Knights of the North - NPC: Ixathinon, aka Lady Avrezt

Ixathinon

 aka Lady Avrezt, Tolak of Darkhold

Roleplaying Ixathinon
Key Traits: ambitious, ruthless
Goal: regain the power he had, rebuild the Zhentarim
Motivation: bad childhood
Fears: beholders seem too powerful, he feels out-of-his-depth in this post-Spellplague age
Weaknesses: none

Favourite Sayings
These are always uttered in a soft, pleasant, matter-of-fact voice:

"I can't be bothered wasting spells on them. Hang them, for the citizens to watch."
"These conclusions need bother us?"
"And the approach you prefer?"
"How deeply touching. Slay them."
"I fear so."
"A moment, good sir, of the brief time - by my command - remaining to you."
"Shall I decree it, or are you sensitive enough to heed a mere suggestion?"
"You'll understand, I trust, that as long as I am Lord here, I can allow no diabolical plans to succeed but my own."

Inspiration

Ixathinon believes its destiny is to fill the void left by Manxam's death. Manxam was described as follows:

Possibly the most powerful eye tyrant in the lands of the northwest Inner Sea, Manxam does deal in the politics of humans, but with a low profile and few servant creatures.

Manxam is usually to be found in or about the ruins of Teshwave. It is thought to view the Zhentarim’'s bold expansionist policies with increasing alarm, thinking that they will lead to an inevitable battle union of all of Zhentil Keep'’s foes and the resulting defeat and destruction of Zhentil Keep. Still, it sees the Zhentarim as (relatively) trustworthy allies.

Beholders have allied with evil forces such as those within Zhentil Keep for aeons. Manxam is less than pleased with Manshoon'’s dominance of the inner circle, and prefers Fzoul'’s firm hand (the beholder misses the old days of the Bane-worshipping priests, who seemed to know how to treat beholders with the respect they deserved). Still, the Zhentarim are preferable to the madmen of
the Dales, who always seek to rebel under the eye of the more powerful beholders.

Manxam'’s powers and abilities are unknown, but a doubling of “normal” beholder hit points would not be unreasonable to begin with.

This is exactly how Ixathinon sees itself... and also how it sees the Zhentarim. It wants the Zhentarim "back", an organisation with its own goals but ultimately a pawn of beholders like itself and, in due course, the sword that the beholders of Ixathinon's hive will point toward the Netherese in their quest for vengeance.

Background 

Manshoon, Night King of Westgate and leader of the Zhents, is slain in spell-battle with Elminster.
Awakened clone.
Beholder mage - Ixathinon - did the awakening.
Finds he is working with Cyricists instead of Banites.
Citadel of the Raven is a ruin not the mighty fortress he expected.
Shortcut to increased magical power - tap the magic of the spellweavers who have ruins in this region.
This is Manshoon from 1355 DR but less powerful than even at that time due to the weaker clone ritual used to create him.

Stat Block
Manshoon

Male human arcanist wizard 12

Evil elite controller (leader) 12

Magic Missile - basic ranged

Lightning bolt - ranged at-will

Dominate Monster- recharge when nobody affected

Mind Crush/Feeblemind - encounter

Wall of Force - encounter

Dimension Door - recharge

Summoned Bone Devils

Evil lurker 9