Council of Waterdeep

The Council of Waterdeep was a conciliary body formed in the 1480s DR, tasked with meeting the rising threat the Cult of the Dragon posed to the people of the Sword Coast and the North.

Organization
The council was attended by delegates from five of the most influential and powerful factions of the west and the North. These 'Five Factions' included the league of city-states known as the Lords' Alliance, the knights of the Order of the Gauntlet, druids of the Emerald Enclave, agents of the Harpers, and the merchant-mercenaries of the Zhentarim.

As the largest and arguably most influential of the factions—representing several of the largest city-states of Faerûn—delegates of the Lords' Alliance held seven seats on the Council of Waterdeep. The other factions held either a single seat, or only a few. Each delegate was accompanied by their own retinue of aides.

Activities
The Council of Waterdeep held four sessions during which the cult, and their chromatic dragon allies arose as an ever-increasing threat to the Realms. During each of their meetings, representatives of each faction measured how the council's actions aligned with their own interests, and weighed what resources they could pledge to the cause. A single band of adventurers served as an intermediary of sorts between the Five Factions, trying to balance the needs and ideologies of any one group with those of the others.

Base of Operations
The council held their sessions within the Lords' Palace in Castle Ward of Waterdeep.

Formation
The preliminary events that led to the Council of Waterdeep's founding was the campaign by the Cult of the Dragon to amass a hoard of wealth sufficient enough to appease Tiamat, the Goddess of Dragons. Cult members and their storm giant accomplice Blagothkus attempted to transport that wealth aboard Skyreach Castle to the Well of Dragons in preparation for the ritual that would grant Tiamat admittance to Faerûn. Unfortunately for Tiamat and her cultists, a band of adventurers thwarted that plot and moved back the timeline for their ritual.

Not long after Skyreach Castle was neutralized, agents of the cult sounded the ancient draconic artifact known as the Draakhorn. The horn's booming call was heard all across the Sword Coast and the North. It was perceived as a call-to-action for dragons across the wester, and was a grim sign of the conflict just on the horizon.

The true catalyst of the council's formation however was the murder of the Masked Lord of Waterdeep, Arthagast Ulbrinter, at the hands of the dragon cultists. Lord Ulbrinter was husband to Remi Haventree, a devoted agent of the Harpers. Channeling her anguish into a righteous cause, Remi vowed to dismantle the Cult of the Dragon and rallied members of the Five Factions of the Sword Coast. As the threat posed by the cult became apparent, delegates from each of the factions were dispatched in secret to the Lords' Palace in Waterdeep. The Harper agent Leosin Erlanthar—who had previously been taken captive by the Dragon Cult— invited a group of adventurers to their meeting, and explained to them its cause.

First Council
During the first Council of Waterdeep, representatives of the Five Factions engaged in heated initial debates. While they were all dedicated to the cause of stopping the Dragon Cult, the councilors had not forged any trust with with each other. They did not have enough information about the state of play to take decided action and no one yet dedicated notable resources towards the campaign against the cult. During the meeting, Dala Silmerhelve offered the adventurers some background information about the Draakhorn.

The council did task the adventurers invited by Leosin Erlanthar to investigate Varram the White, one of the cult's leaders that recently went missing. Lady Haventree's allies among the Harpers were able to gain insight into his whereabouts. The adventurers were then directed to venture to the Sea of Moving Ice in search of Maccath the Crimson, an agent of the Arcane Brotherhood that was exceptionally knowledgeable about dragonkind and the Draakhorn itself.

At some point between the first and second councils, the Lords of Waterdeep chose to have Lady Laeral Silverhand succeed Lord Neverember as Open Lord of the city, and thus take on the role as lead delegate of the Lords' Alliance.

Second Council
The sounding of the Draakhorn caused dragons across the lands to became more aggressive. This change became increasingly apparent following the first meeting of the council. As a result of this unsettling behavior of dragonkind, a second session of the council was called in response.

During their second meeting, the Council of Waterdeep were updated on the adventurers' successes out in the field. The Emerald Enclave then solicited the party to investigate the destruction in the Misty Forest caused by the green dragon Chuth. The druidic organization believed the dragon was being manipulated by one of the cult's five wyrmspeakers. Dagult Neverember remained in attendance despite his change of office. He was accompanied by a new personal aide named Elia.

