Lords of Waterdeep
The Lords of Waterdeep are the ruling council of the city of Waterdeep, who have reigned for over three centuries. Throughout that time, there had been between 50 and 80 lords, four of whom reigned as Open Lord. The Lords came from all walks of life and while they were predominantly human, they had had members of various races from throughout the Realms. A full council comprised 20 Lords, though this number might vary from 16–29. While no other Lords were formally named, some individuals became the subject of widespread rumors that could 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 was punishable by the impostor's immediate execution.The Lords only appeared in public when deliberating on high crimes or when asked to by the lower court, but even then only four generally appeared and one was always the Open Lord. All Closed Lords wore black formless masks and robes and spoke through the Open Lord, in order to keep their identities secret.