Coinage
As should be expected of any city of standing, Waterdeep mints its own coins. All taxes, fines, and guild fees must be paid either in Waterdavian coin or the currency of any member settlement of the Lords’ Alliance. Though no law requires you to pay for goods or services in Waterdavian coin, the drudgery of weighing foreign currency and checking its purity prompts many retailers and operators of swift-exchange businesses — including drays and hire-coaches — not to accept anything but coins minted in Waterdeep.
Though you can trade your coinage for Waterdeep currency with anyone willing to do so, the exchequers at the Palace of Waterdeep make exchanges with no associated fee. The queue there can be quite long, necessitating that you make an appointment — often a day or more in advance. For a swifter transaction, I recommend any member of the Guild of Trusted Pewterers and Casters, or of the Jewelers’ Guild. Both have the most reliable scales and abide by guild-wide rates of exchange.
Be sure to exchange taols and harbor moons before leaving the city, as their value greatly diminishes elsewhere!
Taxes and Fees
As established in the first year of the reign of the previous Open Lord, Dagult Neverember, Waterdeep collects a monthly tax from all who live within its official wards. The tax is 1 shard per person above the age of ten years, and is collected door-to-door by patrols of the City Guard on the last day of each month.
Individuals who so desire can pay a single dragon in tax and receive a writ exempting them for twelve months, but the writ must be produced every month when the Guard calls, or a new payment is required. If the Guard knocks at a door and receives no answer, a notice of lien with an estimation of tax is affixed to the door. The debt must be dealt with before the next month ends, with payment to be made to any magister.
Those who have no fixed residence can still be taxed if they are confronted in any building, be it an inn or an outhouse. So if you’re out and around on the last day of the month, you’ll no doubt experience “taxing traffic” as the streets become clogged with people trying to avoid the collectors.
Waterdeep also raises revenue by charging other fees, such as the following:
1 nib per day for rental of a stall in the Market
1 shard (above and beyond any fines imposed) from anyone convicted by a magister, per conviction
1 dragon per conveyance leaving the city, empty or full
5 dragons per ship that touches dock in Waterdeep (except for city ships and diplomatic vessels), collected from the captain and covering a stay of up to fourteen days (a ship that leaves the harbor and returns during that time pays the tax upon reentry)
In times of trouble, direct taxes can also be imposed:
A
fire tax (usually 1 dragon per household), levied whenever a fire destroys a large portion of the city
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wall tax or harbor tax (usually 1 dragon per household) raised to directly pay for needed repairs or expansions
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lance tax raised to provide a payroll for mercenaries hired by the city when required (usually 1 shard per household each tenday until the Lords repeal the tax)
