The Pereghost

The Pereghost (sometimes spelled the Paragost) is a prominent commander, regional leader, and Zhentarim chapter head who operates from the remote, storm-swept Moonshae Isles.

Zhentarim Leadership & Schism

Within the Zhentarim, power is distributed among several key regional leaders, whose network of spies and diplomats is traditionally represented by the secret symbol of a dragon swallowing a moon:

• Lucian Nightshade – Neverwinter (who seeks to rehabilitate the network’s reputation into a premier guild of diplomats and spies)
• Jamra Gleamsilver (also referred to as Jamrash) – Waterdeep
• Alistair and Catherine Blackwell – Luskan
• Nezznar the Spider – The Underdark
• The Pereghost (The Paragost) – The Moonshae Isles

Recently, a massive ideological and strategic rift split the Zhentarim leadership regarding how to handle the rising threat of the Cult of the Dragon. The Cult’s ultimate ambitions involve hunting down legendary dragons and raising the green dragon Virethas (the Jade Queen) as a dracolich. This plan caused a bitter schism within the organization:

• The Cooperator/Violent Faction: Nezznar the Spider in the Underdark parleyed with the Cult’s representative, the Jade Wyrmspeaker, in hopes of securing the legendary Forge of Spells and ensuring the dragon ones took the surface while the Zhentarim controlled the Underdark.
• The Loyalist/Opposition Faction: Leaders operating within the great cities of the Lord’s Alliance—including Lucian Nightshade, Jamra Gleamsilver, and the Phandalin spymistress Halia Thorton—vehemently opposed any alliance with the Cult, believing that cooperation would weaken their standing. Before her death, Halia left a final warning for her apprentice Er’evyn Sehahine, urging him to choose a side in this looming civil war.

Disappearance of the Pereghost

According to papers recovered from Nezznar the Spider’s operations in the Underdark, the Pereghost went missing just as this internal conflict reached its peak. Nezznar’s personal journal lamented the situation, noting that the Pereghost was missing.

This prolonged absence was later corroborated during a secret briefing in Neverwinter between Lucian Nightshade and members of the adventuring party known as the Magnificent Five (or the Fantastic Five). Nightshade confirmed that the “Paragost” remains completely unreachable, a silence mirroring a broader breakdown in the Black Network’s communications. With other key leaders silent or unreachable, the Pereghost’s vanished presence continues to hamstring the loyalist efforts.