Shadow of Tyranny, Hand Beyond the Grave
Introduction
"Mark me well, traveler: tyrants may die, but
tyranny does not. Fzoul Chembryl was struck down in the sight of gods and
mortals alike, his reign of terror ended — or so we thought. Yet whispers from
the Moonsea speak of a gauntlet that still grips the throat of Faerûn. The
Harpers call him a revenant, the Zhentarim a curse, and Banite priests a
promise fulfilled. Whatever the truth, the name of Fzoul lingers like a shadow
at sunset: long, dark, and inevitable." — Laeral Silverhand, private
notes to the Harpers of Waterdeep
Fzoul Chembryl was once the supreme tyrant of the Zhentarim,
high priest of Bane, and one of the few villains in Faerûn’s long history to
secure lasting victories against his foes. When Bane returned from
divine death, it was Fzoul who carried his banner — and for a time, the Black
Hand gripped the Realms more tightly than ever.
Now, rumors abound that Fzoul himself has been restored. If
true, his return makes him unlike any servant of the Dead Three: not a fleeting
incarnation, not a diminished spark, but Bane’s ace in the hole — a
mortal general who walks in lockstep with his god’s will, twice-chosen and
twice-damned.
Why Fzoul Returns
When Bane clawed his way back into the mortal realm, he did not return alone. He restored Fzoul Chembryl as his Twice-Chosen, a vessel to carry half of his divine will. Through Fzoul, Bane doubled his reach: the god ruled from on high, while his general walked the Realms below. Together they seeded fragments of the Black Hand’s essence into children across Faerûn, a hidden brood of heirs destined to awaken as tyrants. In this way, Bane’s power spread not only through temples and armies, but through bloodlines and futures yet to be claimed.
How he returned is unknown, but the possibilities are a source
of gossip
Bane’s Shadow Chosen.
When Fzoul was cut down, Bane did not discard him. Instead, the
Black Lord took a shard of his soul, hiding it in the iron depths of his divine
domain. Where Bhaal was reborn through murder and Myrkul through whispers of
undeath, Bane kept his hand hidden — waiting to play his sharpest card. By
restoring Fzoul, Bane gains twice the mortal agency of his peers: a god with a
priesthood, and a god with a chosen general who answers to no other.
The False Death Gambit.
Some sages whisper that Fzoul was never truly slain at all but exiled by his
god into a Black Altar — forced into stasis until Bane deemed the world ready
for him again. If so, then his “death” was but a divine stratagem, meant to
deceive enemies into complacency. To those who know the Black Hand’s patience,
this explanation rings truest: tyranny does not strike only when it is strong,
but also when its foes believe it to be weakest.
The Reluctant Revenant.
There are darker tales still, told by trembling acolytes: that
Fzoul’s return was not his choice. Bane dragged his soul screaming back into
mortal flesh, binding him as both vessel and weapon. In these whispers, Fzoul
is half-man, half-divine wrath, a creature who walks forever on the edge of
being consumed by the god he once served. Whether victim or willing pawn, he is
more dangerous now than ever before.
How He Returns
Cult Ritual.
In the crumbling cellars of Darkhold and the drowned crypts of
Zhentil Keep, some never stopped whispering Fzoul’s name. It is said that
Banite loyalists performed a ritual of blood and chains, calling back their
high tyrant to rally the faith. They sought only a symbol, a revenant shade to
frighten their foes — but Bane seized the moment and made it real. Thus Fzoul
returned not as a ghost or echo, but as flesh, fury, and purpose renewed.
Divine Reconstitution.
Other accounts speak of the Black Hand’s wrath growing too great
to contain. Bane, ever the hoarder of strength, used Fzoul’s essence as a
reliquary for his excess power. When the vessel could hold no more, it burst,
spilling Fzoul back into Toril. In this telling, Fzoul is not merely mortal,
but a walking reservoir of divine tyranny, brimming with borrowed power that
leaks into every oath, every command, every act of cruelty he utters.
Relic Bound.
Still others insist that an artifact anchored him: the shattered
gauntlet once raised in Bane’s name, or the obsidian throne upon which he
judged the faithless. When such relics were unearthed and defiled, the tether
tightened, and Fzoul was dragged screaming back into the Realms. Wherever these
objects now rest, they pulse with his presence, serving both as anchors for his
Immortal Leash and as altars of fear to the faithful.
