Waterdeep

Waterdeep, also known as the City of Splendors or the Crown of the North, was the most important and influential city in the North and perhaps in all Faerûn. It was a truly marvelous cosmopolitan city of great culture that attracted the most talented artisans, artists, and scholars from across the Realms, as well as a commercial hub for financial interests along the coast and beyond.

It was one of if not the most powerful and influential member-states of the Lords' Alliance, the coalition of nations and city-states that sought to maintain order along the Sword Coast and the North.

“Though it may seem as if all Waterdeep rushes and bustles about with eyes and minds only for their own business at hand, it profits everyone to always remember that part of their business is watching what is unfolding around them, without seeming to, in hopes of seizing on the next big thing, the next road to riches. Even if only to sneer, Waterdeep always watches.” — Largreth the Good Knight, Chapter 5 of The Rise of Randral: A Chapbook Adventure by Sandreth Yendrel

Description

The original farming community of humans that developed into a settlement known as Bloodhand Hold before being conquered and renamed Nimoar's Hold. The name of "Waterdeep" was originally used by the sea captains docking at the port to trade, a moniker that originated from the city's outstanding natural deep-water harbor.

As of the late 14th century DR more than 100,000 people made their home in the city proper of Waterdeep.

Geography

Due to its great importance as a highly influential metropolitan city, Waterdeep was considered part of the Western Heartlands of the Realms, even though it lay 150 miles (240 kilometers) north of Daggerford on the shores of the Sword Coast North. The city sat "slightly above the 45 degree north latitude line on Toril."

The City of Splendors laid claim to the surrounding lands for approximately 100 miles (160 kilometers) beyond its walls.

The various roads to Waterdeep were well paved and well patrolled. The major trade routes included:

• Trade Way, the trade route to the south.
• Long Road, the inland trade route to the north.
• High Road, the coastal trade route to the north, not to be confused with the stretch of the road that passed through the city.

Geographical Features

Waterdeep was built on the site of the ancient elven settlement of Aelinthaldaar. It sprawled northward from the sea, spreading along the flanks of Mount Waterdeep, which used to be home to the Melairkyn, a mithral-mining dwarven clan, and the entire length and great depth of the mountain was riddled with passages and tunnels, most of which were occupied by deadly creatures whose presence in the mountain predated the founding of the city itself.

The halls of Undermountain located beneath the city were a popular target for adventurers, who enjoyed the close vicinity of the city's main taverns and temples where aid could be purchased through donations.

Government

Waterdeep was ruled by a sixteen-seat council whose membership was largely secret. These hidden Lords of Waterdeep maintained their identities behind magical masks, called the Lord's Helm, and while they ruled in public, none knew the true identities of most of them. The subject of who the Lords were became a common topic of noble conversation, and some considered it a game to discover the Lords' identities, a game made more confusing by the fact the Lords themselves set their own rumors afloat.

Law & Order

The City Watch was the local police force whose duty it was to capture criminals, settle petty disputes, give directions, summon medical and priestly aid, generally performing duties that promoted the idea that Waterdeep was a city open to all who knew how to behave themselves.

Rulings on the city's laws were issued by the Magisters, more commonly referred to as Black Robes. They had the duty of running the courts and issuing sentences to those that were found guilty. The Black Robes were each protected by at least six members of the City Guard while traveling the streets of Waterdeep. Those who were convicted could request trial by the Lord's Court and appeal to the masked lords themselves, but faced strict punishment if their claims were ruled as frivolous.

Crime

The last official thieves' guild that openly conducted business in Waterdeep was dismantled in the early 14th century DR. While many others made claims as the head of various criminal organizations there were none that posed a real threat to The Lords of Waterdeep. As the Lords were able to govern the city with anonymity, thieves and other ne'er-do-wells could hardly trust their partners-in-crime. Since the Lords were secret, criminals did not know if trusted partners were truly on their side or not.

This is not to say that there were no thieves or crime in the streets of Waterdeep. Rather, crime there was random and dispersed, with no one leader or organization to take command. One attempt was made by the crime lord known as Xanathar, a Beholder with a well developed secret network in his service. This network was savaged and Xanathar defeated through the actions of bold adventuring companies at the command of Lord Piergeiron. The Beholder's legacy lived on however, and by 1492 DR the Xanathar Guild was perhaps Waterdeep's most prominent criminal organization, competing mainly with various Zhentarim subfactions. Other criminal groups active at that time included the halfling wererat gang known as the Shard Shunners.

Trade

The city was the hub of trading from the mineral-rich lands to the north, the merchant kingdoms of Amn and Calimshan to the south, the kingdoms of the Inner Sea to the east, and the sea kingdoms and traders to the west. Waterdeep's authority extended between 30 mi (48 km) to 40 mi (64 km) from its walls.

As of the early 1370s DR, stone was imported from Mirabar via Luskan for use in construction, having been magically transported. This was an expensive process. During that time it was witnessed that wagons and carts overcrowded the city's markets as foreign vendors attempted to sell as much as possible before returning home for the winter. This was a practice ignored by the Guard, the Watch, and the guilds.

The city was also the largest spelljamming port of Faerûn. Although welcoming to most spacefaring races, Waterdeep's laws required that all ships landed on the ocean several miles from the city and made their final approach by sea. Transgressors were punished with harsh fines and imprisonment. This rule prevented some types of ships from ever reaching Waterdeep, but was enforced to avoid mass panic from the population. Departing vessels were subject to the same rules.

Docking at Waterdeep's port incurred a fee of 1 cp per 10 feet (3 meters) of keel length per week. Sages and traders from Waterdeep were eager to listen to stories from wildspace and traded on all the products the city had to offer.

