Fzoul Chembryl is a villainous character from the Dungeons & Dragons setting of Forgotten Realms. He is an exarch of the evil god Bane and one of the leaders of the Zhentarim.
He was previously a mortal high level cleric of Bane before dying in battle against the Shadovar and was resurrected by his patron deity as an exarch demigod.
Biography[]
Fzoul is the only child of a minor noble house in Zhentil Keep. He entered the priesthood of Bane at an early age, his skill in administration to raise in the ranks of the church. Once he became the leader of the Keep's church, Fzoul split his church from the orthodox doctrines of the High Imperceptor of Bane in Mulmaster. Fzoul interpreted Bane's doctrine of Tyranny to mean that his mortal followers should support the most powerful tyrant available. In Fzoul's case, that tyrant was Manshoon, the shadow ruler of Zhentil Keep and founder of the Black Network. Thus the church of Bane became a branch of the Zhentarim.
Fzoul started his career in the black network of the Zhentarim as the right-hand man of his childhood friend and archmage Manshoon for several years, fighting together against the heroic wizard Elminster and the Harpers. He saw the organisation as a powerful tool to spread the influence of his god Bane all over Faerun and plotted with Lord Orgauth to usurp Manshoon and take his place as the leader of the Zhents. Fzoul manages to seemingly kill Manshoon and gain power over Zhentil Keep. However, several clones of Manshoon woke up, one of which, claiming to be the real one, recognizes Fzoul as the legitimate leader of the organisation and Fzoul allowed this new Manshoon to work for him as an indipendent agent. The exact fate of the original Manshoon is a mistery.
During the Time of Troubles, Bane in his mortal form, took command of Zhentil Keep and the Zhentarim, and waged war against Shadowdale and during the conflict, Fzoul was wounded by an arrow shot by the then mortal Cyric, and was forced to jump into a river to save himself. Meanwhile Bane was destroyed by the combined efforts of Elminster and Midnight. Later, Fzoul was found by Myrkul and the former god of the dead put the spirit of Bane inside Fzoul as the god needed a physical body to continue the hunt for the tablets of fate. Once one of the tablets was found in Tantras, Bane leaves Fzoul to enter a new giant body created during a ritual by his priests. Bane was later destroyed for good while fighting Torm.
After Cyric's ascension of godhood, the new god took control of Zhentil Keep and forced Fzoul and the other priests of Bane to serve him. Years later, Fzoul conspired with Lyacthu Xvim, the son of Bane, to overthrow the cult of Cyric and take back the leadership of Zhentil Keep. With the unexpected help of the goddess Mystra/Midnight and Kelemvor, Cyric was overthrown, and Fzoul became the ruler of Zhentil Keep and the Black Network again. Later he forged a new unholy weapon called the Sceptre of the Tyrant Eye. WIth the revival of Bane, Fzoul proceeded to rebuild the church of the god of tyranny and started to make new plans for the conquest of Faerun.
Years later, Fzoul died fighting to protect Zhentil Keep from the Shadovar, a race of people from the plane of shadows, and was later ressurected by Bane with the powers of an exarch as a reward for having been his best servant.
Personality[]
Fzoul has great loyalty towards the god Bane and a philosophical appreciation for the concept of tyranny and maintaining brutal order.
Fzoul is a shrewd politician, plain and simple. He has nice things to say to anyone who can be useful to him, while being condescending and scornful to anyone else. His machinations tend to be slow, showing the cleric to be a patient and pragmatic villain. He is close to Manshoon, as close as two evil, ambitious men can ever be. He dislikes Sememmon, Manshoon's apprentice, as he foiled Fzoul's conspiracies against his mentor, without telling the cleric that it was Manshoon himself who sent Sememmon to stop Fzoul's schemes to usurp him. Ironically, Fzoul even worked with Manshoon to make contingency plans in case Sememmon tries to depose his teacher and become leader of the Zhentarim.
Unlike the wizard Manshoon, Fzoul has no aversion in facing the enemies of the Zhents and Bane in melee combat. Lacking proficiency with missile weapons, the high priest of Bane uses his spells to soften up the enemy and he uses his enchanted mace to enforce his opinion once combat goes into melee range.
Possesions[]
Fzoul's weapon is the Scepter of the Tyrant's Eye,an enchanted heavy mace that makes the wielder immune to a Beholder's eye rays.
External Links[]
 Villains
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Arklem and Valindra's Agents
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