Murray Fife's Blog

In the mystic halls of the Waterdeep Trading Company’s Department of Arcane Inscription, a new craft has emerged that bridges art, magic, and structured design: GlyphForge.
GlyphForge serves as both a philosophy and a system, a structured language of symbols that can describe, evoke, and empower. Much like accountants use ledgers and artificers use schematics, glyphwrights use glyphs to bind meaning and magic into form.

This guide provides the full codified structure of the Glyphic Arcanum, a ...

In Faerûn, where caravans cross nations and portals link planes, trade is a living, breathing force. Yet even the best-run merchants of Waterdeep, Baldur’s Gate, and Calimport know that not every deal goes as planned. A cracked wand, a spoiled crate of moonwine, or an amulet that misfires its enchantment, all must be handled with discipline.

The Waterdeep Trading Company has built a structured framework for such cases known as Returns and Dispositions. This process ensures that every returned...

In the world of Faerûn, danger is not confined to dungeons or battlefields. It hides in flasks of alchemical fire, vials of venom, and enchanted relics that hum with infernal energy. The Waterdeep Trading Company, ever mindful of the perils of commerce, established a comprehensive framework to track, transport, and contain these threats within its supply chain. This framework, recognized across the Sword Coast and beyond, is known as the Faerûnian Hazardous Materials Classification System (FHMS)...

In the world of Faerûn, coin and contract alike are bound by both trust and enchantment. From the bustling bazaars of Calimport to the guild halls of Waterdeep, every transaction depends on the sanctity of its value. To preserve that trust, the Waterdeep Trading Company has established a precise system for the placement of Faerûnian currency symbols within all financial records, invoices, and ledgers in Dynamics 365 Finance.

The placement of these symbols is more than a stylistic choice, it i...

In the bustling alchemical halls of the Waterdeep Trading Company, potioncraft has evolved into a discipline of precision, planning, and magical engineering. Among the most efficient techniques is the use of intermediate base formulations, standardized mixtures created in advance and used across multiple potion types. These are not finished potions, but powerful pre-distillations that save time, reduce waste, and ensure consistency across every batch.

Now, the process has grown even more refi...

In Faerûn, storage is more than a matter of shelf space, it is a balance between mundane logistics and arcane ingenuity. The Waterdeep Trading Company must manage everything from crates of grain and barrels of ale to relics humming with latent enchantments. Whether items are placed in physical bins, Bags of Holding, or secured within vault cells, the principles of organization and accountability remain the same, though the methods differ greatly.

A warehouse bin is a physical lo...

In Faerûn, ownership of an idea, design, or spell is as valuable as a chest of gemstones. The Waterdeep Trading Company, like many guilds and merchant houses, often deals with works of the mind, arcane formulae, crafted inventions, and branded products whose rights belong to inventors, enchanters, or scribes. Royalty tracking ensures that those creators receive fair compensation for the ongoing use or sale of their intellectual property.

Royalty tracking refers to the financial ...

In the bustling markets of Faerûn, not all goods behave as expected. Some resist enchantment, others attract misfortune, and a few seem to take a perverse delight in failing at the worst possible moment. These items, known within the Waterdeep Trading Company as Slightly Cursed Product Lines, occupy a unique niche in the supply chain. They blur the line between profitable inventory and potential liability, demanding careful financial tracking, specialized routing, and a sense of humor among the ...

In the trade halls of Faerûn, no contract is sealed and no coin disbursed without the watchful eyes of those entrusted with authority. The Waterdeep Trading Company, like many guilds and merchant houses, relies upon structured approval workflows. These enchanted procedures ensure that all orders, invoices, and financial records are scrutinized by the right parties before action is taken. Just as no caravan leaves without a caravan master’s nod, no ledger entry or purchase order advances without ...

In the great halls of Candlekeep, scholars often debate the structure of thought. Some argue that mathematics is the purest language, while others claim alchemy and spellcraft hold the deeper truth. Yet both disciplines share a single, crucial principle: order matters. Just as the Waterdeep Trading Company must post its ledgers in the right sequence to keep its coffers balanced, so too must wizards, merchants, and potion-brewers follow a strict order of operations, lest their results turn to cha...