Cult of the Shattered Peak The Cult of the Shattered Peak were Netherese descendents who watched constantly for those seeking what they believed should not be sought . They strove to keep the secrets of ancient Netheril out of the hands of others . History . Formed sometime after the fall of ancient Netheril , the cult existed until at least 1373 DR . Dogma . The stereotypical Netherese cult consisted of power - hungry wizard s bent on either resurrecting the Empire of Magic or on exploiting its secrets for their own aggrandizement . The Cult of the Shattered Peak was the exact opposite ; in their view , Faerûnians were better off leaving well enough alone . They recalled the arcane hubris that was Netheril ' s downfall , not to mention its oppression of nonhumans , and fought to keep the old ways dead and buried . To this end they employed a myriad of tactics ranging from disinformation and theft to outright assassination . Cultists mainly worked independently or as part of a cell system . This protected the cult from reprisals . A given cultist gave and received information to and from the one or two cultists they knew , or via dead drops . They may also have been assigned to protect and assist other members without said members ' knowledge . Above all else , cultists valued information , and new members were given few orders besides " Keep your eyes open " and " Report back when you find information of interest , especially concerning powerful magic or mages . " Location . The cult mainly operated within the Desert of Anauroch , with several small cells throughout the Western Heartlands . The cult may have been active throughout Faerûn , because foolish , irresponsible , greedy and generally evil arcanists were found nearly everywhere . It ' s known that the cult had less - than - friendly relations with the Zhentarim , and the same could be true of the Red Wizard s . Likewise , anywhere mages held political power ( Rashemen , the Vilhon Reach , Waterdeep , and so on ) , the cult may have been working in the shadows . The stronghold of the Cult was in the southern portion of the Scimitar Spires mountain range . A mountain fortress was within the Shattered Peak protected by chasms and cliffs . Relationships . Few people knew of the cult , and those who did tended to regard it as a group of mage - hating extremists . Arcanists generally disliked them , but most others individuals had little opinion either way . However , the cult often interfered with Zhentarim wizards in the Anauroch , so members of the Black Network were almost always hostile toward known cultists . Cultists regarded magelord s as cruel and dangerous ( a not entirely unjustified sentiment ) , and magelords generally returned the prejudice . The Bedine nomads , however , were allies of the cult and regularly provided shelter to its members . Cultists of the Shattered Peak viewed adventurers by their actions . Opening Netherese tombs and unearthing magic was a good way to draw their ire . Conversely , a group in pursuit of those who would do so , or power - abusing mages in general , would have found an ally in the cult . Members . Khemal Serist Notes . A specialized prestige class exists for members of the Cult : Cultist of the Shattered Peak