The Abolethic Sovereignty is comprised of some of the oldest creatures of the Realms, who dwell in the flying, obelisk-shaped city of Xxiphu over the Sea of Fallen Stars. Their goal is to open a gate to their home plane, and unleash the madness of their kin unto Faerûn.
Bregan D’aerthe is an elite drow mercenary and mercantile group, primarily based in Menzoberranzan in the Underdark. Members, both individuals and the band as a whole, were available for hire to the highest bidder. Bregan D’aerthe has expanded to trade surface goods from the surface to Menzoberranzan and the Underdark. For example, trading Netherese artifacts to Menzoberranzan via Luskan.
The Cult of the Dragon is a secret society dedicated to bringing about the “inevitable” rule of Faerûn by undead dragons. Founded by the mad archmage (and later lich) Sammaster, the Cult’s information-gathering, illegal acts, magical research, and alliances with evil dragons all help it acquire power and wealth. With these tools the Cult fortifies its holdings and proceeds toward its goal: converting dragons to the most terrible form of undead, the dracolich. The Cult reveres dragons to an extent resembling divine worship (and in fact some dragons are worshiped as gods, although they are not deities and cannot grant spells). Cult members serve the dragons by giving them treasure, offering healing, exchanging spells, modifying lairs by adding mechanical traps, and tending eggs and hatchlings. In exchange, the Cult members are allowed to hide in the dragons’ lairs in times of crisis and receive promises of aid from the dragons. Above all, the Cultists handle the preparations for transforming a dragon into a dracolich.
The Emerald Enclave is an organization of druids and other nature worshipers. The actions of the Enclave influence the lives of the high and low, its members not concerning themselves with talk of good and evil, rather focusing on the needs of the natural world to resist the growing influence of humankind. Despite their primary goal of preserving nature, members are not direct opponents of progress; they prefer instead to work with civilized folk to promote the health of the natural world without resorting to acts of violence. Since the Spellplague, the organization has been accused of being xenophobic, bent on destroying all forms and manifestations of the Spellplague.
Fey’ri are the result of four noble houses of sun elves breeding with demons in an attempt to strengthen their bloodline. They are to elves as tieflings are to humans, marked by their fiendish blood. Fey’ri are unique among most planetouched in that they have a self-sustaining community, breeding true and raised among their own kind. Because of this, young fey’re do not suffer the feelings of ostracism that other planetouched do, despite growing up among creatures with strong fiendish blood. Most fey’ri are evil, but a few are able to shurg off the fiendish taint’s influence on their behavior to emulate some small part of the innate good nature of the elves. In general form they resemble sun elves, although all have large batlike wings.
The Flaming Fist, or Flaming Fists, is a mercenary company based in the city of Baldur’s Gate on the Sword Coast, where its members serve as city guards. They are one of the most powerful and expensive fighting forces in all Faerun, motivated primarily by the promise of riches and the glory of victory, though they edged on the side of promoting order. While the Fist’s base of operations is in the city of Baldur’s Gate, they have other forts and establishments in Anchorome, Chult and Tethyr.
The Guardians of the Weave are a loosely allied group who oppose evil spellcasters, evil gods of magic, and those who would damage or destroy the Weave. Founded three years ago by concerned agents of Mystra, the group quickly gained support from other churches and is now a widespread organization of heroes who try to undo the damage caused by evil spellcasters. What binds the Guardians together is a love of magic, and the desire to protect it against all threats, and in this cause people of many countries and styles of magic set aside their differences to defend their common joy – the Weave. They believe the greatest threat to magic in Faerûn is the Shadow Weave, for if Shar is able to reestablish the Shadow Weave and gains enough power from worship through its use, she may eventually challenge Mystra, consume the Weave, and force all who would use magic to obey her terms, making it nearly impossible for good magic to exist. The Guardians try to find ways to hinder, convert, or destroy this corrupting rival to their beloved magic.
