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The Glassfang Syndicate
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The Glassfang Syndicate
Dungeons & Dragons 5e
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Updated 3 months ago
The Lords' Alliance is an association of nobles and rulers representing settlements across western Faerûn. The alliance believes that solidarity is the surest means to keep the forces of chaos at bay and secure prosperity for people throughout the North. Agents of the alliance ensure the safety and prosperity of their settlements by proactively eliminating forces that threaten civilization.
The alliance's primary goal is to ensure the safety and prosperity of cities and other settlements across Faerûn. To accomplish this, alliance members share information with one another about potential threats within and near alliance territory. Dangers are many in Faerûn, leaving the alliance spread thin, so settlements hire reputable adventurers and dispatch them where they are most needed.
Although the alliance's mere existence is a strong deterrent against evildoers, it has a reputation for internal bickering and dysfunction. Alliance representatives are aware of this reputation, and they go to great lengths to exhibit solidarity and coordination. Cities in the alliance frequently sponsor tournaments, festivals, and fundraisers to increase the perception of a unified North.
Many within the Lords' Alliance believe the best defense is a strong offense and that the alliance should proactively eliminate threats. Alliance leaders pressure one another to keep their borders well-guarded. Members frequently hire adventuring parties for scouting missions and forays into monster nests, thieves' dens, and cultist hideouts.
Agents of the alliance swear allegiance to a specific lord. These lords tend to be self-concerned and proud, and they expect their agents to act nobly and bring honor to them. The lords engage in friendly competition over their agents' contributions. Should Waterdeep's militia prove integral to the routing of an invading army, for example, Open Lord Laeral
Silverhand is sure to casually mention this fact at the next Lords' Assembly.
Each member of the Lords' Alliance has an official representative on the alliance's governing body, the Council of Lords. Typically, this representative is the settlement's ruler. When necessary, a representative can select a proxy to stand in the representative's place.
Representatives convene several times per year for a Lords' Assembly. These assemblies occur around the same time as the festivals that mark the changing of the seasons. Alliance members take turns hosting assemblies, with preference given to cities that have suitably large (and secure) forum spaces. During times of crisis, such as war or catastrophe, an emergency assembly might be called.
From Left to Right: Amphail, Baldur's Gate, Daggerford, Longsaddle, Mirabar, Mithral Hall, Neverwinter, Silverymoon, Waterdeep, Yartar
Image by - Conceptopolis
Following are descriptions of some of the members of the Lords' Alliance and their representatives on the Council of Lords. New members join occasionally, and members sometimes leave the alliance or are expelled.
Amphail. Rivaling Longsaddle for the honor of the alliance's smallest settlement, Amphail is best known as a playground for bored nobles from Waterdeep. Petty family feuds are the order of the day in Amphail, as are minor catastrophes caused by the unabashed negligence of haughty aristocrats. Lord Warder Dauner Ilzimmer speaks for Amphail on the Council of Lords, but like most nobles in Amphail, he has little interest in matters that don't endanger his cushy lifestyle.
Baldur's Gate. The massive city of Baldur's Gate is one of the Sword Coast's most powerful trading ports, and Grand Duke Ulder Ravengard's outsize influence on the Council of Lords reflects this. In Baldur's Gate, criminals, cultists, and corruption hold as much (if not more) sway as the city's nobles. The city requires frequent aid from the Lords' Alliance to maintain order within its walls.
Daggerford. Lady Morwen Daggerford oversees the small, walled town of Daggerford, surrounded by floodplains and pastures. It is a key stopover for caravans headed to Waterdeep or Baldur's Gate, and this function as a watering hole and supply outfitter makes Daggerford a vital member of the alliance. Daggerford is the kind of idyllic town that settlements in the North aspire to be, with lively taverns and merry festivals that draw visitors from all around.
Longsaddle. Longsaddle is an unassuming hamlet of ranchers, butchers, and farriers famous for a family of wizards, the Harpells, who call it home. Dowell Harpell is Longsaddle's representative to the Lords' Alliance, though the wizard exhibits little interest in foreign affairs and rarely speaks during assemblies.
Mirabar. Humans and dwarves are the primary residents of Mirabar, an ancient city built partly belowground. The city's lifeblood is its gem mines, and Marchion Selin Ramur jockeys for resources from the Lords' Alliance to protect Mirabar's vast stores of wealth.
Mithral Hall. Mithral Hall is the ancestral home of the famous Battlehammer dwarven clan. Despite its status as an alliance member, Mithral Hall is more of a stronghold than a settlement, with tunnels to other dwarf holds hidden deep below its mines. Queen Dagnabbet Waybeard represents Mithral Hall on the Council of Lords; a bold leader and a fierce warrior, she firmly supports Mithral Hall's membership in the Lords' Alliance despite other dwarven settlements' reluctance to join the coalition. The queen's proxy on the council is Ambassador Connerad Brawnanvil.
Neverwinter. The City of Skilled Hands is no stranger to the threats that the Lords' Alliance was formed to rally against - ancient monsters, agents of Thay, devils from the Nine Hells, and more have endangered Neverwinter in the course of its history. Those who call it home are a serious, resilient folk. Dagult Neverember is the city's present lord protector, and he commands the people's respect.
