Dagult Neverember

Dagult Neverember was the wealthy Lord Protector of Neverwinter and formerly the Open Lord of Waterdeep as of the late 15 century DR. He was a member of the Lords' Alliance.

Description
Neverember was tall, broad-shouldered, and strikingly good-looking, with a mane of silver-flecked "pumpkin-brown" hair and deep-set but shining dark eyes. He was often called a "lion of a man" for both his appearance and bearing, and was said to have the look of a strong ruler.

By the end of his tenure as Open Lord, Neverember sported a thick beard that was going grey.

Personality
A consummate politician, Neverember was a capable and inspiring leader who was known to be both brave and stately in the face of opposition. He outwardly embodied the ideals of moderation, honesty and responsibility. He always acted decisively and firmly, with a clear-eyed view of the costs and sacrifices that his decisions entailed, although his cunning and brutal pragmatism had earned him the nickname "Dagger" Neverember. He was also ambitious, proud, manipulative, and considered himself to be superior to everyone else&mdash;which made him overconfident &mdash;and his quick temper was known to interfere with his judgment, making him boisterous and dangerous. However, his charisma, affability, flair for diplomacy, eloquence, and general preference for straight dealings rather than intrigue all meant that people considered him easy to like, and he himself made a point to befriend nearly everyone he met. Laeral Silverhand, Dagult's successor as Open Lord, once described him as a no-nonsense, energetic, and practical person.

While he did have Waterdeep's and Neverwinter's best interests at heart, he frequently made a point to personally profit from the people's good fortune. In private, Neverember could be disrespectful to his subordinates, although he was always diplomatic in public. He admired wit and strength in others, and he expected and rewarded order and discipline. He was an intelligent and calculating opportunist, and always made a point to outwardly appear disinterested in scandals or rumors while silently cataloguing and assessing the pros and cons of every person or piece of information he encountered. Ultimately, he was results-oriented above all else, and was ruthless in his tireless pursuit of his goals. He was not above resorting to crimes like embezzlement or assassination to secure his positions, although once he had solidified his power in the late 1480s DR, he strove never to engage in outwardly illegal acts (however he was still known to seek out creative or "forgotten" legal justifications when he needed them). He was adept at identifying potential allies, especially those with flexible morals or those who were skilled at acting with discretion.

Neverember was rarely seen without a stiff drink in hand. He enjoyed heavy drinking, especially when it involved conversing with successful male adventurers or flirting with successful female adventurers. He was notorious for his shameless and outrageous flirtations with beautiful women.

He had a morbid fascination with the effects of the Spellplague, which included a healthy fear of its dangers. At one point, he outlawed the presence of spellscarred individuals within Neverwinter.

Neverember did not back down from a fight, and would hurl taunts at his opponents in combat.

Possessions
Neverember always wore his signet ring. He carried a longsword and wore chain mail armor, and kept a dagger hidden in his sleeve.

He resided at a grand manor in Waterdeep (although technically it belonged to his wife) and also owned a "modest" villa in Neverwinter, from where he conducted much of his official business.

In his office at Castle Waterdeep and at his old headquarters in the Hall of Justice in Neverwinter, Neverember kept a number of valuable (even priceless) artifacts. Among these were Ahghairon's Key (which found and opened any locked door within range) and one of the eleven fragments of the Staff of Waterdeep (a fake in his office and the real piece at hid manor). He was also in possession of the Crown of Neverwinter.

Activities
Neverember's goals could be somewhat enigmatic. While he acted in the best interests of his subjects, he always prioritized ways to enrich himself. In his role as Lord Protector of Neverwinter, he worked diligently to repair and rebuild the city, attract new inhabitants, facilitate trade, and ensure security. His ambition was for the city to surpass Waterdeep in grandeur. He was also highly motivated to maintain his grip on power,  had ensured that even if he lost his political power, he would still retain leverage over Neverwinter's economy.

While he took his role at Lord Protector of Neverwinter seriously, he had little interest in the day-to-day operations of his government, and delegated these tasks. Whenever something went wrong, he was quick to pin the blame on one of his subordinates, and then try to position himself as a champion of the people as he made an example of that subordinate.

