The spiritual successor to Elminster’s Candlekeep Companion, this 112-page supplement provides a comprehensive history and guide to the most infamous organization in Faerûn: the Zhentarim!

M.T. Black, Anthony Joyce, and I learned a ton since Candlekeep. I’m confident this is the best supplement we’ve ever released in terms of content, presentation, and our amazing team, or as it’s known within the Black Network, “the family.”

Here’s a small taste of the treasures you’ll find within this book:

• The never-before-revealed origins of the current High Lord of the Zhentarim, the enigmatic Pereghost, and the current whereabouts of each known clone of Manshoon
• An entire chapter on playing “evil” campaigns co-designed by Kienna Shaw, co-curator of the ENnie-winning TTRPG Safety Toolkit
• Player options galore, including the Spellthief subclass for the rogue, dastardly magic items such as the body bag of holding, and new spells like Manshoon’s mage hand
• Two full-color maps: Castle Darkhold, and Sunset Vale (for which there is a gazetteer)

The Family

Lead Designers: Justice Arman, M.T. Black, Anthony Joyce
Designers: Celeste Conowitch, Jeremy Forbing, Sadie Lowry, Noah Grand, Ed Greenwood, Brittney Hay, Gabriel Hicks, Amber Litke, Jessica Marcrum, Kienna Shaw
Editor: Laura Hirsbrunner
Art Director: Gordon McAlpin
Graphic Designer: Gordon McAlpin
Cover Art: Jack Kaiser
Interior Art: Dean Spencer
Cartography: Marco Bernardini
Creative Consultant: Ed Greenwood
Sensitivity Reader: J. Tyler Palermo
Special Thanks: Ed Greenwood, Bryan Holmes, Samantha Cubbage, DreadClericWesley, Hiten Dave, David Solon Phillips

---

One Cool Thing

Perhaps my favorite part about this entire book—and there’s a lot to love about it—is the system for Thieves’ Cant in chapter 2. This section provides a fun, table-ready code for communicating with your Dungeon Master while keeping other players none the wiser. You can use it to subtlety declare your character’s allegiance, extend a job to a character or NPC, or issue a discreet threat in plain view of the rest of the party. Sadie Lowry did a fantastic job bringing my vision of this section to life!