Zhentilar compound (Scardale)

The Zhentilar compound was a fortification in Scardale Town established by an envoy from Zhentil Keep during the coalition occupation of Scardale in the mid–14 century DR.

Description
Easily the most powerful force within Scardale following the second inter-dale war, the compound formed by the Zhents was essentially a walled fortress within the city. The hundred or so soldiers were led by the ambitious wizard Ithana Redstave, who coordinated a number of plots to consolidate the power of her nation within the dale. These included a plot to blame a series of murders on the envoy from Hillsfar and the attempted manipulation of Governor Myrian Beechwood to end the occupation and secure Scardale as a Zhent puppet-state.

History
A matter of months after the Shaking Plague devastated Scardale Town in 1370 DR, the last will and testament of the conqueror Lashan Aumersair was discovered in the town. The document identified the Zhent knight Scyllua Darkhope as his illegitimate child, heir to the Aumersair dynasty, and rightful ruler of Scardale.

The townsfolk of Scardale had mixed reactions to this news. Some believed the return of an Aumersair lordship would return the dale to its former glory, while others felt it would bring a host of problems to a land in recovery from war and disease. Yet others doubted the legitimacy of the will and thought it to be part of an elaborate ruse. Regardless, the agents of the Zhentarim engaged in their usual habits of extortion, kidnapping, and killings in preparation of Scyllua's entry into Scardale's power dynamics.