Neverember was noted as a legendarily shrewd negotiator and an accomplished orator. His primary political strategy for gaining the support of Neverwinter's population was to drum up nationalistic emotions, followed closely by the promise that only he could keep them safe. He was largely successful at ingratiating himself with the populace, but he was keenly aware that any attempt to claim a title more grand than "Lord Protector" would quickly lose him the support of the people, who largely saw him as a foreigner until quite late in the 15 century DR.

Personal
Neverember was a member of the noble Neverember family, and claimed to be a descendant of Vers Never, the supposed bastard son of Nasher Alagondar and brother to Bann Alagondar, who served as Neverwinter's first kings. In order to cement his relations to the royal line, Neverember paid scribes to find or create books that gave legitimacy to his birthright, and to burn any books that cast doubts on it.

The relationship with his son, Renaer, was estranged and complicated, eventually turning into mutual animosity. During his time as Open Lord, it was rumored that he had left Renaer in charge of managing his properties, although his son frequently chafed at his father's wishes and expectations. Even so, Neverember was said to have shown a certain pride in his son's actions and good heart, even calling him a "hero" at one point.

His wife had been a member of the noble Brandarth family of Waterdeep. Dagult had married her for her money, but when she passed away, she left everything to Renaer instead, which contributed to Dagult's rocky relationship with his son. Her will also stipulated that Dagult was not allowed to fire the halfling servants at his manor, whom Dagult vocally disliked for "sneaking" around the house. Most of his abuse was heaped on his halfling butler, Madrak.

While Open Lord, Neverember had a lover in Kalain, an eccentric half-elf painter. He had at least one other secret paramour, and also often flirted with and sent valuable gifts to Talana Taenfeather, although she apparently was not his lover.

Political
Neverember despised the nobility and guilds of Waterdeep for ousting him as Open Lord, and deeply resented Laeral Silverhand for taking that position, although this sentiment was not mutual as Laeral appreciated his efforts to restore Waterdeep during his time as Open Lord. Regardless, Neverember preferred to hire adventurers and mercenaries to protect Neverwinter and train the local troops rather than accept the help of the armies of the Lords of Waterdeep, whom Neverember felt had betrayed him when he was deposed. Even so, he tried to avoid letting his feelings cloud his judgment whenever he had to fulfill his duties as a member of the Lords' Alliance.

The Harpers viewed Neverember's ambitions in Neverwinter as tyrannical and imperialistic. They were involved in organizing resistance against his rule in its early years, including leadership roles with the Sons of Alagondar, a faction explicitly aligned against the Lord Protector and any right of his to rule the city of Neverwinter. These rebels dubbed him the "Lord Pretender", and perhaps unsurprisingly, Neverember was known to be brutal in his reprisals against the Sons.

Neverember was initially on good terms with the Ashmadai, although this was at least in part because he did not truly understand who they were, who they worshiped, or the threat that they posed to his regime, and he would eventually declare them to be his enemies. Likewise, he had several dealings with Shadovar agents, but was generally unaware of their allegiance or the threat that they posed to Neverwinter. By contrast, he was aware of and opposed to the activities of agents from Thay in and around Neverwinter, although he would subsequently advocate for an alliance with the Red Wizards when practicality demanded it.

Neverember was a fierce political opponent of Luskan's secret leader, Jarlaxle, and was an obstacle to the drow's designs to get Luskan admitted to the Lords' Alliance. He was also on poor terms with King Bruenor Battlehammer of Gauntlgrym, with both sides regarding the other as greedy and untrustworthy. This rivalry kept Gauntlgrym isolated from potential trade with both Neverwinter and Waterdeep for as long as Neverember ruled both.

Neverember's most reliable agents were his mercenary general, Sabine, and his lackey Soman Galt, who served as mayor of Neverwinter during its rebuilding. His Master of Trade and personal accountant in Neverwinter was Len-jes. He had ties to the Zhentarim via an advisor named Rian Nightshade, and while he did not advertise this relationship, neither did he see a need to deny it if asked. Additionally, through the exchange of favors, trust, and coin, Neverember had managed to secure a network of faithful loyalists. These included Liset Cheldar, the owner of the Moonstone Mask in Neverwinter; Harrag, the proprietor of the Beached Leviathan in Neverwinter; Agada Vane, a shopkeeper and spy in Waterdeep; Dalakhar, a dedicated rock gnome spy; Nazra Mrays, a shrewd socialite and intelligence gatherer in Waterdeep; and many Neverwintian politicians who had agreed to support him. We was not above working with criminals, but he preferred that they at least pretend to be lawful or reformed.

