Zhentil Keep

Zhentil Keep (also called Thargate Keep ) was once the most powerful city in the Moonsea region as well as the main base of operation for the Zhentarim. Along with the Citadel of the Raven, Zhentil Keep was destroyed by the Shadovar after it was discovered that the Zhentarim had forged an alliance with the phaerimm.

A person from Zhentil Keep is known as a Zhent or Zhentish. The term Zhentarim is reserved for members of the organization of that name. "Zhentilar" is used to refer to the soldiers of Zhentil Keep. "Zhentarian" is archaic and mainly refers to artifacts.

The Founding
Zhentil Keep began as a small trading camp located on the north side of the Moonsea around 640 DR. The original purpose of the encampment was to facilitate trade with the Iron House dwarves in the mines of Tethyamar. The trading camp had the benefit of being located farther away from the dangerous lands of Thar then many of the other northern Moonsea trading camps. This helped to give the fledgling community an added measure of protection from the numerous monsters of that area.

It wasn't until around 747 DR that anyone attempted to create a permanent settlement out of the encampment. This person, a Chancelgauntian ship owner named Orlephar Flostren, began hiring workers and mercenaries to construct fortifications and patrol the surrounding areas. This strategy proved to be successful and the encampment (then called "Flostren's Hold") was able to repel several goblin attacks the following season.

The Twelve Lords
The success of Flostren's Hold quickly caught the interest of several Sembian merchants and by the next spring, a group of 12 Sembian merchants purchased the hold from Flostren for 240,000 gp. The merchants quickly instituted a major project of expansion, building large multi-towered walls and setting aside large swaths of land for the creation of more ports and housing. A large keep was then raised in the northwestern quarter to hold a defensive garrison.

Following its completion, a merchant by the name of Elephstron quickly moved into the keep and gave himself the title "Lord of the Keep." When the other eleven merchants challenged Elephstron's power grab, his response was to suggest that they assume the titles of "Lords of the City," which would grant them the ability to collect taxes, enact laws, and establish militias for carrying out orders on their behalf. The eleven merchants were intrigued by this proposal and the twelve came to a power-sharing agreement with Elephstron as the head. With rivalries subsided (for the moment), the twelve were able to focus more on the many building and expansion projects happening within the city. As a result, Flostren's Hold experienced a period of rapid growth as more and more merchants started moving in and buying or renting land.

Lord Zhentar and the Cleansing of the Council
Despite the measures taken by the 12 Lords, monster attacks on caravans and nearby trade routes became more and more common. At the same time, infighting between the merchants was growing increasingly dangerous and threatened the stability of the Hold. In response to this worsening situation, Elephstron set out in search of a wizard to aid him in combating these threats. Determined to find a mage of considerable skill, Elephstron searched far and wide. It was in 751 DR that Elphestron met a wizard by the name of Zhentar in the city of Westgate. Zhentar accepted Elephstron's request on the condition that the twelve Lords create a formal governing council and give him a seat with equal status in this new council. The twelve lords ultimately agreed to his terms and Zhentar relocated to the Hold as a Lord of the City.

Although Zhentar's history before his coming to Flostron's Hold remains shrouded in mystery, what is well known is that as soon after he arrived, six of the twelve lords suddenly died. If there was any question at first as to who might have been behind these mysterious deaths, that question was answered when all six council vacancies were immediately replaced by six individuals who all seemed to know Zhentar. Furthermore, all of the replacement lords were wizards, with the exception of an extremely rich merchant and an strange priest named Brest.

The Rise of the Dark Shrine
It wasn't until around a year later when the people of the Moonsea began to realize the implications of Zhentar's takeover. In the aptly named Year of Strife, 753 DR, the people of the Moonsea were left aghast when a temple was raised and consecrated in the name of Bane within the walls of Flostren's Hold with Lord Brest as it's High Priest. A number of the lords immediately began voicing their opposition to the new temple, believing the Dark Shrine would scare away merchants and hurt business in the Hold.

The Death of Elephstron and Zhentar
As tensions continued to rise, the lords persuaded Elephstron to accost Zhentar on the matter. Armed with magical weapons and armor, Elephstron ambushed Zhentar atop the walls of the Hold. Elephstron managed to slay the wizard, but not before Zhentar managed to get off one last spell, sending them both plummeting off the wall to their deaths. The death of the two most powerful lords threw the council into chaos as the remaining 10 lords began to split between those who had allied with Elepstron and the wizard-lords who remained loyal to Zhentar's vision. Furthermore, after years of strong-arm tactics and corrupt policies, the people were beginning to turn against the council as well.

It was Lord Hamastarin who first recognized the danger the city was in. Fearing riot and rebellion, Lord Hamastarin threw his support behind Elephstron's son Jhoaz, viewing him as an easy puppet for the rest of the twelve. Zhentar's mage-lords accepted this proposition after Hamastarin also suggested that Zhentar's seat be filled by another wizard in order to preserve the balance on the Council of Lords.