His Role in the Present Age
The General of Tyranny.
Bane is the god of conquest and order through fear. Fzoul is his
marshal, the generalissimo who enforces that vision upon Toril. Where others
command armies through sword and coin, Fzoul commands through inevitability. He
raises fortresses, twists governments into tools of oppression, and turns
rebellion into fodder for his own ascendancy. Where he treads, laws harden into
chains.
The Anti-Harper.
The Harpers meddle in the name of freedom. Fzoul is their mirror
in shadow: a hand that meddles not for liberty, but for obedience. If the
Harpers prop up a fledgling kingdom, Fzoul infiltrates it, seizing its crown in
Bane’s name. If rebels rise, he ensures their martyrdom strengthens tyranny
rather than weakens it. In this way, he has become more than an enemy of the
Harpers — he is the concept of anti-freedom given flesh.
The Schemer Behind the Dead Three.
Cyric raves, Myrkul whispers, Bhaal slaughters — but Fzoul is the
stabilizing factor Bane requires to outlast them all. In quiet councils and
shadowed wars, he undercuts the mortal agents of the other Dead Three, ever the
Black Hand’s counterweight. Whether sabotaging Bhaalspawn cults or manipulating
Myrkul’s necromancers into folly, Fzoul’s role is clear: ensure that when the
Dead Three clash, it is Bane’s fist that closes last.
The Black Brood of Fzoul
"A tyrant may die, but tyranny breeds. Look not only
at the man returned, but at the children who smile too coldly, command too
swiftly, and dream of chains." — Elminster of Shadowdale
Fzoul’s return is no mere resurrection of flesh. He has come
back with a vision to ensure his dominion outlives him. Where Bane once planted
fear in the hearts of mortals, Fzoul now plants fragments of his god —
shards of will, slivers of the Black Hand’s essence — into the young across
Faerûn. These children appear ordinary until the seed within them stirs, and
then they awaken as the Black Brood, heirs to a shadowed destiny.
Birthright Tyrants
The Brood grow into strength that exceeds their station.
Their words carry unnatural weight; their gaze chills those who defy them. Even
as youths, they command obedience with frightening ease. In restless dreams,
they hear the whispers of Bane himself, urging them toward dominion. Whether
they rule a schoolyard or a merchant’s guild, they bend the world to their will
long before they know why.
Diversity of Hosts
Fzoul shows no prejudice in his sowing. Noble heirs, the
bastards of soldiers, the children of beggars, and even orphans plucked from
the gutter may all bear the seed. Some are marked at birth by clandestine
midwives in Banite service. Others are consecrated in dark baptisms, where
desperate parents trade their child’s soul for wealth, safety, or revenge. What
unites them is not their bloodline, but their bondage to the Black Hand.
The Tyrant’s Chain
The Brood are not a hive mind, yet they are drawn together
as if by a hidden gravity. When one awakens, others nearby feel it in dreams
and sudden compulsions. They gather instinctively, forming circles of authority
that rise like weeds through cobblestones. A single seed might dominate a
village; a cluster may topple a city-state. Wherever they grow, they link into
a living Chain of Tyranny, each link strengthening the next.
The Tyrant’s
Seed (Template).
Apply this to any NPC to mark them as part of the Brood. It
should be subtle at first, then escalate as the campaign unfolds.
- Tyrant’s
Mark (Awakened). As a bonus action, the Brood can project authority.
All creatures of lower CR within 30 ft. must make a Wisdom saving throw
(DC 13 + half the Brood’s proficiency bonus) or become frightened until
the end of their next turn.
- Black
Resilience. Resistance to psychic and necrotic damage.
- Dreams
of the Gauntlet. Each dawn, the Brood rolls a d6. On a 6, they awaken
from dreams of Bane with advantage on Insight and Intimidation checks for
the day.
- Seed
Transfer. If a Brood is slain, the essence within leaps to another
nearby child or youth within 1 mile. Fzoul always knows the location of
his seeds.
The Tyrant’s Chain (Cluster Effect).
When three or more Brood are within 1 mile of each other, their power
grows.
- They
gain a shared pool of Legendary Resistances (1/day per Brood present).
