97th Pirate Council

The 97th Pirate Council was the first Pirate Council of Waterdeep following The Shuddering.
Prior to the Shuddering, Elvir Endos lead the Pirate Council, until she was ousted by the Cambion Undercouncil in 1492. In 1502, Captain Blade removed Sisin, the Cambion Chain Devil occupying the city, and reinstated the Pirate Council. Blade's crew of Winter's Grasp were given a place upon the council, and the citizens of Waterdeep selected Blade as leaders of the council.

Structure

As with all Pirate Councils that came before it, the 97th had 10 seats, each taken by the most competent captains of Waterdeep at the time, and each representing a ship and crew. These included:
Winter's Grasp Lead by Captain Blade. The city's most famous pirate crew at the time.

The Retainers Lead by Ser Sildar Hallwinter. The Retainers were the only non-seafarers represented on the council, and gained their seat thanks to a stipulation in the Emancipation Alliance Treaty, signed by both Blade and Hallwinter. Originally hesitant to the notion of reinstating the Pirate Council, this treaty ensured that the Retainers would henceforth always be represented by a single seat within the council.
Leviathan Lead by famous seafarer Gilas Finlay. The ex-captain of the Sword Coast fleet lead a crew of infamous elite, many of them once members of the navy.
Nexal's Eyes Lead by Mondo Silent Sabre, a female Etsuman Tabaxi. Nexal's eyes was manned by a band of rogue Tabaxi traders, who turned to piracy following the Shuddering.
Blue Star Lead by Noba Virren, a Dalen wizard. The crew of the Blue Star was composed of fierce magic wielding elves. In her youth, Noba was a scholar of magic.
Stormband Lead by Dari Kreiberg, a staunch Dwarf as bold as her ship. Stormband was a vessel with legendary defences, claimed by many to be unsinkable.
Antal's Delve Lead by Volnos Sudallath, a Triton accustomed to the surface world. Volnos' ship was manned entirely by Tritons, and used rare and powerful magic to submerge itself under the ocean's surface.
Brutehammer Lead by Rolth Thuluk. This colossal warship armed to the teeth and boasted a crew of Half-orc bandits and Goliaths.
Swamper Lead by Nask Aesho, a cunning Lizardfolk. Spawned straight from the Lizardfolk swamps, this dirty trawler was as cut-throat as it was decrepit, but its feared crew earned it quite an impressive reputation.
Demon's Tail Lead by Takkal. Takkal was a Cambion, who's selection to the 97th was troubling, but deemed fair given his crew's reputation. This crew of demons and Cambions had deserted the Undercouncil following the shuddering to earn money as smugglers. Takkal feared the ousting of the Undercouncil might harm his crew, and was eager to distance himself from other Cambions following the eve of the 97th.

Military

Sildar Hallwinter and the Retainers were selected to serve as the City Guard to the 97th. They eagerly recruited many Waterdeep natives in to their ranks following the liberation, and worked to bolster the city's defences. Two members of the Pirate Council aided these efforts:

• Captain Rolth of ship Brutehammer contributed to the recruitment drive.
• Dari Kreiberg of ship Stormband applied her knowledge of staunch defence to the rebuilding of the city's perimeter.

Vane Ghast and the Ghast Raiders were selected to operate as City Watch under the 97th. They enacted Captain Blade's law enforcement policy following the liberation. This policy was characterised by a number of key intentions:

• Focus on Waterdeep's Cambion population, rather than its criminal population.
• Only investigate and punish serious crimes.
• Interrogate all Cambions and Demons who worked within, with, or for the Undercouncil.
• Execute all Cambions directly found to have been directly involved with the Undercouncil.
• Disregard "peaceful" or "unimportant Cambions" with little to no role in the occupation of Waterdeep.
• Move all Cambions out of the Bastor District to Harbour View.

Historically, Waterdeep had no official navy, and relied on its native pirate crews to defend its ports. However, Captain Blade chose to create a loosely organised navy with a single leader, given the need for well structured defence in light of possible Cambion attacks. Blade selected Gilas Finlay to lead this fleet, and many pirates (perhaps surprisingly) dedicated their ships and crews to this fleet, in an understanding that unity was required to keep Waterdeep free.

Foreign Relations

Shyld Troasz was the chief ambassador under the 97th. She was a young Lizardfolk with little experience in politics, but a burning passion to address inequality within Waterdeep. She was responsible for overseeing public relations within Waterdeep, and foreign relations outside the city (however there was little need for the latter whilst Waterdeep stood as the Sword Coast's only free city).

Agriculture & Industry

Morkon Alter was the agricultural advisor to the 97th. He was an old Dwarven man who had owned and operated a wheat farm to the North of Waterdeep most of his life. His policies were characterised by an increased production of staples; wheat, potatoes, chicken. This was intended to bolster reserves following the liberation of Waterdeep.
Woodfain Wingham was the engineering advisor to the 97th. He was a Human architect who relied on his impressive mathematical skill when designing structures. His key policy was to resume mining operations under the Sword Mountains, providing the city with much needed metals for weapons.

Trade & Transport

Narth Etrias was the economics advisor to the 97th. She was an Dalen ex-merchant who had made her living in and around Waterdeep. Her policies were centred around an increase in import tariffs, aimed to quickly increase the wealth of the newly-free city.

Captain Blade's Banner, the emblem of the 97th Pirate Council and Waterdeep's coat of arms from 1502 onward.

Type

Governmental, Senate/Parliament

Leader

Captain Blade

Head of Government

Captain Blade

Judicial Body

Vane Ghast and the Ghast Raiders were selected to operate as City Watch under the 97th. See Military section below for further details.

Location

Waterdeep