Gray Hands

Overview

Force Grey, otherwise known as The Gray Hands, is a group of elite adventurers who worked directly for the government of the city of Waterdeep. Their job was to deal with threats to the city that the City Guard and the City Watch could not handle without risking significant loss of life. They were called upon only as a last resort, since the Lords of Waterdeep tended to not be fond of their methods.  

Organization

The Blackstaff gives orders to the members of Force Grey, but rarely works with them directly unless the threat facing Waterdeep is particularly dire.

Activities

Members are not expected to patrol the city for threats and are basically free to follow their own goals, so long as they are available in the city, ready to be called to action, for at least thirty hours per week. In exchange, the city pays each member one hundred gold pieces per month.

Tactics

Force Grey are called upon to minimize any loss of life that could be caused should they not be available to deal with a threat. The members of the group are therefore expected to be equal to, if not the better of, said threat in terms of power. They approach most problems in a brute force kind of way, causing collateral damage to property and infrastructure in their attempts to save as many lives as possible.

Base of Operations

Although the group uses Blackstaff Tower as a base of operations, members are not expected to frequent it save when orders are being handed out. 

Possessions

When called upon, each member is given magical equipment that aids them in defeating the current threat to the city. This equipment is marked by the Blackstaff with spells that causes the items to return, along with their wielders, to Blackstaff Tower after a few days.

Relationships

As an official arm of the government of Waterdeep, Force Grey is answerable to the city's lords and allied with its other law enforcement groups. As of 1492 DR, the Gray Hands are under the control of the Blackstaff Vajra Safahr.

History

Force Grey was founded by Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun in his capacity as the city's archmage. Upon Khelben's apparent death in 1374 DR, the leadership of the group passed on to Khelben's successor as Blackstaff, Tsarra Chaadren, establishing the policy that the group would always be officially headed up by the Blackstaff.

Type

Secret, Governmental arm