Following the council's second meeting, Lord Neverember's aide Elia requested a secret meeting with the adventuring party. Although she appeared in human, Elia was in fact a representative of a conclave of metallic dragons that sought to hold their own council regarding the cult and their goddess Tiamat. Elia extended an invitation to the adventurers to attend, and act as ambassadors for non-dragonkind among her peers.

Despite the adventurers' victory, uncertainty and mistrust plagued the council around this time. Gossip spread among its members that a political aide from Neverwinter killed one of the delegates assistances from Mithral Hall, and subsequently took their own life. These rumors were unfounded however, as the two deaths were actually caused by a succubus spy aligned with the Cult of the Dragon.

Third Council
The third Council of Waterdeep was called to assess how each of the factions had been faring up until that point. The delegates were updated that dragon attacks in the Misty Forest had been put to an end. The meeting marked the occasion where the representatives Five Factions began to finalize their decisions about what resources they could contribute to the campaign against the Cult of the Dragon.

This session also saw the addition of Rian Nightshade to the negotiations. Rian was introduced as an advisor to Lord Dagult Neverember, but was in fact an agent of the Zhentarim.

While the exact specifications of their involvement were unknown, the conclave of metallic dragons made the decision to join the Five Factions in their fight against the Cult of the Dragon.

In the end, the council dispatched the adventurers to pursue two separate missions that could grant them the upper hand against the cult's efforts. The first assignment involved a meeting with an influential—and potentially defecting—member of the cult at Xonthal's Tower. It was also believed that individual could grant them a boon in the coming conflicts against the Cult of the Dragon. The second mission involved taking rapid transport to meet with the Red Wizard Nyh Ilmichh, a subordinate Thay's regent, Szass Tam. The Thayan Red Wizards were eager to bring to justice to Rath Modar, a member of the Thayan Resurrection and noted Cult of the Dragon ally.

Fourth Council
At its fourth and final meeting, the Council of Waterdeep learned that the Cult of the Dragon and their Red Wizard allies were perilously close to completing the ritual to summon Tiamat from the Nine Hells. Hundreds of the cult's chromatic dragon allies were observed in the skies over the Well of Dragons in the Backlands.

The council held brief discussions over the ultimate fate of Xonthal's Tower. Rian Nightshade expressed distinct interest in acquiring the tower for the Zhentarim, offering over 50,000 gp to the adventurers for their share.

During this session, each councilor made their decision as to what resources their faction could offer in the final battle against the cult. The adventurers offered their opinions as well, serving as advisors to the representatives of the Five Factions. In the end, the party helped unite council at a perilous time, just before the cult's leader Severin Silrajin could conduct the ritual to summon Tiamat from the Nine Hells.

Resolution
In the end, the Five Factions of the council banded together and formed a unified army that marched upon Tiamat's Temple in the Well of Dragons. The allied army fought through hordes of undead summoned by the cult and forced to face off against the cult's evil chromatic dragon allies. Fortunately, the metallic dragons joined the battle in the skies above. In the end, the cult's leader Severin Silrajin was briefly able to cajole Tiamat to arrive on the face of Toril, but she was ultimately cast back down to her domain in the Nine Hells.

Members

 * Connerad Brawnanvil, an ambassador of Mithral Hall and son of one of its' former kings.
 * Dagult Neverember, the cunning Lord of Neverwinter and one-time Open Lord of Waterdeep.
 * Dala Silmerhelve, a Waterdhavian noblewoman and ally of the bronze dragon Nymmurh.
 * Delaan Winterhound, the council's sole member from the Emerald Enclave.
 * Isteval, a retired Cormyrean Purple Dragon knight and representative of the city of Daggerford.
 * Laeral Silverhand, Neverember's successor as Open Lord of Waterdeep.
 * Melandrach, elven King of the Misty Forest that represented both his realm and the inhabitants of the High Forest.
 * Ontharr Frume, an exuberant and stalwart knight of the Order of the Gauntlet.
 * Remallia Haventree, the soft-spoken but fierce delegate of the Harpers.
 * Rian Nightshade an agent of the Zhentarim that acted as an attaché to Lord Neverember.
 * Taern Hornblade, the diplomatic High Mage of Silverymoon.
 * Ulder Ravengard, the earnest Grand Duke of Baldur's Gate and Marshal of the city's Flaming Fist army.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * The Rise of Tiamat
 * Comics
 * Tyranny of Dragons
 * Tyranny of Dragons