Council of Waterdeep

The Council of Waterdeep was a conciliary body formed in the 1480s DR, tasked with meeting the rising threat the Cult of the Dragon posed to the people of the Sword Coast and the North.

Organization

The council was attended by delegates from five of the most influential and powerful factions of the west and the North. These 'Five Factions' included the league of city-states known as the Lords' Alliance, the knights of the Order of the Gauntlet, druids of the Emerald Enclave, agents of The Harpers, and the merchant-mercenaries of the Zhentarim.

As the largest and arguably most influential of the factions—representing several of the largest city-states of Faerûn—delegates of the Lords' Alliance held seven seats on the Council of Waterdeep. The other factions held either a single seat, or only a few. Each delegate was accompanied by their own retinue of aides.

Activities

Base of Operations

The council held their sessions within the Lords' Palace in Castle Ward of Waterdeep.

History

Formation

The preliminary events that led to the Council of Waterdeep's founding was the campaign by the Cult of the Dragon to amass a hoard of wealth sufficient enough to appease Tiamat, the Goddess of Dragons . Cult members and their storm giant accomplice Blagothkus attempted to transport that wealth aboard Skyreach Castle to the Well of Dragons in preparation for the ritual that would grant Tiamat admittance to Faerûn. Unfortunately for Tiamat and her cultists, a band of adventurers thwarted that plot and moved back the timeline for their ritual.

Not long after Skyreach Castle was neutralized, agents of the cult sounded the ancient draconic artifact known as the Draakhorn. The horn's booming call was heard all across the Sword Coast and the North. It was perceived as a call-to-action for dragons across the wester, and was a grim sign of the conflict just on the horizon.

The true catalyst of the council's formation however was the murder of the Masked Lord of Waterdeep, Arthagast Ulbrinter, at the hands of the dragon cultists. Lord Ulbrinter was husband to Remi Haventree, a devoted agent of The Harpers. Channeling her anguish into a righteous cause, Remi vowed to dismantle the Cult of the Dragon and rallied members of the Five Factions of the Sword Coast. As the threat posed by the cult became apparent, delegates from each of the factions were dispatched in secret to the Lords' Palace in Waterdeep. The Harper agent Leosin Erlanthar—who had previously been taken captive by the Dragon Cult— invited a group of adventurers to their meeting, and explained to them its cause.

Members

• Connerad Brawnanvil, an ambassador of Mithral Hall and son of one of its' former kings.
• Dagult Neverember, the cunning Lord of Neverwinter and one-time Open Lord of Waterdeep.
• Dala Silmerhelve, a Waterdhavian noblewoman and ally of the bronze dragon Nymmurh.
• Delaan Winterhound, the council's sole member from the Emerald Enclave.
• Isteval, a retired Cormyrean Purple Dragon knight and representative of the city of Daggerford.
• Laeral Silverhand, Neverember's successor as Open Lord of Waterdeep.
• Melandrach, elven King of the Misty Forest that represented both his realm and the inhabitants of the High Forest.
• Ontharr Frume, an exuberant and stalwart knight of the Order of the Gauntlet.
• Remallia Haventree, the soft-spoken but fierce delegate of The Harpers.
• Rian Nightshade an agent of the Zhentarim that acted as an attaché to Lord Neverember.
• Taern Hornblade, the diplomatic High Mage of Silverymoon.
• Ulder Ravengard, the earnest Grand Duke of Baldur's Gate and Marshal of the city's Flaming Fist army.