Mirt

Mertonius, better known as Mirt "the Moneylender" ( ), was a human rogue and retired adventurer and a mercenary general, when he was known as Mirt the Merciless or the Old Wolf or Lord Walrus. He became a member of the Harpers as well as a Masked Lord of Waterdeep, which was commonly known. Mirt was also one of the most infamous factors of Waterdeep.
==Description==
As of the 1370s DR, he was old, fat, and wheezy.
==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. These 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.
Mirt was sometimes seen wearing multiple artificial roses on his shoulder, signaling his interest to find several romantic partners to spend the night with.
==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.
===Family===
His wife and heir, Asper, was an informal member of the Gray Hands. She preceded him in death.
===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:
* Brian the Swordmaster, a fellow Lord of Waterdeep and friend;
* Durnan the Wanderer, a good friend;
* Ieiridauna Amalree, the Watchghost of Mirt's Mansion in Waterdeep;
* Krivvin Shamblestar, owner of the tavern called the Star-Horned Flagon in Amphail;
* Loene, a friend and former lover;
* Nymara Scheiron, a.k.a. "Kitten", was recruited by Mirt and Durnan for her knowledge of the common folk of Waterdeep;
* Savengriff, a wizard Mirt and others restored to life after dying at the eyestalks of a beholder;
* Thurn Samallahan, a.k.a. "Spider". owner of the tavern called the Dragon Inn, in Rassalantar;
* Transtra of Skullport;
* Trigol the Hearty, a paladin and fellow adventurer who became lost in Undermountain and never returned.
==Possessions==
Mirt owned a mithral shirt that was magically glamered to look like ordinary clothing. As a Masked Lord, he also possessed a lord's ensemble.
Mirt owned a ship named the Morning Bird, which was used at one time to transport moon elves from the Ardeep Forest to Evermeet.
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. 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.
==History==
===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.
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.
During his mercenary days, he met Durnan the Wanderer and the two became close companions. The two of them decided to "retire" to Waterdeep.
At some point, he met his future wife, Asper, whom he rescued as a baby from a sacked city.
==="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.
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.
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.
===Undermountain===
At some point, Mirt actually adventured into Undermountain with several other Lords, including Durnan (of course) and Khelben.
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. 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 and an area of the Dark Levels known as the Lost Level, where they befriended Bandaerl. Mirt, Durnan, and Khelben were among the few adventurers to return alive from the Underhalls.
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.
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.
It was well known that Mirt and Durnan emerged from Undermountain in the , with a vast amount of wealth and fame. 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. However, their success encouraged others to venture into Undermountain and lose their lives.
===Time of Troubles===
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.
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.
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.
===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.
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.
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.
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.
===Spelljamming Career===
Some time later, Mirt founded, and subsequently became the head of Spelljammer Academy, an institution for training spelljammer pilots located off the coast of Nimbral.
==Appendix==
===Gallery===
Mirt healing.jpg|Mirt, offering the Warriors of Waterdeep one of his overpriced potions of healing.
Mirt durnan WoW.png|Mirt and Durnan in the Yawning Portal.
Mirt-HL.png|A different portrait of Mirt
===Appearances===
:;Adventures
::Waterdeep: Dragon Heist • Spelljammer Academy
:;Novels
::Crown of Fire • Tymora's Luck • Elminster Enraged • Elminster in Hell • Elminster's Daughter • The City of Splendors: A Waterdeep Novel • Elminster Must Die • Bury Elminster Deep • Silverfall • The Herald • Spellstorm • Death 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 Undermountain • Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms • Warriors of Waterdeep
:;Board Games
::Lords of Waterdeep
===Further Reading===
*
*
*
*
===References===
FR:Mirt
Category:Fighters
Category:Rogues
Category:Humans
Category:Lords of Waterdeep
Category:Merchants
Category:Moneylenders
Category:Factors
Category:Weave anchors
Category:Members of the Harpers
Category:Inhabitants of Mirt's Mansion
Category:Inhabitants of the Castle Ward of Waterdeep
Category:Inhabitants of Waterdeep
Category:Inhabitants of the Sword Coast North
Category:Inhabitants of Northwest Faerûn
Category:Inhabitants of Faerûn
Category:Inhabitants of Toril
Category:Inhabitants of Spelljammer Academy
Category:Inhabitants
Category:Blueflame ghosts