Silverymoon. The peaceful city of Silverymoon is a bastion for scholars, treasure hunters, and anyone who seeks respite from the harsher realities of the North. It is a famous haven for the Harpers and is known for its schools, shrines, and great library. The city's current leader, Lord Methrammar Aerasumé, is a gruff tactician and Silverymoon's proxy to the Council of Lords, but the city's representative is Methrammar's predecessor, the wise Lord Taern Hornblade.
Waterdeep. Many Waterdhavians become agents of the Lords' Alliance to represent not Waterdeep as a whole but rather one of Waterdeep's many power-hungry lords. For her part, the open lord of Waterdeep, Laeral Silverhand, uses spies to assess visiting adventurers. Those who show potential receive invitations from the city guard to undertake quests for the Lords' Alliance.
Yartar. Yartar is a fortified town best known for its impressive barge-building operation and annual hiring fair, the latter of which attracts adventurers and patrons from across the North. Yartar's leader and alliance representative, Waterbaron Nestra Ruthiol, is an underhanded, cunning aristocrat. Her vengeful schemes and petty rivalries typify the sorts of internal strife that limit Yartar's potential influence in the alliance.
Characters gain renown with the Lords' Alliance by thwarting evil's attempts to overrun the North and by expanding the influence of settlements that belong to the alliance. As their Renown Score increases, the Syndicate gains Standing and your characters gain access to various perks, as shown on the tables below.
| Tier | Renown Earned | Syndicate Standing |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 - 1 | Stranger. Unknown to the Lords’ Alliance. No rights, privileges, or formal standing. |
| 1 | 2 - 6 | Recognized. Your actions have drawn notice. You are acknowledged as a useful and reputable adventurer and gain basic goodwill in Alliance circles. |
| 2 | 7 - 18 | Pledge Ranked. You have earned meaningful trust. At this tier, you may choose to formally pledge into the Lords’ Alliance, though doing so is optional. Characters who do not pledge may still continue to earn and maintain renown. (Ping the Lorekeeper if/when you are ready to do this) |
| 3 | 19 - 38 | Trusted Agent. You are trusted with sensitive work, secure information, and higher-value assignments. Even if not formally pledged, you are seen as a reliable Alliance asset. |
| 4 | 39 - 58 | Officer. You are a respected figure within the Alliance’s sphere of influence, capable of handling leadership responsibilities, representing Alliance interests, and directing small groups or mission support. |
| 5 | 59 - 98 | High Rank. Your name carries significant weight. You have broad faction influence, strong connections, and access to major favors or support from Alliance representatives. |
| 6 | 99+ | Legendary Figure. Requires PC level 17+. You are a figure of great renown whose actions may shape policy, faction response, and how the Lords’ Alliance is viewed across the region. |
| Renown Score | Reward |
|---|---|
| 3+ | Nobles from Amphail, Daggerford, and Yartar are Friendly to you by default. |
| 5+ | While in an Alliance settlement whose nobles are Friendly to you by default, you can buy potions and Spell Scrolls from an Alliance quartermaster at a 10% discount. A spell scroll bought this way can contain a spell of 3rd level or lower. |
| 10 | The first time your Renown Score reaches 10, your lord gives you one random Uncommon magic item. (Ping the Lorekeeper when ready to do roll) |
| 15+ | Nobles from Longsaddle, Mirabar, and Neverwinter are Friendly to you by default. |
| 25+ | In any Lords’ Alliance settlement, you can enlist a spellcaster to cast Sending for you at no charge, targeting an Alliance representative. |
| 30+ | Nobles from Baldur’s Gate, Mithral Hall, Silverymoon, and Waterdeep are Friendly to you by default. |
| 40 | The first time your Renown Score reaches 40, your lord gives you one random Rare magic item. (Ping the Lorekeeper when ready to do this roll) |
| 50+ | You can request an audience with any representative of the Lords’ Alliance. In addition, you can request a detail of up to three Knights to accompany you for one mission. Once used, this reward cannot be used again until your Renown Score increases. |
In D&D rules terms, a Friendly creature views you favorably, and you have Advantage on ability checks made to influence it. For Lords’ Alliance Character Renown, this means nobles in the listed settlements begin interactions with the character from a position of goodwill rather than suspicion or indifference.
