Lord's Court

The Lord's Court was the highest court in the city of Waterdeep in the 14th century DR.

Leadership
In the mid-to-late 14th century DR, the Lord's Court was chaired by Open Lord Piergeiron, and attended by two or more other Lords of Waterdeep as well as two Magisters.

Base
The Lord's Court normally met in Piergeiron's Palace, in a large chamber on the second floor accessed via the grand staircase from the entry hall.

Activities
By 1372 DR, the Lord's Court handled all the most severe crimes in Waterdeep's Code Legal, such as suspicious deaths, rape, misuse of magic, and disputes over succession and inheritance. A head of one of the city's noble families could only proclaim a chosen heir (if not their eldest child) in the Lord's Court, where it could be heard and confirmed by the Lords.

In addition, citizens sentenced by a Magister in the Common Courts could appeal to the Lord's Court within two days, but appeals usually failed. Justice in the Lord's Court was said to be swift and sure.

The Lord's Court formerly heard civil disputes around 1358 DR, but by 1372 DR these and lesser crimes were handled by the Common Courts.

History
The growth of Waterdeep in the mid–1300s DR saw a burgeoning number of civil disputes, and hearing these took up increasing amounts of the Lord's Court's time. Therefore, in the Year of Shadows, 1358 DR, a band of lawyers approached Open Lord Piergeiron with an offer. They promised to streamline the handling of civil cases and pushed Piergeiron for an agreement. Unwisely, he quickly agreed, signing a contract between the lawyers and the city. Under it, the lawyers would handle civil disputes and enforce the judgements they secured. However, the lawyers proved to be more interested in the strict letter of the law than in its spirit or the circumstances of a case. They agreed with their fellow lawyers in cases, while Piergeiron simply made rulings based on their recommendations.

Khelben Arunsun, being no fan of lawyers, sought to evict them from the city. When the Lord's Court heard the case of a marriage contract signed by Onyx the Invincible under false pretenses (thinking he was signing an autograph) and extenuating circumstances (being drunk and distracted by Drusilla), his court-appointed counsel declined to argue and both lawyers cared only for the words on the contract. Piergeiron ruled in their favor, declaring the marriage contract valid and to be fulfilled to the letter. Khelben eventually forced the lawyers to renege on their contract by being unable to enforce the marriage, and evicted them from the city.

Indeed, by 1372 DR, barristers were banned from practicing in Waterdeep, but were reluctantly tolerated in the form of professional witnesses and counselors. Meanwhile, civic matters were heard in the Common Courts rather than the Lord's Court.

Customs
The Lord's Court was customarily closed on Eleasis 1, which was the birthday of the city's first Lord, Ahghairon.