A history of the Zhentarim Invasion 1375–1376 DR

Betrayed by merchants

N THE YEAR 1375DR the Black Sails Merchant Company came to Sarbreenar. It was run by a fat, bearded merchant named Tupp’ny Happ’ny. He traded heavily with the adventuring community and when prices were low – he paid the best price in the city. Money passed hands and many powerful items left Sarbreenar in Black Sails’ caravans.

When the roads were hit by a ‘Bandit King’, The Black Sails Merchant Company paid for caravan guards along the route to the nearest port, at Portsoy. It was later discovered that Tupp’ny had organised the bandit raids himself to cast suspicion on Sarbreenar’s goblin allies. All the while, Portsoy was being fortified and foreign troops were being stationed there, in the guise of caravan guards. Sarbreenar’s agents in Portsoy met with terminal ‘accidents’.

In the year 1376DR, caravan guards started to come to and from Sarbreenar. Some stayed behind in the city and a large force began to build up in the warehouses of the Black Sails Merchant Company.

Undermined by greed

Meanwhile, Sarbreenar’s political strength had been weakened by an unfortunate dispute over a diamond mine on nearby Targa Mountain. The gnomes of High Haspur laid claim to it and they were supported by Fleetwood, a Paladin of Helm. It’s not in the nature of Sarbreenar’s adventurers to give up treasure so lightly and they shared their disappointment with Mayor Boris the Hat. So, when an offer to fix the problem came from a band of gnolls, Boris seized the chance.

These dogfaced creatures had come to request the help of Sarbreenar to exterminate a lich whose domain bordered their land. Boris sent eight specialist teams to find and destroy the lich’s phylactery but things didn’t go as planned. The lich turned out to be Powerfulous the Everliving, an evil but lawful lich who had no plans to expand his domain. He was far more interested in cultural pursuits and snooker. His domain acted as a buffer zone between the Gnoll Nation and Sarbreenar. Removing the lich would weaken Sarbreenar’s borders to the East. So a truce was negotiated with Powerfulous if he would agree to match the Gnolls offer to deal with the Diamond Mine dispute.

Unfortunately the lich chose a devastating strategy to negotiate ownership. He massacred all the gnomes who were occupying the mine! Money-grabbing Mayor Boris got his diamond mine but the price was the loss of an old alliance with the Gnomes of High Haspur.

Attacked from within

In early summer, Sarbreenar was hit by a number of catastrophes that caused chaos over twenty-four hours. The adventuring companies of the city were left in disarray.

The very next morning, Black Sails Merchant Company guards came boiling out of their warehouses. A massive black keep was conjured in the north east of the city. Conflict broke out and bloody battles were fought to defend the city. Dreadful atrocities were perpetrated at The Cat’s Paw, house of pleasure and it was finally overrun. Temples were burnt to cinders. A deadly fight to the death occurred along the north/south dividing wall and at both of its gatehouses.

Many were killed including the Mayor Boris the Hat. Lady Jillian, the last of the noble Lightsblood family, and Samian Ware the senior Cleric of Lathandar, were among those captured. It soon became clear that the invaders were the Black Network of the Zhentarim! At the end of the day the Zhentarim held the north section of the city above the dividing wall. Their agents had identified many of Sarbreenar’s heroes and printed them on a pack of trophy playing cards to be killed on sight. They have infested the sewers under the city with vicious Chokers that attack anyone they find in the tunnels. Halflings have been declared vermin and worship of Bane is compulsory.

Sarbreenar fights back

The first strike against the Zhentarim was a mission to rescue Lady Jillian from the Bastion of Darkness which served as the stronghold of the Zhentarim invaders. Not all the rescuers returned from that desperate mission but Lady Jillian was set free and several girls from the Cat’s Paw were rescued from slavery on the construction site of a great temple to Bane.

The horrors of the invasion and capture seemed to have forged Lady Jillian into a strong leader, determined to avenge and reclaim Sarbreenar. She now plays an active role on the High Council and is an inspiration to the citizens of Sarbreenar.

She offered mercy at the trial of Damien Sureshot, an exile who returned to the city under threat of death to bring reinforcements against the Zhentarim invaders. No such mercy was shown to Tupp’ny Happ’ny the traitorous Merchant. He was condemned to be hung, drawn and quartered at dawn.

Temple of Ultimate Evil

Word had come to Lady Jillian that the Temple of Bane was to be consecrated that very night by spilling the blood of the High Cleric Samian Ware and many other innocents. She called upon all heroes of Sarbreenar to strike against the evil Temple which had been constructed by sorcery and slavery in the north west of the city. Many heroes answered her call and penetrated the Temple, braving wards, traps and demonic guardians to try to find the captives and disrupt the ceremony. The urgency was desperate and not all could be saved but Samian was extracted before the ritual could be finished, along with some other prisoners. A number of hidden devices were left behind to disrupt the temple’s power.

Stalemate

Now Sarbreenar is a city divided. Neither side appears to have enough force of arms to drive out the other. The fate of the city hangs in the balance, for surely no traders will bring their goods through this war-torn region.

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