Preachings of a Zhent

A man in Black armour is seen ok Central Shadowdale. Upon the breastplate are two symbols, one of Bane, the other is Loviatar.

"Citizens of Shadowdale, listen to me now.

There are those that do not rightly fear the Black Hand and seek to usurp his authority. I will tell you here why this is a tragic mistake.

Those that fight for 'freedom' are not what they appear to be. They speak of communities where one will not be ruled by a man, but by many. Do not be fooled. These people speak nothing short of un-mitigated anarchy coupled with moral and lawful hedonism. These 'communities' they wish to gather are not to be trusted.

They seek to enslave you under the guise of social equality, without moral repose. Where their 'Paladins' will slay you for the vague reason of 'being evil'. Under the rule of Bane, the only reason for your death will be because you committed unlawful and immoral acts, there is no smokescreen.

Do you know who else wishes to rule through the guise of Anarchy? Cyric!

These 'freedom fighters' are doing the work of the black sun, while being under the guise of 'Torm', 'Ilmater', and 'Eilistraee'. Do not be fooled.

Kneel before the Black Hand. Fear him, and he will protect you."

The man finishes his sermon and walks to the barracks.

Once again the man in the black armour walks into the middle of central Shadowdale.

"Citizens of the Dale, I come with a warning.

Allow me to tell you a story about these freedom fighters.

I was on patrol with Sergeant Utterminis when we were accosted by 'Eilistraeens'. They attacked us without warning. As we gained the upperhand, John Blackwell and his two Tiefling friends joined the fray. We were quickly defeated.

When I had awoke, John Blackwell told me he was going to give Fidehliess to the Lolthites, leaving my fate to the 'Eilistraeens'. They opted to let me go, saying nonsense about how the Zhentarim are the ones allied with drow. Such nonsense!

Does this sound like freedom to you? To be clubbed in the middle of town by five men and dragged to the Underdark? If Eilistraee is such a good god, why does she allow her followers to sell slaves to the Underdark?

You can assume two things from this anecdote.

A.) Eilistraee is not a real deity, and the drow lie.

Or

B.) Eilistraee is a real god, but her followers are false prophets.

Either way, these freedom fighters lie to you. The evidence is clear, just look at our sergeant. He faced untold tortures at the hands of these slave-drivers.

Next time someone claims to fight for your freedom, remember Sergeant Utterminis.

Kneel before Bane. Fear him, and he will protect you."

The man walks off.

Just before the day is over, within the hours of the Twilight. The man in Black armour once again appears in the square, ready to spread the good word.

"Citizens of the Dale, I come with more news,

The so-called revolutionaries have, once again, spread their goodwill and hope for you.

They kidnapped two Halflings from your very streets and sold them to the Underdark. One of the survivors described me one of the torture methods of these cave-dwelling spider kissers. They chained him to a wall and threw darts at his eyes!

Your revolutionaries have failed you. It is obvious that they care naught of you. They simply want to raze Shadowdale, and watch her burn in their flames of anarchy and chaos. Do you really think they have your best interest in mind when their idea of subverting rightful authority is to kidnap the citizens?

It is time we sent a message. It is time we stand and fight! Aid the Zhentarim, show these rebels, these blasphemous eidolons of anarchy, that the Black Hand cannot be stopped. Tell me, is it better to be feared, or be afraid? Let your minds think of this.

Kneel before the Lord of Tyranny, and he will protect you!"

Justin McGregor, the Blackguard of the Zhentarim, once again steps into the public arena for another round of propaganda. At first, there is a minute of silence as he begins to read a note. He then bites his lip, as if holding back laughter and lifts the letter above his head as he speaks

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"Citizens of the Dale, I will speak once more.

As you are all aware, this so-called 'Knight of Evermeet' wishes to seize your town. You can read the letter yourself, he wrote about a few thousand for you all. This elf wishes to seize Shadowdale, your town!

Remember what I said about the Sergeant? Remember what I told you about the Slave Trade?"

With two fingers, he points at the letter in his hand.

"This is exactly the type of lies the slave traders want you to believe.

Remember Zilvai? Remember how she claimed to fight for your freedoms? Do you know what happened instead? She killed a Cleric of Tyr."

He throws the letter to the ground and stomps on it with his boot.

"Every revolutionary that wished to fight for your freedom has turned around and committed atrocious acts! You need to stand and fight back against them!

Bane only demands you fear him. He also demands that you make your enemies fear him more than you fear him yourself! Next time these revolutionaries wishes to free you from 'Zhentarim Oppression' remember what I told you here today and give them a piece of your mind.

They all lie to you. Bane has no reason to lie, what I have told you here today has been 100% true.

I will ask you once more, citizens. Is it better to be feared, or be afraid?"

With the swish of his cloak, the pale man walks to the barracks.

A Gray Orc is brought into town, followed closely by Justin, Marov and Fidehliss. The Orc is covered in lash-marks and stripped to it's pants. After a shirt exchange, the Orc is brutally stomped on by the Zhentarim. They beat the Orc to near death, laughing cruelly at it's suffering. Their boots crush it's face and Marovs bolts from his crossbow turn the savage into a pin-cushion.

After a quick exchange with some peasants, they show a bit of mercy and let the Orc up. Justin wraps the Orcs wounds with bandage and gives it something to drink. With cold smiles on their faces and murderous intent in their eyes, they force the Orc to kneel and demand that it fears the will of Bane. In a fight of rage, the filthy animal knocks Fidehliss to the ground and darts off. It's strides are long and he moves quite quick. However, the Zhentarim seem to have let him escape... For now. They turn back after hearing a laugh from a peasant and immediately bully him into submission with harsh words and sinister body language.

The man in Black Armour enters Shadowdale once more after a patrol. He unfurls a notice and reads it aloud.

"From this day forward, the Dwarven Clan IronhOuse, is officially not welcome in Shadowdale. Their crimes are as follows:

2 Counts of open rebellion against the Zhentarim
1 Count of threatening Zhentarim officials
1 Count of hiring Contract Killers to attack us

The actions of few effect the lives of many. You have made your bed and must now lie in it.

If any Dwarf of Clan Ironhouse is seen on Zhentarim Territory, they could be attacked on sight.

The Bounty on each Ironhouse Dwarf is 5,000 per head.

May the Willing Whip bring pain upon these infidels"

The man turns around and leaves.

[OOC: Zhentarim Territory includes any place the Zhentarim NPCs are patrolling.