The Harpers are a semi-secret organization dedicated to promoting good and preserving history (including art and music of old) so that others may remember its lessons when dealing with the present. Those Who Harp believe in maintaining a balance between civilization and nature by keeping kingdoms small, and the destruction of animal and plant life to a minimum. They consider the elven empire of Myth Drannor shortly before its fall to be the pinnacle of civilized history, and strive to recreate the world in that image. Most members are either good/neutral-aligned rangers or bards, though many wizards and druids are also their willing allies. The Harpers are led by a council of High Harpers, who were responsible for most of the group’s long-term plans and goals. High Harpers are elected through the means of secret ballots among the other High Harpers, with the criteria being long time service and extreme discretion in the implementation of their plans.
The Heralds of Faerûn are a quasi-independent group of historians and heraldists that have taken on the responsibility of recording, preserving, and policing the coats of arms, flags, standards, shields, badges, mottoes, symbols, and sigils of the nobility of Faerûn. Over the years, they also have become the foremost authority on courtly courtesy, inheritance, precedence, genealogy, correct armature, and general history. Their impartiality and neutrality have earned them the respect of nearly every nation, kingdom, city-state, mercenary company, clan, and tribe in civilized Faerûn.
The Lords’ Alliance, also known as the Council of Lords, is a partnership of merchant cities founded in 1325 DR. Its members are from the Sword Coast, the North and Western Heartlands, including Waterdeep, Silverymoon, Baldur’s Gate, and Neverwinter, as well as other free cities and towns in the region. It was formed to oppose the growing influence of the Black Network in the North, as well as the Shadow Thieves of Amn. The alliance usually hires adventurers to work for them for tasks ranging from gathering simple information to joining in raids against Zhentarim strongholds and outposts. Local adventurers can quickly gain status, as well as powerful friends, by helping the alliance, but can just as easily make enemies of the sinister Zhentarim as a result.
The Moonstars, or Tel’Teukiira, are a group of renegade Harpers and allies of the Blackstaff who seek to bring together humans, elves, and other races against the many dangers lurking in the shadows of Faerûn. The members of the Tel’Teukiira seek to learn from the lessons of history, preserving and learning from the lore of lost civilizations. Although the Lord and Lady Arunsun still believe that the goals of Those Who Harp are right and true, the Blackstaff formed the Moonstars to address goals that range far beyond the scope of Harper activities. In the Year of the Laughing Swan, Khelben, in the guise of a cloistered monk of Candlekeep, discovered dire threats within Alaundo’s Prophecies that no one else had ever perceived. At first Khelben hoped to counter these threats through his shepherding of the Harpers, but over time the group slipped from his control.
The Order of the Gauntlet was formed to destroy evil in the world at large. Its core members are clerics and paladins, religious paragons that are united in ideals from the faiths of Tyr, Helm, Torm, and Hoar, seeing it as a way of making common cause against the evils abroad in the world. The Order of the Gauntlet is ready to lash out the moment evil acts, and not a moment before. When evil breaks laws, agreements, or commonly accepted codes of conduct, the Gauntlet strikes hard and fast, without waiting for the blessings of distant temples or the permission of rulers. Evil must be met in the field and smashed, or it will swiftly overcome all. The Order of the Gauntlet is a dedicated, tightly knit group of like-minded individuals driven by religious zeal or a finely honed sense of justice. Friendship and camaraderie are important to members of the Order of the Gauntlet, and they share a trust and a bond normally reserved for siblings. Like highly motivated soldiers, members of the Order of the Gauntlet seek to become the best at what they do and look forward to testing their mettle. There are few, if any, “lone wolves” in this organization.
