Isn't Waterdeep an oligarchy? I mean democracy, as in somewhere all citizens (or at least a large subset, such as those who own property) decide by vote who's in charge. As far as I understand it, the Masked Lords decide who will be Masked Lords, with no input from the people?
— The Dreadful Wale (@NessusResident) May 16, 2020
Here’s the problem with that: there are no TRUE democracies. Even ancient Athens, in which in theory all citizens had a vote, excluded women and all slaves. Canada. the UK, and most Commonwealth countries are, or started as, constitutional monarchies. The USA is a republic2)
…and arguably as much or more of an oligarchy as Waterdeep (the Masked Lords CAN be chosen from all walks of life, and don't have to own property [they DO have to have an address in the city, but can rent or stay in an inn], whereas the US electoral college memberships are..— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) May 16, 2020
3)
…controlled by two entrenched political parties). Many city-states in the Realms have even more “democratic” ruling Councils: the guilds elect one rep, the nobles another, the burghers (wealthy moneylenders = local banks) a third, and so on. Most real-world modern folks… 4)
…use the terms "democracy" and "freedom" very loosely. Looking objectively at Waterdeep and the modern USA, I'd say Waterdeep is the more democratic place. In both places, wealth tends to equal power, so wealthy people tend to get into "the corridors of power" if they want..— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) May 16, 2020
5)
…to. Olden-days Waterdeep, where either warlords or nobles ruled, wasn’t democratic, but the Masked Lords are masked to prevent coercion, and their ranks (although tending towards corruption by the “old boys’ network” factor of people who are Lords choosing friends or… 6)
…business colleagues or relatives to be appointed to the Masked Lords) have been filled, in recent centuries, by people who "aren't" something (as in: aren't nobles, aren't guildmasters, etc.) which has led to the fractious Lords' meetings seen in DEATH MASKS, and Lords…— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) May 16, 2020
7)
…at odds with the Masked Lord (Neverember and after him, Laeral, were chosen because they were outsiders, not longtime city residents who might be part of one camp or another). So the Lords have to bargain with each other, issue by issue, to get votes needed to pass… 8)
…a new law or regulation or city policy, and many things get modified in the debate. So lawmaking is by majority vote, and the people voting represent all of the citizenry (high and low, all races and genders and ethnicities) which is the essence of democracy.
EVERY real- ..— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) May 16, 2020
9)
…world democracy can be labeled (this one’s a constitutional monarchy, that one’s a republic, or this one’s an oligarchy, that one’s a theocracy, etc.), but as we saw in DEATH MASKS, the Masked Lords aren’t free of public pressure at all, and their personal agendas (or… 10)
…those of the group they represent, or belong to) get derailed time and again by public demands, and by the groups they belong to not having monolithic views. And there are also criminal interests (the Xanathar, Bregan D'aerthe) who like all of this political mess and…— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) May 16, 2020
11)
…confusion, because it gives them freedom to operate in the loopholes and cracks, so they try to keep it going, in part by working to keep Masked Lord membership diverse so nobles or guildmasters never dominate (again).#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) May 16, 2020