A deformed, middle-aged man with a missing left foot. His milky white eyes give off the impression of blindness, but he always seems to be noting his surroundings.

Dhamir Ercals II "The Lesser" is an administrative and diplomatic member of the Zhentarim. He is the son of Dhamir Ercals "The Greater," the current religious leader of Darkhold. Dhamir was born in 1442 DR during a night of Cyric worship in the the fortress of Darkhold. Dhamir Ercals II father and mother wanted their son to be born with Cyric's blessing, and dedicated the whole day of the mother's labor to worship and sacrifice to that god of trickery.

Dhamir The Greater wished for a son with "a mind and tongue keen enough to unite the Zhentarim under a single banner." Luckily for Dhamir, Cyric answered these prayers but not without grave cost.

The Sacrifice to Cyric in 1442

Dhamir The Lesser was born premature, missing a left foot and nearly blind. The birthing process took the life of his mother. His father assumed Cyric was angry at him for demanding such an impressive specimen. But, as Cyric is known for his unusual displays of approval, the father withheld his judgment of the boy until he reached schooling age.

It was apparent from his youth that Dhamir The Lesser's mind was indeed impressive and his tongue developed well-beyond his years of tutorship in Darkhold. Even as early as six, Darkhold's leadership entrusted small matters of management and paperwork to this boy to allow him to grow in his own way.

Physically, though, Dhamir The Lesser could not keep up with the rest of Darkhold's children. Though he practiced at the sword, his small stature, weak body, poor eye sight, and the lack of a foot made his performance less-than-stellar. He was often mocked by the other children and young teens in the castle, which left Dhamir The Lesser a lot of alone time to read as best he could with his faulty eyes.

The loneliness did leave its mark: Dhamir spent a lot of time in the library in a section neglected by the castle's servants. There, he performed research on economic systems and the cultures surrounding Darkhold with an emphasis on the Zhentarim and The Bedine Tribes of Anauroch.

During this time, he also found another pastime: playing with the library's rats. Dhamir The Lesser wanted little to do with the other children in Darkhold, so he spent his social time taming and feeding the library's vast array of rats, which he eventually came to hold dominion over as their master, a self-appointed King of Rats. Dhamir used them to deliver messages, steal valuable items, and spy on other members of the castle through creative use of their small size. Dhamir grew as both a scholar and an infiltrator.

Dhamir The Lesser's Private Library Study in Darkhold

Dhamir's time in the library studying economics and rodents alike led to an outcome he never expected in his life: A young sorcerous by the name of Priscilla (later as Priscilla Ercals) visited Dhamir one day in his private study. She was, to Dhamir's surprise, a Tiefling, which was a rare sight in Darkhold. Dhamir does not have the capacity to experience romantic attraction, but he was nonetheless infatuated with Priscilla's scholarly prowess. She visited his library to get away from the other children in Darkhold who are known to be very rough on anyone who was not normal. Like Dhamir, Priscilla studied a variety of topics but more focused on the arcane arts. She was especially interested in Netheril's magical creations in the country of Anauroch and how they related to the Chardalyn buried beneath the sand there.

Together, Dhamir and Priscilla built an unshakable friendship founded on mutual respect and scholarly research. Both enjoyed the other's company, but neither were particularly good at expressing complex emotional feelings, so most of their time together was spent in silence.

However, the nature of their relationship changed in 1460 when a group opposing the Zhentarim attempted to steal valuable documents from Darkhold's library. Dhamir was powerless against them and was surely bound for death's door, but Priscilla defended his life with her magical prowess and, as she became more desperate, with her fists. She fought for him and ultimately lost a a hand in the ensuing battle.

Priscilla's Tiefling ferocity won the day, and she drove back the attackers from killing Dhamir and taking the library's sacred texts. Once the battle ended, Dhamir tended to Priscilla's wound after collapsing from blood loss and exhaustion. They looked in each other's eyes with a newfound understanding of the depth of their bond. Dhamir pleaded for Priscilla to "stay alive." Priscilla responded with a smile and stated that she would only live if Dhamir promised to marry her one day. Without hesitation, Dhamir took Priscilla's hand and declared her Priscilla Ercals from that day forward.

