Waterdeep	-	The Guilds	-	The North
1st Edition AD&D	-	-	-	Forgotten Realms

41. THE WATCHFUL ORDER OF MAGISTS & PROTECTORS
Master: Mhair Szeltune (pronounced “mm-AIR Szz-ELtoon”;
17th level magic-user; Lady Master of the Order),
Mhair’s Tower, #171, Spindle Street, The Trades Ward
Headquarters: Tower of the Order, #30, The Street of
Bells, Castle Ward
Livery: dark purple cloaks, with a white human hand,
open, with fingers together and uppermost, on the left
shoulder
Entrance: 35 gp (upon majority vote of the members)
Dues: 7 gp/month
Contact: Orlar Thammas (6th level magic-user, Speaker
for the Order), Tower of the Order

This guild protects the less-powerful magic-users (and
novices to the Art) of Waterdeep, and attempts to influence
the powerful loners (non-Guildmembers) of magical
power in the City (such as Khelben “Blackstaff” Arunsun
and Malchor Harpell), to be prudent and conservative,
wielding magic little in public, so that mages will be
respected and looked up to, rather than feared and
actively opposed. Guild activities have little effect on the
City’s more powerful magic-users, who are not Guild
members and who do what they like anyway (although
Khelben’s quiet support has allowed the Order to establish
itself and have some effect). They are effective in
policing mages of low and mid-levels who visit the City, in
matters of not throwing spells around to coerce or influence
the populace, and to have respect for colleagues of
lesser power as well as greater. The membership gains
great practical benefits through the Order. Members can
readily communicate with fellow members to arrange
training and buy magical information with some assurance
that they are not dealing with charlatans (the Order
will expel and publicly vilify members who practice
deceit on fellow members), can readily purchase all manner
of rare material components (such components are
not cheap, but the time necessary to personally procure
them is saved) from the golem-guarded cellars of the
Tower of the Order. (DMs should invent some really
heavy-duty magical guardian creatures and traps for this
place if PCs assault it, culminating in personal appearances
by the Lady Master of the Order, reinforced by
Khelben and perhaps one or more mages of high level;
i.e., PCs should have to run for their lives!) Members
short of cash can earn ready money by serving as fire
guards, “spell guards”, or in fighting fires.

A fire guard is hired for a building (usually only when it
contains valuables, although DMs should note that some
nobles consider themselves valuable, night and day, as
long as their money holds out) for 5 gp/night. The Guild
keeps 1 gp of the fee, and gives the guarding member 4
gp. Such duty consists of loading up with affect normal
fires, cone of cold, conjure water elemental, and similar
spells and standing watch, with a guardian pigeon. If the
pigeon is released, it will fly back to the Tower of the
Order, and fire fighting mages will come on the run,
sometimes by aerial steed (the Lady Master has a pegasus,
who will carry one other mage on the saddle with
her, so long as she is mounted too).

Fire fighting mages, of whom the Order retains four to
six a night, are paid by the Order directly, 9 gp each. If
summoned by a fire guard, they cost the building owner
nothing. If they arrive to fight an unguarded building,
the City will pay the Order a flat 10 gp fee per building if
the owner cannot be found, is deceased, or is unwilling
to pay. Otherwise, owners are charged 10 gp per fire
fighting mage.

A “spell guard” costs 10 gp per day (of which the Order
gets 1 gp, and the guard 9 gp), and simply consists of
accompanying a merchant, noble, or other paranoid
individual through a day of living, negotiating, partying,
or working, to detect and counter spells cast at him or
her (obviously, detect magic and dispel magic are needed
here).

The Order also sells scrolls of certain spells to its members,
as follows:

Spell (each scroll contains only one spell of the type listed)	Cost in gp (not for sale to non-members)
Affect Normal Fires	300
Comprehend languages	400
Detect Invisibility	600
Detect Magick	300
Dispel Magick	800
Erase	400
Fire Trap	1200
Identify	500
Infravision	900
Knock	600
Locate Object	700
Mending	300
Protection from Evil	300
Read Magick	200
Remove Curse	1000
Shield	400
Tongues	900
Water Breathing	900
Wizard Eye	1500
Wizard Lock	700
Write	500

A member of the Order may of course resell a scroll
purchased from the Order to a non-member. This is rarely
done (the Order will stop selling scrolls to a member
who does it more than rarely), and usually for a 75%
markup.

Member and non-member adventurers can make fairly
good money by selling material components to the
Order. They will not buy overpriced components, nor
everyday or overstocked substances, however.