- Once
per long rest, one Brood may invoke command (as the spell)
affecting all creatures of their choice within 30 ft.
Fzoul’s Old Tricks Reborn
"The Black Hand never unclenches. Fzoul grips old
chains as tightly as he forges new ones." — Khelben “Blackstaff”
Arunsun, private missive (sealed and unopened until after his death)
Beholders
Few mortals could claim alliances with beholders and live to
tell of it. Fzoul not only survived, he thrived, learning to turn paranoia into
loyalty through carefully crafted hierarchies of control.
- The
Tyrant’s “Pets.” In earlier days, Fzoul relied on beholder crime lords
and lieutenants to keep his grasp tight. Now, he courts their vanity anew,
promising domains where their aberrant rule is both feared and worshiped.
- Current
State. Beholders crave structured dominance, and Fzoul’s Black Brood
are irresistible bait: young tyrants destined to rise, ready to be
mentored — and manipulated — by eye-tyrants who see them as perfect
thralls.
- New
Trick. Rather than hiding in underdark lairs, Fzoul plants beholders
as secret guardians of chosen heirs. Imagine the dread of
discovering that the noble child of a city has, for years, been tutored in
dreams by an unseen beholder whispering lessons of power.
The Black Altar Network
Faith has always been Fzoul’s iron root. In his return, he
binds his seed-program to altars of Bane scattered across Faerûn.
- Anchors
of Power. These altars — toppled ruins, corrupted shrines, forgotten
temples — act as rallying points for seeded cultists. Each altar
strengthens the Black Brood nearby, and serves as an anchor for Fzoul’s
own Immortal Leash.
- Dungeon
Sites. For adventurers, these altars are ready-made crucibles of
danger: guarded by Zhent remnants, Brood cultists, and aberrant allies.
Clearing an altar weakens Fzoul’s hold in that region, but draws his eye
in vengeance.
- Echoes
of the Past. Many such altars are built atop the bones of old Zhent
strongholds or lairs where beholders once reigned, binding his “old
tricks” into his new tyranny.
The Zhentarim
Fzoul’s name is etched into the bones of the Zhentarim.
Though the organization has shifted in the Fifth Age of the Realms — from
iron-fisted tyranny into a mercenary guild of traders, spies, and
killers-for-hire — some remember the old ways. Fzoul cultivates them as seeds
in fertile soil.
- Factional
Control. In Fzoul’s eyes, the modern Zhents are soft, more concerned
with contracts than conquests. He nurtures his own branch: Banite
loyalists trained in discipline, bound in chains of faith, and bolstered
by seeded Black Brood who rise through their ranks.
- The
Shadow Network. He does not need to dominate the entire Zhentarim to
matter. Pockets of loyalists in the Moonsea, mercenary companies in the
Heartlands, and smugglers in Baldur’s Gate — all serve as his fingers.
From these cells, whispers spread, gold flows, and seeds are planted.
- Conflict
Point. The modern Zhentarim, pragmatic and profit-minded, may oppose
his resurgent zeal. Adventurers could find themselves siding with one
Zhent faction against another — a choice between tyranny renewed or
tyranny disguised in commerce.
Where He’s Cultivating
"Tyranny does not grow in the wild; it is sown in
furrows of fear and watered with ambition. Fzoul knows well where to
plant." — Lhaeo, former scribe of Elminster
Fzoul’s seeds are not scattered without care. He plants them
in the arteries of the Realms — trade routes, crossroads, and fault lines where
power already wavers. From these fertile soils, tyranny may take root swiftly,
disguising itself as stability until the gauntlet closes.
The Moonsea (Zhentil Keep, Hillsfar, Mulmaster)
The Moonsea is Fzoul’s homeland, and his pride will not
allow him to leave it untended. Zhentil Keep may lie in ruins, yet its
survivors whisper his name as if it were a prayer. Hillsfar’s xenophobia and
Mulmaster’s opportunism provide ready soil for his return.
- Core
of the Brood. Children seeded here are not pawns but heirs —
generals-in-waiting for the empire of tyranny to come. The Moonsea is his
nursery of warlords.
- Adventure
Hook. A young noble of Mulmaster suddenly commands gangs and guilds
alike, his authority unnatural; the PCs are asked to uncover the truth.
