Xanathar (title)

The Xanathar was a title held by the beholder leader of the Xanathar's Thieves' Guild, a crime organization active in Waterdeep and Skullport. Many beholders held the title of Xanathar during the guild's history.

Arrival of Xanathar and the Eye
Xanathar was the true name of a beholder of the Anaurian Hive who ran a group called the Xanathar's Thieves' Guild that had attained significant power over the criminal underworld in Waterdeep by 1358 DR. Xanathar was a follower of Xantriph who arrived in Waterdeep in a trading caravan from Zhentil Keep, tasked with deposing the Lords of Waterdeep and replacing them with a ruler friendly to the Zhentarim.

Upon his arrival, Xanathar realized Waterdeep had no thieves' guild; its former thieves' guild, the Shadow Thieves, had been crushed and driven into Amn by Lhestyn years earlier in 1298 DR. Xanathar decided to defy his masters by abandoning his mission and filling the power vacuum in Waterdeep's crime underworld. He set up a hideout in the sewers beneath Waterdeep and organized an unofficial thieves' guild, working indirectly through freelancers to avoid detection from the Lords of Waterdeep.

An elder orb beholder, named Kirukeskai and nicknamed the Eye, had arrived in Skullport in 1205 DR. Kirukeskai, a member of the Graypeaks Hive, set up a slaving operation in Skullport which grew over time to include blackmail, extortion, spying, thievery, smuggling, and mercenary work. Its organization came to be known as the Agents of the Eye. Kirukeskai spread rumors to fade into the background and organized its closest agents to work semi-autonomously; eventually its existence was largely forgotten.

Death of Xanathar
By 1304 DR the Agents of the Eye were feared and respected throughout Skullport. Kirukeskai continued to grow in wisdom and experience even as its magical powers waned with age. By the mid-1300s DR, Kirukeskai sought new opportunities to increase its influence and turned its attention to the Xanathar's Thieves' Guild.

According to some sources, Kirukeskai killed Xanathar some time in the late 1360s DR. Over a ten year investigation, Kirukeskai determined that the guild's leader Xanathar was a beholder from a different hive. Seeking to gather more power and eliminate a rival, Kirukeskai located Xanathar's lair and tricked another Graypeaks Hive beholder of Skullport, Uthh, into attacking Xanathar in the Waterdeep sewers. Xanathar defeated Uthh, but Kirukeskai slew Xanathar in his weakened condition.

According to other sources, Xanathar was killed by the Heroes of Waterdeep in 1358 DR, under orders from the Lords of Waterdeep.

Reign of the Eye
After Xanathar's death, Kirukeskai took over Xanathar's guild, absorbing the guild's operations and contacts. Kirukeskai instructed its new agents to call it "the Xanathar" to make the name seem a title. Most of Xanathar's agents were charmed or threatened into loyalty. Outside of ranking members of Xanathar's guild, no one was aware of the change in power. In the guise of the Xanathar, Kirukeskai was able to expand its operations into Waterdeep. It further consolidated its power by killing Seirtych Xantaun, another Graypeaks Hive beholder running a smuggling operation in Skullport.

By 1370 DR, Kirukeskai wielded great power in Skullport and Waterdeep, controlling one third of the slave trade in Skullport and exploring the possibility of promoting an agent to serve as a Lord of Waterdeep. By 1372 DR, it controlled all the beholders of Undermountain, having driven its last rival, the Graypeaks Hive smuggler Misker, into hiding in Trobriand's Graveyard.

Kirukeskai was either killed by adventurers or the lich Avaereene, who formerly served as the commander of its slave trade. In 1479 DR, an ancient blind beholder known as the Blind was living in Skullport, claiming to be the Eye and seeking a relic to restore his former power and secure revenge against Avaereene.

Subsequent successions
After Kirukeskai's death, a third beholder assumed the role and title of the Xanathar. Over the years, many more beholders claimed the title, some by killing the previous Xanathar and some by peaceful succession. The elder beholder Xandulzrithral chose retirement to escape the role's dangers. The activities of other Waterdhavian beholders such as Xlorothxrau, commonly known as Lothjaws, were often mistaken for the work of the Xanathar. The Xanathars usually enjoyed seeing others blamed for their crimes.

