• 796 DR [Year of the Gray Mists]

  • Zhent caravan masters report that night-terrors (vampires) in Merrydale have made the route too dangerous. Seeking a new road to the south, the Zhents are the only surface dwellers to set aside violence and make peace with the drow of the Ashaba valley and the Twisted Tower. »

  • 855 DR [Year of Cornerstones]

  • In the spring, Sammaster first meets Zhent slavers. Many die, including innocent prisoners.

    Sammaster enters an extended period of exhaustive research into the process of life, death, and undeath, creating several original neromantic enchantments before again taking to traveling Faerun. »

  • 1018 DR [Year of the Dracorage]

  • The Cult of the Dragon is blamed for dragon assaults on Zhentil Keep, and the Zhents begin to first recognize this organization as an enemy. »

  • 1221 DR [Year of the Frozen Flower]

  • The Magister Haelvar "Grimskull" Ildagh is ambushed and killed by the mage Isilger "The Dark Smile" Mountrant. He is described as "more Bane's creature than Mystra's". He is also known for making blast gloves for the Zhentarim.

    The Dark Smile becomes the new Magister. »

  • 1229 DR [Year of the Carrion Crow]

  • Manshoon of the Zhentarim is born to Harlshoon, the first lord of Zhentil Keep. »

  • 1261 DR [Year of Bright Dreams]

  • Manshoon claims his seat on the Zhent council. He then founds the secret organization of the Zhentarim. »

  • 1271 DR [Year of the Shattered Wall]

  • Mirtul 5 Warriors and mages of the Cult of the Dragon with the dracoliches Goarulskul the Black and Arlauthra Manytalons, attack the Holyheart Fastness in search of the Crysturm of Tranquility. A young treetender, Lorth Blaenarry, flees with the sacred sphere north and west.

    He reaches Turmish, where lurking Red Wizards of Thay recognize the sphere and try to grab him. They hunt him through the streets of Alaghon and Telpir and almost slay him in the woods near Starmantle Bay, but is able to escape with the help of a Harper sorcerer (who changes Lorth's appearance to look older and uglier). Lorth boards a ship bound for Zhentil Keep.

    In Zhentil Keep, Lorth is fortunate to be found by other Harper agents, who take him to the Border Kingdom. The Cult of the Dragon again catches up with him, but escapes when Zhentarim agents also attack. The Harper agents, in desperation, teleports Lorth alone into the heart of the Anauroch desert, to the holy site of Eldath, the House of the Moon.

    There the Green Goddess herself, Eldath, appears to Lorth, and whisks him to Neverwinter (but not before adding a new power to the sphere, and promising to add a new power whenever the sphere is brought back to the House of the Moon in need). Lorth devotes his life to serving Eldath and to bring the wilderness back to those places that has suffered under too many axes, ploughs and fires. »

  • 1272 DR [Year of the Shrieker]

  • Zhentarim wizards and priests of Bane and Myrkul raise an army of undead, orcs and other creatures to asault Silverymoon but are repelled by Alustriel Silverhand and her Spellguard. »

  • 1275 DR [Year of the Blade]

  • Zhentil Keep grants independence to Yulash. Though officially a free city, it is still quite secure in the grip of the Zhents. »

  • 1297 DR [Year of the Singing Skull]

  • The nobles of Yulash begin a bitter quarrel for the lordship of the city. Although Zhentil Keep still rules Yulash, the internal bickering is an unexpected threat to Zhentarim's security. Yulash's status as a free city prevents the Zhents from sending large numbers of troops.

    The Zhents back certain noble families, especially those that could be easily manipulated. Hillsfar does likewise in opposition to Zhentil Keep. »

  • 1312 DR [Year of the Griffon]

  • Darkhold is seized by the Black Network (Zhentarim) lead by Manshoon. Fzoul Chembryl slays its lich-queen, Varalla. »

  • 1316 DR [Year of the Gulagoar]

  • Teshendale becomes part of the Zhent lands. Zhentarim agents overthrow the Morn family in Daggerdale and install Malyk, a Zhentarim agent as ruler. »

  • 1321 DR [Year of Chains]

  • Construction begins on a temple to Deneir, after a battle between the Harpers and the Zhentarim levels part of the city, including a shrine to the Lord of All Glyphs and Images. Several members of Berdusk's ruling council are exposed as Zhentarim when they are found dead or captured after a the fierce battle.

    The Harpers are reorganized. Twilight Hall is founded in Berdusk as a Harper base. From this time forward, the so-called Harpers of Twilight Hall are more regimented and hierarchical in behavior and organization. Previously, Harper activates were more independent and decentralized.

