| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
Azar
Master of Realmslore
1468 Posts |
 Posted - 19 Dec 2025 : 10:36:37
|
Hello.
In a classic supplement, there is a remark about the invasion of Daggerdale by Zhentil Keep.
quote:
Under Malyk, the Zhentarim controlled Daggerdale and ruled it with an iron fist backed by fireball-wielding mages. The populace was beaten into submission ... by Malyk's agents
Brutal yet cool visuals aside...
1. What would that have looked like? Considering these malefactors were evil yet pragmatic (as far as resources were concerned), were they incinerating local farms who refused to pay tribute to the new masters? How about consideration regarding collateral damage in the form of forest fires?
2. What might be the composition of a patrol with a mage who favored fire? One mage to four to five warriors (all on horseback), perhaps? Considering that a spellcaster (certainly, an Invoker) functions akin to fragile artillery, I can't see one leading a van.
3. Who might be in charge of these bands? The mage (high Intelligence) or a fighter (i.e., someone more-or-less guaranteed to possess actual combat experience)?
Bonus question: would ZK sponsor the training of these mages just skilled enough to cause conflagrations or would the higher-ups bring in already established talent?
|
Stand with anybody that stands right. Stand with him while he is right and part with him when he goes wrong.
Earth names in the Realms are more common than you may think. |
|
|
Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
8053 Posts |
Posted - 19 Dec 2025 : 12:38:46
|
The farmer and his family are immediately destroyed by the fireball. Almost immediately, there is probably some horrible burning and screaming, being burned alive is instinctively feared as a truly awful way to die.
The farmer's home is also destroyed if that's where the fireball happens. Maybe they were attacked in their sleep or while gathered for a meal, of course they're ambushed without warning, it's just the smartest and easiest way to get them all, and it's an excellent way to underscore the message to others. The Zhents will gloat and monologue and intimidate everyone afterwards anyways.
Any of their livestock caught in the blast are also destroyed. Or they instead panic and stampede, perhaps on fire or perhaps not, perhaps their panicking burning howling screaming roaring mewling barking deaths seem to take a very long time.
Nearby crops and fields might catch ablaze - perhaps also neighbouring crops and fields and homes and barns and livestock.
And people can only witness this burning destruction, this screaming and panic and horror, they dare not attempt to do anything else while the fireball-casting wizard is still present. See what he already did with just a handful of sulphur and some evil words, what he could probably do again, if not today then tomorrow or some other day.
That's the whole point. Burn everything down, demonstrate that defiance will turn you and your family and whatever legacy you've built into nothing more than pain and ashes. Make sure that friends and neighbours of your victims will be left with the horrible mess - perhaps they will feel more suffering as they find what they're searching through the ashes - or perhaps they will leave this burnt site as a mute reminder of what happened here today - and perhaps they will perhaps starve a little after the loss of a farm. Perhaps the Zhentarim punishment squad will "go easy" on the locals by choosing the most unpopular and unproductive farmers as their targets. Or perhaps they'll make things harder by showing up again just before winter to demand whatever harvest the peasants were still able to scrabble and hoard.
If there's collateral damage - if more peasants burn or die, if neighbouring crops and fields and barns and homes burn down, if nearby forests catch fire ... then that's okay. (This might be avoided if it threatens lumber resources which would be valuable to the Zhents. But otherwise the only snag created by forest fires would be attacks from any pesky elves who infest those forests, along with their various fey, druid, ranger, animal allies. Some of these vermin are not trivial opponents and the fire will flush all them all out of hiding at once, for better or worse.)
Black-robed Zhentarim fireballs are just as good as Red-robed Thayan fireballs, useful for solving all sorts of problems. Remember that Zhentarim are basically thugs and bullies, mafia gangsters described by AD&D rules, they wear leather and chain and plate instead of suits and fedoras, they carry swords and wands instead of Thompson submachine guns. Cruelty and suffering and violence are tools of their trade, occasional displays of truly excessive killing and destruction are fine reminders which keep the peasants in line. To the peasants this is one of the most horrible and terrifying days of their lives, haunting their days and nights, but to the wizards this was just another Tuesday. That's the whole point.
"Classic" lore basically treated Zhentarim as combat encounters. Zhentarim groups are designed much like PC adventuring parties, covering all the necessary roles and skills but focussed on criminal enforcement instead of on adventuring. Many of them actually are recruited ex-adventures, indeed some of the still are adventurers of a sort whole happen to be tailored towards looting highwayman and tombrobbing and assassination sorts of things. Zhentarim magelings basically all learn fireball at 5th level, just like PC mages basically learn fireball at 5th level, the only different between them is basically who those fireballs burn.
1E FR0, 2E FRA, and 2E Ruins of Zhentil Keep are fine sources. |
[/Ayrik] |
Edited by - Ayrik on 19 Dec 2025 13:01:16 |
 |
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
Pre-1367 D.R. Zhentarim patrols in Daggerdale?
