Alistair Blackwell

Alistair Blackwell is a high-ranking regional leader within the Zhentarim (often called the Black Network), an ancient guild of spies, thieves, and smugglers active throughout the Sword Coast. Alongside his wife, Catherine Blackwell, Alistair oversees the guild’s clandestine and aggressive operations in the northern port city of Luskan.

Zhentarim Leadership and Internal Schisms

Alistair’s station came to light following the death of Halia Thorton, the Spymistress of Phandalin. Before her demise, Halia prepared a magical message within a dragon-shaped amulet. This message, intended for the adventurer Erevyn, detailed the key chapter leaders of the Zhentarim across the region to warn him of a brewing internal conflict:

The Zhentarim is divided into two stark, warring factions. On one side stands a moderate, integrated faction who favor long-term integration within the Great Cities of the Lord’s Alliance. Opposing them is the radical, violent faction comprising Alistair and Catherine Blackwell, Nezznar the Spider, and the missing Pereghost. Recovered writings from the journal of Nezznar the Spider shed further light on these divisions, noting that the Blackwells “see as I do”—suggesting they aligned with Nezznar’s extreme, aggressive perspectives and shared his dismissal of the moderate faction as “weak.” However, Nezznar’s writings also revealed that his patron deity, Lolth, did not wish him to cooperate with the Blackwells, indicating that even within the radical Zhentarim faction, internal alliances were strained by divine decrees.

Alignment with the Cult

To the public and even to ordinary Zhentarim members, the radical faction has aligned itself with the Cult of the Dragon. This partnership is built on a dark bargain: while the Cult of the Dragon conquers and claims dominion over the surface world, the Zhentarim’s radical arm will be left unchallenged to control the Underdark and the wilder frontiers. This deal allows the Blackwells’ partner, Nezznar, to secure his hold from below while the surface falls to the scaly ones.

Geopolitical Influence

As chapter leaders in Luskan, Alistair and Catherine operate in one of the most politically unstable and dangerous territories on the Sword Coast. Known as the “City of Sails,” Luskan is currently on the brink of war with Neverwinter. Geopolitical tensions have peaked due to aggressive maritime movements and rampant rumors that Luskan caused the devastating “Wailing Death” plague that recently afflicted Neverwinter.