The Heartlands (Cormyr, Sembia, Dalelands)
If tyranny is to spread, it must wear the mask of
legitimacy. In Cormyr, Fzoul places his seeds among the heirs of the nobility.
In Sembia, he nurtures merchant dynasts. In the Dalelands, he tempts the
desperate with order amidst chaos.
- Seeds
of Authority. These children are groomed to snap the reins of power at
the right time, seizing crowns and ledgers alike.
- Adventure
Hook. A Dalelands village begs for help: their reeve’s son has
returned from Sembia, suddenly flush with coin and frightening charisma.
The North (Waterdeep, Luskan, the Silver Marches)
Fzoul loathes Waterdeep’s freedom. To him it is a festering
wound that must be cauterized. He plants seeds in influential guild families,
eroding democracy from within. In Luskan, he binds pirate lords with promises
of heirs who can inherit fleets. The Silver Marches, already fractured, are
fertile ground for his whispered order.
- Seeds
of Corruption. The Brood here infiltrate councils and captains’
tables, slowly turning civic squabbles into chains of obedience.
- Adventure
Hook. A Waterdhavian guild suddenly votes in lockstep, their leaders
all tied to children who share a strange black mark.
The Sword Coast (Baldur’s Gate, Amn, Tethyr)
If corruption is already a fire, Fzoul pours oil upon it.
Baldur’s Gate is a city half in tyranny already; his seeds there need only fan
the flames. Amn and Tethyr, with their merchant dynasties and fractured
politics, are perfect soil for tyrant-traders raised to worship the Black Hand.
- Seeds
of Greed. His planted heirs here grow into merchants who command
obedience as easily as they do caravans.
- Adventure
Hook. A powerful trading house in Amn begins demanding oaths of fealty
from its employees — and enforcing them with dark magic.
The South & East (Chult, Thay, Unther, Chessenta)
Fzoul casts his net farther still. In Chult, mercenary
companies and merchant princes unknowingly shelter his heirs, while jungle
wealth flows into Banite coffers. In Thay, he tempts disloyal Red Wizards with
seeds of rival power, a direct affront to Szass Tam. In Unther and Chessenta,
fractured divine politics make fertile ground for a “god of order” cloaked in
tyranny.
- Seeds
of Ambition. These Brood rise as opportunists, filling voids left by
chaos and promising stability — until the chains are locked.
- Adventure
Hook. A Red Wizard cell in Thay suddenly rebels against Szass Tam,
guided by a young prodigy with eyes like burning coals.
Rivals and Complications
"Tyranny grows bold when unchallenged, but never
without rivals. Fzoul’s empire is a spider’s web, yet there are always blades
sharp enough to cut the strands." — Storm Silverhand
Fzoul’s shadow empire is neither undisputed nor unopposed.
Every tyrant gathers enemies with his victories, and Fzoul’s return has
awakened old hatreds, drawn the notice of rival powers, and, inevitably, set
adventurers against him.
Bhaalspawn and the Cult of Murder
The resurgence of Bhaalspawn bloodlines in 5e places Fzoul’s
Brood in direct competition. Where Fzoul sows discipline, Bhaal sows slaughter.
In some cities, Black Brood heirs and Bhaalspawn cults clash openly, turning
streets into battlegrounds.
- Conflict:
The Brood and the Spawn cannot coexist; their very natures drive them into
conflict.
- Adventurer
Hook: PCs stumble into a turf war where both sides are children
touched by dark gods. Do they protect innocents, destroy both, or risk
choosing a side?
Cyric, the Mad God
Cyric and Bane’s feud is legendary. Fzoul himself once
clashed with Cyricists for control of the Moonsea, and the enmity remains
sharp. Cyric’s cultists seek to assassinate seeded heirs, corrupt Banite
altars, and spread chaos wherever Fzoul builds order.
- Conflict:
Cyric’s madness makes his followers unpredictable and dangerous, sometimes
even appearing as “allies” against Fzoul’s tyranny.
- Adventurer
Hook: PCs might be asked to guard a city from Cyricist assassins, only
to discover the assassins’ target is a Black Brood heir — and sparing the
child may be worse than letting the blade fall.
The Harpers and the Order of the Gauntlet
Both organizations see Fzoul’s schemes as an existential
threat. The Harpers are his traditional foil, undermining tyranny at every
turn, while the Order of the Gauntlet treats the Brood as a holy abomination to
be purged.
