Lord Eric Merryweather isn’t the only member of Waterdhavian noble stock to appear in the pages of In Volo’s Wake. There’s also Frestin Cohlver, a minor noble who has traveled to Phandalin not for profit, but because Volothamp Geddarm made the region sound exciting in his most recent book.

Cohlver arrives in Phandalin, searching for the version of the frontier he imagined while reading Volo’s Guide to Monsters: lively taverns, colorful locals, and the feeling of brushing against adventure without necessarily risking life and limb himself.

The adventure introduces him as feeling exceedingly crapulent and wandering town in search of his horse – portraying him as an example of the foppish and entitled variety of tourists arriving in Phandalin these days. Personally, I think Cohlver’s introduction to the characters would work even better if played with a little humor in a scene where he is roused from his drunken slumber in the back of a turnip cart, with a donkey eating his hair or braying loudly in his ear. Perhaps he wanders toward the characters with as much dignity as a hungover dandy missing one of his boots can muster, asking about the whereabouts of his horse, a gorgeous Amphail Fancy mare by the name of Marquesa.

What caught my attention about Frestin Cohlver was the adventure’s description of him as a “minor” noble from Waterdeep. As it turns out, that distinction matters quite a bit in Waterdhavian society.

The great noble houses of Waterdeep wield enormous economic and political influence. Families like House Cassalanter or House Thann control industries, maintain private guards, sponsor adventuring companies, and move comfortably through the city’s highest circles of power. These are the nobles most people imagine when they hear the word “lord.” And it emphasizes how someone like Lord Eric Merryweather (mentioned in my previous thoughts) can realistically serve as a powerful patron for the characters if they save him in the Crooked Forest.

Conversely, minor nobles occupy a much different social tier. They’re often wealthy merchants, recently elevated families, or cadet branches of greater houses. While they possess a degree of social prestige, they lack the institutional power, ancient lineage that certain houses carry, and civic influence of Waterdeep’s true elite. Their status depends more on wealth and reputation than inherited authority.

A minor noble house might present fantastic adventuring opportunities that are on the down-low, or host the characters at their manor in the city, or even make introductions to nobles of higher status at the fringes of their social circle. Whereas Lord Eric Merryweather (or his noble family) would have the power to offer all of these things and more, such as the influence to sweep a crime committed in Waterdeep under the rug.

By the way, have you ever read the Waterdhavian legal code? Bring your murder hobos to Waterdeep if you ever want to introduce them to consequences for the things they do while awaiting the next adventure!

Anyhoo, that context makes the concept of nobility along the Sword Coast more interesting to me. I need to figure out a way to work it into my games more. I’m pretty sure it will start with NPCs like Merryweather, Cohlver, and perhaps even Harbin Wester, who I could envision as a minor noble with higher aspirations.

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