Z'rell

Disciple Z'rell is a Half-Orc Warlock who can be found in Moonrise Towers in Act 2.

“

I see you have been rejected in the past. Do not worry - the Absolute loves you, and that is all that truly matters.

„

— Z'rell if she sees that the player has been romantically rejected by a companion.

Overview

Z'rell is a high-ranking member of the Cult of the Absolute and a trusted advisor to Ketheric Thorm.

Involvement

Z'rell is first encountered in the Moonrise audience chamber along with General Thorm, where they are judging the failures of the Absolute's forces from the Goblin Camp. Ultimately, Z'rell delegates their punishment to the player character, and orders them to report to her afterwards. There, she assigns them the task of assisting the necromancer Balthazar in securing a relic needed by Ketheric, called the Nightsong. If the party allows Balthazar to take the Nightsong, then Z'rell gives a follow-up quest, Resolve the Abduction, tasking the party to assist Marcus with the abduction of Isobel.

Unlocking Lann Tarv's secret stash

The trader Lann Tarv has a secret stash of items that can be unlocked by convincing Z'rell to give the party access to it.

If the dialogue option "What exactly was this relic he was sent to retrieve?" doesn't appear, casting  Detect Thoughts is recommended. After choosing it, you will an  Insight check must be passsed followed by a DC 18  Persuasion check. If succeeding both checks, the party can speak with Lann Tarv, with the same character that convinced Z'rell, in order to unlock the secret stash.

Assault on Moonrise Towers

If Z'rell is still alive after killing or freeing the Nightsong, she leads the forces of the Absolute against the party during the assault on Moonrise Towers. She will start the combat with  Mirror Image and  Fire Shield: Chill.

Combat

Attacks and Abilities

 Black Hole ()

Create a point of intense gravity that pulls in all nearby enemies and possibly Slows them.

Five more black holes can be summoned after this spell's initial casting. Afterwards, you must Short Rest before casting it again.

INT Save

 Range: 18 m / 60 ft

Recharge: Short rest

 Cone of Cold ()

8d8 (8~64) Cold

Make a flurry of frost, crisp air, and condensed snow crystals erupt from your hands.

CON Save

 Range: Self

AoE: 9 m / 30 ft (Cone)

 Counterspell ()

Try to stop a spell being cast.

If it is higher level than the spell slot you used to Counterspell, you must make a check using your spellcasting ability^{[See Notes]} to prevent it. The check's difficulty is equal to 10 plus the level of the spell you are trying to counter.

 Eldritch Blast ()

1d10 (1~10) Force

Conjure a beam of crackling energy. Deals 1d10Force damage to a target.

 Range: 18 m / 60 ft

 Main Hand Attack ()   –  Handaxe +1

Normal weapon damage Make a melee attack with your equipped weapon.

 Melee: 1.5 m / 5  ft

 Mirror Image ()

Create 3 illusory duplicates of yourself to distract attackers. Each duplicate increases your  Armour Class by 3.

Whenever you successfully evade an attack, one of the duplicates disappears.

 Range: Self

Tactics

• It can be tempting to use a large Area of Effect spell to start combat like  Fireball or  Hunger of Hadar since Z'rell usually starts the fight in the center of a large, open entryway surrounded by her allies. However, this is a bait since she will use  Counterspell on the first spell the party casts. Hence, it can be smart to cast a cantrip first to have her waste it and then use stronger spells.

Loot

• Absolute's Protector
• Handaxe +1
• Mind Flayer Parasite Specimen
• Scroll of Fear
• Scroll of Shatter
• Studded Leather Armour

Related Literature

• Beheading the Bitterroots
• Orcs of the Trielta Hills
• Recruiting Gnolls
• Z'rell's personal reminder

Gallery

• 

  Z'rell's model.

External links

• Z'rell on the Forgotten Realms Wiki