Pereghost

The Pereghost was one of the great mysteries of the Zhentarim's 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 was one of the few places in the Black Network where soldiers were promoted by merit, not by scheming or bribes. As such, the Pereghost was not just feared, but respected by the Zhentilar. In turn, the Pereghost was 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.

In 1372 DR, Darkhold was a dictatorship with two masters: the Pereghost and Dhamir Ercals, the castle's high priest of Cyric. Both leaders despised one another and were actively plotting to assassinate their competition. The hatred between the two was so overwhelming that neither would consider an alliance of convenience, even though both knew that a bloody civil war between the worshipers of Cyric and Bane was inevitable.

Following a string of disasters that left both Zhentil Keep and the Citadel of the Ravens destroyed, the Pereghost emerged as the most senior leader of the organization still standing. His strong leadership in this time of crisis was widely credited as the only reason the Zhentarim was able to survive and begin rebuilding its power and reputation, and as of 1489 DR, he appeared to still be in command of Darkhold, and as a result the wider Black Network.

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