadel of the Raven and scared off the humanoids of Thar, though lost out on a chance to absorb the city of Phlan when it was destroyed by those same humanoids. The Keep became an impressive economic power and garnered much wealth for Manshoon and his organization with an army that outnumbered all other people in the city. To ensure this economic superiority continued, Zhentil keep contributed a large part of the army that attacked Mulmaster which controlled the River Lis, an important link to the Sea of Fallen Stars. The lich queen Varalla had control of Darkhold and controlled the trade road that led to the Sword Coast. Because she was a lich, it was easy for Manshoon to use her evil as an excuse to sieze Darkhold for himself. All but 3 of the local trading routes were firmly under Zhent control. It was now that the Zhentarim revealed their true selves. Attacks on Teshendale and Hillsfar gained them the entire Tesh valley and the village of Voonlar. They then placed Zhent-friendly rulers in Daggerdale and Shadowdale after their former rulers suddenly disappeared. By 1337 DR Manshoon had fully consolidated his rule over all Zhent lands and forces, eliminating his opposition and declaring himself High Lord of Zhentil Keep. Zhentilar decimated and looted the city of Hulburg. The surrounding areas, especially Mistledale, became paranoid and held hasty and overzealous trials of suspected Zhent spies. Many lives were ruined, but not many of them were those of Zhent spies.

Khelben Arunsun killed the puppet ruler of Shadowdale, Jyordhan, and his successor was considered a pretender without the Pendant of Ashaba, which Khelben had stolen. The Dalelands were fortifying their defences and spreading rumours about hidden treasures to be found in Zhent lands to attract adventurers. The Knights of Myth Drannor were one of the first groups to go after the 'treasures'. They looted the Flaming Tower and killed Xantriph, making his lair float away. Manshoon restored the lair and tried to replace the Voice of Bane with another beholder named Xulla, but the damage was done. The Voice of Bane was now almost completely impotent. The final blow was when the puppet ruler of Daggerdale, Malyk, was overthrown in a peasant revolt and Randal Morn, the true heir to the Dale's throne took control.

Whether emboldened by his success or pressured by the recent setbacks, Manshoon betrayed his allies in the Citadel of the Raven and took over by force. The others in the Moonsea found out about the treachery and immediately began building up their defences against the expected Zhentilar attack they unmasked and killed the Zhent agents in their cities and effectively stopped the Zhentarim in their tracks. Yulash, a city under the sway of the Zhentilar since its founding erupted in civil war when forces from Mulmaster decided to capitalize on the Zhent's problems.

By aiding the embattled Cormyrian and Sembian nations when they were attacked by Lashan of Scardale the Zhentarim managed to set up a secret base in Scardale, soon, the Knights of Myth Drannor reappeared though with the Pendant of Ashaba. All Zhentarim influence in Shadowdale was expunged. Events ground to a stalemate in the organization. Plans to kidnap a Spellfire wielder failed to bear fruit and Fzoul became reclusive for a short while he dealt with Alias of the Azure bonds and orthodox banites from Mulmaster attempted to bring the temple in Zhentil Keep back under their control.

The Time of Troubles was especially turbulent for the Zhentarim. The avatar of Bane landed in Zhentil Keep's temple and ordered Fzoul and Manshoon's apprentice Sememmon to attack Shadowdale directly. Bane was defeated though and briefly possessed Fzoul until he could form a new avatar. Bane was later killed, throwing the religious aspects of the keep into chaos. Cyric, in a ploy to convert them, granted the banites their spells without them realising, and they began praying to him unknowingly but angered by the refusal of so many of them to convert, he stopped answering their prayers and initiated a year-long 'inquisition' in the keep that was to eradicate the worship of Bane from the keep completely.

Iyachtu Xvim had been trapped beneath the Keep at the beginning of the Godswar and the many banites wholiterally went underground discovered him and would eventually begin worshipping him in lieu of his father. The cyricists, not realising this declared their inquisition a success. For 6 years, it was Cyric who controlled the centre of Zhentarim power but Manshoon and most of the Zhentarim had relocated to their other strongholds, the Citadel of the Raven and Darkhold, though most of their operations still centered on the Keep. The Zhentarim relocated their operations to the Citadel quietly but Cyric's followers enacted another inquisition to try and purge all Zhent holdings of non-cyricists. Yulash, still being fought over, was lost to Hillsfar, but was again deemed a success by the inquisitors. Cyric was eventually undermined by a divine conspiracy involving Fzoul but the larger, northern half of Zhentil Keep was left in ruins as a result. 1500 Zhentilar and Zhentarim, many of whom were high-ranking officers fled the city, as well as all of the orc troops.

After 4 months of siege, the attackers left and Lord Orgauth rose from the ruins and had the Keep rebuilt. Orgauth and Fzoul took over the Keep, declaring themselves free from Manshoon. In 1370 DR Manshoon, enraged, attacked the Keep with Sememmon, but both were defeated. Manshoon was killed and Sememmon fled.

Zhentarim under Fzoul Chembryl
Manshoon was gone, but he had a backup plan. He lived on in clone bodies who were intent on destroying each other until only one remained. Three were left though one came back to the Zhentarim to work as an agent, conceeding leadership to Fzoul. Fzoul was undisputed master of the organization but Orgauth was soon killed by an apprentice, Scyllua Darkhope. Fzoul took over the city in Orgauth's stead and pronounced Scyllua head of the Zhentilar under his command. When Bane was resurrected in 1372 DR, the Zhentarim became much more of a threat again. Fzoul's goals became expansionistic and one-by-one started making agreements and taking over the other cities of the Moonsea until the western half was all under Zhentarim control. That was when the luck of the organization finally gave out.

Fzoul was threatened by the reemergence of Myth Drannor and twice attacked it. The second time he also attacked Shadowdale in an elaborate plot with the Church of Shar, the city of Shade and 3 clans of drow. Shadowdale was conquered and for months it was back under Zhentarim control while the battles in Cormanthor raged on. Unfortunately, the garrison left behind was not enough to stop a brave band of adventurers who led the populace in a successful revolt against the occupation. Surprisingly, Myth Drannor agreed to a peace treaty with Fzoul and hostilities ceased. The final act of Fzoul as leader of the Zhentarim was his alliance with the Phaerimm. When the shadovar went on a genocidal purge of the phaerimm and discovered the links between them and the Zhentarim, they magically bombarded Zhentil Keep and he Citadel of the Raven, annihilating them both, killing most of the Zhentilar including Fzoul and the Zhent clone of Manshoon. Without their leader the Church of Bane severed the alliance with the Zhentarim and all that was left was Darkhold.

Notable members

 * Manshoon
 * Fzoul Chembryl (former)
 * Sememmon
 * Scyllua Darkhope (deceased)
 * Lord Orgauth (deceased)
 * Ashemmi
 * Manxam
 * The Pereghost
 * Teldorn Darkhope
 * Verblen (likely deceased)

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).
 * Zhentish: A grammatically incorrect term that will bring derision on the user, even in lands unfriendly to Zhents. (This somehow wormed its way into the vernacular of more than one Forgotten Realms novel.)

Links
Russian-speaking fansite devoted to the Zhentarim -