doc225
2017-03-07, 12:28 PM
In my game, I have 5 characters, 2 of which chose to align with the Zhents and are at rank 3 in the faction. The rest of the players are not affiliated with any faction, currently, but do show loyalty to the Zhent characters.
My idea is this: Pit the Zhent characters against the Lords' Alliance in such a way that the Zhents are, in fact, the good guys. The Lords' Alliance has grown in power in the North, and has become more focused on preserving and expanding that power, keeping their own positions and privilege, than they are on helping the people under their rule. The Zhents have taken up the mantle of the common man, to help all that ally with them throw off the oppression of the Lord's Alliance. They seek to put citizens in positions and jobs that compliment their natural gifts and talents, in a way that the citizen, the populace as a whole, and the Zhentarim can succeed and grow. When they come into a town, they work to organize the guilds, unite the workers and commoners, in efforts to improve the lives of everyone, not just the nobility. They believe in rank based on merit, not birthright. The Lords' Alliance sees this as a threat to their power structure, which is firmly based in feudalism and rigid social structure.
There doesn't seem to be much need for alteration on the leadership of the Lords' Alliance, other than their alignment. They Leaders of the different towns and states are already behaving in a way consistent with my ideas, so it's easy to paint this picture.
The Zhents however, I haven't been able to find any leadership structure for them. I have a nice list of all the major Lords in the Alliance, but not much since Fzoul, Manshoon, and the Darkhopes. Who are the leaders as of about 1480DR? In 'A Great Upheaval' (Storm King's Thunder) I notice that the Zhentarim spy in the town in named Kella Darkhope, so I am taking that to mean she is descendant of that Darkhope family, working her way into the ranks as a low level spy. Halia Thornton, the Zhent contact in Phandalin (starter set) is the direct patron for the 2 characters in this game, and how they were introduced.
Order of the Gauntlet, Emerald Enclave, and the Harpers will likely not pay much part in my game going forward, though could come in as allies or opponents if the need arises. I'm taking the idea that among humanoids, evil is subjective. Short of abyssal, infernal, or other outside influence, most evil is just selfishness with different point of view. Goblins can be redeemed, Ogres can be reasoned with, and short of actual outsiders or creatures created and/or touched by outsiders (like Gnolls) evil and good are subjective in most cases. This is how this conflict will flourish. Both the people in the Lords' Alliance (and their supporters) and the Zhents feel like they are doing the good and just thing.
Any advice os figuring out the leadership structure for the Zhents, or should it stay a system of slinger cells operating in concert, without core leadership?
My idea is this: Pit the Zhent characters against the Lords' Alliance in such a way that the Zhents are, in fact, the good guys. The Lords' Alliance has grown in power in the North, and has become more focused on preserving and expanding that power, keeping their own positions and privilege, than they are on helping the people under their rule. The Zhents have taken up the mantle of the common man, to help all that ally with them throw off the oppression of the Lord's Alliance. They seek to put citizens in positions and jobs that compliment their natural gifts and talents, in a way that the citizen, the populace as a whole, and the Zhentarim can succeed and grow. When they come into a town, they work to organize the guilds, unite the workers and commoners, in efforts to improve the lives of everyone, not just the nobility. They believe in rank based on merit, not birthright. The Lords' Alliance sees this as a threat to their power structure, which is firmly based in feudalism and rigid social structure.
There doesn't seem to be much need for alteration on the leadership of the Lords' Alliance, other than their alignment. They Leaders of the different towns and states are already behaving in a way consistent with my ideas, so it's easy to paint this picture.
The Zhents however, I haven't been able to find any leadership structure for them. I have a nice list of all the major Lords in the Alliance, but not much since Fzoul, Manshoon, and the Darkhopes. Who are the leaders as of about 1480DR? In 'A Great Upheaval' (Storm King's Thunder) I notice that the Zhentarim spy in the town in named Kella Darkhope, so I am taking that to mean she is descendant of that Darkhope family, working her way into the ranks as a low level spy. Halia Thornton, the Zhent contact in Phandalin (starter set) is the direct patron for the 2 characters in this game, and how they were introduced.
Order of the Gauntlet, Emerald Enclave, and the Harpers will likely not pay much part in my game going forward, though could come in as allies or opponents if the need arises. I'm taking the idea that among humanoids, evil is subjective. Short of abyssal, infernal, or other outside influence, most evil is just selfishness with different point of view. Goblins can be redeemed, Ogres can be reasoned with, and short of actual outsiders or creatures created and/or touched by outsiders (like Gnolls) evil and good are subjective in most cases. This is how this conflict will flourish. Both the people in the Lords' Alliance (and their supporters) and the Zhents feel like they are doing the good and just thing.
Any advice os figuring out the leadership structure for the Zhents, or should it stay a system of slinger cells operating in concert, without core leadership?