- Conflict:
Harpers prefer subterfuge and exposure; the Order favors holy war and open
cleansing. PCs caught between them may be forced to choose methods.
- Adventurer
Hook: A mission to investigate a suspected Brood heir turns bloody
when an overzealous Gauntlet paladin moves to execute a child on the spot.
Manshoon, Eternal Rival
Once allies, always rivals. Manshoon, founder of the
Zhentarim, never forgave Fzoul for bending the organization into a priesthood
of Bane. Even now, Manshoon schemes in Waterdeep and beyond, his clone-legacy
splintered but far from broken.
- Conflict:
Manshoon views Fzoul’s return as both insult and threat. The two may clash
directly, or more often through proxy wars between their factions.
- Adventurer
Hook: PCs could be recruited by one Zhent faction to undermine the
other, walking the razor’s edge of working with evil against evil.
The Modern Zhentarim
The mercantile, mercenary Zhentarim of the Fifth Age see
Fzoul’s return as dangerous to their profits and survival. Some will resist his
loyalists, others may strike bargains.
- Conflict:
Fzoul wants to pull the Zhents back under Banite tyranny; the modern
Zhents fight to remain pragmatic opportunists.
- Adventurer
Hook: PCs might negotiate between two Zhent factions, discovering that
one secretly shelters a cluster of the Black Brood.
Shar’s Hidden War
The Lady of Loss covets secrets and despair. Fzoul’s growing
network of seeds represents both: a hidden order and a promise of stability
that directly oppose her designs. Sharran agents infiltrate Banite cults,
undermining them from within.
- Conflict:
Where Bane builds order, Shar seeks to dissolve it into shadow.
- Adventurer
Hook: PCs uncover a Sharran cell sabotaging a Banite temple — but
destroying one cult may strengthen another. Which poison is worse?
Thay and Szass Tam
Szass Tam does not tolerate rivals in his domain. Fzoul’s
seeds planted in disloyal Red Wizards are both temptation and insult.
- Conflict:
Thay may enter open conflict with Banite cults if Fzoul presses too hard,
or covertly exploit the seeds for their own ends.
- Adventurer
Hook: PCs are caught in a Thayan-Banite proxy war, where both sides
seek to recruit (or enslave) them.
Adventurers, the Unwitting Antidote
Finally, there are the heroes themselves. Wherever Fzoul
plants a seed, conflict blossoms, drawing swords and spells. Yet unlike
Harpers, Zhents, or Red Wizards, adventurers answer to no one — which makes
them the most dangerous rivals of all.
- Complication:
Adventurers may destroy a Brood heir only to find the seed leap elsewhere.
They may shatter a Black Altar only to provoke Fzoul’s direct wrath. In
every case, they are part of the friction that keeps the Tyrant’s Chain
from tightening unopposed.
- Adventurer
Hook: The PCs are hunted across regions not because they oppose Bane,
but because they have become known as “seed-breakers” — and Fzoul will not
allow his brood to be pruned.
The Iron Eclipse
"Look for the hand that blots the moon. Where it is found, tyranny
has already taken root." — Harper field report from Mulmaster
Design
The Iron
Eclipse shows a black gauntlet blotting out a silver disc, ringed by
jagged rays of iron spikes. Some versions show the gauntlet clenched, others
open, but always it obscures the light. The rays are often carved with runes or
minor sigils representing factions and regions brought under Banite influence.
Meaning
Where Cyric claims the Black Sun of madness,
Fzoul proclaims the Iron Eclipse of order. It is not light that guides, but its
absence — the promise that freedom, faith, and hope shall all be eclipsed
beneath the Black Hand. The rays symbolize the Black Brood and allied factions,
each a spearpoint of tyranny driven into the Realms.
Why It Works
The Iron Eclipse mimics heraldic motifs
(sunbursts, crowns, halos) but twists them to emphasize absence, dominance, and inevitability. It is both a covert
symbol and a battle banner, appearing as embroidery in noble houses, tattoos
among the Brood, and as frescoes in shrines to Bane. To those in the know, it
signals a territory where Fzoul’s seed has already taken root.
Rituals of Note
Old Rites Reborn
The
Chain of Oaths.