Early Life
Dagult Neverember was born into the noble Neverember family in the the, and grew up in Neverwinter, where he began to dream about creating a mercantile empire. At some point he moved to Waterdeep and firmly established himself there, so much so that the people of Neverwinter did not see him as one of their own when he eventually returned.

From Waterdeep, he established for himself a mercantile empire that made him obscenely rich and influential. At some point, Neverember began to invest heavily in the island of Mintarn, where he founded a ship-building company as well as facilities to train mercenaries. He also bankrolled the White Sails company, which grew to become the biggest Tarnian provider of soldiers and ships for hire.

In Waterdeep, he married into the noble Brandarth family, adding his wife's broad property holdings and wealth to his own. She bore him a son, Renaer, before dying when the boy was still in his youth and leaving everything to him instead of to Dagult.

Lord Protector of Neverwinter
Years after the destruction of Neverwinter in the, Dagult turned his attention to the ruined city. In the, he started the "New Neverwinter" movement to rebuild the city, claiming himself to be the "Lord Protector" of Neverwinter. This role was commonly understood to be one of stewardship, with the recognition that he would legally step down if an heir to the Alagondar line of Neverwintian kings came forward to claim their throne. However, Neverember aimed to prove that he himself was a descendant of Neverwinter's former kings and thus a rightful king of Neverwinter. To lend credence to his claims, Neverember invested a great deal of his own personal fortune to rebuild the city's infrastructure, buy the interest of merchants, keep the city safe by employing an army of Tarnian mercenaries, and even ensure that Neverwintian refugees had enough food and gold in hand. Within a decade, a steady flow of refugees were returning to the city and Neverember had turned himself into the linchpin of Neverwinter's stability by providing Neverwintians with ever-improving security, work, and access to goods.

Neverembers' true intentions were popularly understood to be imperialistic, and his efforts to increase the prosperity of the city were in order to gain the favor and love of the Neverwintians so that they would welcome him as their king in the future, thus transforming Neverwinter into the center of his powerful mercantile empire. Neverember's army of Tarnian "peacekeepers" soon aggravated may of the locals, especially those who had never fled the city following the Ruining. This ultimately led to the rise of the Sons of Alagondar, an underground movement associated with the Harpers, who were dedicated to resisting Neverember's reign in Neverwinter, fearing that his aims were imperialistic and would not aid the people of the city in the long run.

In addition to his army of mercenaries, Neverember also paid for an army of carpenters, stonemasons, and artisans to rebuild Neverwinter. To spur economic growth, he implemented a policy of few regulations on trade and low taxes on imported goods, hoping to attract back former residents as well as merchants from across Faerûn. This largely succeeded, and the city grew, he took a keen mercantile interest in the trade and visitors coming and going via the docks. By the end of the 1470s DR, the docks had been rebuilt and expanded (at the cost of every tree on the Upland Rise north of the city) and a steep tariff had been imposed on incoming merchant ships.

Shortly after his arrival in the city, Neverember began prioritizing a fortification known as the Wall to keep his New Neverwinter operation safe and to protect his base of operations at the Hall of Justice, a former temple to Tyr which he had selected largely because of its emotional significance to the people of Neverwinter. In the, Neverember announced the completion of his "Protector's Enclave", a section in the southwest of Neverwinter that he declared to be (mostly) rebuilt and as safe as any other city. While it was more secure than the rest of the ruins&mdash;it was protected by the Wall and was centered on the Hall of Justice&mdash;it was also a veritable police state under the strict control of Neverember and his mercenaries who patrolled the streets, his spies who kept the residents in line, and his tax collectors who kept the operation funded. Any defiance or opposition against Neverember's rule was swiftly&mdash;and often violently&mdash;repressed within the Protector's Enclave.

