Outside Myth Drannor, an army of over a hundred stood in formation around a large tent. Screens ten meters long and two meters high enclosed it on all four sides.
The first Bane Godspawn, Iyachtu Xvim, sat cross-legged inside. Opposite him sat another famous figure of the Zhentarim: Fuzol Cherbury, the Tyrant of the Moonsea, a legendary tyrant whose standing in the organization was second only to the mage Manshoon.
Outside, a line of Bane's clerics chanted divine spells. Inside, Xvim and Fuzor were talking.
"According to their reports, there is nothing wrong with the Dark Sun's mind. Quite the opposite-he seems to have obtained something crucial from the outer planes and is mobilizing his clerics to create a new artifact."
Xvim paced before Fuzor with his hands behind his back. He trusted this high-ranking cleric whom his father had once possessed. Unlike Manshoon, who had sided with Cyric, Fuzor had always been a secret Bane loyalist, covertly sheltering many of Bane's former followers.
True to Bane's teachings, Xvim was equally generous with his rewards. Despite the weakness of his body after only recently escaping captivity, he had immediately bestowed a sliver of divinity upon Fuzor, elevating him to a position beneath only himself and above everyone else.
"That appears to be the case, judging by our current intelligence." Fuzor treated Xvim with great respect-and great caution. Having been possessed by Bane, he knew just how mercurial the God of Tyranny could be.
"Wine," Xvim called to his personal attendant.
The Tyranny Godspawn's personal attendant was none other than Disma, the Champion Knight who had left Suzail!
"I don't know why, but I still feel the Dark Sun has gone mad." After taking a few more steps, Xvim sat down and made the remark casually.
The two had finally managed