Their relationship thrived. Together, they developed Darkhold's library into the envy of middle Faerun and built a nice life for themselves as members of the Zhentarim. And, by 1471, they were expecting their first children. Soon, however, disaster struck as complications in childbirth caused Priscilla Ercals to lose her life birthing twin Tieflings. Their names are Dhamira Ercals and Dhamir Ercals III. Their grandfather, Dhamir Ercals, insisted the children be born under the shadow of a ritual sacrifice to Cyric just as their father had been on the day of his birth.

Dhamir was devastated by the loss of his wife but dedicated himself to continuing their work and raising his two children who, like their father, were blessed with Cyric's divine grace. If anything, his children were even more intelligent than himself and stronger due to their mother's genetic influence.

Priscilla Ercals, Wife of Dhamir Ercals II

By the age of thirty, Dhamir proved himself a devout follower of Cyric and an indispensable asset for the Zhentarim as its involvement in mercantile matters became more complex with the redevelopment of the Black Road Project. His father and other Zhentarim leaders decided it was time for Dhamir to prove his worth as a potential successor to the seat of Darkhold by ensuring the success of the Black Road Project in Anauroch.

The leaders of Darkhold expected Dhamir to oversee the road's construction, including managing its budget, negotiating with locals, and keeping tabs on major events unfolding within Anauroch. Now a senior and dedicated member of the Zhentarim, Dhamir The Lesser gladly accepted this assignment and traveled across the Black Road to Vuerthyl where he was granted a small estate by the leaders of Darkhold to organize his affairs.

The Dhamir Estate in Vuerthyl

Dhamir The Lesser was welcomed into Vuerthyl by both the local Zhentarim contingent and Mayor Logan Hartly, who appreciated the additional help in managing town matters. Dhamir then spent the next decade building a network of local Zhentarim connections and overseeing reconstruction of the Black Road.

Dhamir's efforts have been noted by the leaders of Darkhold. However, as of 1492 DR, progress has stalled as the threat of the Arcanus Titanicus shifts in the sands around Vuerthyl. Additionally, Dhamir now has the additional duty of brokering peace between Mayor Logan Hartly and Baron Ryder Destry as they argue over The Derrick's local mining operation.

Dhamir hopes to inherit his father's seat of Darkhold and bring the Zhentarim back to its former, unified glory. But, before he can do that, he needs to ensure that Anauroch and its people remain safe from the titanic threat below their feet.

Dhamir's separation from his children has been difficult, but his father has proven quite a reliable grandfather in preparing them for influential positions within the Zhentarim and ensuring they are treated fairly within the castle. Unlike their mother, however, his children are being brought up as devout followers of Cyric, which has proven no easy task with other children within the castle ostracizing them during religious lessons.

Dhamir hopes his children will be able to join him in Vuerthyl soon following the end of their formal education in a few months. Unlike their father, Dhamira Ercals and Dhamir Ercals III are both adept fighters in addition to being top-rate scholars.

FAMILY TREE NOT AVAILABLE

Dhamir is not adept at direct combat. He is incredibly weak physically and cannot face more than one opponent in a straight fight. Instead, Dhamir prefers to fight his opponents with words, subterfuge, poison, and hidden blades. Though he prefers to kill from a distance, he is not defenseless in a close quarters encounter. Dhamir uses a sword cane notably designed with a rat-shaped handle. It is capable of dispensing poison and has an additional compartment to store emergency funds and rations. Dhamir is not above killing others, but prefers to diplomacy when that is an option.

Dhamir's Sword Cane

Date of Birth

1442

Gender

Male

Eyes

Milky White

Hair

Black

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Pale White

Height

5 ft 9 inches

Weight

145lbs