The Lords of Waterdeep, also called the Masked Lords, are the secret council who have ruled the city of Waterdeep for centuries. They are always masked, and their identities are a closely held secret. The Lords only appear in public when deliberating on high crimes or when asked by the lower court. All wear black formless masks and robes, to keep their identities secret.

The Open Lord of Waterdeep is the sole member of the Lords of Waterdeep whose identity is publicly known. There is only one Open Lord at any one time, but when the previous one dies or steps down, he or she is replaced by a new one. The current Open Lord is Lady Silverhand, one of the Seven Sisters, daughters of the goddess of magic. She claims she was instructed by her mother the goddess Mystra to seek the office.

While no other Lords are formally named, some become the subject of widespread rumors that can even become a general consensus. The penalty for impersonating a Lord, whether by dressing in a set of their identical clothing or by a false claim is punishable by the imposter’s immediate execution.

Last year, twelve of the Masked Lords were murdered in the Death Masks coup attempt that also targeted Lady Silverhand. The city is still reeling from the assassinations, and Lady Silverhand has been declared autocrat until a new ruling council is chosen.