Coopers' Guild

The Coopers' Guild of Waterdeep was an organization of keg, cask, and barrel-makers that sold their wares throughout the city.

Uniform
Their livery consisted of brown caps with similarly colored cloaks, with blue hems and green trim.

Activities
Members of the guild were kept quite busy as many of the City of Splendor's industries required barrels for the shipment of their products. They cut, steamed, and shaped wooden planks and bound them with welded hoopstock provided by the Most Careful Order of Skilled Smiths and Metalforgers.

As smugglers of the Sword Coast knew one of the easiest ways to move illicit products into the Waterdeep was by barrel, the City Guard established the practice of inspecting random casks and kegs that came through the city's gates. They were conscientious enough to pay the guild a 3-sp "re-sealing fee" for each of their products they pried open.

Smuggling among guild coopers was rather commonplace. Members could expect to make upwards of 75 gp for every barrel of contraband they successfully slipped past the inspection of the city's guards.

Products
They offered a variety of barrel sizes, from 1' (0.3 m) long, rope-handled hand-kegs, to 20' (6.1 m) long casks made of cedar. Perhaps their most popular product were 10-gallon (3.8 l) barrels. Prices ranged from 5 sp to 5 gp, with the 10-gallon variety priced at a single gold piece.

Membership
Entrance to the guild was 30 gp, with a monthly fee of 1/10 that amount.

Any guild members caught trying to smuggle goods in or out of the city within their barrels received heavy fines, around 50 gp. If they attempted to smuggle a dead body in this manner, a guild cooper lost their membership during their inevitable imprisonment. However, they were often restored as members in good standing as smuggling by the coopers was a rather common occurrence.