Quick question with all the mercenaries, house guards, and what not how many armed men would a typical masked lord have under his control in waterdeep? Some masked lords walk alone. (And ["his"] many are female.) At least one co-owns a mercenary company, so for her: LOTS. ;} A "typical" masked lord is an elusive beast, but as a rule of thumb: 4 bodyguards (2 per half-day shift) + 2 house guards + 6 armed servants/family members.

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) September 11, 2018

If the Masked Lord was a wealthy investor and ran or owned or co-owned several businesses, they might be able to muster triple those numbers. "Muster" as in: shut normal operations down to gather everyone, armed.

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) September 11, 2018