Anyone can join the Xanathar Guild, which, despite its name, doesn’t have official guild status in Waterdeep. Before membership is granted, however, an applicant must pass a test that always involves the perpetration of a serious crime. Possibilities include murdering a guild member who has failed Xanathar in some fashion, kidnapping a Waterdavian citizen, collecting a ransom, robbing a hire-coach, or looting a warehouse.
        Among low-ranking guild members, rampant speculation goes on about the true nature of Xanathar. Few have any inkling that their boss is a beholder, and fewer still have seen or spoken to the eye tyrant.
Xanathar Guild support comes in these ways:
- Any member given an assignment might receive a monstrous bodyguard or assistant , who has secret instructions to kill the guild member if they fail to complete the assignment as ordered.
- The guild grants access to secret tunnels and safe houses (hidden cellars) underneath Waterdeep.
- Xanathar might send a gazer to help (and spy on) an up-and-coming guild member.