Zarys
 | Spoiler warning: The following content contains unhidden spoilers. Read at your own risk. |
| Zarys | |||||||||||||
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| Level 4 | |||||||||||||
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| Information | |||||||||||||
| Title | Leader of local Zhentarim | ||||||||||||
| Race | Human | ||||||||||||
| Faction | Zhentarim | ||||||||||||
| Stats | |||||||||||||
| Size | Medium | ||||||||||||
| Type | Humanoid | ||||||||||||
| Hit points |
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| Weight | 75 kg (150 lb) | ||||||||||||
| Initiative | +3 | ||||||||||||
| Ability scores | |||||||||||||
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| Proficiency bonus | +2 | ||||||||||||
| Saving throws |
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Zarys is the leader of the group of Zhentarim who occupy the Zhentarim Basement in Act One, a hideout she is overseeing the destruction of in order to hide the Zhentarim presence from the Flaming Fist after the events at Waukeen's Rest. The party must earn Zarys' approval in order to purchase, pickpocket, or loot certain items from Brem.
Overview[edit | edit source]
Upon first entering the hideout, Zarys will tell the party they've come far enough and threaten to kill them. The party must pass one of several dialogue checks to get her to stand down or all the Zhentarim in the base will become hostile. If they succeed, then Zarys will order her underlings to disarm the hideout's traps so the party can come talk to her.
Zarys will then remark that not many people can talk their way into a Zhentarim hideout and that she has a job for them: to Find the Missing Shipment. After the party completes this quest, she will treat them very differently depending on how they chose to do so.
Saved Rugan[edit | edit source]
If the party saved Rugan and Olly but did not take the 
Caravan Strongbox from them, then they will return it to Zarys themselves. Zarys will thank the party for their assistance and reward them with 
Harold, gold, and access to special items in Brem's shop.
Returned the unopened Strongbox after Rugan's death[edit | edit source]
If the party recovered the Caravan Strongbox after either they or the Gnolls killed Rugan and Olly, then the party can give it to Zarys. She will be overjoyed and reward the party with Harold, gold, and access to special items in Brem's shop.
- NOTE: Even if the party killed Rugan and Olly, they will not have to pass a Deception check to lie about this to Zarys.
Persuaded Rugan to give you the Strongbox[edit | edit source]
If the party persuaded Rugan to give them the Caravan Strongbox, then they will walk into a unique scene in the hideout where the Zhentarim have killed Olly and are torturing Rugan for losing the shipment. Zarys will demand that the party execute Rugan. If the party kills him, then Zarys will reward them with access to Brem's special stock but will not give them Harold.
If the party does anything other than killing him, then Zarys and the rest of the hideout will immediately turn hostile. If they ignite the Smokepowder Barrels lying around the base then they can potentially kill the entire party in a single turn.
Returned the Iron Flask[edit | edit source]
If the party already opened the Caravan Strongbox and instead gives Zarys the 
Iron Flask, she will exclaim that the buyer will kill them all for opening the package before immediately attacking the party alongside the rest of the Zhentarim.
Quests[edit | edit source]
Related Literature[edit | edit source]
Notes[edit | edit source]
- If the party wants to gain both the Iron Flask inside the strongbox and the magic items from Brem's special stock, then the simplest way to do so is to give Zarys the box, buy the items from Brem, and then kill Zarys to regain access to the strongbox. Given Zarys's position at the top of a cliff, the party can easily shove or throw her off before igniting a
Smokepowder Barrel to blow up most of the Zhentarim.
External links[edit | edit source]
Zarys on the Forgotten Realms Wiki