The Zhentarim:
Also known as the Black Network, the Zhentarim are a mercenary company and greater mercantile organization across Faerûn ; they see themselves as a legitimate organization with a reputation for success and profit. The Zhentarim seek to become wealthy, powerful, and most importantly, untouchable. The public face of the organization appears benign, offering the best mercenaries money can buy. When a merchant needs an escort for his caravan, when a noble needs bodyguards to protect her holdings, or when a city needs trained soldiers to defend its honor, the Zhentarim provides the best-trained fighting men and women money can buy. However, the cost of doing business with the Black Network can be high. At their core, they seek to become omnipresent and inescapable.

The Harpers
The Harpers is an old organization that has risen, been shattered, and risen again several times. Its longevity and resilience are largely due to its decentralized, grassroots, secretive nature, and the near-autonomy of many of its members. The Harpers have “cells” and lone operatives throughout Faerûn, although they interact and share information with one another from time to time as needs warrant. The Harpers’ ideology is noble, and its members pride themselves on their integrity and incorruptibility. Harpers do not seek power or glory, only fair and equal treatment for all.

The Consortium
Historically, the city of Mintar had three competing thieves’ guilds. However, when the Zhentarim took control of the city, they annihilated one guild, while the other two secretly brokered a peace treaty and combined into one entity called The Honorable Consortium of Mintar. Although still rooted in criminality, the Consortium now primarily functions as a rebel faction resisting the Zhentarim occupation of Mintar.

The Xanathar Thieves’ Guild:
This criminal/slaver network is one of the most powerful on the Sword Coast and often acts as a buffer against other evil organisations unintentionally. They have a massive stronghold on Skullport Island, but are otherwise largely active in Waterdeep.

The Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors:
The Watchful Order is a guild of wizards and sorcerers for the city of Waterdeep. The Watchful Order also policed the use of magic within Waterdeep, encouraging wizards to use magic wisely.

The Masked Lords :
The Masked Lords are the ruling council of the city of Waterdeep. Laeral Silverhand serves as the Open Lord. The Lords came from all walks of life and while they were predominantly human, they had had members of various races from throughout the Realms. A full council comprised 20 Lords, though this number might vary from 16–29. While no other Lords were formally named, some individuals became the subject of widespread rumors that could even become a general consensus. The penalty for impersonating a Lord, whether by dressing in a set of their identical clothing or by a false claim was punishable by the impostor’s immediate execution. The Lords only appeared in public when deliberating on high crimes or when asked to by the lower court, but even then only four generally appeared and one was always the Open Lord. All Closed Lords wore black formless masks and robes and spoke through the Open Lord, in order to keep their identities secret.

The Eldreth Veluuthra:
The Eldreth Veluuthra (“Victorious Blade of the People”, also sometimes Eldreth Veluuthara), was a group of elves dedicated to the removal of all humans from Faerûn. Dangerously xenophobic, every member of the Veluthara is a hardened fighter and archer. The organization operates through independent cells which control many of Faerun’s forests.

The Red Wizards of Thay
The Red Wizards, formerly known as the Red Wizards of Thay before a coup led by Szass Tam, are an organization of wizards in Faerûn. During their height of power, the Red Wizards were the notorious and nefarious spellcasting ruling class of the inhospitable but well-inhabited country of Thay. Slavers, demonologists, and magical experimenters, the Red Wizards were much feared by most of Faerûn. The leaders of the Red Wizards, and of Thay, were the eight zulkirs, each for a different school of magic. Chief amongst these was Szass Tam, a powerful archmage and feared lich, who staged a coup and has become sole ruler of Thay and sworn enemy of the Red Wizards who escaped him. Since Szass Tam’s takeover, the Red Wizards have transformed into a loosely organized chain of merchant enclaves who specialize in procuring magical items

The Order of the Blue Flame
The Order of Blue Flame, sometimes referred to as the Order of Blue Fire, was an organization whose members often sought out plaguelands in what were referred to as Scar Pilgrimages. Sadly, rather than obtaining the sought Spellscar they desired, most pilgrims died horribly.

The Emerald Enclave
The Emerald Enclave was an organization of druids and other nature worshipers. The actions of the Enclave influenced the lives of the high and low, its members avoiding good and evil to focus on the needs of the natural world and resist the growing influence of humankind. Despite their primary goal of preserving nature, members were not direct opponents of progress; they preferred instead to work with civilized folk to promote the health of the natural world without resorting to acts of violence.