Zhentarim Faction

The Zhentarim

Membership

Common Descriptors: Ambitious, opportunistic, unscrupulous

Primary Classes: Rogues, warlocks

Alignments: LE (primary), LN, N, NE, CE

Locations

Darkhold (The Far Hills, Western Heartlands)

Ranks

• Fang: Rank 1. You are newly inducted into the family, with one mission: to prove yourself. • Wolf: Rank 2. xxx • Viper: Rank 3. xxx • Ardragon: Rank 4. xxx • Dread Lord: Rank 5. x

The Zhentarim are a network of unscrupulous mercenaries constantly expanding their influence and power throughout Faerûn. The group walks a fine line between outright villainy and merely shady activities, and neutral adventurers might find that the benefits of association with the Black Network outweigh any moral qualms about abetting the organization’s evil activities.

Overview

The Zhentarim’s goal is to become omnipresent and inescapable—wealthier, more powerful, and, most importantly, untouchable. All characters who know the organization’s true nature should fear to cross the Zhentarim. The public face of the Black Network appears more benign, however, focused on offering the best mercenary forces in Faerûn.

When a merchant needs an escort for a caravan, when a noble family requires bodyguards to protect its holdings, or when a city is desperate for trained soldiers to defend its walls, the Zhentarim provide the best warriors money can buy. Members of the organization take pride in their ability to provide services and goods both legal and illicit, and are willing to lose coin if it means destroying a competitor.

The Zhentarim hope to one day establish an indomitable shadow empire that extends across all Faerûn. As they do so, they attempt to secure profits from all folk they deal with, except when doing so would work against the ultimate goal of making those same folk dependent on them.

Goals & Philosophy

The Black Network has been established around a simple creed: amass wealth, power, and influence, and thereby dominate Faerûn. To the Zhentarim, wealth is power. Its agents know that nothing else inspires such confidence and dispels doubt so well. In an instant, wealth speaks louder than a thousand bards. Zhentarim agents routinely carry the finest weapons and armor, with no expense spared.

Zhentarim believe:

• The Zhentarim is your family. You watch out for it, and it watches out for you.
• You are the master of your own destiny. Never be less than what you deserve to be.
• Everything—and everyone—has a price.

Activities

Members of the Zhentarim think of themselves as family, and they rely on the Black Network for resources and security. However, members are granted enough autonomy to pursue their own interests and gain some measure of personal power or influence. The Black Network describes itself as “the best of the best,” although in truth, the Zhentarim are more interested in spreading the organization’s propaganda and influence than investing in the improvement of individual members.

Zhentarim seek to:

• Amass wealth.
• Look for opportunities to seize power.
• Gain influence over important people and organizations.
• Dominate Faerûn.

Typical agent assignments for members of the Zhentarim include:

• Plunder or steal a treasure hoard, powerful magic item, or artifact.
• Secure a lucrative business contract, or enforce an existing one.
• Establish a foothold in a place where the Zhentarim holds little sway.

Faction Ranks

A member of the Zhentarim thinks of himself or herself as a member of a large family, and relies on the Black Network for resources and security. However, members are granted enough autonomy to pursue their own interests and gain some measure of personal power or influence. The Black Network is a meritocracy. As a whole, it promises “the best of the best,” although in truth, the Zhentarim is more interested in spreading its own propaganda and influence than investing in the improvement of its individual members.

Fang (Rank 1)

Prerequisite: Zhentarim renown 1+

• Sponsor: You have a sponsor in the Zhentarim to whom you report. They are likely to assign you any faction missions, and are responsible for the imparting of Zhentarim renown when appropriate.
• Insignia: You receive an insignia in the shape of a stamped gold coin with the symbol of the Zhentarim on one side and a cypher on the other. Senior members of the Zhentarim can decode to cypher to determine who they need to contact to verify your identity as a member of the faction.
• Funding: You may acquire funding from your sponsor if necessary for your mission. Ideally, you cover monetary needs yourself, but if necessary, your sponsor is willing to lend you a number of gold pieces equal to your Zhentarim renown times 100. You must pay this back; though the loan is interest-free, you may not borrow more coin until it has been paid back. (And you will not be granted a new point of renown until the loan is paid back, either.)

