Nezznar The Spider

The Spider (also known as Nezznar or Nezznar The Spider) was a mysterious and shadowy mastermind operating behind the scenes in the wilderness of the Sword Coast, specifically targeting the region around Phandalin and the lost Wave Echo Cave. Eventually revealed to be a Drider—a monstrous, half-man, half-spider fallen Drow—he served as a powerful chapter leader of the Zhentarim representing the Underdark. Wielding dark magic and commanding both goblinoids and supernatural arachnids, the Spider sought to claim the legendary Spell Forge. After a reign of terror, manipulation, and desperate excavation, he was ultimately ambushed and slain in his lair within Wave Echo Cave by the Magnificent Five (also known as the Fantastic Five).

Following his demise, the Magnificent Five pieced together his journal and allied correspondence. They realized that Nezznar’s Underdark scheme and the Cult of the Dragon’s operations were actually two prongs of a singular, massive operation, with the Spider serving as the crucial bridge between them.

Zhentarim Leadership and the Schism

While Nezznar’s operations appeared to be those of a localized warlord, he was actually a high-ranking member of the Zhentarim, an ancient guild of spies, thieves, and smugglers. Specifically, Nezznar served as the chapter leader of the Zhentarim for the Underdark. He ruled alongside other regional chapter leaders of the organization, whom Halia Thorton confirmed in her final posthumous message: Lucian Nightshade (also known as Lucien Nightstone) of Neverwinter, Jamra Gleamsilver of Waterdeep, and The Pereghost of the Moonshae Isles.

However, a deep internal schism began to tear the Zhentarim organization apart, splitting it into two warring factions. Nezznar, alongside the missing Pereghost, aligned with a violent faction that sought to cooperate with the Cult of the Dragon. Conversely, more moderate leaders like Lucian Nightshade, Jamra Gleamsilver, and Halia Thorton opposed this direction, believing that living in the Great Cities of the Lord’s Alliance had weakened their counterparts. This friction prompted Halia Thorton, the Spymistress of Phandalin, and her fellow operative Erevyn to begin spying directly on the Spider, attempting to navigate the dangerous factional divide.

Operations and Influence

The Spider’s far-reaching network of influence relied on fear, strategic alliances, and a coordinated web of agents, though constant setbacks severely tested his patience before his eventual downfall:

• The Cragmaw Ambush and Abduction: The Spider was the mastermind behind the targeted ambush of the dwarf Gundren Rockseeker and his companion, Sildar Hallwinter. Klarg, the Bugbear chieftain of the Cragmaw Hideout, received explicit orders from the Spider to intercept the dwarf along the High Road. Following the ambush, Gundren was taken to Highthorn (also known as Cragmaw Castle). While Nezznar claimed to his captives that Gundren had been killed by Blarg (the Bugbear leader of Cragmaw Castle) so that his map to Wave Echo Cave could be seized, Gundren actually survived his brutal captivity and was eventually rescued. In truth, Nezznar viewed both Klarg and Blarg as “idiots.” He allowed them to occupy Highthorn, utterly uncaring of Blarg crowning himself “King of Cragmaw” over what he dismissed as “broken sticks and stones,” choosing instead to reign from below.
• Alliance with the Redbrands: The Spider’s reach extended directly into Phandalin through an association with the Redbrands. He corrupted Iarno Albrerek (Glasstaff), using gold, a fancy staff, and promises of power to turn him against his Neverwinter masters. In the cellar of Tristan Manor, adventurers recovered a direct note from ‘the Spider’ confirming that Glasstaff was acting under his influence. Following Glasstaff’s defeat, a human wearing a red cloak fled to the Spider’s lair to deliver the bad news. Enraged by the failure and growing frustrated that his orders to Glasstaff and Klarg were going unanswered, the Spider sacrificed this messenger to Lloth, praying and crying out for “Vengeance upon the Five for killing your loyal servants.”
• The Faceshifters Infiltration: Following Glasstaff’s death at the hands of the Five, Nezznar deployed “the Faceshifters”—a group of shape-shifting Doppelgangers—to infiltrate Gnomengarde. This plot aimed to “kill two Gnomes with one stone”, sowing paranoia that drove King Korboz mad and led to the binding of King Gnerki before the impostors were unmasked in King Korboz’s throne room.
• Network of Silence: The fear or loyalty the Spider commanded was absolute. When questioned about the Spider in Conyberry, a mysterious sorcerer with a many-headed dragon tattoo lied about knowing him before immediately vanishing and flying away.
• Messenger Phase Spiders: To communicate with the outside world, the Spider drafted numerous letters and orders, which were carried across the realms by Phase Spiders capable of turning invisible and teleporting. Many of these letters were addressed to an enigmatic figure known as “Wyrmspeaker.”

