Factions

Factions and factional membership is a big part of life in Waterdeep. For tradesfolk, this means guilds. There are over 2 dozen guilds in Waterdeep from the Jester's guild to the Baker's to the Surveyors’, Map-, and Chart-makers’ Guild. Every trade fits into one guild or another with the sole exception of Solicitors. Guilds offer great benefits in return for reasonable membership dues. This means that a member of the baker's guild will get their flour and eggs at a reasonable price, as the guild as a whole barters on their behalf with the Council of Farmer-Grocers. It also means if an independent baker comes in trying to undercut prices or flood the market with cheap, poorly made goods, the guild has the social and political power to put a stop to this.

Social and political power really are the name of the game. While perhaps somewhat draconian, guilds and factions allow a city as large as Waterdeep to function as it does. While a solitary shoemaker couldn't really lobby for change, the weight of the entire guild can at least make those in power aware of issues and reasonably pressure them into making accommodations.

For everyone outside of the trades, there are Factions. Factions work in a similar way, people with a set of common interests or goals work together to achieve them. Unlike guilds, factions aren't part of the city's law codes and are afforded no special protections. Nobles are often a member of a faction as a matter of course, and most adventurers are as well (usually but not always, members of an adventuring group all belong to the same faction). A faction provides a lot of utility to an adventurer. It may allow them access to areas, equipment, or people they might normally be able to get. Having the ear of a powerful noble is also useful if a caper goes bad and the Watch get involved.

Not all factions are quite so upstanding however. Some factions are essentially just large, organised crime gangs but even these likely have a few of the nobility in their pocket. During your time in Waterdeep, don't be surprised if envoys of a faction approach you, offering you power and wealth in exchange for working for them. If your interests align, you may allies willing to push for the outcomes you want, as well as a source of money, equipment, and trustworthy friends.

The main factions are as follows:

The Legitimate Factions
While these groups may be secretive, such as the Grey hands and the Harpers, it's legal to belong to any of these groups, and many display their membership openly in the form of a small pin.

The Emerald Enclave
It may seem strange to have a group dedicated to protecting nature and the natural world inside the largest city on the Sword Coast, but there are good reasons for it. Waterdeep is home to many green spaces, as well as countless animals, mounts, and livestock who deserve to have someone looking out for them.

The group falls somewhere between "secretive" and "sort of ignored" but their influence can be felt everywhere, from well-tended public gardens to the city's powerful force of gryphons. The Emerald Enclave is also in change of watching over The City Of The Dead, and who knows what secret dealings they may observe among those old tombs?

What's it like working for them: Typically your work would be protecting the flora and fauna of the city, and the Field ward outside the city walls. Anything that poses a threat to the natural world, such as the undead or poisoners may be your foes.

What's in it for you: The Emerald Enclave collects a lot of secrets from the rodents and birds of the city, and are unusually aware of who went where and when. They also are known to have a few powerful druids in their ranks who can lend support.

Grey Hands/Force Grey
To join Force Grey, one must first become a member of the Grey Hands. The Grey Hands is made up of select members of the Watch, the Guard, and all those who would put the interests and safety of Waterdeep ahead of their own.

Force Grey is an elite cadre of specialized adventurers, drawn from the ranks of the Grey Hands, whose fighting prowess is matched only by their loyalty to the city. Force Grey attracts the best of the best, and rewards the for membership are generous indeed. They are dedicated to protecting the city and those who inhabit it, they handle anything the City Watch, City Guard, or even the Lords themselves don't want to dirty their hands with.

What's it like working for them: You'd be doing standard adventuring faire, such as hunting monsters and exploring dark places, but on the city's behalf. Exactly what you can expect to face is really up in the air, in a city this big, anything can happen.

What's in it for you: As the faction attracts adventurers, so are they rewarded in turn. Magical items and other adventuring gear are promises for a job well done.

Harpers
Harpers are altruists who work behind the scenes to keep power out of the hands of evil tyrants. They span the entire Sword coast, and are unified in their goal to stop the forces of evil from acquiring power.

Many harper agents are seen as spies, or even traitors, as doing the right thing often runs against the will of those in power. For this reason the Harpers are a secretive organisation, meeting in quiet alleys or loud taverns. More than maybe any other group, they have an interest in the tangled web of alliances and rivalries that power the city's intrigue.

What's it like working for them: Your work will be secretive and delicate. Spying, sneaking, and some light breaking and entering will be your fare. You'll likely run afoul of both the hidden evils in the city, and the good people of the Watch as well. It's dangerous work, but it's for a good cause.