Culture

“Many Dragons like to dwell among humans - and not only because your kind can serve as ready food, or as a source of wealth for us to seize and hoard. Some wyrms come to love your energy, your restlessness, your clever strivings… Waterdeep is a fine cauldron of such things.” — Taraunramorlamurla the song dragon

Given its size and influence, Waterdeep was a cosmopolitan city with a diverse population of citizens. While humans comprised the majority of its populace, it was home to large number of elves, predominantly moon elves, dwarves, lightfoot halflings, half-elves and gnomes. Waterdhavians tended to be social, stalwart and outspoken people who maintained a worldly perspective of the cultures throughout Toril. While they were proud of their realm's history, they typically kept from dismissing cultures from foreign lands. While they often sought the improvement of their lives through the accumulation of wealth and self-importance, as a people, they would not stand for military conquest or the thought of imperialization. Waterdeep was among several locations in Faerûn where cooking competitions were commonplace. They usually occurred during feasts or festivals that coincided with local market days. Winners could expect prizes in some cases. Such competitions were used to promote produce vendors that received orders for whatever ingredients were used. Savory pies and sausages were always the most popular items ordered in bulk by eateries, festhalls, nobles' estates, and fortresses. Those who won cooking competitions were considered highly desirable hires and were sought after by local and foreign noble houses, regents, fanciful eateries, and other wealth individuals.

Fashion

Waterdhavian culture was called for a sort of resigned display of status when it came to the clothes one would wear. While all manner of dress could be seen on the city streets, guild members would only don their livery when conducting official business or meetings, during important holidays or while on ventures outside Waterdeep proper. Nobles would only display their crests or coat-of-arms in subtle affectations, such as a signet ring or other understated jewelry, while their servants wore clothes that were fully emblazoned with their house heraldry.

In contrast, women were known to maintain a high sense of fashion, often wearing elegant silk gowns, furs and sparkling jewelry, as the season dictated.

Religion

Waterdeep had a huge variety of faiths, and the odds were that if a deity was worshiped somewhere in Faerûn, it had at least a follower (or likely a wandering priest or two, and maybe a shrine) in the City of Splendors. The largest temples in the city were dedicated to Oghma, Tyr, Tempus, Gond, Selûne, Mystra, Silvanus and Mielikki, Lathander, Sune, Tymora, along with a temple dedicated to Baravar Cloakshadow located within the Warrens beneath Waterdeep. There was also a large temple known as the Plinth, which was open to all faiths,

In addition to the city's famous temples, a number of minor shrines and other holy houses could be found in Waterdeep. Among the deities venerated at these sites were the Grain Goddess Chauntea, Lliira, as well as the two powers that were considered to be "local divinities", Sharess, and Siamorphe. Waterdeep even housed the cult of Ao that became active in the city for a short while following the Time of Troubles.

As was found in many metropolises in the Realms, Waterdeep housed a great many secret places of worship where devotees of dark powers could exercise their secretive faiths. Waterdeep held secluded shrines and temples held in undisclosed locations to Cyric, Shar, and at least two of Deities of Fury in Auril and Umberlee. Even marginalized groups such as the Cult of the Dragon and so called "beast cultists" could meet within the city to conduct the business related to their malevolent deities.

Although the faith of Talona was considered misguided or bad, it did not mean small groups of lay followers could not practice their personal faith. However, the building of a public house of worship to her was forbidden in Waterdeep. It was also illegal to form a public priesthood dedicated to her.

As of the early 1490s DR, a new temple to Valkur had already been built in the city. In the same year, the returned drow goddess Eilistraee was witnessed as she danced in the moonlight, near the walls of the city, up the road to Amphail. This led many of her followers to Waterdeep, with the goal of creating a shrine to their goddess within its walls. The project was supported by the Harper leading delegate Remallia Haventree.

Festivals and Holidays

In addition to the standard festivals of the Calendar of Harptos, there were several festivals and holy days held in Waterdeep:

