Scyllua Darkhope

Scyllua Darkhope was the Castellan of Zhentil Keep and High Captain of its armies. A fallen paladin of Tyr, she became a champion and blackguard of Bane. Under her leadership the Zhents were able to recover after the near complete destruction of their city by the humanoid army sent by Cyric in 1368 DR. Scyllua was killed in 1375 DR by the leaders of the Shadowdale rebellion.

Appearance
Scyllua was lean and athletic, possessed of a fierce charisma that both inspired and frightened. She lead the Zhent raids in person upon a white nightmare named Targaraene.

Personality
Scyllua was determined, persistent and intelligent, wading into battle with joyous abandon. A zealous agent of Bane, she was a enemy of all good.



Biography
Scyllua grew up in the Dalelands and was taken as a slave to Zhentil Keep along with her mother while still a child. A Zhent noble, cousin to Teldorn Darkhope of Mintar, took notice of her mother and brought them into his household. Scyllua adopted the Darkhope surname, but remained bitter over the situations surrounding her upbringing. She joined the army of Zhentil Keep, with the intention of doing the work of Tyr by leading the common folk against injustices of the Zhentarim.

Following Cyric's destruction of Zhentil Keep in 1368 DR, Scyllua made a name for herself within the army and quickly climbed up the ranks largely due to her exceptional skill in combat. After the siege Scyllua was recognized as a champion of the city and she took advantage of this status by becoming a powerful critic of the previous governance of the city. With the Zhentarim having left the city during the siege, Scyllua saw an opportunity to strike at Lord Orgauth and end the cities legacy of corruption and evil. She finally cornered him in the winter of 1370 DR. He ultimately surrendered to her, offering to help right the ills of the past and convinced Scyllua to join him in this goal. He was in fact a pit fiend of great power—and thus began working towards her fall.

Orgauth ultimately succeeded in his goal of corrupting Scyllua as she ended up renouncing Tyr and dedicating herself to Bane by joining his ranks as a blackguard. While Orgauth taught her of Bane and how to serve him, his consort Desmonda (an Erinyes in disguise) jealously told many lies about Orgauth to the young blackguard, telling her just enough truth to make Scyllua hate her new tutor once more. Following her fall from paladinhood, she turned against Lord Orgauth and slew him and accepting an invitation by Fzoul Chembryl, she joined the ranks of the Zhentarim — embracing the organization she once sought to destroy.

Scyllua became Fzoul's best captain and was the obvious choice to lead the campaign against the Dalelands and Myth Drannor late in 1374 DR. However, once she learned of a rebellion in recently conquered Shadowdale, she returned under light escort via the Ethereal Plane to quickly take command of the garrison there, only to be slain in the skies above her troops by the adventurers behind the rebellion.

Equipment
Scyllua carried an incredibly sharp magical bastard sword which was particularly effective against those of a chaotic alignment. She wore a magical suit of black full plate mail and a ring that allowed her to float to the ground akin to a feather fall spell.

Scyllua rode a white nightmare named Targaraene.

Combat and Tactics
Scyllua prefers to attack from the back of her Nightmare, Targaraene, employing its Etherealness ability to rapidly shift positions on the battlefield and to withdraw if Scyllua needs time to heal herself.