One of the reasons I continually and patiently tell folks that I have never based the Realms directly or closely on any real-world history or culture is because of misunderstandings like this.
Waterdeep has never been feudal, and real-world feudalism is about… …service to rulers on the part of the nobility. The specifics about local land ownership, jobs, and customs in feudal societies varied widely from place to place and over time.
Specifically, in Waterdeep, household servants are salaried, can be hired away from…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) December 3, 2021
..someone, and there are retired governesses, hostlers, and even doorjacks (not to mention, of course, guards) who train novices to become “new” servants, so they can be hired by either nobles, or the large and growing segment of the Deep’s citizenry who are…wealthy and rising and want to live like nobles (such as most guildmasters and senior guild members, and a huge number of successful "self-made" entrepreneurs). Yes, there are lifelong loyal servants to some noble families, but their numbers are small and dwindling.#Realmslore
— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) December 3, 2021