Open Lord of Waterdeep
In the, Neverember became the Open Lord of Waterdeep, ending a brief period known as "the Chaos" in which a dozen Open Lords were elected and then assassinated over a period of less than 2 years. By this time, he had become one of the richest men in Waterdeep, and thanks to both his resources and his political acumen, Waterdeep began to thrive after years of neglect. As he was busy with his new duties in Waterdeep, he left the day-to-day running of Neverwinter to General Sabine and Mayor Soman Galt.

Not all went smoothly in Waterdeep, however. In an unpopular move among the nobility, he instituted a law that allowed for the limited number of Waterdhavian titles to be bought and sold. He personally organized the sale of many noble titles to potential allies in exchange for the promise that he could rely on their support in the future, while also profiting in the present. He also immediately implemented a tax on all residents of the city, requiring them to pay one shard each month when the City Guard came knocking. Furthermore, within a year he had lost most of the City Navy after sending them to hunt Northlander pirates, and so hired a fleet of Tarnian mercenary ships to replace them (and profited from spending Waterdeep's funds to hire companies in which he was invested).

That same year, Neverember survived an assassination attempt led by his spymaster Dhafiyand, who was secretly a member of the Red Wizards of Thay and who had acquired the legendary Crown of Neverwinter. Neverember was saved thanks to the efforts of one of his agents, Rucas Sarfael, and the aid of several members of the Sons of Alagondar who sought the Crown, however the affair ended with the Crown in Neverember's possession. It was said that the Lord Protector protested against his mercenary bodyguards' efforts to keep him safe during the attack, wishing to fight his enemies head on. He also gave a rousing speech to onlookers once his former spymaster lay dead at his feet.

Also in 1478 DR, Neverember decreed that any and all spellscarred or plaguechanged individuals were to be expelled from Neverwinter and sent to Helm's Hold. This was accompanied by Neverember sending mercenaries to help police the town, and quickly he established sufficient political clout that the town could do little was acquiesce to his whims.

By the, many in Waterdeep felt that Neverember was already abusing his power, using the City Watch for his personal errands, and wielding his influence to waive penalties for his son's reckless escapades. That year, he conspired with Khondar "Ten-Rings" Naomal to find the Overlord's Helm in order to find out the secrets of his fellow Lords of Waterdeep, but this relationship disintegrated when the full extent of Khondar's plans to establish wizards as the rulers of Waterdeep became known. Furthermore, his constant focus on Neverwinter caused concern among the Waterdhavians, although he assured them that his efforts were meant to bring Neverwinter under Waterdeep's influence.

Neverember increasingly began to spend more time in Neverwinter, and left much of the day-to-day running of Waterdeep to his trusted lieutenants and his allies among the Lords of Waterdeep. He travelled to Waterdeep only irregularly, meaning his visits were hectic affairs in which he dealt with long-delayed legal and governance decisions as well as a flurry of meetings and events, including speeches, conferences with nobles and merchants, and summary court rulings. Meanwhile in Neverwinter, his focus was split between fully reclaiming the Blacklake District, and defending the people from both Many-Arrows orcs occupying the city's northeast and plaguechanged horrors&mdash;sent by the Abolethic Sovereignty&mdash;rising from the Chasm in the city's southeast. Despite great investment to ensure the city's security, Neverwinter was far from safe.

Also in 1479 DR, a self-proclaimed "Lost Heir" of the Alagondar bloodline seemingly wearing the Crown of Neverwinter made public their claim to the throne, rallying the support of the Sons of Alagondar and quickly turning public opinion against Neverember and his "tyrannical ambitions" for the city. For his part, the Lord Protector claimed that he would be happy to hand over the city to a legitimate heir, but openly questioned the Lost Heir's methods, secrecy, and refusal to parlay. Privately, he had no desire to give up the city in which he had invested so much, and so he instructed General Sabine to hire a group of adventurers to track down the so-called heir and discover their true intentions. This Lost Heir was ultimately revealed to be a fraud wearing a false Crown of Neverwinter. However, the real Crown was stolen that same year by members of the Nashers, a splinter faction of the Sons of Alagondar, who hoped to place their leader, Arlon Bladeshaper, on the throne.

