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Mertonius, better known as Mirt "the Moneylender" (pronounced: /ˈmɛrtMERT[9] or: /ˈmɪərtMEERT[9]), was a human rogue and retired adventurer and a mercenary general, when he was known as Mirt the Merciless or the Old Wolf[2] or Lord Walrus.[4] He became a member of the Harpers as well as a Masked Lord of Waterdeep, which was commonly known.[2] Mirt was also one of the most infamous factors of Waterdeep.[10]

Description[]

As of the 1370s DR, he was old, fat, and wheezy.[2]

Personality[]

Outwardly, Mirt appeared to be a loud and drunken braggart who enjoyed telling long-winded stories of his exploits, as well as roughhousing and tavern brawls. However, this was a façade concealing his cunning and good judge of character, as well as his surprising agility. This traits helped him grow much wealthier in his investments later in life than being an adventurer or mercenary ever had. He had a good heart and desired to make Faerûn a better place than he'd found it.[2]

Mirt was sometimes seen wearing multiple artificial roses on his shoulder, signaling his interest to find several romantic partners to spend the night with.[11]

Relationships[]

He was one of the few trusted friends of Evermeet and had a portal that could give him access to the elven island when he so wished. He carried a Purple Dragon ring, which allowed him to speak in King Azoun IV's name.[12]

Family[]

His wife and heir,[13] Asper, was an informal member of the Gray Hands. She preceded him in death.[6][7]

Associates[]

Due to Mirt's extended age, his many business dealings, his association with the Lords of Waterdeep, and several adventures, it would be almost impossible to list all of Mirt's associates. Below are a key few:

Possessions[]

Mirt owned a mithral shirt that was magically glamered to look like ordinary clothing.[22] As a Masked Lord, he also possessed a lord's ensemble.[7]

Mirt owned a ship named the Morning Bird, which was used at one time to transport moon elves from the Ardeep Forest to Evermeet.[23]

Mirt also owned a mansion in the Castle Ward of Waterdeep, simply called Mirt's Mansion. It had a roughly hexagon-shaped, two-story main building with three-story towers at four of the six corners.[24] It was located on the south face of Mount Waterdeep near the harbor at the intersection of Coin Alley and Tarnished Silver Alley. The estate could also be accessed from Smuggler's Dock in the harbor.[25]

History[]

Mirt character

Mirt the Moneylender circa 1372 DR.

Early Life[]

Mirt was the son of a successful Coaster, a Sword Coast trader. He grew up hearing many tales and deeds of heroism which led him down the path of becoming a fighter.[1]

In time, he became a great mercenary general of the North and earned himself the nickname "Mirt the Merciless". He was greedy and became quite wealthy, but grew unsatisfied with mere wealth. He actually craved peace and tranquility, and realized he could not simply buy it, but would have to create it in the world.[1]

During his mercenary days, he met Durnan the Wanderer and the two became close companions. The two of them decided to "retire" to Waterdeep.[1]

At some point, he met his future wife, Asper, whom he rescued as a baby from a sacked city.[1]

"Retirement"[]

With Durnan in tow, Mirt went to Waterdeep to live, but quickly became bored with peaceful living. Within a month of his arrival, he was approached by Khelben Arunsun and Sammereza Sulphontis with an invitation to become a Lord of Waterdeep. A few years later, he proposed to the other Lords that Durnan also be accepted as a Lord, and they agreed.[1]

Mirt (and Durnan) performed many covert tasks for the Lords of Waterdeep. Among them was Mirt's stint as a member of Waterdeep's thieves' guild under the alias Tonius. He used his disguise to feed the Lords information on the guild, which led to the guild's eventual eradication from the city.[1]

Mirt ran his money-lending business primarily out of his mansion in Waterdeep. Transactions would happen only in the mornings, and Mirt was said to be patient regarding their repayment.[25][26]

Undermountain[]

At some point, Mirt actually adventured into Undermountain with several other Lords, including Durnan (of course) and Khelben.[27]

An entrance to Undermountain was found near Mirt's mansion below an alley named the Slide in the sewers. It eventually led to an area of the dungeon known as the Grim Statue.[28] With his companions, they explored many areas of Undermountain—sometimes by choice, but other times by necessity. Some of those areas included the Crystal Labyrinth[29] and an area of the Dark Levels known as the Lost Level, where they befriended Bandaerl.[30] Mirt, Durnan, and Khelben were among the few adventurers to return alive from the Underhalls.[27]

Mirt was among the Lords tasked with the job of keeping tabs on Skullport. When he wasn't visiting the city himself, usually with Durnan and/or Asper alongside, he would call for aide from Force Grey. He and some of the other Lords also maintained a network of informants within Skullport as well. One of Mirt's informants actually included the Iron Ring member Transtra.[20]

On one occasion, while Mirt, Durnan, and Asper were in Skullport, they ran afoul of the beholder Xuzoun and his minions. The fighting woke up the elder black dragon Vulharindauloth from his decades long sleep, and he had to be driven off by the defenses of the city itself.[31]

It was well known that Mirt and Durnan emerged from Undermountain in the Year of the Broken Helm, 1302 DR, with a vast amount of wealth and fame.[32][33] Mirt used his share to build his mansion near Mount Waterdeep, while Durnan used his to erect the Yawning Portal tavern over the famous entrance.[33] However, their success encouraged others to venture into Undermountain and lose their lives.[32]

Time of Troubles[]

Mirt

Mirt in the mid-14th century DR.

