The City of Splendors by Ed Greenwood and Elaine Cunningham

Waterdeep is the City of Splendors, but a year ago it was attacked by the forces of the dread Sahuagin, a reptilian undersea race well known for evil and cruelty. The attack was so overwhelming that the mages of the city had to call in outside help, like Mrelder, a sorceror who was studying in Candlekeep. Mrelder fought in defense of the city, and earned a nod and words of encouragement from Piergeiron, the Open Lord of Waterdeep.

Waterdeep is ruled by a council of Hidden Lords, with one Open Lord being their face to the city. Most people truly don't care who rules, as long as the city is good and prosperous. But this system of Masked or Hidden Lords and Ladies worries some, like Master Dyer of the Stonemason's Guild, who would just as soon have the city ruled openly by *all* the Lords, and have the Lords elected by the common people and nobles.

A young group of Lordlings known as the Gemcloaks have been running wild through the city, causing destruction and bringing down a building being worked on by Master Dyer and his masons. The watch takes a dim view of the Gemcloaks antics, but their ability to pay their way out of trouble makes them few friends, either among the merchants and workers who they terrorize, or the same who have to undo the damage they cause.

The leader of the Gemcloaks is Beldar Roaringhorn, and he and his friends were out of the city during the Sahuagin attack. They are upset at missing a chance for glory, but many of them slowly come to realize that destroying the city with their revels is hardly the way to cover themselves in glory. But when the city is threatened, they rise to the occasion and go about defending it, each in their own way.

Someone has been undermining the ways in the city, causing buildings to fall and much destruction. The rumor is that the Hidden Lords of the City are using these falls to punish those who displease them, ruining them and their business so that the Lords can drive them from the city. But these rumors are being spread and the buildings brought down by none other than Mrelder and his father, a priest of Elder Gods who has replaced many of his own body parts with those ripped from monsters. Mrelder wants to gain his father's approval, but his body rejects monstrous grafts, and his father's cult, the Amalgamation, wants to rule the city. By destabilizing the city, Mrelder hopes to win his father's approval.

But since several of the buildings were built by Master Dyer, he believes that the Lords are targeting him, and he and several merchant leaders form an organization called "The New Day" to win support for Dyer's views and unmask the hidden Lords and make them known to all. But Master Dyer's daughters, Faendra and Naoni, know that this can only end in disaster. Can they and their servant, Lark, keep their father alive and make him abandon his rash and foolish plans?

All the upheaval in the city has come to the attention of another man, an elf named Elaith Craulnober. Formerly head of the guard on the secret, Elf-only Island of Evermeet, he left to follow the elven Princess, whom he loved, to the mainland. But time has eroded his moral beliefs, and he is now something of a crime lord. The death of the woman he loved has also changed him, and now he only looks out for himself. He wishes to use the unrest in the city to advance his own interests, but can even he stand against the Amalgamation and their monstrous grafts that grant them the powers of monsters?

As Chaos swirls through the city, and the Amalgamation, The New Day, and the commoners of the city clash with each other and the Nobles, the situation will come to a head. But can the Gemcloaks save their beloved city from disaster, or will the jewel of the North be destroyed in an ever-expanding conflict built on rumors and distrust?

This is a big book for Waterdeep (almost 500 pages), and a lot goes on in between the covers. It's a testament to the writing skills of Ed Greenwood and Elaine Cunningham that readers are never once confused as to what is going on or which character is which, despite a number of instances of identity-switching, and a long and complicated plotline.

The book has many characters, but each is distinct, and they act consistently throughout, Change comes with revelations, especially for the Gemcloaks, and Master Dyer. The Gemcloaks start out as young Ruffians, but several encounters change their minds and set them on more noble paths as they become aware of the plots against their city, and fall in love (Well, one of them at least).

I really enjoyed the story, even if it did take seemingly forever to read. But when I was reading, I wasn't aware of the passage of time. This is not a story where you will end up identifying with the protagonists exactly, but it's an extremely readable story nonetheless, and I enjoyed it greatly.