Even after the Crown was recovered, Neverember would subsequently fend off yet another pretender to the throne in the wizard Gyrion and his Cloaked Ascendancy, who also produced a false Crown and used it to rally the Nashers against him. Neverember would take an increasingly aggressive stance toward tracking down and eliminating any descendants of the Alagondars with stronger claims to the throne than himself. In addition, he hired groups of adventurers to take care of other issues relating to Neverwinter's security, including slaying Mordai Vell, leader of the Ashmadai, and recovering an artifact known as the Talon of Umberlee, which was believed to have the power to protect the city against threats from the sea.

In the, Neverember, along with General Sabine and Jelvus Grinch, met with Bruenor Battlehammer and Emerus Warcrown in Neverwinter to discuss the reclamation of Gauntlgrym from the drow. Neverember had been hiring adventurers to seek out the underground city for over seven years, hoping to rebuild it as his own, but the dwarves had brought an army to his doorstep to demand he relinquish any claim to Gauntlgrym's riches. Caught by surprise and left with no leverage, Neverember was merely able to insist that any new dwarven realm's borders would not touch the surface, and thus any trade in or out of Gauntlgrym could be taxed by him. Once the dwarves had secured the city, tensions remained high between Gauntlgrym and Neverember.

During his tenure as Open Lord, Neverember took advantage of several opportunities to enrich himself and to further his goals in Neverwinter at Waterdeep's expense. He hired mercenary companies in which he was an investor, used Waterdhavian soldiers to rebuild the High Road to Neverwinter, and&mdash;most egregiously&mdash;embezzled large sums of money. In one scheme, he stole half a million dragons from Waterdeep's coffers, and to conceal this sum, he made an arrangement with the gold dragon Aurinax: in exchange for the Dragonstaff of Ahghairon, Aurinax would guard the gold until Neverember wanted it back. For secrecy, he then removed the information from his mind, and stored it in an artifact known as the Stone of Golorr. In the summer of the, Neverember participated in a separate yearlong scheme to launder another million gold pieces&mdash;mostly in platinum&mdash;out of Waterdeep with the aid of House Margaster: he "purchased" the ruined keep of Thornhold from the Margasters for a paltry sum of forty thousand gold, and House Margaster arranged to have the million funneled from Waterdeep to Neverwinter under the ruse of Clan Stoneshaft purchasing the Thornhold deed from Neverember.

Around the same time, Neverember ordered soldiers to reclaim the ruined town of Leilon that lay between Neverwinter and Waterdeep on the High Road. Shrewdly, he ensured that all those responsible for rebuilding the town would be loyal to him personally.

By the, Neverember was facing several political scandals and his resources were stretched thin between rebuilding Neverwinter and maintaining influence in Waterdeep, and it was at this time that the Masked Lords of Waterdeep decided to replace him as Open Lord in favor of Laeral Silverhand. Prior to his ouster, Neverember led the Council of Waterdeep&mdash;an alliance meant to stand against the rise of the Cult of the Dragon threatening the North&mdash;which had further made him not only ruler of Neverwinter and Waterdeep, but leader of the entire Lords' Alliance. Thus, the loss of his status as Open Lord hit him particularly hard as it also cost him his place of leadership on the Council. Even so, he continued to join the meetings and to pledge his and Neverwinter's support for the fight against the Cult, hoping to restore his honor by demonstrating the strength of his leadership. He remained a voice of pragmatism on the Council, even supporting unsavory tactics such as forming an alliance with the Red Wizards.

The decision to depose Neverember from the Open Lordship occurred while he was in Neverwinter and effectively served to exile him, thus severing his connections to his assets there including the money he had embezzled and the Stone of Golorr, which had been hidden in the Palace of Waterdeep.

Refocus on Neverwinter
Having been ousted as Open Lord of Waterdeep, Neverember focused all of his efforts in his role of Lord Protector of Neverwinter, continuing to rebuild the city, revive Neverwinter's economy, and secure his grip on power. Slowly but surely, Neverwinter had begun to return to being a center of civilization on the Sword Coast under his stewardship. However, bitter over his expulsion from Waterdeep, Neverember became more despotic and began to enforce more heavy-handed laws in Neverwinter. Blaming the nobles and guilds of Waterdeep for betraying him, he enacted high taxes and harsh regulations to constrain the Neverwintian nobility and abolish any Neverwintian guilds in an effort to stifle all political competition. This soon became a strategy of scapegoating the city's wealthy for all of Neverwinter's ails, a message that he found resonated well with the poorer citizens, but perhaps complicated his efforts to attract wealthy families from Waterdeep to invest and settle in the city.

