Dagult Neverember was formerly Open Lord of Waterdeep, and is now Lord Protector of Neverwinter after being exiled from his position in Waterdeep after several scandals and diverting too much of his attention to Neverwinter.
Dagult Neverember, came to power in 1468 after the end of the last major war about twenty years ago. At first people were skeptical because he raised taxes, but became content when they saw order restored, the city rebuilt, and the economy thriving. About two years ago (1489), Neverember was removed by the Masked Lords of Waterdeep after he installed himself as Lord of Neverwinter to the north and began diverting a lot of time and attention there. A new Open Lord, Laeral Silverhand, reluctantly assumed the role.
During the chaotic transition of power several of the Masked Lords were murdered, Silverhand barely escaped assassination, and news broke that relics were stolen from the palace. The culprits were led by one of the Masked Lords who was trying to install himself as Open Lord, but were all eventually caught and killed. The new administration took stock of things in the aftermath, and began auditing records. News leaked just recently that the audit discovered a large sum of money had been embezzled from tax collections in recent years…