As a character’s renown increases, that friendliness gains greater weight in settlements already unlocked. This can be represented by easier introductions, broader courtesy, more serious consideration, and reduced DCs where appropriate. This does not guarantee success, remove consequences, or override a noble’s duties, politics, or personal interests.
| Character Renown | Cities Unlocked | Greater Weight in Previously Unlocked Cities | Practical Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3+ | Amphail, Daggerford, Yartar | None yet | You begin social interactions with local nobles and their households from a position of goodwill. They are more willing to hear you out, extend courtesy, and offer minor introductions or assistance where appropriate. |
| 15+ | Longsaddle, Mirabar, Neverwinter | Amphail, Daggerford, and Yartar | In the newly unlocked cities, nobles are Friendly by default. In the earlier cities, that friendliness now carries greater weight. Your name is more established, your requests are taken more seriously, and reduced DCs may be appropriate for reasonable requests. |
| 30+ | Baldur’s Gate, Mithral Hall, Silverymoon, Waterdeep | All previously unlocked cities | In the newly unlocked cities, nobles are Friendly by default. In all earlier unlocked cities, your standing now carries substantial weight. You are not just known, but respected, and may find access, hospitality, and cooperation easier to obtain within reason. |
A character with Lords’ Alliance Character Renown is not automatically a member of the faction. Renown reflects personal reputation, trust, and favor earned through service. Formal membership is separate and represents a character choosing to pledge themselves to the Lords’ Alliance and swear service to a specific lord or settlement.
On this server, a character becomes eligible to formally join the Lords’ Alliance at Tier 2: Pledge Ranked. At that point, the character has earned enough standing to be recognized not merely as a useful adventurer, but as someone the Alliance may formally accept into service.
Becoming a member is optional. A character may continue to earn and maintain Character Renown with the Lords’ Alliance without ever formally joining it. Characters who do choose to join are understood to be taking on a deeper relationship with the faction, along with the expectations that come with it: loyalty, honorable conduct, and service that reflects well on the lord they represent.
Lords’ Alliance members are more than respected adventurers. They are recognized faction agents: proud warriors, talented mages, silver-tongued diplomats, and other capable figures trusted to act in the Alliance’s name. Membership carries both privilege and expectation. A member is not simply known to the faction but belongs to it.
If your character formally pledges into the Lords’ Alliance, they gain access to the following benefits:
✨ Lifestyle: You enjoy a Wealthy lifestyle while in the alliance settlement you represent and a Comfortable lifestyle within any other alliance settlement.
🐎 Mount and Tack: You receive a steed worth up to 75 GP, such as a Riding Horse, and a Riding Saddle.
🎖️ Trinket: Roll on the Lords' Alliance Trinkets table to determine what trinket you have from your time with the Lords' Alliance.
🛡️ Heraldry: You are entitled to a unique coat of arms that identifies you as a member of a house and reflects your reputation. Heraldry may be displayed on armor, tabards, and standards.
🏰 Bastion Access: Members may add the Lords’ Alliance Noble Residence special facility to their Bastion, if otherwise eligible.
These benefits are tied to formal membership, not merely renown.
Each member of the Lords’ Alliance has a unique coat of arms that identifies them as a member of a house and reflects their reputation. If your character becomes a member, you may design heraldry using the following elements:
🔷 Escutcheon: The escutcheon is the basic shape of the coat of arms, such as square, oval, diamond, or kite. A shape can be distinctive, such as the pinched shield of Waterdeep.
✂️ Division: A division is the way in which the escutcheon is partitioned: solid, halved, divided into three or four parts, split in half diagonally, checkered, and so on.
⚔️ Charge: One or more charges, symbols associated with the lord's reputation, are added. Common charges include weapons, armor, monsters, flowers, plants, celestial objects, and musical instruments.
🎨 Tinctures: Finally, the coat of arms is distinguished by its tinctures, the materials and colors used in the escutcheon and charges. While traditional tinctures include colors and metals (such as gold or silver), more fanciful tinctures use illusion magic to create shields seemingly made from pure radiance, prismatic light, or shadow.
Note: Formal membership in the Lords’ Alliance is optional. A character may have Character Renown with the faction without ever joining it. Membership begins when a character chooses to pledge themselves into the Alliance and is recognized as a true faction agent.
Members of the Lords' Alliance can add the following special facility to their Bastions.
Level 9 Bastion Facility
Prerequisite: Membership in the Lords' Alliance
Space: Vast [36 sq]
Hirelings: 1
Order: Recruit
You maintain a luxurious apartment fit for the ruler of a city such as Neverwinter, Waterdeep, or Baldur's Gate. Your hireling is a butler who tends to the resident's needs.
After spending a Long Rest in your Noble Residence, you gain Heroic Inspiration.
Recruit: Visiting Noble. When you issue the Recruit order to your Lords' Alliance Noble Residence, you forgo sleeping in it for 14 days and instead make it available to a noble from a settlement that is a member of the Lords' Alliance. Roll any die. If the number rolled is odd, no one accepts your invitation and you gain no benefit from having issued the order. If the number rolled is even, a noble from the settlement you chose accepts your invitation, arriving within 7 days and staying for another 7 days.
The visiting noble gossips about events and inhabitants in their home settlement, revealing to you the location of any creature familiar to you if that creature is within 50 miles of the settlement from which the noble has come, if that creature isn't hidden by magic, and if that creature isn't confined to a location that the DM deems beyond the noble's ability to know. If the noble knows the location of the individual, they also tell you where that creature was for the 7 days prior to the noble's departure for your Bastion.
The visiting noble won't defend your Bastion and departs immediately if the Bastion is attacked.
Faction information pulled from Introduction: A World of Epic Heroes - Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerûn - 5etools
