Wintershield watchmen

The Wintershield watchmen was a policing force that served as the city watch of Neverwinter in the late years of the 15 century DR.

Activities
The Wintershield watchmen were charged with maintaining peace and order within the city. Their ranks were made up mostly of local Neverwintians who were both responsible as well as invested in the protection of the city. They were directed to understand the neighborhoods and citizens whom they were protecting in hopes that this would make the populace more compliant, and thus lead to few bloody altercations.

The Wintershield watchmen were trained by veteran members of the Neverwinter Guard and hosted observers from the Guard among their ranks. They were funded by taxes levied on local commerce and residents.

History
Prior to the formation of the Wintershield watchman, Lord Protector Dagult Neverember relied on the Neverwinter Guard to serve as the city watch. This group was mostly made up of mercenaries from Mintarn, and their harsh methods made the people fear and hate them.

By the, more accountable and local solutions to policing the streets were being called for, and some neighborhoods had even formed their own makeshift militias that threatened to clash with the Guard. Seeking to avoid this, Neverember began to reduce his dependence on mercenaries in favor of locals who had grown up defending The Wall. He thus created the Wintershield watchmen to patrol the city's streets while the Neverwinter Guard evolved into the city's military force. Soon, even members of the Sons of Alagondar&mdash;Neverember's staunch opposition&mdash;began to volunteer themselves to serve in place of the outgoing mercenaries.

As of the, there was dissatisfaction in Neverwinter with the attitude of the city guards, who were seen as being willing to lazily pin crimes on their usual suspects rather than work to solve them.