I’ve been writing about how to use the Forgotten Realms factions in your D&D 5E home campaigns recently, and this week I’m going to focus on the Lords’ Alliance.
The Lords’ Alliance History
The Lord’s Alliance was founded in 1325 DR as a partnership among many cities along the Sword Coast, in the north, and in the western heartlands. The first leader was Lord Piergeiron of Waterdeep, and their goal was the unified defense of northern cities and the promotion of their economic interests.
The Alliance was allied with the Harpers, and were often at odds with the Zhentarim, Luskan, Amn, and Calimshan.
In 1358 DR, the Lords’ Alliance was instrumental in expelling Luskan’s forces from Ruathym through both diplomatic and military pressure. Further threats of war were needed again against Luskan in 1361 DR for the same reason.
By 1372 DR, when the Thayan Guild of Foreign Trade started selling magic items across Faerun, the Lords’ Alliance kept individual members under surveillance in order to learn more about their goals and ensure that they were not engaging in evil or illegal activities.
During that era, the Lords’ Alliance regularly found themselves working against the Zhentarim, usually through the efforts of adventurers that they would hire to raid Zhentarim strongholds.
From 1467-1488 DR, the leader of the Lords’ Alliance was Lord Protector Dagult Neverember, who was replaced by Laeral Silverhand.
In the modern era, the Lords’ Alliance continues to operate much as it has in the past, with a notable exception. Instead of just hiring adventurers on a case-by-case basis to deal with rising threats, the Lords’ Alliance maintains permanent members who work on Lords’ Alliance matters regularly. Adventurers who perform a task for the Lords’ Alliance successfully may be asked to formally join the organization.
The Lords’ Alliance in Published Sources
Like the Harpers, the Lords’ Alliance appeared in the very first Forgotten Realms boxed set for first edition AD&D. More information was presented in the first edition Forgotten Realms sourcebook FR5 The Savage Frontier in 1988. Much material was repeated in the 2nd edition sourcebooks Volo’s Guide to the North and The North: Guide to the Savage Frontier.
During 3rd edition, mention was made of the Lords’ Alliance in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting book, Lords of Darkness, and Lost Empires of Faerun.
There are a few mentions of the Lords’ Alliance in the Grand History of the Realms.
While the organization is not mentioned directly in 4th edition’s Neverwinter Campaign Setting book, there is information about the Alliance’s leader, Lord Protector Dagult Neverember.
Using the Lords’ Alliance in Your Campaign
The members of the Lords’ Alliance have the following main beliefs:
- If civilization is to survive, all must unite against the dark forces that threaten it.
- Glory comes from protecting one’s home and honoring its leaders.
- The best defense is a strong offense.
Their goals are “to ensure the safety and prosperity of the cities and other settlements of Faerûn by forming a strong coalition against the forces that threaten all, eliminate such threats by any means necessary whenever and wherever they arise, and be champions of the people.”
As Allies
Player characters who spend a good deal of time in the Sword Coast region or the North will likely find themselves involved in adventures that touch on Lords’ Alliance interests. Those who make contact with the Alliance will find that it can be a good source of information and support as long as the PCs continue to work to stabilize the region.
Example Adventure: Rumors are that the Zhentarim have established a new base of operations in the North. Coincidentally, orc tribes have been attacking and raiding caravans travelling through the region, though they only seem to target merchants who do not use Zhent guards. The Lords’ Alliance hires the PCs to investigate the situation and determine if there is a connection between the Zhents and the increased attacks by the orcs.
As Enemies
Should the PCs ally themselves with the Zhentarim, they will by definition become enemies of the Lords’ Alliance. Those characters who attempt to establish their own settlements in the region may find themselves at odds with the Lords’ Alliance depending on how they choose to manage their towns or villages.
Characters as Members
Once the PCs have been hired once or twice by the Lords’ Alliance and successfully completed missions for the organization, they may be offered membership. In this case, the DM may want to implement the rules for factions from the Adventurer’s League program. The Lords’ Alliance will occasionally give the PCs missions to complete, and their success on these missions will earn them renown within the organization, granting them benefits as they advance in rank. You can use the specific rewards from the AL program, or you can make your own list of benefits that are tailored to the Lords’ Alliance and your specific PCs and their adventures.
The Lords’ Alliance is one of the better organizations for those players who want to maintain their freedom. If they are adventuring in the region, they will likely find themselves running up against threats to the settlements in the area, which provides them with an opportunity to do the work of the Lords’ Alliance as part of their regular adventuring activities. This gives the DM flexibility to nudge the characters in certain directions on occasion, but allow them great freedom in where they choose to travel.
The Lords’ Alliance Campaign
Like any of the other factions, the characters could be created as members of the Lords’ Alliance from the very beginning of the campaign. An easy way is to give all the PCs the Faction Agent background for free (thus giving each character two backgrounds). Alternately, the DM may just decide that the PCs gain the Safe Haven feature and the faction-specific equipment and not any of the other benefits of an extra background.
A campaign focused on Lords’ Alliance business can provide a wide variety of opportunities for adventure, and accommodates the widest range of character classes in the party. As the goals of the organization are fairly open-ended, adventures can involve exploring, dungeon delving, spying, tracking down and catching criminals, diplomatic encounters with local rulers, or pretty much anything that touches on the goals of the organization.
Conclusion
The Lords’ Alliance has been around a long time, and its goals are fairly open-ended. This provides some great opportunities for the DM to use the Alliance as a source of potential adventure hooks for nearly any kind of adventure in any location around the Sword Coast and the North.
How have you used the Lords’ Alliance in your own home campaign? Were they allies or enemies of the PCs? Tell us about your game in the comments.
Andrew J. Luther 
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