The Guilds and Individuals:
The few groups that count as guilds are unusual alliances, without official standing in the city's hierarchy (which doesn't lessen their power). Most are thieves' guilds and as such outlawed by the priestesses of Lloth who fear any such institution is just a Vhaeraunan plot (Lloth's clergy are known to ruthlessly hunt down thieves' guilds and their members). Other unique individuals are also listed here. Many of those listed here operate in other capacities (such as merchant or mercenary) at times but their primary importance is either varied or not one of these.
· Black Balaeryn's Band: This gang of orphaned young drow is led by the warrior-mage Balaeryn who is also a known contact for Bregan D'Aerthe. Despite this affiliation, however, neither Balaeryn nor any of his band has actually been seen operating alongside or as part of Bregan D'Aerthe. Their Braeryn abode is partially burnt.
· The Black Shadows Confederation: This guild was originally founded by an escaped human slave and priest of Mask. It has since become a nominal alliance of several small bands including groups of thugs, Ibrandul worshippers looking to free slaves, and a couple small bandit gangs. Their main cooperation with each other is to share information and fence goods but they also use the alliance to keep larger groups from harassing them and will come to each other's aid in this if it doesn't seem hopeless.
· Black Thunder Brewery: In addition to a reasonable assortment of standard fungal drinks, Black Thunder Brewery is also known for its unusual and valuable 'shroomberry wine.
· Black Tusk Ogre Gang:: The Black Tusks are a small gang of ogres that enjoy throwing their weight around in the slums of the Braeryn. They avoid all but the weakest drow and most duergar but anyone else is fair game. Generally their bullying takes the form of non-fatal roughing up and extortion/theft. They can also be hired as muscle for limited times but their employer needs to have equal or greater might backing them up in order to get reliable service out of them (and keep from being victimized themselves--in this case usually resulting in death). The Black Tusks have no real leader but just seem to hang together in a disorganized fashion. Hiring them for long term, complex, or distant (outside the Mantle) jobs is worthless. They also have no set hang-outs, bases, or contacts so locating them can be problematic. The gang has unusual longevity given their haphazard ways and has varied from 5 to a dozen members (and even had an ogrillon member at one point) over its existence. It is currently thought to number about 10-12 ogres including 1-3 of leader or chieftan strength. They have no distinctive marks or signs.
· Fenwick and Sarpy: Fenwick is a troll and the constant companion and bodyguard of Sarpy, an annis. The two lair in the Dark Dominion close to the city and are a hazard to less powerful creatures that pass by. She is willing to trade information and even service for magical items, which she has an unusual knack for noticing. She and Fenwick are deadly combatants, proving extremely clever tactically. She is not foolish enough to attack a drow patrol or group, however.
· Harn Irontongue: Harn is a duergar mining engineer who's well known among the duergar community as someone to go to if you need your dead entombed securely in the nearby underdark. He does good work (including traps) at cut rates. Harn has a bigger secret, however, as a powerful deathmaster who seeks out, recruits, and trains other deathmasters, focusing on drow, half-drow, and duergar. All of his apprentices are junior deathmasters. He is known to the few Orcus worshipers in the city but his secret is otherwise safe.
· Ilmryn, "The Historian of Menzoberranzan": Ilmryn is Menzoberranzan's most prestigious sage and is the closest thing to an official historian the city has (most noble house's keep some sort of official history as do a number of would-be houses but these are all limited to events involving the house or its interests). Ilmryn is well known for his in depth social, political, and religious knowledge of the city both as it is now and as it has been. He's a powerful archmage with numerous unique divinatory spells all his own that he uses to gather information as well as questioning summoned creatures. What's most notable about him, however, is he only sells the truth (or as best he knows) of events unless they are unimportant. Minor, unimportant events he can be bribed to "alter" his recollection of slightly (such as saying Baenre was the most likely manipulator of the destruction of a minor house that was vanquished three centuries ago rather than house Agrach Dyrr). Ilmryn acts as contact for several other sages in the city that he works closely with. All their areas of interest are historical, political, social, religious, demographic, linguistic, or artistic, though the others aren't generally interested in drow or Menzoberranzan. The group is not interested in fauna, flora, geology, geography (except as it relates to migrations and such), and other physical sciences, nor are they interested in magical developments except as they've affected their main areas of study or of planar lore. Among the small group, which almost acts like a guild, there are experts on humanoids, giants and their kin, dwarves, kuo-toa, and other intelligent races. They study migratory patterns, social changes and cultural changes, cross-cultural influences, technological and magical developments and their cultural effects, religious adaptations and legends and myth, and the like. All the sages are known to be relatively honest, though some choose to charge set fees while others charge higher fees for higher detail and accuracy. For those who seek them out, the group is well thought of, for those who don't, they are safely ignored as they have no political or power agendas beyond their own learning.
· The Iron Sledges: This is a duergar guild run by Abbathoran priests. The guild deals in smuggling and extortion. They are not afraid to take their activities to the poorer drow. They have been known to leave caltrops (often spread by a trap) in front of a caravan that has not paid protection money.
· The Rat Bite Guild: The Rat Bite Guild consists primarily of goblins but includes a few kobolds as well. The guild has a surprising amount of power among the free humanoids of the city and mantle and confines their activities to them in order to avoid the attention of drow or duergar.
· Steege, Goblin Warlord: Steege is not an inhabitant of Menzoberranzan itself, though he does concentrate on the city. Instead this self-styled goblin warlord raids caravans, farms, patrols, mines, and such, making life even more difficult for Menzoberranzan's drow. He constantly seeks to liberate slaves to join his "army" as well as recruiting wild troops. His group is nomadic, moving about the dark dominion so they can't be easily tracked and destroyed. In addition to performing raids, he also stops some groups to collect tolls of food, weapons, and slaves. The key to his power is said to be the powerful goblin wizard, Druifl, that travels with the band. Several merchant companies and noble houses have standing prices on both Steege's and Druifl's heads.