The Lords of Waterdeep

The Lords of Waterdeep are the ruling council of Waterdeep, forming the basis of its secretive oligarchy government.

Established by the Old Mage of Waterdeep, Ahghairon in 1032 DR as an alternative to the rule of warlords, the nobility, or the guilds of Waterdeep. The rule of the Lords is not just council-based, but also mostly anonymous.

The council is made up of a number of Lords, all but one of whom are Masked Lords, and represented by a single Open Lord. Though predominantly human, the Lords come from all walks of life and there are no restrictions on race, gender, age, social status, or place of origin when it comes to the appointment of either the Open or the Masked Lords.

The Lords appeared in public when deliberating on high crimes or when asked to by the lower court. Even then, only four generally appeared and one is always the Open Lord.

The Open Lord

The Open Lord's role is simple: to be the public face of the Lords of Waterdeep.

There exists no "first among equals" amongst Waterdeep's Lords; the Open Lord is not the leader, but one voice among many.

The nature of the position is such that whoever occupies it fulfills the function of being the publicly accountable and culpable person for decisions made by the Council of Lords. The Open Lord's existence prevents the rule of a wholly anonymous, faceless body of potential tyrants.

The current Open Lord of Waterdeep is Laeral Silverhand. She assumed the position in 1489 DR when Dagult Neverember, the previous Open Lord, was deposed on charges of embezzlement and corruption.

As the Open Lord, Silverhand holds a set of distinct legal powers granted by the position.

The First Ambassador of Waterdeep

The Open Lord acts as the foremost diplomat for the city of Waterdeep, allowing congress with other nations and city-states who would never be comfortable dealing with a collection of faceless figures in diplomacy.

As such, Piergeiron's Palace in the Castle Ward—a beautiful, accessible edifice—is given over to her purposes, where Waterdeep Castle upon the slopes of the Mountainside remains the domain of the Masked Lords.

Commander of the Watch

The Open Lord also acts as the foremost authority for the City Watch, although in practical terms the actual running of the Watch is given over to the Captain of the Watch, who reports to the Open Lord directly.

Warden of the Guard

The Open Lord also acts as the Warden of the City Guard, the supreme commander of Waterdeep's military forces. As with the Watch, there is a more direct general who answers to Piergeiron.

Overmaster of the Guilds

The Open Lord also holds the power of authority over the Guilds of Waterdeep, with the power to override guild law.

In a political world where much is done with subtle manipulations, semantic and creative interpretations of law and the like, the Open Lord is empowered to cut right through and issue absolute decrees.

The Masked Lords

In tandem with the Open Lord of the city, the Masked Lords—or Closed Lords, as they are also known—are responsible for the creation, revision, and abolition of the Laws of Waterdeep. They oversee the broader running and trajectory of the city and work to balance the demands of the city's guilds and nobility with the needs of the populace.

The Lords are also the heads of the Magistrates of Waterdeep, the body of black-robed legalists and judges who pass judgment on legal troubles. Magistrates are chosen from among the many clerks and other bureaucrats who help run the city, and are always chosen for their understanding of the law.

The system of anonymity that the Masked Lords operate under was established in the interest of long-term stability; with only one face to the ruling council, attempts at assassination, bribery, and corruption of the city's rulers could be mitigated. Similarly, the clarity of sight offered by the anonymity—and its subsequent protection from public scrutiny—was thought to help ward against tunnel vision, nepotism, and stagnation among the city's ruling body.

Though the Open Lord acts as the voice of the Lords, her word is given equal if not lesser credence than the others by the traditions of the Lords; as a public figure, the Open Lord is a target of favor-currying, lobbying and other such attempts. The other Lords, in comparison, are anonymous and in a place to see and understand things that Laeral's privilege makes her blind to. Additionally, after Dagult Neverember's manipulation and subversion of the Masked Lords, they are reputedly hesitant to invest anything like too much trust in another Open Lord.

The identical appearances of the Lords mean that their true number is hard to determine, though it seems that there are at least 12 Masked Lords at present. While the concrete identities of the Masked Lords are unknown, some individuals such as Mirt the Moneylender are the subject of widespread rumors and speculation regarding their position on the council.

Lords' Regalia

The Masked Lords—or Closed Lords, as they are also known—are not simply masked; their heads are hidden beneath the Lords' Helms and their forms shrouded in the voluminous Lords' Vestments, deep purple-sashed robes with heavy cloth gauntlets.

The Lords' accoutrements are enchanted with potent illusions that conceal any physical traits that might reveal the bearer. All fully-robed Lords stand at 6 feet, and their voices are projected loudly and given a somewhat-hollow baritone by the helms. Additionally, their regalia is known to not only protect the Lords' minds from being read or otherwise probed, but reveal to all the Lords in the vicinity any attempt to do so.

The penalty for impersonating a Lord, whether by dressing in a set of their identical clothing or by a false claim, is punishable by the impostor's immediate execution.