Neverwinter Guard

The Neverwinter Guard was a military organization that served as the army and garrison of Neverwinter in the latter half of the 15 century DR.

Organization
The leader of the Neverwinter Guard was General Sabine. Among the most prominent commanding officers was Sergeant Knox.

The Neverwinter Guard was largely made up of mercenaries from Mintarn who were loyal to Dagult Neverember, with these hired swords outnumbering the local Neverwintians by 3-to-1 at one point. However, as the years went on, the Guard would come to be made up of more and more local citizen volunteers who wished to protect their home.

As of the late 15 century DR, the Guard was funded through taxes and dock fees levied by Neverember and the city of Neverwinter.

Activities
The Neverwinter Guard was the city's de facto army rather than a city guard or city watch. Their duties included patrolling the areas located in Neverwinter's immediate vicinity and manning the walls and gates. They utilized ballistae and catapults from the city's battlements to defend against invaders and protect the harbor.

They trained alongside and shared intel with the Neverwinter city watch, the Wintershield watchmen.

History
The Neverwinter Guard was originally a group of Neverwintians who refused to leave the city following its destruction in the Ruining of the, and instead took it upon themselves to construct the fortification that would come to be known as The Wall. These Guards considered it a near sacred duty to defend the Wall and protect their loved ones from hostile forces from the Chasm and from the undead of the Red Wizards. During this time, they were led in all but name by Jelvus Grinch, the so-called "First Citizen" of the badly ruined city.

In the, the heroics of Barrabus the Gray earned him an invitation to become captain of the Neverwinter Guard, although he refused. Subsequently, the Neverwinter Guard allied with Herzgo Alegni's shadovar forces as part of the ongoing Shadovar–Thay War to defend themselves against the Thayan forces led by Sylora Salm. This culminated in Herzgo Alegni declaring himself to be the new "Lord of Neverwinter", much to the Guards' dismay. Alegni then renamed the organization as the "White Guard"&mdash;to contrast it with his own forces who would serve as the city's "Shadow Guard"&mdash;and formally named Jelvus Grinch as its leader. Grinch and the people of Neverwinter would subsequently revolt against Alegni, and would drive back the shadovar with the aid of Drizzt Do'Urden, Artemis Entreri, and Dahlia Sin'felle.

When Lord Dagult Neverember arrived in the city in the, he turned his attention to the Wall and ordered that it be further fortified and manned by his Mintarn mercenary forces. This quickly led to resentment among the original Guard, who disdained having to follow the brutal mercenaries' orders and acutely felt that Neverember did not respect their hard work or accomplishments. In particular, they chafed under the direction of the new "Captain of the Wall", Durham Shaw, who was seen as receiving preferential treatment from Neverember.

Over time, the combined forces of the old Guard and Neverember's mercenaries came to be known as the Neverwinter Guard. They came to be jointly in charge of enforcing the law as a city watch and protecting the city from monsters and bandits as a military force.

In the, the Neverwinter Guard suffered heavy losses while defending the city during the Siege of Neverwinter. They subsequently were involved in various campaigns to liberate Neverwinter and the region from the Many-Arrows orcs and the Thayan forces operating out of the Dread Ring. Serving on the Wall remained a guaranteed way to earn the thanks and respect of the people of Neverwinter.

Neverember's mercenaries had a well earned reputation for being brutal thugs who violently repressed the people they were supposed to protect within the walls of Neverwinter. Thus, by the, much of the citizenry no longer wished to be policed by them. Fearing clashes between the Neverwinter Guard and neighborhood militias, Neverember began replacing more and more mercenaries with local soliders&mdash;including those who continued to defend the Wall as well as many members of the Sons of Alagondar, who had softened to the Lord Protector and were glad to replace the hated mercenaries. Rather than remove all of his mercenaries right away, Neverember instead created the Wintershield watchmen, a gentler organization comprised mostly of local troops to serve as a city watch while the Neverwinter Guard, including its remaining mercenary forces, became a dedicated military force. Neverember continued to prefer hiring mercenaries rather than to accept any help of the armies of the Lords of Waterdeep, whom Neverember felt had betrayed him when they exiled him from their city.

When Lord Neverember's claim as Lord Protector of Neverwinter was in doubt because of the actions of the Cloaked Ascendancy, many of the Mintarn mercenaries quit the Guard and left Neverwinter. They were later replaced by local Neverwintians.

Notable Members

 * General Sabine, Neverember's mercenary leader.
 * Captain Durham Shaw, the "Captain of the Wall".
 * Sergeant Knox, a local volunteer and hero.
 * Lieutenant Josef Linkletter, a local volunteer.
 * Private Wilfred, a local volunteer.
 * Jelvus Grinch, Neverwinter's "first citizen" prior to the arrival of Dagult Neverember.
 * Reginald Roundshield, who joined as a mercenary under the pseudonym Bonnego Battleaxe in the.

Appearances

 * Novels
 * The Neverwinter Saga (Neverwinter, Charon's Claw) &bull; The Companions
 * Video Games:
 * Neverwinter