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 (who tend to default to imperialistic and militaristic definitions of prosperity), the rule of the Lords is not just council-based, but also mostly anonymous. The council is made up of sixteen Lords, fifteen of whom are Masked Lords, and represented by a single Open Lord.
The Open Lord: Piergeiron the Paladinson
Piergeiron's role is simple: he is the public face of the Lords of Waterdeep. He is not their leader - his is only voice among many - but it is the nature of the Open Lordship that he fulfills the function of being the publicly accountable and culpable person. In theory, his role is to be that person who can be held publicly accountable for the actions of the Lords, and whose existence prevents the rule of a wholly anonymous, faceless body of potential tyrants. Piergeiron holds a set of distinct legal powers granted him by his position of Open Lord.
- The First Ambassador of Waterdeep: As the Open Lord, Piergeiron 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, the Palace in the Castle Ward - a beautiful, accessible edifice - is given over to his purposes, where Waterdeep Castle upon the slopes of Mount Waterdeep remains the domain of the Masked Lords. Though he has extensive and comfortable suites within the Castle, it can't truly be called his "home," housing as it does extensive suites for visiting dignitaries, offices of the city bureaucracy and the like.
- Commander of the Watch: The Open Lord also acts as the foremost authority for the city's Watch, although in practical terms, the actual running of the Watch is given over to the Captain of the Watch, who reports to Piergeiron directly.
- Warden of the Guard: The Open Lord also acts as the Warden of the Guard, the supreme commander of Waterdeep's military forces, although as with the Watch, there is a more direct general who answers to Piergeiron.
- Overmaster of the Guilds: As Open Lord, Piergeiron also holds the power of authority over the guilds of Waterdeep, with the power to override guild law.
Piergeiron is the only openly-known Lord of Waterdeep, and speaks for all the Lords. He is also the City of Splendors chief diplomat to foreign powers and its chief defender, being both Commander of the Watch and Warden (commander) of the Guard.
As Overmaster of the Guilds, he has clear authority to override Guild law, and his decree is the only absolute law in this city of interpretation and subtle evasion. As such, he is very safe from Waterdhavians and his life is threatened by foreign powers, such as Amn, Calimshan, and Luskan, for the same reason: he is so above reproach, and so able in his administration and justice, that the City flourishes. Waterdhavians could not conceive of a better man to fill the offices Piergeiron discharges; those wishing the City ill want to remove him if at all possible.
Piergeiron speaks seldom, and slowly; as a result, he is sometimes snidely known as the Thickskull, though never to his face. He is not stupid, but often pretends to be, to draw others out into verbal admissions they might otherwise not make. His grander nickname is due to the fact that his father Athar, The Shining Knight, The Arm of Tyr, was a very famous paladin adventurer of the North.
