Skullport

The Port of Shadows

Overview

Beneath the glittering streets of Waterdeep lies its darker twin: Skullport, the Port of Shadows. Hidden in the caverns of Undermountain and reached only by secret tunnels and perilous waterways, Skullport thrives as the den of smugglers, slavers, and all who cannot show their faces in the City of Splendors.

Where Waterdeep’s markets shine with guild banners and guards, Skullport’s markets glow with witch-lanterns, slave brands, and black-market wares too dangerous for daylight. Its name comes from the glowing skulls that drift above its streets — enchanted sentinels of unknown origin that watch silently as crime and trade flow freely below.

Reputation

• Among Sailors: Skullport is the whispered other harbor. A place where contraband can be sold without taxes or questions. Many claim never to have gone there, yet more than a few sailors bear coin stamped with strange marks.
• Among Leilon Folk: It’s half rumor, half threat. Parents warn children that “bad miners get sold in Skullport.” Tavern tales describe it as a place where Fey bargains and pirate hoards alike are traded like common goods.
• Among Nobles: For houses like the Vexmoors, Skullport is both opportunity and disgrace. Feystone might fetch a price there — but selling through Skullport brands one a criminal in Waterdeep’s eyes.

Ties to Waterdeep

Though Waterdeep pretends otherwise, Skullport survives because of its proximity. Secret tunnels and bribed watchmen keep its markets supplied. Some whisper that even guildmasters profit from its existence, letting the “shadow trade” drain away the worst crimes while Waterdeep’s streets remain clean.

Leilon’s Connection

House Vexmoor has never openly traded in Skullport — but their exile and desperate need for buyers makes the possibility loom ever larger. To miners in Leilon, Skullport is the “last stop,” where goods too dangerous or cursed for Neverwinter might still find a buyer.

What Makes Skullport Distinct

• The Glowing Skulls: Dozens of floating, flame-lit skulls patrol its streets. They never speak, only watch. Some say they enforce order. Others swear they are remnants of a dead god.
• The Slave Pits: More than a rumor — Skullport’s markets openly deal in flesh, whether criminals, war captives, or the unlucky.
• The Black Bazaar: Here, anything can be bought — cursed items, stolen magic, Fey contracts, even sahuagin pearls.
• The Stench of the Deep: Sailors say you can smell Skullport before you see it — brine, smoke, and blood thick in the cavern air.

Local Sayings

• “If Waterdeep won’t sell it, Skullport will.”
• “Mind your purse in Waterdeep, mind your soul in Skullport.”

Religions

Skullport has no official temples or recognized pantheon. Faith follows power — shrines and cults operate only under the protection of factions, and piety is often just another form of currency.

Tolerated / Thriving Cults:

• Mask (god of shadows, thieves) — worshipped widely by smugglers and assassins.
• Lolth (Queen of Spiders) — drow enclaves maintain shrines, tolerated under their sponsorship.
• Umberlee (Queen of the Depths) — sailors and smugglers appease her for safe passage, often in bloody rituals.
• Shar (Lady of Loss, darkness) — whispered among the dispossessed and ambitious crime lords.
• Cyric (Prince of Lies) — cults weave treachery and murder into Skullport’s politics.

Cults & Black Bazaar Faiths:

• Talona (Lady of Poison) — poisons and venoms traded in her name.
• Myrkul (Lord of Bones) — necromancers and slavers invoke him when buying or binding undead.
• Fey Pacts — altars to strange Archfey appear in the Black Bazaar, often tied to contracts too dangerous for the surface.

Suppressed / Absent Faiths:

• Tyr, Torm, Helm — gods of justice have no shrines; priests risk assassination.
• Moradin, Chauntea, Lathander, Sune — lawful or life-affirming gods are mocked or hidden. Their clergy survive only if disguised, or by paying for protection.

Notes for DMs

• In Skullport, religion = faction politics. A shrine without a syndicate backing it will not survive.
• Adventuring hook: PCs with open ties to good-aligned gods may be targeted. Conversely, evil cults may court them for alliances or bargains.
• Worship here often blurs into contracts and blood-oaths — especially in the Black Bazaar.

Rights & Codes — Skullport

Improving Standing in Skullport

• Syndicate Protection (Slavers & Smugglers) → Status X → A
  By paying dues or working jobs for the dominant crime families, adventurers gain the right to carry weapons and settle disputes through syndicate “courts.” Refusing protection leaves them open targets.
• Black Bazaar Charter → Trade X → U
  A stamped sigil (bought, forged, or stolen) grants access to the Bazaar’s cursed and exotic goods without harassment. Without it, PCs risk robbery, extortion, or being shut out entirely.
• Zhentarim Patronage → Movement U → P (safeguarded passage)
  The Black Network arranges “safe tunnels” into and out of Skullport for those in their favor. In return, adventurers are expected to carry out smuggling runs or sabotage rivals.
• Drow House Sponsorship → Faith S → P
  Lolthite enclaves protect their pawns and allies. Adventurers may find safety in their shrines, but at the cost of becoming entangled in spiderweb politics.
• Glowing Skull’s Favor → Spellcasting U/S → D
  Rare but possible. The Skulls rarely intervene unless provoked, but some legends speak of adventurers who bought or bargained their tolerance. It may involve tribute, magical service, or blood oaths.

Why It’s Unique to Skullport

Unlike Waterdeep or Neverwinter (bureaucratic licenses) or Leilon (faith and family), Skullport reduces “standing” to who you pay and who you fear. Factions act as licenses — your papers are a crime boss’s word, a cult’s brand, or a Zhentarim sigil.

Factions of Skullport

Notes for DMs (Skullport)

• No Laws, Only Power: “Licenses” here are protection contracts with crime syndicates. PCs who pay a syndicate gain privileges; those without backing are prey.
• Dangerous Spellcasting: Magic is technically free, but destructive displays may provoke the Glowing Skulls. Use them as narrative enforcers or mysterious patrons.
• Religion as Faction: Shrines are fronts for syndicates or cults. PCs with clerics may be pressured to “declare allegiance” or pay for sanctuary.
• No Faction Covers All Rights: Adventurers must choose allies. Double-dealing is possible but dangerous, often leading to assassination attempts.
• Hooks Everywhere: Smuggling, slavery, cursed magic, Fey bargains, sahuagin pearls — Skullport is the market of last resort.