During the tumultuous Time of Troubles in 1358 DR, Mirt was dispatched to secure assistance from any ships friendly to Waterdeep. This included tasks such as supplying Waterdeep with much-needed goods, patrolling the seas for pirates, warning of other naval invaders, and providing a means of escape from the city should it become necessary. The job also led Mirt to the island of Mintarn.[34]

In the 1360s DR, Mirt briefly came out of retirement again to seek out and destroy The Black Basilisk, a ship crewed by Hosttower mages, and scattered their undead-crewed Dead Fleet. The Black Daggers pirate guild of the Nelanther Isles were so thankful they granted amnesty to Waterdhavian ships.[35]

In 1368 DR, Joshuan Havabuck, a halfling crime lord, and businessman of many enterprises of the Dock Ward in Waterdeep received a sizable loan from Mirt. The ten million gold lion loan was to pay out the lottery winnings the halfing ran in the Docks. Amazingly, every single person to bough into the game picked the winning numbers. This freakish luck was caused by Tymora's divine powers running amok across the Realms. Joshuan was ready to take on the monstrous loan and its interest in order to keep his reputation intact. The collection of coin took more than four hours of carting sacks of gold from Mirt's vaults and the rest of the day was spent in calculation of all the enchanted items, gems, and art Mirt needed to sell temporarily to refill the cash reserves. The same night, Mirt was visited by one of the Masked Lords of Waterdeep informing him of several similar gargantuan loans taken by other gambling organizers of Waterdeep. The Lords were troubled by the sudden influx of coin in the city of Waterdeep and the threat of inflation caused by it.[36]

Post-Spellplague[]

At some point, Mirt was imprisoned within a magical handaxe. In 1479 DR, a Cormyrean noble named Marlin Stormserpent stole the axe from another noble family, mistakenly believing it was an artifact of the Nine. He called Mirt out of the axe and Mirt escaped into Suzail.[37]

In 1487 DR, Mirt made an effort to continuously thwart the scheming of Manshoon, or rather from even attempting to begin his scheming. The two of them had several meetings for drinks and passive-aggressive conversations in Suzail.[38]

In 1488 DR, Mirt came to the aid of Elminster, openly posing as a waiter and cook for several archwizards trapped inside a spellstorm in Cormyr, thereby contributing to the protection of the mythical Lost Spell.[39]

In 1491 DR, Elminster and Mirt returned to the city of Waterdeep, both aiding the newly appointed Open Lord of Waterdeep, Laeral Silverhand, in uncovering the culprits behind a string of murders of Masked Lords. After the investigations, Mirt chose to stay with Laeral, serving as a personal agent for the Open Lord.[40]

Spelljamming Career[]

Some time later, Mirt became the head of Spelljammer Academy, and institution for training spelljammer pilots located off the coast of Nimbral.[41]

Appendix[]

Gallery[]

Appearances[]

Adventures
Waterdeep: Dragon HeistSpelljammer Academy
Novels
Crown of FireTymora's LuckElminster EnragedElminster in HellElminster's DaughterThe City of Splendors: A Waterdeep NovelElminster Must DieBury Elminster DeepSilverfallThe HeraldSpellstormDeath Masks
Short Stories
The Best of the Realms II: "One Comes, Unheralded, to Zirta" • Realms of the Underdark: "A Slow Day in Skullport"
Video Games
Descent to UndermountainIdle Champions of the Forgotten RealmsWarriors of Waterdeep
Board Games
Lords of Waterdeep

