Straddling the line between legitimate and illegitimate, the Zhentarim engages in activities such as hiring out mercenaries, providing loans, dealing in illicit goods, and smuggling contraband. The organization seeks to become omnipresent and inescapable, more wealthy and powerful, and most importantly, untouchable.

The public face of the organization appears much more benign, offering the best mercenaries money can buy. When a merchant needs an escort for his caravan, when a noble needs bodyguards to protect her holdings, or when a city needs trained soldiers to defend its honor, the Zhentarim provides the best-trained fighting men and women money can buy. However, the cost of doing business with the Black Network can be high.

The Black Network wants to make it necessary—and preferable, even—to deal with its members. It wants to secure, over time, an iron-fisted monopoly. Members must be the best—the cheapest, the fastest, and the most secure—at providing services and goods both legal and illicit, willing to lose coin if it means destroying a competitor, and securing profits from everyone they deal with, except when to do so would work against the Black Network's ultimate goal: to make everyone dependent on it.

This criminal/slaver network is one of the most powerful on the Sword Coast and often acts as a buffer against other evil organizations unintentionally. They have a massive stronghold on Skullport Island, but are otherwise largely active in Waterdeep.

Members of the guild are trained in stealth, discretion, and tactics, with fighters, rogues, sorcerers, wizards, and experts which comprise most of its numbers. An ever-growing organization, it utilizes multiple mouthpieces to protect and conceal the identity of the Xanathar. To join, a member has to prove their ruthlessness, obedience, and loyalty by committing a serious crime - killing or selling a friend or family member into slavery, as well as paying 300gp.

Renaer Neverember was a noble member of the Neverember family and estranged son of the former Open Lord of Waterdeep, Dagult Neverember. Renaer's mother died in his youth. He began managing his family's extensive property holdings at a young age, while his father spent time at the palace.

A good-hearted aspiring adventurer, he recently joined the Harpers in Waterdeep. Renaer inadvertently became involved in the search for the stolen gold hidden by his father. He was targeted by both the Zhentarim and Xanathar's Thieves' Guild, despite not knowing anything about the cache of gold. He was killed in an explosion, along with an agent of his father and several Zhentarim faction members.