What's in it for you: Knowing you've done the right thing is good, but it doesn't pay the bills. Harpers are likely to reward you with information, contacts, and people sympathetic to your cause who might do you a favour or offer their wares cheaply. Maybe something of value will just so happen to fall into your hands, who knows?

Lords’ Alliance
The Lords’ Alliance is a confederation of cities and towns up and down the Sword Coast and throughout the North, including (among others) Baldur’s Gate, Mirabar, Mithral Hall, Neverwinter, and Silverymoon. Members of the alliance must come to one another’s aid in times of need, and the organization uses field operatives (diplomats, spies, and assassins) to safeguard its interests. The Lord's Alliance in Waterdeep headed up by the Open Lord herself, Laeral Silverhand.

At first glance, the Lord's Alliance and the Grey Hands would seem to have many overlapping interests, and indeed they do. While the Grey Hands concern themselves with internal threats such as monsters and criminals, the Lord's Alliance is concerned with statecraft, spies, and diplomacy.

What's it like working for them: You'll be helping out the guilds and nobles of Waterdeep to keep everything running smoothly. Your work wont always be glamorous, but it will be high-stakes, sabotaging opposing factions and dealing with people who seek to sow chaos and disorder on Waterdeep's quiet streets.

What's in it for you: The most powerful people in Waterdeep will look upon you favourably, favour that can in turn be used to get you whatever you might need. If one has political aspirations, this is also a good ground floor.

The Order of the Gauntlet
Made up mostly of the city's faithful, the Order of the Gauntlet is focussed on advancing the forces of good like the Harpers. Unlike the Harpers, they favour direct means, and are far more interested in the needs of the common person than the frolicking of the noble class.

Even more neutrally aligned temples and groups may side with the Order, as the spread of evil is a concern for all. The Order often comes in with heavy boots and a heavy hammer to crack down on their enemies wherever they may be.

What's it like working for them: Evil cults? Smash 'em. Thieves den's? Flush 'em out. Foul things from beyond the planes? Burn 'em, and stab 'em too.

What's in it for you: Access to divine magic and the help of temples can be invaluable for anyone. Member of the Order are feircly loyal to each other, even across religious lines, and will always leap into a fray to help a friend in need.

Criminal Enterprises
Probably don't advertise that you work for these folk. When crossing the line between lawful and criminal, the rewards increase tenfold, but so does the danger. Some of the most powerful people in the city may be sympathetic to these groups or support them with money and influence. You might make some rather surprising friends.

Bregan D'aerthe
Very little is known about this group other than "they operate in Waterdeep" and "they're something to do with a Drow splinter faction". Without an introduction, you'll probably pass them by entirely. Still, knowing a criminal faction that's kept itself clear of the watchful eyes of the law could be very handy indeed. They've also managed to stay out of the current feud between the Zhents and the Xanathar. They would seem to be the thinking person's criminals.

What's it like working for them: Crime of some sort.

What's in it for you: Not sure but it's probably both great and not strictly legal.

Zhentarim, The Black Network
The Zhentarim is a shadow organization that trades mercenaries and goods (including weapons) for profit. It has long sought to gain political influence in Waterdeep, but the strength of the city’s Masked Lords, nobility, and professional guilds makes that difficult. It's organised crime, plain and simple, but the pay is superb and sticking it to the nobility is always satisfying.

The Black Network has an open recruitment policy. Anyone can join. Tenacity and loyalty are highly valued (but not essential) traits in new members. The only other thing you need is the willingness to do what's needed to get the job done.

What's it like working for them: It's crime. You will do crime. However the Zhents tailor their jobs to their members. If you've made an enemy of particular noble house, they'll send you on a mission of revenge. If you like gems, they'll happily give you the resources and planning needed to execute the raid.

What's in it for you: Everything, after the Zhents take their cut. With no restrictions (so long as you don't get too enthusiastic and bite off more than you can chew), you can go anywhere and take anything.

Xanathar's Guild
They're not actually a recognised guild of Waterdeep, but they do consider Waterdeep home. They're a structured organisation with structured goals, all of which are in the pursuit of power and wealth for the guild.

It's a well-known rumour that to join the guild you must have committed a serious crime, so they know you're willing to do whatever's needed. Amoral, effective, and fierce, the Xanathar's Guild are a long-time enemy of everything good in Waterdeep

What's it like working for them: It probably starts with murder and gets worse from there. You'd do whatever is needed to achieve their goals.

What's in it for you: Wealth, power, influence, whatever their dark claws can pry out of the city.