An ancient Banite rite where captives are bound together and forced to swear
loyalty before an altar. In Fzoul’s return, the rite is now performed upon
seeded children, binding them to one another as links in the Tyrant’s Chain.
The Lash
of Loyalty.
A traditional ceremony in which dissenters were beaten until they proclaimed
obedience. In its modern form, the lash is replaced by psychic compulsion —
seeds awaken when the victim surrenders their will, cementing Bane’s dominance.
The
Midnight Procession.
Once a show of Banite strength, where chained captives were paraded through the
streets at night. Now, Brood cultists lead these processions with children
among them, disguised as innocents. To the unknowing, they appear as somber
vigils; to the faithful, they are public claims of territory.
New Rites of the Black Brood
The
Eclipse Baptism.
Performed beneath a silver disc (often a polished mirror or coin), a child is
held beneath water or oil until a gauntlet or brand blots out the reflection.
When the child gasps for breath, they are said to breathe in the shadow of
Bane. Many seeds are planted this way.
The
Dreaming Eye.
A secret ritual in which a child is left in the presence of a beholder for a
night. In dreams, the tyrant-eye whispers lessons of obedience. Survivors
awaken marked with strange clarity and unnatural confidence.
The
Chain Forged.
When three or more Brood gather, they perform a rite where each cuts their palm
and clasps hands in a circle. Their blood is poured into an iron bowl,
consecrated with Banite prayers. This act strengthens their link, creating the
“Tyrant’s Chain” that makes clustered Brood more dangerous.
The
Silent Feast.
A newer rite whispered in Zhentil ruins: a gathering where Brood eat in silence
while Banite prayers are intoned. At the ritual’s end, all present drink from
the same black cup. The silence binds them as a unit, and afterwards they act
with uncanny coordination for days.
Plot Hooks
1. The Child with Too Much Authority
In a quiet Dalelands village, a reeve’s son suddenly commands
adults with unnatural confidence. Farmers bow, guards obey, and the local
temple finds itself powerless. The Harpers beg the PCs to intervene — but
killing a child is no simple choice, and Fzoul’s seed will leap if the vessel
is destroyed.
2. The Eclipse Baptism
Rumors spread of a midnight ceremony in a ruined shrine where
children are drowned beneath silver mirrors until they gasp awake in shadow.
The Order of the Gauntlet tasks the adventurers with halting the rite, but
doing so reveals a broader network of seeded heirs already planted in
neighboring towns.
3. A Zhent Civil War
Two factions of Zhentarim vie for dominance in Baldur’s Gate: the
modern mercenary traders and Fzoul’s Banite loyalists. Both seek adventurer
allies. Choosing a side means facing betrayal later, but refusing either may
earn the wrath of both.
4. Beholder’s Tutor
A Waterdhavian guild heir is discovered to have been “mentored”
by a hidden beholder, whispering dreams of power for years. When the child’s
authority begins reshaping guild politics, the Lords’ Alliance discreetly hires
the PCs to root out the influence — without sparking open panic.
5. The Tyrant’s Chain
Three noble heirs in Amn share a strange mark and uncanny
coordination. They vote in unison, issue decrees together, and command loyalty
beyond reason. Scholars fear they have completed the “Chain Forged” ritual.
Unless the PCs intervene, the trio may soon dominate an entire trading
consortium.
6. Murder vs. Tyranny
In Luskan, Black Brood heirs and Bhaalspawn cultists clash
openly, turning the streets into a warzone of order versus chaos. The city
teeters on collapse. Do the adventurers choose sides, destroy both, or protect
innocents caught in the crossfire?
7. Rival in Red
In Thay, a prodigy among the Red Wizards has begun rallying
disloyal mages under a banner of “true order.” Szass Tam quietly hires the PCs
(through layers of intermediaries) to remove the upstart — but what happens
when the adventurers discover the youth is one of Fzoul’s chosen seeds?
8. The Iron Eclipse Appears
Strange graffiti spreads across the Silver Marches: a black
gauntlet blotting a silver disc. Where it appears, unrest follows — strikes
broken, guilds toppled, laws tightened. The Harpers ask the PCs to track the
sigil’s spread, but every trail leads back to whispers of a name long thought
dead: Fzoul.
