City Guard (Waterdeep)

The City Guard was a highly trained military organization of fully-armored soldiers responsible for defending the great city of Waterdeep and patrolling its surroundings.

Organization
The City Guard served many purposes related to defending the city. Within Waterdeep, the Guard protected the city walls, gates, and its important buildings, as well as provided escorts for government officials. It also patrolled the harbor and the roads leading from Waterdeep to Amphail, Goldenfields, and Daggerford.

The exact size of the City Guard was a secret only known to the Lords of Waterdeep, but it was thought to be around 1,200 strong. In times of war, it could enlist mercenaries and grow to a contingent of up to 12,000 members.

Members of the City Guard were paid a salary of 6 gp per month. No fee was required to join the ranks.

A special aquatic division of the Guard was recruited from the underwater residents of Deepwater Harbor. The merfolk of Tharqualnaar and the sea elves of T'Quession provided Guards who were responsible for defending Waterdeep against aquatic threats, recovering bodies, salvaging lost cargo, and patrolling a short distance outside the harbor. In particular, they guarded the perimeter of Umberlee's Cache, with the underwater lighthouse Deepwater Beacon serving as a guiding light and rally point.

These underwater Guards were not provided with weapons and equipment by the city, but were given a monthly 25 gp stipend of food, medical supplies, and trade bars as compensation.

Ranks
Like the City Watch, the City Guard had specific titles for the members of their forces. A City Guard patrol usually consisted of twelve members, whose commanding officer was called the civilar. A commanding officer holding the rank of captain was known as an aumarr, or senior civilar, while one holding the rank of lieutenant was known as a shieldlar, or, simply, civilar. The patrol also contained one armar, or sergeant, and ten guardsmen or guardswomen, or trusties. A patrol could also be led by a sergeant.

Other officer positions existed within the ranks of the Guard, not typically associated with regular patrols. In particular, the ranks of valabrar and torsin were responsible for escorting important individuals within the city, while also composing honor guards and bodyguards to diplomats and illustrious visitors to the city. Officers holding those positions outranked captains.

The City Guard also had a special branch called the Griffon Cavalry. Its members were responsible for patrolling the skies of the city riding griffons.

The commanding positions of the Guard held specific individual titles. Some of those positions existed at all times, while others only during war. The perennial command positions were Seneschal of Castle Waterdeep, Defender of the Harbor, Master of the North Towers, and Master of the South Towers. Command positions only activated during wartime were the Lords' Hand and Lords' Champion. The Warden of Waterdeep commanded the entire organization.

Activities
The City Guard's duty was to investigate foreign threats to Waterdeep and to protect the city against them. Their duties included guarding the city's gates, important locations, and citizens. City Guards could be found posted at Castle Waterdeep, Piergeron's Palace, the city walls, and its surrounding countryside.

City Guard patrols also kept watch on the roads leading from Waterdeep to Amphail, Daggerford, and Goldenfields. As the City Watch did not operate within the Field Ward, the guards assigned to the gates and walls were the only official form of protection. As it was technically outside of the city, they were obliged to assist anyone who was threatened while moving in or out of the city, just as they would when patrolling afield.

Possessions
Around 1357 and 1358 DR, soldiers of the City Guard wore yellow scale armor under green cloaks and tabards. They wore matching conical helms of green and gold with fur trim, chainmail neck-guards, and topped by a spike. They could also carry a shield. Both tabard and shield bore the symbol of Waterdeep, a crescent moon reflected over a bay, surrounded by seven stars. They wielded longswords, daggers, and darts coated with a paralytic poison. On missions outside, they were also armed with bows.

By 1368 DR, the standard uniform of the City Guard was silver scale mail under black, gold-trimmed tabards. Standard armament included daggers, rods, shortbows, and shortswords, with the possibility of additional armament for specific assignments.

Around 1372 DR, Waterdeep's City Guards wore a uniform of polished chainmail covered with a tabard in black cloth with gold trim. They carried various weapons as their posts would require, including longswords, shortbows, shortspears, shortswords, daggers and clubs.

Whenever Waterdeep reached highs of in the summer season, the City Guard would dress down from sweltering full body armor into more appropriate protection. This included back and breast plates, gorgets, metal codpieces, and light helms. They would also abstain from wearing gauntlets and dress in surcoats that were of a white hue in order to minimize heat absorption.

History
One day in the, a huntsman informed the City Guard of a magical tower erected within a single day, a full day's hard ride north of Waterdeep's Trollwall. A City Guard patrol, including Pern, investigated and attempted to scale the tower. Imgig Zu, master of the tower, animated his gargoyle minions to attack the guardsmen.

In the, when the skies over the city darkened and an interdimensional wormhole (from the Great Door) disgorged a swarm of gargoyles and kenkus over the city, a City Guard troop and Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun arrived to hold them off. Shortly after, during the Time of Troubles, members of the City Guard stationed in Castle Waterdeep during a party tried to stop a trio of the Dark Army of the Night from kidnapping a false avatar of Selûne. However, they were hindered by the Dark Army's utter darkness and then by blinding light. The avatar herself stopped the trio with a bind spell, and the City Guard arrested them. Later, Lord Piergeiron ordered Rathnar of the City Guard to arrest Kyriani after she fought with the avatar, but Khelben Arunsun took charge of the prisoner and let her go.

The 3 company of the High Guards fought in the final battle of the Second Dragonspear War at the castle in the.

When the Shining Crusade threatened the Sword Coast in the, one hundred guardsmen joined the Coalition army under the command of Torsin deLancie.

After the murder of Warden Ezender Drayth in 1491 DR, Elminster Aumar accepted the position of Warden of Waterdeep, answering directly to Open Lord Laeral Silverhand.

Appearances

 * Adventures:
 * Waterdeep: Dragon Heist
 * Comics:
 * The Gathering
 * Day of the Darkening
 * Dark of the Moon