Mirt

Mirt

Mirt "the Moneylender" (pronounced: /ˈmɛrt/ MERT[5] or: /ˈmɪərt/ MEERT) was a fat, wheezing old rogue, and retired adventurer. He made his fortune as an adventurer in Undermountain after a colorful career as a mercenary general. During this time, Mirt, then known as Mirt the Merciless or the Old Wolf or Lord Walrus, made many enemies all over the Sword Coast, but also a few friends, notably Durnan a fellow adventurer and Undermountain explorer. Mirt was also one of the most infamous factors of Waterdeep.

Personality

Outwardly, Mirt appeared to be a loud, tipsy braggart, but only a foreigner to Waterdeep would underestimate his agility and cunning. These qualities made him far richer late in life, as an investor and business man, than his years as an adventurer ever did, despite his being one of the few adventurers to emerge alive with wealth from Undermountain in 1302 DR.

Relationships

Mirt was a Harper as well as a Masked Lord of Waterdeep and had a heart of gold, despite the relative frequency with which he entered unruly tavern brawls. Many of the commoners suspected Mirt to be a Masked Lord, and Mirt on more than one occasion engaged in secretly spreading rumors stating that he was not. He was one of the few trusted friends of Evermeet and had a portal that could give him access to the Elven island when he so wished. He carried a Purple dragon ring, which allowed him to speak in Azoun's name.

Family

His wife and heir, Asper, was an informal member of the Gray Hands. She preceded him in death.

Associates

Due to Mirt's extended age, his many business dealings, his association with the Lords of Waterdeep, and several adventures it would be almost impossible to list all of Mirt's associates. Below are a key few:
Brian the Swordmaster - a fellow Lord of Waterdeep Durnan the Wanderer Ieiridauna Amalree was the Watchghost of Mirt's Mansion in Waterdeep Krivvin Shamblestar - owner of the tavern, the Star-Horned Flagon, in Amphael Loene - friend and former lover Nymara Scheiron, aka "Kitten", was recruited by Mirt and Durnan for her knowledge of the common folk of Waterdeep Savengriff - wizard Mirt and others restored to life after dying at eyestalks of a beholder Thurn Samallahan, aka "Spider" - owner of the tavern, the Dragon Inn, in Rassalantar Transtra of Skullport Trigol the Hearty - paladin and fellow adventurer who became lost in Undermountain and never returned

Possessions

Mirt owned a mithral shirt that was magically glamered to look like ordinary clothing. As a Masked Lord, he also possessed a Lord's ensemble. Mirt owned a ship named the Morning Bird which was used at one time to transport Moon Elves from the Ardeep Forest to Evermeet.
Mirt also owned a mansion in the Castle Ward of Waterdeep, simply called Mirt's Mansion. It had a roughly hexagon-shaped, two-story main building with three-story towers at four of the six corners.[22] It was located on the south face of Mount Waterdeep near the harbor at the intersection of Coin Alley and Tarnished Silver Alley. The estate could also be accessed from Smuggler's Dock in the harbor.

History

Early life

Mirt was the son of a successful Coaster, a Sword Coast trader. He grew up hearing many tales and deeds of heroism which led him down the path of becoming a fighter. In his youth he was a money-grubbing mercenary which grew into a reputation as a great mercenary general of the North and earned him the nickname "Mirt the Merciless". He became quite wealthy, but grew unsatisfied with mere wealth. He actually craved peace and tranquility.
During his mercenary days he met Durnan the Wanderer and the two became close companions. The two of them decided to "retire" to Waterdeep. It may have also been this time that he met his future wife, Asper, whom he rescued as a baby from a sacked city.

"Retirement"

With Durnan in tow, Mirt went to Waterdeep to live, but quickly became bored with peaceful living. Within a month of his arrival, he was approached by Khelben Arunsun and Sammereza Sulphontis with an invitation to become a Lord of Waterdeep. A few years later, he proposed to the other Lords that Durnan also be accepted as a Lord, and they agreed.
Mirt (and Durnan) performed many covert tasks for the Lords of Waterdeep. Among them was Mirt's stint as a member of Waterdeep's Thieves' guild under the alias "Tonius the thief". He used his disguise to feed the Lords information on the guild, which led to the guild's eventual eradication from the city. Mirt ran his moneylending business primarily out of his mansion in Waterdeep. Transactions would happen only in the mornings, and Mirt was said to be patient regarding their repayment.

Undermountain

Mirt began expeditions into Undermountain during his time as a Lord of Waterdeep. He actually adventured into the halls with several other Lords. Two of which included Durnan (of course) and Khelben. An entrance to Undermountain was near Mirt's mansion below an alley named "The Slide" in the sewers. It eventually led to an area of the dungeon known as The Grim Statue. With his companions, they explored many areas of Undermountain - sometimes by choice, but other times by necessity. Some of those areas included: the Crystal Labyrinth, an area of the Dark Levels known as the Lost Level where they befriended Bandaerl, and the city-below-the-city, Skullport.
Mirt was among the Lords tasked with the job of keeping tabs on Skullport. When he wasn't visiting the city himself, usually with Durnan and/or Asper alongside, he would call for aide from Force Grey. He and some of the other Lords also maintained a network of informants within Skullport as well. One of Mirt's informants actually included the Iron Ring member Transtra.
On one occasion, while Mirt, Durnan, and Asper were in Skullport, they ran afoul of the beholder Xuzoun and his minions. The fighting woke up the elder black dragon, Vulharindauloth from his decades long sleep, which had to be driven off by the defenses of the city itself.
It was well-known that Mirt and Durnan emerged from Undermountain in 1302 DR with a vast amount of wealth. Mirt used his share to build his mansion near Mount Waterdeep, while Durnan used his to erect the The Yawning Portal tavern over the famous entrance.

Time of Troubles

During the tumultuous Time of Troubles, Mirt was dispatched to secure assistance from any ships friendly to Waterdeep. This assistance included tasks such as supplying Waterdeep much needed goods, patrolling the seas for pirates, warning of other naval invaders, and to provide a means of escape from the city should it become necessary. The job also led Mirt to the island of Mintarn.

Post-Spellplague

At some time in late middle-age, Mirt was imprisoned within a magical hand axe. In 1479 DR a Cormyran noble named Marlin Stormserpent stole the axe from another noble family, mistakenly believing it was an artifact of The Nine. He called Mirt out of the axe and Mirt escaped into Suzail. In 1487 DR, Mirt made an effort to continuously thwart the scheming of Manshoon, or rather from even attempting to begin his scheming. The two of them had several meetings for drinks and passive-aggressive conversations in Suzail. In 1488 DR, Mirt came to the aid of the Sage of Shadowdale, openly posing as a waiter and cook for several archwizards trapped inside a spellstorm in Cormyr, thereby contributing to the protection of the mythical Lost Spell. In 1491 DR, Elminster and Mirt returned to the city of Waterdeep, both aiding the newly appointed Open Lord of Waterdeep, Laeral Silverhand, uncover the culprits behind a string of murders of Masked Lords. After the investigations, Mirt chose to stay with Laeral, serving as personal agent for the Open Lord.