Does anyone know where Alustriel is? Well, for my game, I do. But shhhhhh, it’s a secret I’m not willing to share, just right now. Sorry.

Why require a Waterdeep authority and not the dwarves?
I thought about this part a lot actually, because my first impulse was to recognize the Dwarven strongholds as the conventional military power of the North. Two things made me shift gears.

1) I think a cataclysm of the scale of the spellplague would force the dwarves underground, literally. Certainly, the dwarves’ instinct would be isolationist, again. Let the humans solve their own problems, cuz dwarves have enough of their own. That sort of thing.

2) I wanted a human agency to recognize the right to rule. Being high king is a human thing, not an elfen or dwarven thing, but a human thing. And really, the only “being(s)” with the authority to crown a high king would be the god(s) themselves. So their agents, the high priests, would be the determining factor.

My model for this is history. As the 9th century dawned, the pope crowned Charlemagne protector of Rome, defender of the church and the emperor of the west. Now, in truth, whether the pope crowned Charlemagne or not, the FACT was that he was the only man in western Christendom whose rule was absolute, who could ensure the west could withstand attacks from Islamic and barbarian invaders and who was actually a Christian. The pope’s action didn’t change history. But it did LEGITIMATIZE everything Charlemagne did after that.

By the same token, in this fantasy world of the Realms, I wanted some human authority to play the same role, if only from dramatic reasons. (Maybe the adventures could take a turn towards Waterdeep for a time).

One thing I would disagree with you on, though, is the influence of Waterdeep on the North. I think it’s actually quite profound, both in the Realms fiction and from a reading of the supplements mentioning both. The North is well within Waterdeep’s orbit. Just as Rome called Charlemagne from Aix la Chapelle, so too will Waterdeep call the High King from Silverymoon when the time comes.

That said, I think you could make a strong argument for having the Dwarves play that role, and really, for any campaign, the might of the dwarves would have to be reckoned with. So, thanks for pointing that out, Tman.

/gripe

A) Where is Alustriel now? Does anyone know?

B) Why would anyone in Waterdeep or any of the Sword Coast have anything to do with validating the ruler of the Silver Marches? They are far, far away. More likely the Dwarven Kings of Citadels Adbar & Felbarr along with Mithral Hall would be the power structure Arcarlomahn would have to sway. And the various little barons he hopes will support him would have little reason to do so if those three Dwarven Kings decline to do so.