Dark Bargains and the Jade Wyrmspeaker

Through his journal and prayers overheard by captives, the Spider’s ultimate schemes stretched far beyond simple localized banditry:

• The Dragon Alliance: Nezznar forged a highly unusual alliance with a draconic faction, remarking that “our partners, the Dragon ones, can have the surface, but we will control the Underdark.” This pact was remarkably strange, as Drow and worshippers of Lloth historically harbor a deep hatred for dragons. The Cult of the Dragon sent a day-walker emissary known only as the Jade Wyrmspeaker to negotiate. Nezznar agreed to help them locate the Forge of Spells; in exchange, Nezznar would claim its riches, while the Cult would receive its magical item bounty.
• Challenging the Lord of Hell: Nezznar sought to elevate Lloth’s standing by executing a plan that would give her a distinct advantage over Asmodeus, boasting of having “a great treasure taken from him” without the Lord of Hell’s knowledge.

Infiltration and Espionage

The Spider’s organization was notoriously difficult to penetrate, but it eventually fell victim to deep-cover espionage. Erevyn spent weeks training with Halia Thorton to spy on the Spider. When Halia directly confronted Nezznar, she was discovered. To successfully ingratiate himself with Nezznar and establish his undercover identity amidst the Zhentarim’s internal conflict, Erevyn was forced to make a terrible sacrifice: he had to kill Halia Thorton himself to secure the mastermind’s trust, playing the role of her “whelp” who had abandoned her. Nezznar gloated over the betrayal, and Halia’s lifeless body was left hanging from a rope in the entryway of Wave Echo Cave as a grim testament to the high cost of the infiltration. This undercover position allowed Erevyn to tip off his allies, the Magnificent Five, about the Spider’s operations. Following her death, a magical amulet shaped like a dragon holding a moon in its mouth was recovered from Halia’s grave in Phandalin, which played back her final warnings to Erevyn.

Lair in Wave Echo Cave

The Spider established a heavily guarded base of operations within Wave Echo Cave, though his occupation was fraught with difficulties:

• Defiling the Altar of Moradin: Upon occupying the cave’s main hall, the Spider defiled the ancient altar of Moradin, the All-Hammer, converting it into a sacrificial altar dedicated to the spider queen, Lloth, covered in thick webs and spider eggs.
• The Quest for the Spell Forge: The Spider’s ultimate goal was to seize the legendary Spell Forge. However, he was stymied by the realization that the forge can only be activated by first restarting Gond’s Smelter. Nezznar discovered that Gond was not actually a deity, but rather a highly talented dwarven blacksmith from the Age of Arcanum. To extract information on how to activate the furnace, the Spider captured and brutally tortured a gnome academic named Dusty directly at the defiled altar. Dusty eventually revealed that Gond’s Smelter requires three components to activate: ‘The Mettle of the Dwarves’ (which requires blue burning wood and ore), ‘The Grace of the Elves’ (representing Selûne, activated specifically by the Moonbeam spell, also referred to as ‘Elvish Tears’ or ‘The Heart of the Stone’), and ‘The Ingenuity of the Humans.’ Dusty eventually managed to slip his bindings and escape when internal defenses faltered during an undead attack.
• Internal and External Threats: The excavation faced constant setbacks. Goblins broke through a side cavern leading to an undead-infested passage, forcing the Spider and his Phase Spiders to divert resources to defend the camp. Additionally, a Myconid from an underground colony was killed near the kitchens, cooked into a stew, and the passage was subsequently boarded up. During her scouting of the cave, Nalini shifted into a spider, slipped past a makeshift goblin kitchen cooking over a blue flame, and connected with the Myconid colony, discovering that this severed branch of their network was willing to assist in an ambush against the Spider.

The Final Ambush and Demise

Following a tipped-off message from Erevyn, the adventuring party known as the Magnificent Five launched a decisive ambush on the lair. During the fierce confrontation at the Altar of Lloth, Nalini set the webs and spider eggs ablaze with a summoned ball of flame while Farwald summoned a thunderous bluish and white lightning storm upon the head of the Spider. The tiefling Hope, whipped into an immense rage, held the monstrous half-man, half-spider at bay.

Though two Phase Spiders materialized to wreak havoc, knocking Farwald and Nalini unconscious, Gilmore utilized his connection to the Matron of Ravens to grant his fallen allies the strength to keep going. The battle concluded when Erevyn, shooting from the darkness, delivered the killing blow directly through the Spider’s eyes.

With an inhuman growl from deep beneath the earth, Nezznar collapsed, his multiple limbs curling away as thousands of small spiders emerged from his eyes and mouth to scurry back into the deep darkness. His remaining goblin and bugbear forces fled, only to be consumed by a hostile Myconid mushroom patch. As the embers of the burning webs cleared, they revealed the stone-carved, one-armed face of a stern dwarf on the defiled altar. Among the Spider’s remaining belongings, the victorious party recovered gold, supplies, and the Spider’s Journal, bringing a definitive end to his web of terror.