With a war among the council temporarily averted, Zhentar's mage-lords turned themselves to another pressing problem. While rumors and theories flew like wildfire throughout the Hold, no one outside of mage-lords' circle truly knew what had happened to Zhentar and Elephstron. Seeing an opportunity, the mage-lords crafted a story of an evil wizard assassin sent by rival southern merchants. Zhentar, as the story goes, was attacked by the wizard and the two ultimately killed eachother in the battle, while Elephstron was simply an innocent bystander who apparently was killed in the fray from a misplaced spell or something of the sort.

To protect from any individuals nosy enough to try and sort out the truth, the mage-lords sought the help of the Dark Shrine. Together, the mage-lords and the priests of Bane cast numerous spells designed to block any attempts to commune with the spirits of the two fallen lords or divine the truth of their story. The wizards scheme worked marvelously and Zhentar was touted as a hero of the city, which was quickly renamed "Zhentil Keep" in his honor. Not surprisingly, the Dark Shrine immediately received a large anonymous donation which it eagerly used to expand its temple in the Keep.

Expansion
With peace in the council, the new Zhentil Keep experienced a period of major expansion. Learning from the lessons of the near rebellion, the Council of Lords began pouring money back into the city, setting their sights on forging a major center of trade with routes to rival any within the Moonsea or the Dalelands. Already Hillsfar had managed to take over much of the trade in the Moonsea region, and in order to take it back, the Keep would need to make some major investments.

The first project was to construct a large bridge across the River Lis, linking the city with the soutern trade routes. The bridge was then heavily fortified and lined with catapults to protect against enemy ships. The second order of business was to create a massive log boom that could be used to block off any unwanted access to the channel. With the channel and bridge secure, a new section of the city was constructed on the southern shore of the river where a large tower and a gate were raised. With the southern section complete, the entire northern section was expanded outwards over a period of four years.

The expansion payed off quickly and a new wave of merchants poured into the city, many of them drawn to the lack of rules, since one could sell any good so long as there were buyers. In fact, the only persons one ever had to answer to were those whose business they were cutting into. Often, that answer would come in a poisoned dagger or a sudden "accident," both of which could also be bought at competitive prices.

The Time of Troubles
When Bane fell during the Time of Troubles, Zhentil Keep was claimed by followers of Cyric. He controlled the keep and its citizens until 1367 DR, when he fell and Zhentil Keep was subsequently assaulted by white dragons and frost giants the following year. This siege left a large portion of the city, north of the river Tesh in ruins. Much of the activity and attitude of the city's inhabitants are directed towards rebuilding the destroyed regions.

Post Spellplague
In response to the Zhentarim alliance with the Phaerimm, the Shadovar moved against Zhentil Keep, razing it along with the Citadel of the Raven.

Currently, the city's northerly districts have become home to a den of pirates as well as a refuge for bandits. Ships belonging to the Black Moon Brotherhood have been known to dock here often. South, across the Tesh river, the former city has become a dangerous ruin shadowed by twilight and crawling with undead who, protected by the dark shroud hanging above the city, roam this rubble strewn section of the city day and night. This area is currently beset by several factions controlled by intelligent undead as well as at least one necromancer. These factions all vie for control over this valuable territory.

Religion
The church of Bane is considered, for all intents and purposes, the state faith of Zhentil Keep. Worship of a select few other deities is tolerated within the city's walls, as evidenced by their scattered temples. Among these shrines and churches are those dedicated to Tymora, Loviatar and Tempus. Any followers of Cyric are officially unwelcome, with a tendency to disappear under mysterious circumstancees if they by some chance make it within the keep.



Politics
As of 1374 DR, there existed a gate fee when entering or leaving the city, imposed by Fzoul Chembryl. A writ permitting an individual free passage within the city for the period of one tenday could be bought, upon entering, for five gold pieces. The valid writ was required on exiting the city, else a fee of 100 gold pieces was imposed. This measure was intended to prevent most citizens from migrating away from the city, since this fee is beyond the reach of most citizens.

Important figures

 * Fzoul Chembryl
 * Scyllua Darkhope
 * Manshoon

Notable locations

 * Temple of Bane: Once serving as a grand palace of Lord Orgauth and before that as home to a Thayan ambassador, this temple dedicated to the Black Lord is home to some of the high-ranking members of the Zhentarim.
 * Tower of the Art: This tower is the home to a local wizard's guild that is led by Thagdal.
 * Zhentarim barracks: This building, constructed not long before 1374 DR, contains the command leadership of the Zhentarim, with only a small portion of the group's standing army. It also posesses a large armory to equip the cavalry and 500 infantry housed there, along with a brig of prison cells to hold traitors and those who break their military oath.