• Ahghairon's Day: A holiday celebrated on the first day of Eleasias, commemorating Ahghairon's birthday. It consisted of small details, like toasting for the Lords; leaving violets at the base of Ahghairon's Tower, the Plinth, or atop the altars of the House of Wonder; and bards performing songs in honor of the Old Mage. The Open Lords visited taverns and inns across the city, to wish the people well.
• Auril's Blesstide: Held on the day of winter's first frost, this day saw everyone in the city wearing white clothes, not serving or eating hot meals, and a parade of naked men and women wearing only white cloaks going from Cliffwatch in the North Ward, across the city and to the beaches. There, participants dived into the icy waters, sacrificing their warmth to the Frostmaiden.
• Brightswords: On the day of the Autumn Equinox, Waterdhavians held a series of displays and competitions of martial skill and open enlistment by the City Guard and City Watch, topped off by an aerial demonstration by the Griffon Cavalry.
• Day of Wonders: On Marpenoth 3, worshipers of Gond held a parade to reveal their recent inventions. Due to the experimental nature of the inventions on display, it was very common for devices to fail and cause disruptions to the celebrations.
• Dragondown: This holiday was celebrated on Kythorn 20. It reenacted and celebrated the occasions in which Dragons that attacked the city were either defeated or driven off. Parades reenacted each individual event, and bonfires and rituals to symbolically tame or bring down Dragons were common across the city.
• Fey Day: Held on Ches 19, the barriers between the Prime Material Plane and the Feywild were thought to weakest on this day. While rural areas were trepidatious and held many superstitions, it is a day of celebration for Waterdhavians.
• Fleetswake: A festival celebrating the sea, the sea trade and the gods of the sea. It spanned the last tenday of Ches, and included boat races, the Shipwright's Ball at the Shipwright's House, and guild-sponsored galas at the Copper Cup festhall. The festival was concentrated in Dock Ward and the Fiery Flagon in Sea Ward.
• Founders' Day: Waterdhavians celebrated the founding of the city on Flamerule 1. Several locations in the city commemorated the holiday, and it was also common for festhalls throughout the city to hold costume contests.
• Gods' Day: This holiday observed the anniversary of the end of the Godswar on Marpenoth 15. It was considered a solemn and serious event, especially at night, when Waterdhavians offered prayers in the city's temples to thank the gods for their lives and in remembrance of the catastrophic events of the Time of Troubles.
• The Grand Revel: Organized and led by the clergy of Sune, Sharess, Lliira, this holiday was celebrated on Alturiak 14. It consisted of numerous music and dance events, as well as the partaking of different kinds of sweet treats and traditional romantic getaways and exchanging of gifts by young couples.
• Guildhall Day: This holiday was held on Kythorn 14, and was a celebration of the fruits of peoples' labor. On this day, most shops remained closed, and instead numerous street fairs showcased new products and hosted entertainment programs performed by magicians, jugglers, and singers.
• Howldown: On Nightal 11, members of the City Guard honored Malar by leaving the city in groups to hunt known threats to farmers and travelers, including bandits, beasts, and monsters that haunted the roads and wilderness. During the same time, the City Watch engaged in its own hunt for malefactors within the city walls.
• Last Sheaf: Sometimes called "The Small Feast," this day of residential feasting was held on Uktar 20 in celebration of the year's bounty. Small gifts were exchanged among neighbors, and "last letters" were gathered for carriage—so called because they are the last to leave the city before travel becomes difficult.
• Liar's Night: This holy day paid tribute to Leira and Mask. On Marpenoth 30, to avoid those deities' unwanted attention, celebrants would don costumes or glamers to disguise one's self and pretend to be that which they were not.
• Lliira's Night: A celebration honoring the Lady of Joy with dances and balls, held the night of Flamerule 7. Although the celebration was shared all over the city in many festhalls, the highlight of the night was the Cynosure Ball, which was sponsored by the Lords, the local clergy of Lliira, and several noble families.
• The Plowing and Running: Held on Mirtul 6 - Mirtul 9, it celebrated the plowing of fields and running of livestock, and also involved numerous racing competitions within the city.
• Reign of Misrule: On Marpenoth 10, this day honored Beshaba. From dawn to dusk, people were expected to cheat, break oaths, and go against the social order, albeit without breaking any actual laws or doing anything unforgivable.
• Rhyestertide: This holiday was celebrated on Ches 1 in honor of Lathander's miraculous restoration of Rhyester's vision in 717 DR. Followers of Lathander celebrated the holiday by dressing in bright red and other sunrise hues and by keeping one eye covered until the next dawn.
• Selûne's Hallowing: On whatever night in Uktar the moon was fullest, worshipers of Selûne would lead a parade, beginning at the House of the Moon and wound through the streets of the Sea Ward, south through the Castle Ward, and ending at the docks in the harbor.
• Simril: After dusk on Nightal 20, this holiday was celebrated by Waterdhavians by locating stars associated with themselves or their ancestors in the night sky. People tried to stay awake the entire night gathered around bonfires with plenty of music, food, and warm drinks.
• Sornyn: This three-day festival held between Flamerule 3 and Flamerule 5 honored both Waukeen and Lathander. Celebrants planned business operations and signed meetings and agreements. Copious amounts of wine were consumed during the festival, accompanying all the meetings.
• Stoneshar: Followers of all faiths celebrated Marpenoth 7 as a day to start new projects and avoid idleness. People who begun working on new projects during Stoneshar believed that their work would be blessed during the following year.
• Trolltide: This lesser holiday celebrated the end of the Second Trollwar at the start of Kythorn. On this day, Waterdhavian children would run about the city, dressed as trolls demanding treats from citizens and shop owners lest the children pull pranks on them at sundown.
• Waukeentide: Celebrated for the first tenday of Tarsahk in honor of Waukeen, it consisted of a number of festivals bundled together into a single event.
• Wintershield: Marking the start of the new year, it was celebrated on Hammer 1 as a day off work when people stayed at home reminiscing the previous year and discussing their expectations for the upcoming year.

Defenses

Waterdeep maintained two separate armed forces, the City Guard and the City Watch. The City Guard served as Waterdeep's soldiery and its members staffed garrisons, road patrols, and watchposts, and served as bodyguards and gate guards. The Watch was the local police force, acting as a constabulary within the city. More delicate missions taken in the name of the City of Splendors were handled by Force Grey, an elite force of a dozen or so skilled spellcasters and cunning warriors.

Waterdeep had strong walls on its landward sides and was protected in part by Mount Waterdeep on the seaward side. Mount Waterdeep was studded with watch towers and defensive positions, and patrolled by special guard units on flights of griffons known as the Griffon Cavalry.

Aside from this, Waterdeep also benefited from a large native population of the adventurers that were often more than willing to deal with any and all miscreants that threatened their home city. Notable companies that arose to aid Waterdeep in times of peril included the band of heroes that slew the first Xanathar, the all-halfling group known as the Defenders Three the Dawnbringer Company, and perhaps most famously, the Company of Crazed Venturers.

The city was also home to the eight enormous Walking Statues of Waterdeep. Seven of these statues could be animated by the Blackstaff of Waterdeep to defend the city, while one was too damaged to be activated. These statues were extremely destructive, and only used to fend off armies or win otherwise impossible battles.

