The Iron Throne is a ruthless merchant organization that was founded some decades ago. Highly secretive, little is known about its members and less still of its mysterious backers. Wild rumors fill the information vacuum among the general populace, who guess that the Iron Throne might be a front for a Zhentarim conspiracy—or agents of some dead god. In fact, the group is at odds with the Zhentarim, as their disreputable portfolios often overlap, making the Black Network one of their primary competitors.
Although the Iron Throne previously went to great lengths to maintain its thin facade of respectability, in more recent years the organization has been frequently accused of many unsavory business practices, from extortion to attempted assassination. Such recent actions have resulted in their being banned from working in the nation of Cormyr for a year.
The Iron Throne’s mercenary nature knows no bounds, and the organization frequently sells to both sides of military conflicts—provided, of course, that both sides can afford their extortionary prices. Most of the goods the Iron Throne trades in are unsavory in one way or another and include dealing in weapons, gunpowder, poisons, and illicit substances.
The Iron Throne’s main headquarters is situated in southern Baldur's Gate, close to both the city’s docks and many competing merchant companies. In contrast to the simple offices of its neighbors, the Iron Throne building is an imposing tower that looks more like a fortress than a place of business. Burnt orange banners bearing a highly-stylized, iron-gray throne are the only splashes of color on the building’s dark stone walls.
With the exposure of the Iron Throne’s role in the iron crisis—and the death of most of its leadership—the Iron Throne is now in chaos and has keep quiet over the last 50 years.