Pereghost

The Pereghost is one of the great mysteries of the Zhentarim fortress of Darkhold. The warrior appeared out of nowhere in 1356 DR, offering his services to the Black Network. He gave no name other than "The Pereghost" and refused to speak of his history. Within three years he was given command of the keep's entire army. He accomplished this by being ruthlessly efficient and not playing favorites. Darkhold's army is one of the few places in the Black Network where soldiers are promoted by merit, not by scheming or bribes. As such, the Pereghost is not just feared, but respected by the Zhentarim army. In turn, the Pereghost is completely loyal to the Black Network.

History
Sometime before the Second Banedeath of 1368 DR, when all Orthodox Banites were driven out of Darkhold, the Pereghost underwent a religious conversion, becoming a divine champion of Cyric. As a result, his alignment switched from lawful to chaotic evil. It is yet to be seen whether this fundamental change has affected the loyalty of his troops.

In 1370, Fzoul Chembryl, high priest of the "Baneson" and one of the triumvirate that ruled the Black Network, made a power grab to turn the Zhentarim into a religious organization. As a result, Darkhold would become the last Zhentarim stronghold left to the worshipers of Cyric. The previous lord of the castle, Sememmon, disappeared during Fzoul's attack, leaving no clear successor.

At the moment, Darkhold is a dictatorship with two masters: the Pereghost and Dhamir Ercals, the castle's high priest of Cyric. Both leaders despise one another and are actively plotting to assassinate their competition. The hatred between the two is so overwhelming that neither will consider an alliance of convenience, even though both know that a bloody civil war between the worshipers of Cyric and Bane is inevitable.

Equipment
In battle, the Pereghost always wears his distinctive skull helm, chalk-white full plate armor, and wields Determination, an intelligent +3 bastard sword. When leading Darkhold's army, he rides Sandusk, a heavy warhorse equipped with a magical winged harness.