Transportation

Waterdeep was characterized by its broad and busy streets and boulevards. Its heavy traffic, a constant during all day and most of the night, was monitored by the traffic wardens of the City Watch. The streets were kept well maintained and signaled by the Scriveners', Scribes', and Clerks' Guild, who manufactured and installed labels and signs in all intersections.

Public transportation was available in Waterdeep through several options:

• Drays were large, two-floored collective carriages that held a large number of seats and traveled through preset trajectories along the main boulevards. Fares varied between 2 and 4 nibs.
• Hire-coaches were two-wheeled, two-seat carriages that could be called and dispatched to specific locations. Hire-coach drivers roamed the city streets in search for passengers, who could call a free coach with a shout. Fares, agreed upon in advance, rarely exceeded 6 shards.
• Carriages were luxury vehicles that could accommodate up to 8 passengers comfortably. Prices varied, but usually carriages and their respective drivers and servants were hired for an entire day.

History

The region that would later be called Waterdeep was originally a trading stop utilized by the local tribesmen of the North and merchants that came up from the cities to the south. Early accounts of permanent farms being established in the area varied slightly, with some sages stating that they were first observed as early as the Year of the Thundering Horde, 52 DR, while others noted their appearance circa to mid–4th century DR.

The actual name "Waterdeep" was first used circa the 10th by sea captains to refer to the warlord-controlled town at whose port they docked. It did not become a true city until the Year of the Nightmaidens, 1032 DR, the year Ahghairon became the first Lord of Waterdeep, and the date from which Northreckoning is counted.

Its size and population grew at a tremendous pace. By the mid–13th century Waterdeep's famous guilds had taken root in the city and construction of the City of the Dead graveyard had been completed. Waterdeep's guild masters seized control of the the City of Splendors shortly after the Year of the Cockatrice, 1248 DR, beginning an era of great turmoil and political conflict referred to as the Guildwars. This dark period ended after a couple decades, and the more modern form of governance was put in place in the Year of the Wagon, 1273 DR. The secretive Lords of Waterdeep took power, aided by the diligent and astute Blackcloaks.

People from all across Faerûn and beyond traveled to Waterdeep to take their chance at earning wealth and renown. They were afforded their chances by the city's stable and fair system of government, its stalwart defenders of the City Guard and vigilant members of the Watch. By the 14th century, Waterdeep earned the reputation as a place of tolerance for the myriad of different cultures, lifestyles, and religions that were associated with the people of the Realms.

When the Time of Troubles came upon Toril in the Year of Shadows, 1358 DR, Waterdeep became the battleground of the gods. The goddess Shar orchestrated the abduction of Luna, the avatar of moon-goddess Selûne, and masqueraded as her in the city. Selûne was freed by the efforts of Luna's adventuring companions and proceeded to defeat Shar and prevent any great destruction from befalling Waterdeep. That same year saw the avatar or Myrkul and his legion of night riders invade the city in pursuit of the mortal Midnight, who possessed one of the Tablets of Fate. The Lord of the Dead was disintegrated atop Blackstaff Tower by Midnight in a great battle that led to the opening of the Celestial Staircase atop Mount Waterdeep, and the ascension of three mortals to deific status: Cyric, Kelemvor, and the restored Mystra.

While Waterdeep did not face ruin as some other cities did when the Spellplague struck the Realms in the Year of Blue Fire, 1385 DR, the magical network that wound through its infrastructure was greatly altered. The cataclysm "awakened" the remaining Walking Statues that previously only existed on the Ethereal Plane and brought them back to Waterdeep on the Prime Material plane. They each ran rampant in the city, causing some extent of destruction before they were stopped by various means.

Waterdeep was struck with another catastrophic event in the Year of Silent Death, 1395 DR, when the Putrescent Anathema spread throughout its region of the North. The plague hit Goldenfields particularly hard, destroying much of the city's primary grain supply. The catastrophe reduced the city's population greatly, hitting its poorer citizens particularly hard.

In the Year of Three Ships Sailing, 1492 DR, a number of agents and organizations including the shady Xanathar's Thieves' Guild, the greedy Zhentarim, the enigmatic Harpers, and even the stalwart Lords' Alliance sought to recover a cache of 500,000 gold dragons that was hidden somewhere within the city, a sum that was embezzled by the ousted former Open Lord of the city, Dagult Neverember.

Notable Locations

Since the mid−11th century, Waterdeep had been divided into a number of city wards. Like ancient cities of old, such as those found near the Sea of Fallen Stars, each ward was originally protected by its own walls and guardsmen; the need for greater urban development led to many of these barriers being broken down. Eventually, only the walls around the City of the Dead remained.

Castle Ward

This central ward encompassed Mount Waterdeep and much of the government of the city. Located within was Castle Waterdeep, the place of government, as well as the Palace of Waterdeep (also known as Piergeiron's Palace), Lord Piergeiron's private residence, and Blackstaff Tower, the residence of the Archmage of Waterdeep. This ward was also a common place for retired adventurers such as Mirt the Moneylender to make their homes.