The continued demand for construction work to rebuild the city served to funnel more coin into the pockets of poorer residents, earning Neverember greater popularity among them. At some point, his seemingly bottomless pockets had begun to run dry, perhaps leading to the ever steeper taxes he imposed on Neverwinter's aristocrats and rich merchants. He also began the process of training local Neverwintians to form their own army and city watch, known as the Wintershield Watchmen, in order to reduce his reliance on paying Tarnian mercenaries. This also had the benefit of being quite popular with the citizenry, who resented being policed by foreign soldiers. Furthermore, he managed to finally coordinate the closing of the Chasm in the heart of the city, and&mdash;in an apparent show of humility&mdash;he moved his office into his private home and gifted the the Hall of Justice to followers of Tyr to restore as a temple. These actions made him even more worthy of a leader in the eyes of the Neverwintians.

Due to this commitment and his many accomplishments helping the city and its citizens, the people of Neverwinter finally accepted him as the rightful leader of their city, despite the fact that people from other lands saw him as a tyrant. While he still faced opposition, even many of the Sons of Alagondar eventually began to join him to help replace the ranks of mercenaries. However, he was still not recognized as a king or heir to the throne, and so throughout this period, Neverember continued to seek the death of any other person who claimed to be a descendant of the Alagondar family.

In a testament to Neverember's immerse influence at this time, his ouster from Waterdeep combined with his draw down of mercenaries from Mintarn led to a crisis on the island nation as much of their reliable income dried up. At the same time, Neverember had discontinued his contributions to tribute payments to the red dragon Hoondarrh, exposing the island realm to a greater threat from the beast. Needless to say, the Tarnians largely saw this as a betrayal.

In the, Neverember was unjustly accused of the murder of some Lords of Waterdeep, as people believed he wanted to take revenge on them over his exile. When Laeral asked him about this, using a spell to read his mind, she learned that Neverember was innocent. Nevertheless, mistrust of Neverember remained high in Waterdeep, and spies were sent to keep an eye on his activities.

Around this same time, work on resettling Leilon neared completion. Neverember remained the de facto ruler of the town, with Neverwintian soldiers occupying it, led by Sergeant Hazz Yorrum, and rebuilding efforts being overseen by his agents, notably Grizzelda Copperwraught and Valdi Estapaar.

In the, Neverember sent his spies, among them the rock gnome Dalakhar, to Waterdeep to retrieve the Stone of Golorr. None of them succeeded.

As of the, Neverember was known as the man who had brought peace and stability to a mostly-rebuilt Neverwinter. By then, he held autocratic power over the city, and his focus had turned to restoring Castle Never to its former glory. To accomplish this, he had begun imposing new income taxes on merchants and adventuring companies.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * Lost Crown of Neverwinter • The Rise of Tiamat • Divine Contention
 * Gates of Neverdeath • Halls of Undermountain • Storm over Neverwinter • Hoard of the Dragon Queen • Princes of the Apocalypse • Storm King's Thunder • Waterdeep: Dragon Heist • Dragon of Icespire Peak • Storm Lord's Wrath • Sleeping Dragon's Wake • Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden
 * Gates of Neverdeath • Halls of Undermountain • Storm over Neverwinter • Hoard of the Dragon Queen • Princes of the Apocalypse • Storm King's Thunder • Waterdeep: Dragon Heist • Dragon of Icespire Peak • Storm Lord's Wrath • Sleeping Dragon's Wake • Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden


 * Novels
 * Cold Steel and Secrets (part 4) • Waterdeep (series) (Blackstaff Tower, Downshadow, The God Catcher) • Archmage • Death Masks • Timeless
 * Circle of Skulls
 * Circle of Skulls


 * Comics
 * Tyranny of Dragons


 * Video Games
 * Neverwinter