Further Reading[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Ed Greenwood, et al (1989). Hall of Heroes. (TSR, Inc), p. p86. ISBN 0-88038-711-4.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo (June 2001). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 181–182. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.
  3. Interplay (December 1997). Designed by Chris Avellone, Robert Hanz. Descent to Undermountain. Interplay.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Ed Greenwood (May 2005). Elminster's Daughter. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 1, p. 15. ISBN 978-0786937684.
  5. Elaine Cunningham (January 1994). Elfsong (1994). (TSR, Inc.), chap. 1, p. 15. ISBN 1-56076-679-4.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Eric L. Boyd (June 2005). City of Splendors: Waterdeep. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 54–55. ISBN 0-7869-3693-2.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Christopher Perkins, James Haeck, James Introcaso, Adam Lee, Matthew Sernett (September 2018). Waterdeep: Dragon Heist. Edited by Jeremy Crawford. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 210–211. ISBN 978-0-7869-6625-7.
  8. Ed Greenwood and Steven E. Schend (July 1994). “Who's Who in Waterdeep”. City of Splendors (TSR, Inc), p. 70. ISBN 0-5607-6868-1.
  9. 9.0 9.1 Christopher Perkins, James Haeck, James Introcaso, Adam Lee, Matthew Sernett (September 2018). Waterdeep: Dragon Heist. Edited by Jeremy Crawford. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 4. ISBN 978-0-7869-6625-7.
  10. Ed Greenwood (October 2012). Ed Greenwood Presents Elminster's Forgotten Realms. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 114. ISBN 0786960345.
  11. Ed Greenwood, The Hooded One (2004-04-08). Questions for Ed Greenwood (2004). Candlekeep Forum. Archived from the original on Feb 20, 2005.
  12. Ed Greenwood (April 1994). Crown of Fire. (TSR, Inc.), p. 230. ISBN 1-56076-839-8.
  13. Ed Greenwood (February 2005). Spellfire. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 0-7869-3599-5.
  14. Elaine Cunningham (April 2000). Elfsong. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 101. ISBN 0-7869-1661-3.
  15. Ed Greenwood (September 2002). Hand of Fire. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 12, pp. 196, 198–202. ISBN 0-7869-2760-7.
  16. Eric L. Boyd (June 2005). City of Splendors: Waterdeep. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 8. ISBN 0-7869-3693-2.
  17. Ed Greenwood (1987). Waterdeep and the North. (TSR, Inc), p. 53. ISBN 0-88038-490-5.
  18. Ed Greenwood (1987). Waterdeep and the North. (TSR, Inc), p. 55. ISBN 0-88038-490-5.
  19. Eric L. Boyd (June 2005). City of Splendors: Waterdeep. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 10. ISBN 0-7869-3693-2.
  20. 20.0 20.1 Joseph C. Wolf (1999). Skullport. (TSR, Inc), p. 20. ISBN 0-7869-1348-7.
  21. Steven E. Schend (September 1996). Undermountain: Maddgoth's Castle. (TSR, Inc), p. 13. ISBN 0-7869-0423-2.
  22. Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo (June 2001). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 181. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.
  23. Eric L. Boyd (June 2005). City of Splendors: Waterdeep. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 4. ISBN 0-7869-3693-2.
  24. Ed Greenwood and Jeff Grubb (September 1988). City System. Edited by Karen Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc.), p. Map 2. ISBN 0-8803-8600-2.
  25. 25.0 25.1 Ed Greenwood (January 1993). Volo's Guide to Waterdeep. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 11–12. ISBN 1-56076-335-3.
  26. Ed Greenwood (1987). Waterdeep and the North. (TSR, Inc), pp. 22, 31. ISBN 0-88038-490-5.
  27. 27.0 27.1 Steven E. Schend (January 1997). Undermountain: Stardock. Edited by Bill Olmesdahl. (TSR, Inc.), p. 4. ISBN 0-7869-0451-8.
  28. Ed Greenwood (1991). “Campaign Guide to Undermountain”. In Steven E. Schend ed. The Ruins of Undermountain (TSR, Inc.), p. 9. ISBN 1-5607-6061-3.
  29. Steven E. Schend (January 1997). Undermountain: Stardock. Edited by Bill Olmesdahl. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 4, 17. ISBN 0-7869-0451-8.
  30. Steven E. Schend (June 1996). Undermountain: The Lost Level. (TSR, Inc), p. 19. ISBN 0-7869-0399-6.
  31. Joseph C. Wolf (1999). Skullport. (TSR, Inc), p. 74. ISBN 0-7869-1348-7.
  32. 32.0 32.1 Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo (June 2001). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 179–180. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.
  33. 33.0 33.1 Eric L. Boyd (June 2005). City of Splendors: Waterdeep. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 54. ISBN 0-7869-3693-2.
  34. Ed Greenwood (1989). Waterdeep (adventure). (TSR, Inc), pp. 32–33. ISBN 0-88038-757-2.
  35. Ed Greenwood (February 1992). “The Everwinking Eye: Goodbye, Mulmaster”. In Jean Rabe ed. Polyhedron #68 (TSR, Inc.), p. 28.
  36. Kate Novak, Jeff Grubb (December 1997). Tymora's Luck. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 101–104. ISBN 0-7869-0726-6.
  37. Ed Greenwood (June 2011). Elminster Must Die (Mass Market Paperback). (Wizards of the Coast), chaps. 33, 34, pp. 343–346, 357–358. ISBN 978-0786957996.
  38. Ed Greenwood (June 2014). The Herald. (Wizards of the Coast), chaps. 1, 4, 11, 16, 18, 19, pp. 9–11, 62–66, 196–197, 297–299, 333–335, 348–349. ISBN 978-0786964604.
  39. Ed Greenwood (June 2015). Spellstorm. (Wizards of the Coast), p. ?. ISBN 978-0-7869-6571-7.
  40. Ed Greenwood (2016-06-07). Death Masks. (Wizards of the Coast), p. ?. ISBN 0-7869-6593-2.
  41. Chris Lindsay, Chris Tulach, Travis Woodall, et al. (2022-07-11). Spelljammer Academy. D&D Beyond. Wizards of the Coast.
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