Locations:

• Aurora's Waterdeep Way Shop: Shop (Curios & Exotica).
• Aurora's Whole Realms Coster Offices: Coster Headquarters. A large building featuring a street-facing showroom with offices above it, and ample storage in the back part of the building on both floors as well as a practically cavernous cellars, these offices are the heart of the empire that is Aurora's Emporium. The back ground floor also features a printing facility for the broadsheets the Emporium prints. Many folk in the Castle Ward enjoy spending an hour or so browing through the most fascinating wonders on display in the showroom. The offices are located in the Manyspells neighborhood of the Castle Ward, near the Tower of the Watchful Order, which is no accident: Aurora's Emporium frequently has need of mages to do certain work for them, and they pay well for it. The offices are also the location of Aurora's Academy, a Watchful Order-run school for wizardry.
• Crommor's Warehouse: Warehouse. A warehouse owned by House Crommor, with crates of brazengoods.
• The Curious Past: Shop (Historical Curios & Books) A long-standing shop focused on historical relics and books of history.
• Danimar Fine Wines: Shop (Wine). The Danimar family was once the oldest holders of licenses by House Melshimber to sell its wines in the city of Waterdeep. With the plunge of Melshimber fortunes in the Wailing Years, however, several of the other vintner houses attempted to poach the Danimar family's loyalty. The canny merchants maneuvered well, and end up holding licenses to sell the vintages of several of the Houses. Today, they are an incredible wine-shop, with a small tasting counter and bottle room for Amcathra, Rosznar, and Sandhor wines. With the Melshimber re-entry into the wine trade of late, the Danimars have offered the House excellent terms for selling their goods once more, but the Melshimbers have snubbed them.
• Eilean's Maztican Delights: Shop (Maztican Food) The resurgence of a family business that folded during the Wailing Years, the family of the original Eilean Makaro still owned the property. With trade to and from Maztica opening back up in the past generation, they have re-established their premiere foodshop filled with chocolate, preserved tomatoes and peppers, and all manner of delights from Maztica.
• Foolscap & Quills: Shop (Stationer) Owned by Master Ilvaro Dunaer of the Stationers' Guild, Foolscap and Quills is an excellent resource for all manner of fine paper and parchments, quills, and inks. Master Dunaer's specialty is bound books, and he carries an excellent selection of tomes already bound with empty pages.
• Halambar Lute & Harps: Shop (Stringed Musical Instruments) The premiere place to find any stringed instrument of the Realms (expect to pay dearly for quality). It is also host to a magical harp that sings by itself and is rumored to have connections to The Harpers in some capacity.
• Halls of Hilmer: Shop (Armor) The work of Master Hilmer was, in his day, unmatched. Today, the craft-descendants (that is, those who apprenticed to him in his craft, rather than blood relations) continue to run the shop, notable for its front of polished plate armor. Several masters use the space, all of them inheritors to the unique smithing craft of old Master Hilmer, and continuing to pass it down today. All armor sold here is premade, but crafted in such a way to allow for a single day's customization, even with the heaviest of armors.
• Hilmer Warehouse: Warehouse (Halls of Hilmer). The warehouse for the Halls of HIlmer, where the raw materials for the work in the smithy is delivered and stored until needed. It is said that a trio of magical, animated swords act as guards for the establishment, which is a rich target for burglars thanks to the profusion of rare metals and precious alloys kept here.
• Melshimber Offices: Sage Consultation
• Mother Tamra's House of Graces: School (Grace, Etiquette, Comportment) • A "finishing school" that caters to young ladies of ambitious families, being taught how to wash and groom themselves, how to develop a fashion sense and how to keep a wardrobe looking fresh (including washing and sewing for repairs), etiquette and carriage (how to walk, sit, hold one's hands, etc), how to write polite messages, how to politely and with dignity encourage or discourage social entreaties, dancing and the right things to say in difficult situations.
• The Market: The largest open area of the city that plays host to hundreds of stalls and camped vendors able to sell nearly anything in the Realms, and many thieves to relieve one of same.
• Nureene's Marvelous Masks: Shop (Masks) A mask shop still owned by Nureene's great-grandson, where masks of all sorts can be both purchased off of shelves, and specially commissioned.
• Old Temple Lot Warehouse: Warehouse.
• Rebeleigh's Elegant Headware: Shop (Hats) A haberdasher that has seen better days, most of what is in here is second-hand goods, and the original pieces are somewhat shabby, sad to say.
• Velstrode the Venturer's: Shop (Adventuring Goods) Though a bit spendier than most caravans and mercenary companies are usually willing to entertain, Velstrode's is a good place to get high quality goods for adventuring companies and individual sellswords looking to make an impression.

City of the Dead

• This park-like area was surrounded by high walls. Before the Spellplague, it was often visited during the day by wanderers and the odd picnicker; at night, the gates of the City of the Dead were closed, for it was Waterdeep's graveyard. However, after the Spellplague, it fell into disrepair. The more important personages had their own personal graves or family shrines, while others were confined to larger crypts. The reason for the guards was not to protect the graves, but rather to protect the city from the occasional restless undead creature that did not appreciate its accommodations.

Dock Ward

As one might assume, the Dock Ward was situated hard on the Great Harbor of Waterdeep and held the docks, shipbuilding yards, and warehouses for the sea trade.[90] The harbor was inhabited by merfolk who kept the peace within their own aquatic city.

Locations:

• Arnagus Shipwrights: Shop (Ships) The longest-existing company of shipwrights in Waterdeep.
• Aurora's Slut Street Sop: xxx
• The Fishscale Smithy: Shop (Blacksmith)
• Horizon's Sails: Shop (Maps, Charts & Logbooks)
• House of Pride Perfumes: Shop (Perfume) . A veritable glass jungle of bottles filled with exotic perfumes and other scents.
• The Old Xoblob Shop: Shop (Adventuring Curios) . A curio shop famous in the city for battle trophies from places far and near (especially Undermountain). Currently owned by a deep gnome who calls himself Xoblob, though the name certainly predates him.
• Ralagut's Wheelhouse: Shop (Shipboard Goods)
• Serpentil Books & Folios: Shop (Books) . An exclusive and expensive shop that traffics in all manner of maps, charts and books, though not magical tomes for sale unless you've one to trade.
• The Smokehouse: Smokehouse. Used by both the Fishmongers' and Butchers' guilds, this rare one-story brick smokehouse almost always smells of curing meats or fish.
• Whistling Blades: Shop (Blades). A shop that specializes in daggers, blades and knives.

