Vaxall

Vaxall, also known as Vaxall of the Dying Gaze and as Xavlal to the Zhentarim, was one of the oldest beholders in Faerûn.

Relationships
Vaxall was a lesser agent of the Twisted Rune. Vaxall had many minions, among them its elite servants: the battle horror Gauntlet, the flameskull Skullpyr and the Doom Brigade, a company of ten Helmed horrors.

History
Vaxall was the most powerful beholder of the Alimir Hive outlander community, which was based out of the beholder city of Zokir. Its desire was to create a beholder nation on the surface consisting of the Arnaden region, Calimshan, eastern Tethyr and Erlkazar. In 1230 DR, Vaxall forged an alliance with Jhaniloth Puiral and, while becoming an elder orb, learned the secrets of magic from her. Since Jhaniloth's destruction in 1330 DR, Vaxall began work on a plan to make his desires come true.

It began by unifying some of the fractious eye tyrants of the Alimir Hive then, in the wake of the Time of Troubles, approached Teldorn Darkhope, polymorphed into the guise of a much younger beholder calling itself Xavlal. Xavlal offered Darkhope an alliance with a group of beholders that it claimed to represent and together, Xavlal and Darkhope seized power in the city of Mintar in 1362 DR.

The Knights of the Black Gauntlet, as they had come to be known, came to ally with the Zhentarim when Teldorn became a member. The Black Network already had a tradition of alliances with beholders so Vaxall retained his influence as long as he feigned allegiance to them.

In 1370 DR, the Knights conquered Kzelter but it was Vaxall who halted the Knights' advance at that city. It had discovered in the writings of the Oracle of the Deepwash, a reference to the "Sleeping Legion", who could have been a threat to Vaxall's ambitions. Vaxall elected to try and destroy this force before they could get in its way.

Vaxall once possessed the Fanged Shield of Shyk Korort until it was stolen by Aldannar's Band. In an act of revenge for the theft, Vaxall annihilated the elven community in the Thornwood where two of that group's members hailed from.

Vaxall worked to refound the beholder cults of the Arnaden Region and placed agents in cities who spread disinformation about the weaknesses of beholders.