Wolf (Rank 2)

Prerequisite: Rank 1 and Zhentarim renown 3+

• Secret Missions: You may now occasionally be assigned secret missions that you are required to fulfill. Though you do not have a sponsor any longer, you are part of a pyramid of operatives, and the assignment may come down from any part of that chain above you. Though you may not be required to accept the mission, they are often the most reliable way to continue advancing in the organization.
• Flying Snake: You are granted a flying snake. During a long rest, it becomes accustomed to you and stays near you at all times. Its only benefit is to deliver written missives or small bags (with single gems or a few coins). During a short rest, you can write a message and release your flying snake, which will fly back to a single central point, usually to the handler where you got the snake from. Flying snakes can fly 72 miles per day. If you will be in the same place, the snake can be sent back to you. Alternately, you can simply pick another one up at a Zhentarim stronghold elsewhere.
• Operating Capital Loans: By this point, you are expected to manage your finances and accomplish things on behalf of the faction based on your own prosperity. That said, this is not always possible. You have the option of sacrificing a point of your Zhentarim renown to gain funds for a Zhentarim project. This amount is 300gp plus 100gp per your rating in Zhentarim renown before you sacrifice the point. If you pay the loan back, you may recover the point of renown; there is no requirement that you do so, however. You will not be able to use this feature again, in either case, until your renown is at least one point higher than it was before you made the sacrifice.
• Lifestyle Increase: Money travels up the chain in the Zhentarim, and you are expected to show the coin of your success to your superiors, to help finance their endeavors. Your Lifestyle costs increase by 1gp per tenday (or 3gp per month).
• Mercenaries: Because Zhentarim plans may require some extra muscle, you have the right to requisition a small group of Zhentarim mercenaries. You may keep them for up to a month, without charge; when you do so, you may receive one guard for every point of renown you have above 2. You may trade in two of these mercenaries to gain a veteran, though you can only do this once. These mercenaries work for one of your superiors, but are willing to follow you during that time.
• Trained in Terror: Zhentarim train their agents to invoke fear in others. You become proficient in the Intimidation skill. If you already have this skill, choose another skill from your class list options instead.
• Tool Training: You may go to the faction for training in useful tools. When you take the Training downtime action to gain proficiency with the disguise kit, forgery kit, poisoner's kit, or thieves' tools, you may do so at half the time and cost.

Viper (Rank 3)

Prerequisite: Rank 2 and Zhentarim renown 10+

• Lifestyle Increase: Now that you are solidly a stalwart agent of the Zhentarim, you are expected to be bringing in greater wealth...with the attendant expectation of sending more of it up the chain. Your Lifestyle costs increase by 5gp per tenday (or 15gp per month).
• Mercenaries: Now a solidly proven Zhentarim agent, you may hire Zhentarim mercenaries to act as part of your normal retinue, and the organization will pay half of their fees. You can gain a guard for 1gp per tenday, or a veteran for 10gp per tenday. There must be at least three guards for every veteran, and you are responsible for the costs for outfitting them with arms and armor, as well. You may support up to your Zhentarim renown in guards as part of this – any additional troops are paid for in full by you (double the costs listed here).
• Tool Training: Your cost to gain proficiency in a disguise kit, forgery kit, poisoner's kit, or thieves' tools is now free, though you must still spend half the time to do so.
• Item Procurement: Though an expenditure of time and coin, you can secure access to magic items the Zhentarim find particularly useful. For 5 tendays and 500 gp, you can secure a +1 weapon, a +1 shield, or slippers of spider climbing. For 10 tendays and 5000 gp, you can secure +1 armor or a ring of evasion.

Ardragon (Rank 4)

Prerequisite: Zhentarim renown 1+

• xxx

Dread Lord (Rank 5)

Prerequisite: Zhentarim renown 1+

• xxx