Lord's Men

The Lord's Men were the standing army of the town of Llorkh in the Savage Frontier in the mid–14th century DR. They were a subset of the Zhentilar.

History
Shortly before 1357 DR, following the murder of Lord Phintarn "Redblade", the mage Geildarr Ithym seized the Lord's Keep in Llorkh and claimed the throne. Soon after, four hundred "Lord's Men" arrived and in a handful of battles slaughtered all of the existing militia under the pretext that they were trouble-makers. The citizens found themselves under the "protection" of the Lord's Men. Thus, Llorkh was quickly and quietly conquered by the Zhentarim and under the control of their puppet.

By 1357 DR, the fiendish forces of Hellgate Keep advanced on newly conquered Llorkh. The Lord's Men met them on the banks of the Delimbiyr river above Shining Falls. They fought a major battle, but beat the demons back.

One night in Uktar of the Year of Shadows, 1358 DR, a Zhentarim caravan was secretly transporting a menagerie of monsters in locked wagons for unknown reasons on a journey to the south. One night, a number of monsters escaped and roamed the streets before the Lord's Men came to deal with them. Daylight found thirty monster zombies, undead ogres, bugbears, and minotaurs destroyed and ten soldiers and civilians killed.

Activities
The duty of the Lord's Men was to defend the town of Llorkh, both against orc raids and incursions by the fiends of Hellgate Keep. It was also their duty to defend the Lord against adventurers and townsfolk and enforce his will, as he and the Zhents were not at all liked. Thus enjoying the "protection" of the Lord's Men was no more than a euphemism.

A garrison of thirty Lord's Men stood guard at Dawntreader Gap in the Greypeak Mountains, through which Zhentarim caravans regularly passed.

Base of Operations
The Lord's Men were likely headquartered in the Lord's Keep in Llorkh.

They commandeered three worked-out mines near Llorkh to use for storage.

Possessions
Each solder was fully armed and armored, equipped with a shield and protected by chainmail. They were recognized by their purple cloaks.

Relationships
The soldiers were loyal to Lord Geildarr and to the Zhentarim.

Members
From 1357 DR and through to 1370 DR, the Lord's Men comprised nearly 400 men-at-arms, all of them battle-hardened veterans. They were of course composed of and reinforced by Zhentilar soldiers, the army of Zhentil Keep. However, by 1372 DR, they numbered just 300.