Zhentil Keep
City in The Moonsea · Thargate Keep
Zhentil Keep is a grim fortress city on the north-western shore of the Moonsea, long the stronghold of the Zhentarim; destroyed in 1383 DR, it was later rebuilt.
Black walls rise over the cold grey Moonsea, half-rebuilt towers stand beside old ruins, and soldiers in dark armour watch every newcomer.
Zhentil Keep at a glance
- Also known as
- Thargate Keep
- Type & size
- Fortified port city, partly in ruins
- Allegiance & rule
- Allegiance: Historically the seat of the Zhentarim (the Black Network)
- Ruled by: Zhentarim leaders and the masters of the city's garrison
- People & culture
- Mostly humans, with mercenaries, orcs and others in Zhentarim service; harsh, suspicious and ruled by fear and money
- Key exports & trade
- Mercenaries and protection
- Goods from the Moonsea trade, legal and otherwise
Overview
Zhentil Keep stands where the River Tesh meets the Moonsea, with the ogre-haunted moors of Thar just to the south-east. For centuries it was the seat of the Zhentarim, the network of merchants, mercenaries and spies that sought to control trade across the Heartlands, and of the church of Bane.
The city was destroyed by the Shadovar of Netheril in 1383 DR, during the Shadowbane War, and was later rebuilt under the Zhentarim; its fortunes still rise and fall with those of the Zhentarim.
In adventures
Zhentil Keep is a dangerous place for most adventurers: a base for villains, a target for raids or a city where a party must work with the Black Network to get what it needs.
At the table
- A Zhentarim agent offers the party a lucrative contract, and the job looks clean, at first.
On the map
Roads from Zhentil Keep
- HillsfarBy sea · 139 mi
Regions nearby
- TharMoor · ~12 mi south-east
Nearby places
- HillsfarCity · ~109 mi
- Myth DrannorRuin · ~152 mi
- ShadowdaleVillage · ~197 mi
- EssembraTown · ~276 mi
- HighmoonTown · ~290 mi
- OrdulinCity · ~343 mi
Distances as the crow flies, measured on our map.