Waterdeep

The City of Splendor

The City of Splendors is certainly the greatest of the Sword Coast cities and perhaps the greatest cities on the face of the world. It’s home to as many as two million people, though an accurate census is all but impossible since so many come and go, visiting the open city to trade and otherwise seek fame and fortune. Waterdeep is a stable and generally peaceful city, where the rule of law is enforced by a huge and well-equipped watch further backed up by some of the most powerful personalities in the Realms. Still, there are parts of Waterdeep that can be dangerous for the unwary, and the rough-and-tumble Dock Ward is one of those parts.

DOCK STREET

Running the length of Waterdeep Harbor, this infamous lane is always crowded with strangers to the city just off he many ships that dock there.

WATERDEEP HARBOR

The busy harbor is protected by enormous gated sea walls above the surface and by a cadre of merfolk beneath it. It is known all over the world as the safest of harbors, with the finest repair facilities for ships across Faerûn and with everything a merchant captain needs—from storehouses and marketplaces to myriad inns, festhalls, and taverns for the entertainment of the crew.

Demographics

Humans 64%
Dwarves 10%
Elves 10%
Halflings 5%
Half-elves 5%
Gnomes 3%
Half-orcs 2%
Others 1%

Government

Waterdeep is an oligarchical city-state ruled by The Lords of Waterdeep.

The Lords of Waterdeep are the ruling council which consists of the open lord Laeral Silverhand and several masked lords.

Defences

Waterdeep is protected by their strong city walls that protects Waterdeep on it's landward sides. The city also maintain two separate armed forces, the City Guard and the City Watch.

The City Guard

They serves as Waterdeep's soldiers that staff the garrisons, road patrols, and watchposts, and serve as bodyguards and gate guards.

The City Watch

This is the local police force.

The city walls are strong and protects Waterdeep on it's landward sides.

Infrastructure

The Wards of Waterdeep

Waterdeep has long been divided into several large regions called wards. To locals these are essential to Waterdeep, but outsiders often lose track of which ward they're in or what a ward's name signifies. The names of the wards suggest the contents of the buildings and the character of the activity in each one, but no laws exist that restrict a given activity or class of people to any specific ward.

Castle Ward

As the name indicates, Castle Ward contains Castle Waterdeep, Piergeiron's Palace, and many other public buildings of the city. This ward is home to mainly the wealthy or influential who can't count themselves among the nobility. Other structures are taken up by educational or religious concerns that primarily serve the city at large, not the residents of the ward.

Dock Ward

Most of the city's harbor area is located in Dock Ward, as are the businesses and warehouses that depend on the city's newly restored harbor. It's a crowded neighborhood of many winding streets, where folk are comfortable making deals that might in other places provoke the displeasure of the law.

Field Ward

Of relatively recent vintage, the Field Ward stands between the inner and outer north walls of the city (an area formerly used as a caravan grounds). This ward grew up in a messy, unregulated fashion and is home to many of the poorest residents of the city.

North Ward

Home to many noble villas, townhouses, and a great many inns, North Ward is the neighborhood of the respectably wealthy.

Sea Ward

Those whose fortunes are on the rise build their homes in Sea Ward, and they join many long-established noble families in residence. This area in the northwest of the city is home to much of the city's wealth, the location of the grandest villas of the city's noble families (except for those in North Ward).

Southern Ward

Stables, warehouses, and shops related to overland trade dominate Southern Ward. Most residents are hardworking folk that load and unload caravan carts, and otherwise perform low-paying work.

Trades Ward

A narrow slice of land between the Castle Ward and the City of the Dead, Trades Ward is the center of commerce for the city, with most of the smaller transactions and respectable trade taking place here.

City of the Dead

The city's walled cemetery, the City of the Dead is the only place in Waterdeep where it is legal to bury the deceased. It is used by many citizens as a public park during the day, a lovely green space of pretty mausoleums and grand statues in which to escape the city's hustle and bustle.

Undercliff

While not considered by many to be a ward of the city, the little villages and many farms that sprawl across the land east of the city were lawfully incorporated into Waterdeep when it moved a barracks and training facility to the area.

Guilds and Factions

Plague Rats (guild of thieves and assassins in the Dock Ward)
Shadow Thieves
Xanathar Thieves' Guild
Harpers
Red Sashes (Vigilante group in the Dock Ward)

Geography

Waterdeep is located in the north on the sword coast. The city spreads out along the flanks of Mount Waterdeep.

Maps

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  Waterdeep

Alternative Name(s)

City of Splendors
Crown of the North

Type

Town

Population

1 347 840 (City of Waterdeep, Metropolis: 132 661)

Inhabitant Demonym

Waterdavian
Waterdhavian

Location under

The Sword Coast

Included Locations

• The Yawning Portal

Owning Organization

The Lords of Waterdeep

Characters in Location

• Harlan Peacewillow
• Ramadiel Ur-Mah'Rul

Related Reports (Secondary)

• Session 1: Sword Coast Road trip