Welcome to Waterdeep, the Crown of the North, where a wondrous tale of urban adventure is about to unfold. Our story begins in the late Spring of 1492, with the gathering of adventurers at the Yawning Portal Inn and Tavern. Volothamp Geddarm, the famous explorer and raconteur, has a quest — one that he claims includes a handsome reward. He's written a very helpful guide to the city...
Welcome, Traveler! You have in your hands the foremost and most up-to-date guide to the city — smiled over by none other than its Open Lord, Lady Laeral Silverhand. This chapbook will serve you well until my seminal work on the subject, Volo’s Guide to Waterdeep — sadly long out of print, but now a tome prized by collectors — can be updated and printed anew. Ask any broadsheet seller, innkeeper, shopkeeper, tavern owner, or bookseller if they’ll soon have copies of the new edition for sale!
Entering Waterdeep
Likely you have already arrived in Waterdeep and borne witness to some of its many wonders. But in case this pamphlet has found its way beneath your worthy eyes in anticipation of your visit, due to the commendable efforts of some friend or family member who loves you dearly, I shall explain briefly the circumstances of entry.
You will have travelled through lands claimed and controlled by the Lords of Waterdeep long before you see its walls. If you’ve come from the south by the Trade Way, you’ll have met the City Guard at their post at Zundbridge. From the north by way of the Long Road, you’ll have passed under their watchful eyes at the town of Rassalantar. And whether by land or sea, you’ll likely also have been spotted by the Griffon Cavalry — even if you have not spotted them.
Worry not. Waterdeep is a welcoming city, and you have nothing to fear from these guardians unless you lead a rampaging army of orcs, a horde of gnolls, or similar. They don’t even require a toll be paid. (Beware any City Guard who demands a toll, and report the incident to a magister of Waterdeep at your earliest convenience.)
If you travel in a large caravan or on a ship, you will be required to register with a magister at the gate at which you arrived or with the harbour magister. Magisters can easily be recognized by the black robes they wear (and, in fact, are commonly called “black robes” as a result) and the City Guard force that always accompanies them. Be aware that magisters can pass a sentence without a trial. It behoves you to treat them with proper respect.
If you travel overland in a small party or alone, you aren’t required to register with a magister unless your stay extends beyond a tenday. At that point, you must register with a magister either at the harbour, the gates, or the city courts. Discovery of your failure to do so can result in a fine or forced labour. Of course, registration subjects you to monthly taxation. But as a truculent old acquaintance from the Dales once told me, “The sheep gives the shepherd its fleece or there’ll be mutton for dinner.” That is, the magisters will get you, either way, so you might as well register upfront.
That said, many canny visitors with the business for a month or a season betimes avail themselves of the hospitality of inns in Undercliff, the pleasant farmland east of the city proper. The less well-off often find accommodation in the Field Ward. Because neither are official wards of the city, they aren’t subject to taxation. Note, however, that because both these areas have yet to be formally accepted as wards of the city, they don’t benefit from the securities of Guild Law or the protection of the Watch. If you choose to follow this path, be on your guard. Fools rush in where auditors fear to tread.
Regardless of what size party you arrive with or by what means, if you arrive by night or in winter, expect to register. In winter and at night the gates are shut. Ships aren’t expected at night or as a regular occurrence after the first frost of the coming season and are often met at docking by a magister — or by a contingent of the Guard who will hold travellers aboard until a magister can be summoned.
None of these rules applies to the city’s least used gate, the West Gate. This smaller gate opens onto the Mud Flats — a mucky beach used by clam diggers, shore fishers, and those brave enough to bathe in the cold waves. Those who make a living through fishing with nets or traps also use this gate, keeping their small boats on the beach to avoid docking fees. Locals register with the Guard as they exit and as they enter. No magister is stationed at the gate, but no new arrivals to Waterdeep are accepted here.
If you approach by air, expect a vigorous pursuit by and confrontation with the Griffon Cavalry. Only specially licensed individuals and mounts can fly over Waterdeep. It is best to land well outside the city and approach on foot.
Your Arrival in the City
The splendours that await you in Waterdeep are legendary. Each of the city’s wards is detailed in this work, telling you what to expect depending on where you are, as well as what thrilling things you might see and do. Before that, however, there are the small matters of knowing something of the history of the place you visit, and of understanding how to comport yourself in the Sword Coast’s grandest metropolis.
Map of Waterdeep
Table of Contents
- A Long History: in Brief
- Law and Order
- Money, Money, Money
- Getting Around
- Nobility and Guilds
- The Wards of Waterdeep
- Sea Ward
- North Ward
- Castle Ward
- Trades Ward
- Southern Ward
- Dock Ward
- City of the Dead and Outside City Proper
- The City's Splendors
- City Celebrations
- Parting Words