The Red Wizards are the magocratic leaders of the country of Thay. The most powerful Red Wizards are the zulkirs, each specialized in one of the schools of magic. These eight choose the tharchions (regional governors) who handle the day-to-day leadership of Thay while the zulkirs scheme and plot to rule the entire world. Long-standing factions split the power of the zulkirs. Some push for isolating their land in order to safeguard their vast magical knowledge, while others advocate wars of conquest. Currently a faction favoring trade and mercantilism rules the day, rising from a class of ambitious, entrepreneurial mages with their eyes on the rich commerce of the Inner Sea and the kingdoms of the west. The Red Wizards’ ability to forge and trade magic items in great quantities has given them control of a lucrative and influential trade. Thayan enclaves exist in dozens of cities around the Sea of Fallen Stars, walled compounds in which the Thayans enjoy immunity from local laws and tariffs while providing access to their many and varied magical wares.
Shades are humanoids that have merged with the essence of the Shadowfell and are now powerful agents for the returned Netherese. A select few Shadovar (citizens of Thultanthar) were rewarded for their immense loyalty to the city by being made into shades. These Shades were first created through the research of Netherese wizards who left Faerûn for the Plane of Shadow for research purposes long before Karsus’s Folly. During this journey, it was found that by removing a part of one’s soul and replacing it with the essence of shadow, a shade could be produced. This was an extremely complex and painful process, but the result was a being with a prolonged life and a greatly strengthened set of abilities when in the presence of shadows.
The Shadow Thieves is a thieves’ guild based in Athkatla, a large port city in Amn. They were formerly the most prominent thieves’ guild in Waterdeep, but have since been all but routed from the city by the Lords of Waterdeep. It is alleged they had some arrangement with the rulers of Amn, as the merchants of Waterdeep are the main trading enemies of Amn.
The Spellguard is an organization of powerful mages in Silverymoon, many of them high-ranking politicians within Luruar. The Spellguard were established in 1255 DR as a personal bodyguard for Alustriel herself, but over the intervening years grew to a nation-wide force, spreading their duties between Silverymoon and, later, the rest of Luruar. By 1490 DR, the Spellguard numbered at least 49 members, eight of which are Warders that oversee the activities of the rest. The Lord Warder of the Spellguard is Jorus Azuremantle, a half-elven wizard that assumed the title after Taern “Thunderspell” Hornblade left the position to lead Silverymoon as High Mage.
The Triceratops Society is dedicated to the protection of Chult from foreigners, and is very active in Port Nyranzaru, controlling the unloading and loading of all cargo at the docks. They keep tabs on all visitors coming ashore, especially if a visitor is suspected of being a mage. If the visitor heads off into the jungle, it is said that the Society will send agents to notify the surrounding villages.
The Uthgardt is a collective term used to refer to various human barbarian tribes who worship the deity Uthgar. Each tribe was named after a beast totem of Uthgar who mediated between the deity and his people.
Xanathar’s Guild is a group of thieves and cutthroats operating out of the bowels of Waterdeep, its main offices in Skullport. The Guild is rumored to be led by an elder beholder called The Xanathar. Eleven Masters each control one of the Guild’s businesses: assassination, blackmail, book-keeping, enforcement, extortion, information gathering, magical defenses, mercenaries, slavery, smuggling, and thievery. Most of the Guild’s work involves slavery or thievery.
The Zhentarim, also known as the Black Network, is an evil organization intent on dominating the land from the Moonsea to the Sword Coast. Originally a secret society, for years the Zhents have operated openly in the Moonsea area, particularly around their greatest base of operations, Zhentil Keep. People who live near Zhentarim strongholds grow used to caravans with its symbol but live in fear that someday they will see armies marching under that banner. While many of the Zhentarim are nothing more than opportunistic merchants, some resort to illegal acts such as attacking rival caravans, extorting villages for food, or more serious crimes such as arson and murder. Fear of this cabal has spread from the Moonsea lands across the Heartlands to the Sword Coast, where everybody “knows” the Black Network is a sinister, murderous organization of spies, informants, armies, and flying-monster-riding wizards engaged in all sorts of secret and terrible activities.