Warehouses

• Dawnharbor Storage: Rental Warehouse
• El Erat Imports: Warehouse (Imports)
• Fellowship Storage: Warehouse (Fishmongers Fellowship)
• Gullcry Warehouse: Warehouse
• House of Tarmagus: Warehouse
• Kavingarde Warehouse: Warehouse

Downshadow

Actually the uppermost level of Undermountain, Downshadow was the new "undercity" developed in the 15th century DR.

Field Ward

The unofficial Field Ward was the ward between North Trollwall and most-recently built north-facing city walls. It was the poorest ward of the city, rife with crime and home to many destitute demi-humans.

Mistshore

Not strictly a ward, Mistshore was the ruined naval harbor. The area was home to outcasts and criminals who lived along the shoreline or on wrecked ships half-sunk in the harbor.

Mountainside

Mountainside was developed on the north and northeastern slopes of Mount Waterdeep after the Second Pestilars as rich nobles and those of rising fortunes fled to cleaner air.

North Ward

Tucked in the northeastern portion of the city, North Ward was the home of the nobility and their villas. The moneyed classes made their homes here, far removed from the hustle and bustle of the lower classes by the docks and in Southern Ward.

Locations:

• The Bent Nail: Shop (Ironmongery)
• Breerdil's Fine Wines: Shop (Wine) . A fine wine shop. There is a small stream of water that runs from a water feature in the shop, out the shop to form a small stream (complete with walking bridge over it) and flows into Dailantha's.
• Bhephel's Bottles, Exotic Wines & Cordials: Shop (Wines & Alcohol). One of the finest spirits shops in Waterdeep, specializing in having the widest offerings from around Faerûn. Their small size belies their actual business, for many of their customers simply have them ship their purchases directly from warehouse to residences, without ever entering the shop.
• Corondorr's Countinghouse: School (Finances). A school that caters to young guild members and unguilded shopkeepers desiring to learn number skills and "how business is really practices" from a cynical, veteran clerk-of-coin retired from Piergeiron's Palace.
• Dailantha's Herbs & Exotic Plants: Shop (Herbs and Plants) . A fine herbal shop, complete with a small stream of water that runs through it.
• Downybeard Tobacconist: Shop (Tobacco). A small, aromatic shop with a wide variety of pipeweed, tobacco and snuff. Its owner Lucilla Downybeard is descended from the original Kro Downybeard, a halfling from Luiren. She makes good coin on a made-to-order service offering wooden pipes with hand-carved crests and symbols on them.
• Earthenware Wonders: Shop (Clay Goods).
• The Eltorchul Academy: Wizard School . A pair of tall towers, connected by a two-story campus building with living spaces and common areas. Named for one of the old Waterdhavian Houses known for their magical education, the Eltorchul Academy was the first academy the Watchful Order ever took over from someone else. Based out of the North Ward, Eltorchul students tend to be nobles without connections to get them proper training. Noble scions with the intellect and inclination toward arcane mastery study here under noble members of the Watchful Order who can best teach them about the realities of being a spell-wielding noble in Waterdeep.
• The Grand Salle: Fencing School. A highly respected school of swordwork run by and on the villa grounds of House Agundar.
• Hriiat Fine Pastries: Shop (Bread) . A wondrous bakery run by a family long of the Bakers' Guild, with constant crowds forming when the smells of new pastries roll out into the streets. Its meat and vegetable meal loaf is a savory meal for those on the go.
• Robelard's Fine Silks: Shop (Silk and Luxury Textiles .
• Sulmest's Splendid Shoes & Boots: Shop (Shoes) . A frighteningly expensive shop for footwear, but their guarantees on craftsmanship bear up as well as their fashionable boots do.
• Three Moves Ahead: Shop (Games). A shop owned by the elven artisan Eatiel, a well-known craftsman and collector. The proprietor established his shop in the mid-1300s, and continues to run it even today.
• The Tirelessly Turning Wheel: Shop (Curios from around Faerûn) . A vast and wonderful curio shop, with oddities and interesting gew-gaws from around most of the known world, and a few other places besides.
• Wands Academy: Wizard School. This Academy is one of the few such left in the city that isn't run by the Watchful Order. Three stories in height and on the grounds of the House Wands villa, the academy's ground floor features a large gathering chamber generally used for meals and addressing the whole of the student body, plus the academy's library, divided into deeper and deeper vaults of lore. Each student has an attuned badge that gives them access to the vaults they are permitted, as well as allowing them open the glass-fronted cases within those vaults. The second story is exclusively classroom space, as is half of the third floor, the rest of which is spellcasting chambers and student labs.

Warehouses:

• Kormallis Warehouse
• Robelard's Warehouse

Sea Ward

The wealthiest of the wards, Sea Ward contained many of the temples of Waterdeep, along with a good helping of the newer noble families and retired adventurers who could afford the odd villa or two. The Field of Triumph, Waterdeep's arena, was located here.

