THE MASKED LORDS OF WATERDEEP (Free Tier) (Patreon)

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HAIL & WELL MET!

This time we're talking all about the mysterious and powerful Masked Lords of Waterdeep. Led by the Open Lord, Laeral Silverhand (whom we covered in a previous video), the Masked lords are a secretive group of decision makers that determine much of what makes Waterdeep Waterdeep.

Please enjoy this full write-up of the Masked Lords. Become a Protector of the Realms and get access to the video, audiobook, and the full part 2, which is an additional 20+ minutes of Ivan asking question about some of the most interesting aspects of the Masked Lords (including Mirt the Moneylender). 

THE MASKED LORDS OF WATERDEEP

The number of Masked Lords of Waterdeep (also known as Hidden Lords of Waterdeep) vary over time and unfortunate events (such as the demises seen in my novel Death Masks), but the intent has been to keep the roster over “ten-and-six” and usually over twoscore; further, the intent from Ahghairon on has been that they would represent citizens of Waterdeep from all walks of life, but never dominated by either the nobility or the guilds, so they could serve as a counterbalancing alternative to the inherent interests of both of those groups. The Lords of Waterdeep are publicly represented by just one Lord, the Open Lord, whose identity the entire city (and many envoys, other rulers, and visitors to Waterdeep) know.

The Open Lord speaks for the city, receives envoys and delegations from the citizenry and city guilds, and chairs (“leads” in Waterdhavian parlance) almost all formal meetings of the Masked Lords. The Masked Lords (elect in secret, then ask a successful candidate if they want to accept, and if “yes” then formally) appoint and can dismiss the Open Lord by majority vote, and first formally did so under the current system in 1489 DR (booting Dagult Neverember from office).

The role of the Masked Lords is to debate civic policy and “enact decrees” (make laws), by majority vote. In an attempt to have them do so without being personally threatened, blackmailed, bribed, or otherwise influenced by anyone, they wear Masks (their true identities are known to the Open Lord, and they may choose to share them with anyone, but customarily don’t do so, unless they have close friends who are fellow Masked Lords).

The Masked Lords meet to decide policy and pass laws (decrees), but don’t dispense justice on anyone except a fellow Lord, and are barred from directly commanding civic workers or officials; they are forbidden to run city departments or endeavours. Any wealth, city property, and businesses they personally possess are their own, not perks of their lordships (the office of Masked Lord doesn’t come with a salary, and is supposed to be “distant” from opportunities for personal or family enrichment).

The heads of the seventy or so (the numbers have varied, over the passing centuries, though there were a stable, unchanging seventy-six for the first half of the 1300s DR) noble families of Waterdeep are colloquially known as the “Lords of Waterdeep.” A few nobles may from time to time be Masked Lords, but the Masked Lords aren’t noble by definition, and no noble by virtue of birth or noble title is automatically a lawmaking Lord of Waterdeep. To be a Masked Lord, one must be a citizen of Waterdeep, which means a property owner or registered renter, and taxpayer of the city. It is expected that the city will be a Masked Lord’s usual daily place of residence, but this isn’t a requirement.

So a particular individual might be both a titled noble lord and a Hidden/Masked Lord of Waterdeep, but this is rare (as traditionally, the Masked Lords see themselves as defending the city against the haughty misused authority and corruption of born nobles).

Some Masked Lords are paupers, or have lowly jobs and social status when not wearing their masks. The masks are to conceal their true identities so pressure can’t be put on them to vote or speak this way or that, and when the Masked Lords were founded, Ahghairon intended their ranks to include representatives from all walks of life (and genders, ages, and races) to achieve wider experience and views, and therefore better governance.

To repeat, no Masked Lord has a residence or property or a salary attached to their lordship. The Open Lord, whom they elect, gets to live in the Palace of Waterdeep [still known to many as “Piergeiron’s Palace,” after the popular longtime Open Lord, Piergeiron the Paladinson]), and usually works from offices in it; it’s also where the Masked Lords traditionally meet with the Open Lord and each other.

Masked Lords are selected as follows: The Open Lord approaches candidates privately and as much as possible secretly, from a shortlist of candidates they favour chosen by the existing Lords in closed-door (private from the rest of the city) debate. (In other words, it’s like a closed-membership club, with blackballs, a preference for “folk like us,” and so on.) Just as there are laws established in our real world for how officeholders get chosen in extraordinary circumstances (like all the Masked Lords being wiped out, for example) Waterdeep has them, too: certain Guildmasters (notably the head of the Watchful Order), and Noble Lords, and the Open Lord and the Lord Mage (Blackstaff) of the city, if they’ve survived, too, choose the “snortlist” to repopulate the Masked Lords. (This procedure has never yet had to be followed.)

By “Noble Lords,” the procedure means the heads of twelve specific noble families have the duty to meet and choose. Moreover, “snortlist” isn’t a misprint for “shortlist,” but a deliberate parody, referring to the secret roster of folks to be approached, alluding to derisive snorts that would greet unpopular choices. The formal term for this secret list of candidatesdrawn up by the existing Masked Lords is “our Chosen” (as opposed to “the Chosen,” who are special mortal servants of various gods).

Accepting a Lordship (becoming a Masked Lord) is always voluntary, but sometimes life applies intense pressure to accept or decline.

It’s expected that a Masked Lord will wear a full-head-covering (helm-like) mask of a particular design (and minor magical powers) at all times when appearing as a Lord in public (including open Council meetings), and usually at closed Council meetings (decision-making meetings of the Lords of Waterdeep), but not wearing a mask doesn’t bar a Lord from voting or speaking.

All nobles of Waterdeep have a legal right, when charged with a crime, to trial by a jury of Masked Lords (or, at the noble’s request, ALL of the available Masked Lords) rather than by a magister (and in practice but not formally, almost all sentences being transformed into fines of varying amounts rather than any harsher on-the-books penalties). Nobles may also appeal to the Masked Lords for judgment in disputes with guilds. They also have the right to have “prompt” private audiences with the Open Lord save in times of war or dire emergency. Read more...

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Thank you so much for your patronage, and don't let your codpiece get stuck in the dung cart (a little reference to part 2)! ;}