Lords of Waterdeep

The Lords of Waterdeep are the ruling council who have ruled the city of Waterdeep for the most of the last 300 years. Throughout that time, there have been between 50 and 80 lords, four of whom have reigned as Open Lord. The Lords come from all walks of life and while predominantly comprised of humans, has had members of various races throughout the Realms. While no other Lords are formally named, some individuals become the subject of widespread rumours that can even become a general consensus. The penalty for impersonating a Lord, whether by dressing in a set of their identical clothing or by a false claim is punishable by the imposter's immediate execution. The Lords only appear in public when deliberating on high crimes or when asked to by the lower court but even then only four generally appear and one is always the Open Lord. All Closed Lords wear black formless masks and robes and speak through the Open Lord, in order to keep their identities secret.