    The notable Harper Cylyria Dragonbreast is recognized for her long service to the city of Berdusk. »

  • 1334 DR [Year of the Blazing Brand]

  • A spell-duel in Ordulin between Thindol of the Zhentarim and the awakened lich Bhalgustrin ends with the death of Thindol. »

  • 1336 DR [Year of the Highmantle]

  • The Zhentarim conquer Daggerdale. The last surviving heir of Daggerdale, Randal Morn, is driven from Dagger Falls. He begins his career as a vigilante resistance fighter. He and his two hundred men end up controling up to three-quarters of Daggerdale, while the Zhentarim was only ever interested in holding Dagger Falls. »

  • 1339 DR [Year of the Weeping Moon]

  • Aumry Obarskyr is assassinated by Zhentarim agents. His assassins are captured and killed by Jyordhan (who was also a Zhent agent).

    Jyordhan becomes lord of Shadowdale and moves the seat of power from the Twisted Tower of Ashaba to Castle Krag. »

  • 1346 DR [Year of the Bloodbird]

  • An elven burial barge that drifts into the nets of pirates in the open seas west of the isles of Sarr proves to contain a fortune in gems, a sword whose blade is visible only in moonlight (or when bathed in gore!), and the Leaves of Green (an artifact of Silvanus). These riches overcame the usual superstition of the pirates of the Fallen Stars, and they fairly tear apart the corpse of the elf and its slender ship of rest in their eagerness to become men of wealth. The barkscrap is retained by a pirate named Skirpo as something "that no one else was grabbing, which just might be of value".

    It was valued by someone on the Dragonisle not long after, because they kill Skirpo and take the Leaves. It is sold in Sembia the next spring, briefly surfacing in Ordulin in a merchant's hoard for which two rival band of adventurers find to the death in an inn, and is claimed from the last reeling survivor of that fray by the innkeeper as part payment for the damages done to the rooms. It disappears again only a tenday later, when ambitious Zhentarim magelings riding feywings tear the top right off the inn to get at anything of value they might carry off while they practiced blasting the angry owners of said items to ashes with spells in the progress.

    After the destruction of Zhentil Keep, a caravan master finds the book floating in the ruins. Fearing to examine the Leaves too closely, he wraps it in an old cloak and takes it to Arabel on his regular caravan run, selling it there to someone who takes it into the Stonelands and is devoured in that place by predators. The book lays beside his gnawed bones for a winter or more before adventurers find it again and take it to the House of the Morning in Eveningstar to be identified. They reclaim it then, and set off into the Haunted Halls, never to be seen again. »

  • A burning, yet untouched Tome of the Morning is seen carried down the streets of Waterdeep in the summer of this year. A local Lathanderian sees the book and reports it to the local temple. A message is found seared into the gates of the Spires of the Morning temple: "To all who love Lathander, seek the book that burned bright this night and yet was not consumed. Far from here, where men and caravans pass by the frozen Warrior King, however hard he rides".

    Abrith Greilslake, a visiting adventurer from Cormyr, unravels the riddle to refer to the statue of King Dhalmass in Arabel and hastens there. He finds the Tome strapped to the shoulders of the statue and claims it. However, he is forced into hiding in the Stonelands as Cormyrean officials lay claim to the Tome since it was found on crown property. Cormyrean hunting parties give chase, but run into Zhentarim bands, who also were seeking the Tome. The fate of Abrith and the Tome is unknown. »

  • 1347 DR [Year of the Bright Blade]

  • Hulburg is obliterated by an onslaught of Zhentish forces combined with a horde of orcs. Only a few people remain in the area, mostly in the outlying lands. »

  • Carath, priest of Helm and possessor of the Helm of Helm reputation has grown due to the hundreds of priests of Helm who had begun their careers under his wise tutelage at the Guardtower of the God. Priests of Talos and Shar attack the temple to destroy it and him.

    They fell the walls and crush Carath in his courtyard. A grief-crazed Tayana flies up out of the ruins and defeats the invading priests with mighty spells. When she is done, Tayana embraces her beloved Carath and willingly burns to death. It is from this event that the Helm of Helm emits a burnt smell whenever magical fire is active within a half-mile of it.

    Some years later, a Helmite priest by the name of Rolor, who saw himself as the new Sword of Helm, visits the ruins of the Guardtower of the God, and the Helm rises out of the fire-scarred rubble to hover in front of him. Rolor takes it and marches off into the Tunland to found a new realm dedicated to Helm. He is known to have routed a Zhentarim patrol out of Darkhold, then walked into the Tunland. He and the Helm have not been seen since. »

  • 1352 DR [Year of the Dragon]

  • Barbarians of The Ride destroy a large Zhentarim caravan en route to Glister. »