Locations:

• Halazar's Fine Gems: Shop (Jewelry) . A jewelry shop that prides itself as much on its expensive prices as its magically shining black walls.
• Melvar's Chapbooks & Folios: Shop (Books) An upscale tomeshop, with a wide variety of books, and a vast catalogue of those which do not fit in their shop, but which the business has access to.
• Sarenda's Triumphant Arms: Shop (Light Arms & Armor) . A shop located near the Field of Triumph that caters to the fighters and athletes who compete in the Field. Run by the crafswoman Sarenda. (formerly Lavah's)
• Swordshigh Salle: Fencing Academy . Part of the House Bladesemmer villa compound, Swordshigh has become quite the rage in recent years. The school features a variety of armories, salles, and lecture halls, as well as a large street-facing exhibition hall whose outward face can be folded back to give passersby a view at the fights on display. Blademaster Jhaesan Rhival oversees the training and curriculum.
• Velatha's Delights: Shop (Luxuries) . A Sea Ward landmark, Velatha's has served as the setting for several steamy romance novels about Waterdhavian nobles, and over the years has gained a reputation as a place where one comes to socialize as much as shop – as long as one has gold in-purse.

Southern Ward

Sometimes referred to by the locals as simply "South", the Southern Ward was a place of caravan masters and traders, for it was close to the South Gate, the opening to the Trade.

• Aurora's South High Road Shop
• Berendarr's World of Words: Shop (Books) . A bookshop well in excess of a century old, owned by Master Berendarr, a shield dwarf, who is now in his dotage. Its massive shelves are tall, and many are packed with books not out in the public in fifty years or more. It has no system of cataloguing, so shopping here is a little more like treasure-hunting.
• Brant's General Goods & Gear: General Goods
• Brian the Swordmaster's Smithy: Smithy . Famed for its well-crafted (though high-priced) swords and armor. There is a tradition of it being held by retired adventuring fighters, who pass it down to their own apprentices in the fighting arts when they retire or die. It retains the name of its first owner out of honor to that worthy.
• The Daily Trumpet Building: Printer (Broadsheets) . In operation for well over a hundred years, the Daily Trumpet has a large host of writers and investigators, all with a single purpose: to find out the most interesting information, as word-fodder for their many clients.
• Dragoneye Hall: Dragoneye Dealing Coster Caravanserai. The Dragoneye maintains a large caravanserai in the South Ward, the Dragoneye Hall. Operated like an inn, the Hall is exclusively for the use of Dragoneye caravans and the merchants who operate them. Though the Dragoneye coster maintains a permanent force of guards, they are always looking for more: those who are interested are invited to hire on as an extra guard during a caravan run, and to present themselves to the Dragoneye's guard-house in Iraebor after they have done at least one trip. No one gets in the door without a written recommendation from a caravan-master, but the pay is more than worth it, ultimately. As a result, the forecourt of the Dragoneye Hall in Waterdeep is a place where lots of sellswords congregate, looking to impress the caravan-masters who may be looking for one or two extra blades for a trip into harrowing territory.
• The Garrulous Grocer: Shop (Grocer) . Closed due to damage sustained during the Wailing Years, the Garrulous Grocer was a favorite of Open Lord Laeral's from the last time she lived in Waterdeep, and made it a point to help re-open it once she returned. Now everyone knows the Palace sends its cooks to shop here for choice ingredients, and many in the city have started doing likewise. The place can sometimes seem more like a cautious melee, full of shoppers eyeing one another warily, and looking to pounce on coveted spices or goods before their neighbors can. The prices are precious (although the Palace pays a pittance, out of gratitude).
• Hemmerem's Stables: Stables . A stables run by the fourth Hemmerem to own the place, these stables not only care for horse, but they also rent them out. The owners claim that they have the easy means of finding and retrieving their horses, although they decline to mention what that method might be.
• Hlakken Stables: Stables . A run-of-the-mill stables, mostly intended for the use of caravan horses, without any of the frills or specialty treatment that more expensive animals (or wealthier owners) tend to expect of precious mounts.
• The Medusa's Glare: Sculptor's Shop . This shop has changed hands many times over the years. Today it is a place that provides carved goods on commission, with the sculptors working on projects that interest them between commissions. Their works find their way into that tier of homes who desperately wish to emulate the wealthy and fine, but don't quite have the shine of coin to do it.
• The Old Monster Shop: Shop (Monster Curios) . A place where monsters of all shapes, sizes and most states of being (no undead) can be procured. A favorite spot for those new to Waterdeep to visit, hoping to find a suitably strange keepsake to take home with them.
• Orm’s Highbench: Trading Company. The headquarters of the moderately-successful Orms Highbench trading company. They tend to manage short runs between Waterdeep and Neverwinter, and their years of greatest success were under the Open Lord Dagult. Some claim they maintain back-room deals with Dagult to this day.
• Pelauvir’s Counter: Shop (General Goods) . A general store with moderately-priced essentials and sundries in stock at all times.
• Prestar’s Furniture: Furniture shop . Once the sales floor of a woodworker, Prestars is now a place where a variety of craftsmen consign their works to sell in the shop, run by the Prestars family. As such, a wide variety of offerings can be found here, and all at inexpensive prices. Many of the craftsmen who get noticed here go on to establish their own shops.
• Redbridle Stables: Stables . A fine stables owned by the Redbridle family out of Amphail, these stables not only provide excellent quality of care, but they are also a place from which to purchase Redbridle mounts during certain times of the year.
• Sull's Butchery: Butcher
• Sword Coast Traders' Bank: Service (Banking). In addition to serving as a normal bank, providing loans and wealth-keeping services, this holding of House Anteos is also capable of taking in coin in one of its three locations (Waterdeep, Baldur's Gate, and Daggerford), and communicating those numbers to any of its other branches magically, almost instantaneously. Rather than risking transporting coin on caravan or shipping routes, merchants moving between one of these three sites may simply place coin in their keeping in one spot, and come by to withdraw it from another (for a modest fee).
• Telvar's Tipples: Wine Shop . A wine shop noted for being open all hours of the night.
• Verseene's Bakery: Bakery
• Waukeen's Wares: Shop . A Waukeenar general shop run by the Vault of Glory (the local temple to Waukeen).
• The Waymoot Academy: Wizard Academy. Run almost entirely by charitable donations (half of which is provided by the Watchful Order itself), the Waymoot Academy in the South Ward takes in youths from disadvantaged backgrounds before street crime and manual labor can destroy any potential they have for the Art, training them in its use. In operation for almost twenty years now, there are a number of adventuring magicians who got their start at spellcasting here, and still contribute coin to it to this day. Per its name, the Waymoot Academy is located in the Waymoot neighborhood of the South Ward. While the academy is in a large building with plenty of room, cruel young mages in the other academies sometimes call them "stablemages," as the building was once a large stable business.