Izulktur held the title of Xanathar for a short time. It was originally part of a cluster working with four beholders, and continued to magically communicate and share information about Waterdeep with the cluster after assuming the title. Eventually Izulktur grew bored with the restrictive secrecy and confinement of the title, and ordered the cluster to send a replacement. The cluster sent Zushaxx, a young, ambitious, and impulsive beholder new to the cluster, to take over as Xanathar.

Reign of Zushaxx
Volothamp Geddarm documents in Volo's Guide to Monsters that Zushaxx was Xanathar by the late 15th century DR. Zushaxx spent much of its first year reading through the library amassed by its predecessor Xanathars; exposure to the library drove its thirst for knowledge. Zushaxx showed a willingness to take chances to increase its power and considered revealing its true identity as a beholder beyond its trusted inner circle.

Zushaxx was a paranoid, megalomaniacal leader and rarely left its secret lair, a dungeon complex of Netherese origin connected to Skullport and Waterdeep's sewers. Zushaxx craved information and sought to expand its power. Its ultimate goals included installing an agent in Candlekeep's library to receive copies of its lore and controlling the entire region of Undermountain and Skullport.

By 1492 DR, Zushaxx openly controlled Skullport and turned the city into a haven for the Xanathar's Thieves' Guild. Under its rule, most local businesses were shut down, with the few remaining in business paying it protection money. Zushaxx was feuding with the Zhentarim after attempts at an alliance with the Xanathar Guild collapsed. The conflict between the Xanathar's Guild and the Zhentarim erupted into public violence on the streets of Waterdeep.

Knowledge of the Xanathar's identity
Prior to the reign of Zushaxx, all Xanathars closely guarded the fact that the Xanathar was a title held by a succession of beholder crime lords. They took extreme measures to keep their true nature shrouded, rarely leaving their hidden underground lairs, maintaining and swapping between multiple lairs, and regularly abandoning lairs after a few years. At least one Xanathar, Izulktur, retired because of the demands of secrecy. Even within the Xathathar's Guild, only a few trusted underlings knew the true nature of the title, or even that their leader was a beholder.

Zushaxx, the reigning Xanathar of the late 15th century DR, was less concerned about maintaining anonymity, and treated the nature of the title as an open secret. Many mid-level guild members serving Zushaxx were aware that the Xanathar was a beholder; lower ranking members believed the Xanathar was a member of a long-living humanoid race, or a dragon in humanoid form. By 1491 DR, some knowledge of the title's true nature had filtered out to seasoned street girls of Waterdeep.

Most Waterdhavians were broadly aware of the existence of guilds controlling criminal activity in Waterdeep, and occasionally heard rumors of a monstrous demonic or draconic crime lord ruling in secrecy. These rumors were largely dismissed by commoners, who believed that the Lords of Waterdeep would never stand for such creatures in the city.

Several prominent individuals were aware of the title's true nature. In 1491 DR, these included at least two Lords of Waterdeep, the Masked Lord Mirt and the Open Lord Laeral Silverhand. The Chosen of Mystra had known about the nature of the title for centuries. Halaster Blackcloak was also aware, and considered the succession of Xanathars a useful distraction.

Known Xanathars
At least thirteen Xanathars preceded Zushaxx. During Zushaxx's reign, the Crypt of Xanathars Past in the Xanathar's secret lair contained the remains of thirteen previous Xanathars: four dead beholders preserved in embalming fluid and nine urns holding the dust of disintegrated beholders.

The names of the following Xanathars were known:
 * Xanathar, a former Zhentarim agent who founded the Xanathar Thieves' Guild in Waterdeep.
 * Kirukeskai, a slaver who founded the Agents of the Eye and took over Xanathar's name and organization after his death.
 * Xandulzrithral, an elder beholder who retired peacefully from the title.
 * Izulktur, a member of a cluster of beholders who retired after growing bored.
 * Zushaxx, an ambitious, paranoid megalomaniac who gained full control of Skullport.