In Faerûn, some of the most valuable work done by the Waterdeep Trading Company is not tied to stocked goods or caravan shipments. Instead, it comes from clients who need unique work planned, tracked, and completed on their behalf. These are customer-funded projects, a standard part of trade across the Sword Coast, where noble houses, guilds, and adventuring parties require crafted items, research, or services beyond a regular order.

For the Waterdeep Trading Company, these projects allow the guild to grow coin reserves without taking on risk from unsold stock. Each project is financed by the customer who requests it, and Dynamics 365 helps track cost, time, revenue, and progress through structured project accounting, ledger controls, and milestone billing.

This article explores how customer-funded projects function in Faerûn, why they matter, and how they are managed through the company’s accounting practices.

What Customer Funded Projects Are

A customer-funded project is work that is paid for by the customer either in advance or throughout the life of the activity. The Waterdeep Trading Company treats these as formal undertakings, usually tied to a contract scroll signed and sealed by the Scriveners Guild. Common examples include commissions for enchanted goods, production runs for noble households, research tasks for arcanists, or repairs for merchant fleets.

Unlike internal projects, these efforts do not draw on the company’s own coin at the outset. Instead, funds provided by the customer become the resource pool used to carry out the work. This requires precise accounting to separate the client’s coin from internal budgets.

Why These Projects Matter

Customer-funded projects support the company’s financial stability in several ways.

• They remove inventory risk, since the client covers all costs.
• They allow the company to expand its capabilities, since rare materials or specialist labor can be procured with client funds.
• They offer steady and predictable revenue, since contracts lay out how milestones and progress payments are invoiced.

In a land where supply lines stretch across wild terrain and arcane markets shift day by day, having stable client-backed work ensures dependable profit for Greta Ironfist and her planners.

Core Components of a Customer Funded Project

Below are the significant elements the Waterdeep Trading Company tracks within Dynamics 365.

First, Contract Setup. Every project begins with a customer record linked to a project contract. The contract defines funding rules, billing type, currency, and expected milestones. The base setup for customers and billing models follows the same ledger framework taught in the Bare Bones Configuration Guides.

Second, Funding Allocation. Funds supplied by the customer are mapped to the project so that labor, materials, and overhead settle against the customer’s balance rather than internal accounts.

Third, Work Breakdown. Tasks, phases, and activities are created to organize the work effort. This may include forging stages, enchantment sessions, transport planning, or research steps.

Fourth, Cost Accumulation. All project expenses are routed through dedicated ledger accounts. This includes raw material purchases, hourly craft labor, magical services, and overhead charges.

Fifth, Revenue Recognition. Invoicing may be based on milestones, time-and-materials, or fixed-price agreements. Milestone billing is most common, with seals applied at major completion points.

Sixth, Project Closure. The ledger is settled, any unused customer funds are returned or credited, and Seraphina Quillspire and Maelor the Quill archive all documentation.

Worked Example: Commissioned Arcane Beacon for the Lords of Everlund

To show how customer-funded projects operate, here is a complete example of a commission.

Scenario: The Lords of Everlund request a defensive arcane beacon built by the Waterdeep Trading Company. They provide full funding up front.

Below is a table that captures the planned cost structure.

Before the table, here is an explanation. This table lists the major cost items required to produce the arcane beacon and shows how each cost is drawn from the customer’s funded pool. It helps planners keep spending aligned with the contract.

Because the customer funds the entire amount at contract signing, the ledger holds their deposit as a liability until revenue is recognized through milestone completion.

A second table shows how revenue is released.

This table outlines the billing milestones and explains when the customer’s deposit converts to earned revenue. This helps the Accounts Receivable clerks track progress and apply the proper postings.

Once the final milestone is posted, the deposit liability is cleared and converted into project revenue, and the project is closed.

Realms-Aware Considerations

Faerûn introduces unique factors that must be considered with customer-funded projects.

• Arcane inputs may require permits from mage guilds, adding additional lead times.
• Regions outside the Sword Coast may impose trade tariffs or require special papers.
• Some clients provide materials directly, such as gemstones or ancient relics, which must be handled as non-monetary contributions.
• Guild labor unions control rates for smiths, engravers, and arcane specialists.
• Projects involving planar materials may require Essence Credit tracking for sustainability purposes.

These factors make structured project accounting vital for the Waterdeep Trading Company.

Final Thoughts

Customer-funded projects allow the Waterdeep Trading Company to serve nobles, adventurers, and trade houses with custom work while keeping internal risk low. When managed well, they offer steady coin, predictable workloads, and precise financial control.

For teams using Dynamics 365, the structure provided in the Bare Bones Configuration Guides supports proper ledger setup, customer controls, and project workflows that keep each commission profitable and compliant.

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