Trades Ward

Waterdeep's commercial section.

Locations:

• Alderblade's Fine Carvings: Carpenter & Woodcarver
• Aurora's Tusk Street Shop
• Bristlehands Brightgems: Lapidary & Jeweler
• The Busy Hammer: Blacksmith .
• Carvers Tombwrights: Tombs and Headstones . A family of craftsmen with generations of experience in the creation and upkeep of the tombs and mausoleums of the City of the Dead. A small courtyard dominated by a tall towered house, with several workshops around the rest of the place. Known for the oddness of the Carver family and the sheer number of black and white cats around the courtyard and buildings.
• Diamond Dreams: Fashion Design House . (House Talmost)
• The Dragon's Breath: Alchemist .
• Mofandar's Fine Imports: Store (General Goods) . An overpriced shop filled with rare imports from across (and under, some say) the Realms, with a major side business in authentic costuming for nobles' parties. The shop has changed hands several times over the many years of its existence.
• The Perfect Stitch: Seamstress .
• Rejviikson Mortuary: Mortuary . A run-of-the-mill morticians' business, run by the Rejviikson family. They both sell coffins and prepare corpses for burial.
• Riautar’s Weaponry: Shop (Weapons) . An excellent source of secondhand weapons and "the best bows & arrows in the North". Easily found by looking for a low building with a petrified harpy on the roof.
• The Riven Shield: Shop (Shields) . Shop famous in the Sword Coast region for affordable second-hand weaponry and, more crucial to its notoriety, various magical or historical weapons and armor. Rumors abound of who actually owns the shop these days, with suggestions ranging from one of the Masked Lords to one of the noble Houses to a shadowy smuggling organization!
• Saern’s Fine Swords: Shop (Weapons) . A miniature castle and an expensive place to shop for a sword, but the Tethyrian craftsmanship in all the swords is beyond compare. The shop's fortifications have made it an acceptable emergency guard post for the Watch in the past, such that when its old owner Saern sought to sell it, a group of smiths for the Watch pooled their coin to buy it for themselves, splitting the profit among them. It is still owned by their families today, though they all keep the old owner's name to the place.
• Thentavva’s Boots: Store (Shoes) . A tiny out-of-the-way shop more easily spotted by the smell of tanned leather than its decorative pegasi. The prices here are steep and the wait for boots and slippers is long, but the beautiful work holds up for years. It has been owned by the Thentavvas family for quite a few generations, although they left Waterdeep for two generations or so during the Wailing Years, renting the place out. They returned in the 1470s, restoring its name and operations.
• Three Winds Teahouse: Teahouse . Located right in the Aumardinn neighborhood where a great many Shou have settled in Waterdeep, Three Winds is a delightful teahouse that specializes in the teas and tea traditions of Shou Lung. It is a favorite place by the locals to use for business meetings.

Undercliff

• The latest ward (in 1479 DR) formed at the base of the eastern cliffs. It was connected to the rest of the city through subterranean tunnels.

Inhabitants

Guilds

It was said that the Lords ruled Waterdeep but did not always truly run it. This was quite true, in that there were a number of other factions who made up Waterdeep. The most noticeable were the Guilds of Waterdeep—powerful merchant and craft organizations that controlled much of the life-blood of the city. Once, the guilds ruled the city, and it almost destroyed itself in a series of internal commercial wars. No one wanted to see those days return.

Nobility

A second important Waterdhavian faction was the local nobility. It consisted of 76 families of varying degrees of power, most of whom could trace their lines to before the founding of Waterdeep itself. Many powerful names came out of Waterdeep, including the Amcathras (whose scion became Lord of Shadowdale the Cassalanters, wealthy moneylenders; as well as the Wands, a family of powerful and noble wizards.

Merchants

Third, a rising merchant class existed outside the standard guilds. These were caravan and coaster operators, and they used Waterdeep as a destination for their caravan goods. More shops offered a variety of different goods because of this growing group. The most notable of these new merchants was the retired wizardess Aurora, who established a magical retail organization to supply a wide number of patrons across the North with specialized items.

Adventurers

A large host of adventurers flooded the city at any given time, some of whom established themselves as citizens of good standing and remained permanently. With the exception of Force Grey, secret societies such as The Harpers and the Red Sashes made up the closest thing resembling official organizations that drew from the city's resident adventuring population.

Rumors & Legends

In the early 1360s DR, there was a rumor in circulation that the Red Wizards of Thay wanted to open a public teleport gate between the cities of Suzail and Waterdeep, but the project was shut down by a merchants' guild in one of the two cities.