Open Lord

The Open Lord of Waterdeep is the first among equals of the ruling council of the city and is the sole member of the Lords of Waterdeep whose identity is publicly known. There is only one Open Lord at any one time, but when the previous one dies or steps down, he or she is replaced by a new one. The current Open Lord is Laeral Silverhand, who replaced Open Lord Dagult Neverember who was exiled for embezzlement.

Duties

The Open Lord is the public face of the Lords of Waterdeep. She is not their leader - hers is one voice among many - but it is the nature of the Open Lordship that she fulfills the function of being the publicly accountable and culpable person. In theory, her role is to be that person who can be held publicly accountable for the actions of the Lords, and whose existence prevents the rule of a wholly anonymous, faceless body of potential tyrants. The Open Lords holds a set of distinct legal powers granted her by her position.

The First Ambassador of Waterdeep

The Open Lord acts as the foremost diplomat for the city of Waterdeep, allowing congress with other nations and city-states who would never be comfortable dealing with a collection of faceless figures in diplomacy. As such, the Palace in the Castle Ward - a beautiful, accessible edifice - is given over to her purposes, where Waterdeep Castle upon the slopes of Mount Waterdeep remains the domain of the Masked Lords. Though she has extensive and comfortable suites within the Castle, it can't truly be called her "home," housing as it does extensive suites for visiting dignitaries, offices of the city bureaucracy and the like.

Commander of the Watch

The Open Lord also acts as the foremost authority for the city's Watch, although in practical terms, the actual running of the Watch is given over to the Captain of the Watch, who reports to the Open Lord directly.

Warden of the Guard

The Open Lord also acts as the Warden of the Guard, the supreme commander of Waterdeep's military forces, although as with the Watch, there is a more direct general who answers to Piergeiron.

Overmaster of the Guilds

The Open Lord also holds the power of authority over the guilds of Waterdeep, with the power to override guild law. In a political world where much is done with subtle manipulations, semantic and creative interpretations of law and the like, the Open Lord is empowered to cut right through and issue absolute decrees.

Type

Civic, Political