Xanathar's Guild

The Xanathar Guild is a criminal organization operating throughout Waterdeep and beyond. Though its leadership remains cloaked in mystery, the guild’s name is a whispered reference to its presumed ruler—an infamous beholder known only as Xanathar. Most people assume that such a being is only a figurehead or an underworld myth, but even rumors of its presence are enough to inspire fear. Because of this, those branded with the Guild's insignia, a tattoo of an eye, are referred to as Eyestalks.
In Waterdeep, the guild is known for its involvement in extortion, smuggling, assassination, and the trafficking of rare and dangerous magic. While rarely seen on the surface, its operatives move with purpose in the city’s alleys, sewers, and dockside warehouses. It is widely believed that the Guild’s true strength lies underground, both literally and figuratively.
Rumors persist that the guild maintains a standing alliance with aberrant creatures, including intellect devourers and worse. Whether these monsters are pets, allies, or experiments is a matter of speculation. Some believe they were summoned from the Underdark; others suspect they are bred beneath the city itself.

Public Perception

For the average citizen, the Xanathar Guild is a terrifying but distant presence—something between a crime syndicate and a bedtime story to frighten unruly children. The City Watch acknowledges their activity, but arrests are rare and convictions even rarer. Most believe the Guild’s operatives are expendable and easily replaced.
Tavern whispers speak of masked men who vanish into the sewers, monstrous pets with too many eyes, and gold dragons paid for silence.

Presence in the Campaign

The party’s first encounter with the Xanathar Guild came during their investigation into the disappearance of Floon Blagmaar. Renaer Neverember was mistaken for his friend and kidnapped by Guild agents. Following a trail through Candle Lane and into the city’s underbelly, the party uncovered a bloody conflict between the Xanathar Guild and their rivals, the Zhentarim.
During the rescue, they fought and captured kenku agents who parroted phrases like “Xanathar sends his regards.” These kenku were summarily executed by Renaer, who feared the danger they posed.
Further down in the sewers, the party encountered and defeated a gazer and a intellect devourer guarding a red-haired prisoner: Floon himself. These aberrations, along with the presence of a mind flayer suggested that the Guild’s rumored ties to aberrant creatures were more than just superstition.
Grayson, who has his own history of clandestine vigilante activity, recognized a Xanathar-friendly bar in Smyth Alley during his own investigation, lending credence to rumors of Guild-affiliated establishments hidden throughout the Castle Ward.