Cult of the Shattered Peak

The Cult of the Shattered Peak were Netherese descendents who watched constantly for those seeking what they believed should not be sought. They strove to keep the secrets of ancient Netheril out of the hands of others.

History
Formed sometime after the fall of ancient Netheril, the cult existed until at least 1373 DR.

Dogma
The stereotypical Netherese cult consisted of power-hungry wizards bent on either resurrecting the Empire of Magic or on exploiting its secrets for their own aggrandizement. The Cult of the Shattered Peak was the exact opposite; in their view, Faerûnians were better off leaving well enough alone. They recalled the arcane hubris that was Netheril's downfall, not to mention its oppression of nonhumans, and fought to keep the old ways dead and buried. To this end they employed a myriad of tactics ranging from disinformation and theft to outright assassination.

Cultists mainly worked independently or as part of a cell system. This protected the cult from reprisals. A given cultist gave and received information to and from the one or two cultists they knew, or via dead drops. They may also have been assigned to protect and assist other members without said members' knowledge.

Above all else, cultists valued information, and new members were given few orders besides "Keep your eyes open" and "Report back when you find information of interest, especially concerning powerful magic or mages."

Location
The cult mainly operated within the Desert of Anauroch, with several small cells throughout the Western Heartlands. The cult may have been active throughout Faerûn, because foolish, irresponsible, greedy and generally evil arcanists were found nearly everywhere. It's known that the cult had less-than-friendly relations with the Zhentarim, and the same could be true of the Red Wizards. Likewise, anywhere mages held political power (Rashemen, the Vilhon Reach, Waterdeep, and so on), the cult may have been working in the shadows.

The stronghold of the Cult was in the southern portion of the Scimitar Spires mountain range. A mountain fortress was within the Shattered Peak protected by chasms and cliffs.

Relationships
Few people knew of the cult, and those who did tended to regard it as a group of mage-hating extremists. Arcanists generally disliked them, but most others individuals had little opinion either way. However, the cult often interfered with Zhentarim wizards in the Anauroch, so members of the Black Network were almost always hostile toward known cultists.

Cultists regarded magelords as cruel and dangerous (a not entirely unjustified sentiment), and magelords generally returned the prejudice.

The Bedine nomads, however, were allies of the cult and regularly provided shelter to its members.

Cultists of the Shattered Peak viewed adventurers by their actions. Opening Netherese tombs and unearthing magic was a good way to draw their ire. Conversely, a group in pursuit of those who would do so, or power-abusing mages in general, would have found an ally in the cult.

Members
Khemal Serist