Waterdeep
Waterdeep, also known as the City of Splendors or the Crown of the North, is the largest, most important, and most influential city in the North and perhaps in all Faerûn. It's only rival, Neverwinter fell from competition after the Cataclysm. During this time, Dagult Neverember stepped down as Open Lord of Waterdeep and took his army to the city to aid House Gladius.
The road to Waterdeep is well paved and well patrolled. The city is 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 thirty to forty miles from its walls.
Waterdeep was named for its outstanding natural deep-water harbor, and the city that grew up at this site became the commercial crossroads of the northern Realms. More than 100,000 people made their home in the city proper of Waterdeep. The city 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.
The city of Waterdeep is divided in to seven wards: Castle Ward, City of the Dead, Dock Ward, North Ward, Sea Ward, South Ward, and Trade Ward.
Castle Ward
The Castle Ward is the heart and mind of Waterdeep, if not its soul. It houses the city's military forces, courts, government, and the Market-the largest market square of any city in the North. It encompasses the City Navy's docks in the Great Harbor and all of Mount Waterdeep, and it is home to six walking statues, numerous temples, and many other landmarks. Here is located the Palace of Waterdeep, the Open Lord's private residence, and Blackstaff Tower, the residence of the Archmage of Waterdeep. This ward is also a common place for retired adventurers to make their homes.Blackstaff Tower
A squat black blot in the otherwise pretty ward. Humble though the edifice might be, looking at the place for too long can give you a queasy feeling and the sense that you are being watched-almost as if the tower itself has turned an unseen and wrathful eye upon you.Castle Waterdeep
Castle Waterdeep stands above the city on a great bluff that extends out from the mountain, its towers soaring hundreds of feet into the sky. It surprises many to learn that this isn't where Waterdeep's rulers reside, nor from where the city is governed. The castle was and is a redoubt of last defense should the city be attacked, but for well over a century, the ruler of Waterdeep has occupied the Palace of Waterdeep - also known as Piergeiron's Palace, and still called that by elderly and long-lived citizens (including many elves).Mirt's Mansion
Once a fortress-like and glowering tower, it has been upgraded with more delicate fashions of architecture since the return of its long-absent owner. Mirt has quite a history with Durnan, the proprietor of the Yawning Portal. Together they descended into "the Well, " as the entrance to Undermountain was known in olden days. Waterdeep used to throw criminals in the Well, leaving them to die horribly in Undermountain's dungeons. Durnan and Mirt entered the dungeons of their own free will-and not only that, but returned laden with treasures. Both used magic to extend their lives, but they eventually parted ways. Mirt kept on with a life of adventure, while Durnan built the tavern called the Yawning Portal over the Well and now, almost two centuries later, charges coin to descend into it.Temples
The glorious Spires of the Morning, dedicated to Lathander, is one of Waterdeep's most beautiful temples. But it is rivaled in this ward by the Temple of the Seldarine, dedicated to all the elf gods. The journey through Mount Melody Walk, a tunnel cut through Mount Waterdeep, to New Olamn's academy of music and other arts is a wondrous daytime excursion. The Font of Knowledge is a temple to Oghma, yes, but also the city's largest public library. Titles written throughout the ages can be viewed here-under the watchful eyes of the temple's priests.The Yawning Portal
A stone building with a slate roof, the Yawning Portal offered guest rooms on the three upper floors. Well-worn boards covered the floor, but the main impression was of comfort. Rich blue tapestries decorated the wood-paneled walls of the common room, which consisted of a bar and tables of stout wood. A signboard that simply read "The Yawning Portal," hanging on chains from a black iron pole above the front door, announced the entry to the inn. The Yawning Portal inn gained most of its renown for being the primary open route to the Undermountain. A well within its walls led down into the first dungeon of Undermountain.City of the Dead
This park-like area is surrounded by high walls. It is 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 is Waterdeep's graveyard. The more important personages have their own personal graves or family shrines, while others are confined to larger crypts. The reason for the guards is not to protect the graves, but rather to protect the city from the occasional restless undead creature that does not appreciate its accommodations.Warriors' Monument
One of the cemetery's most impressive attractions is the Warriors' Monument. This intricate, sixty-foot-high sculpture depicts a circle of women and men striking down trolls, orcs, hobgoblins, bugbears, and barbarians, all of which are falling backward and outward around the warriors. Above all of them, a flying griffon rider spears a skeletal knight whose breastplate bears the symbol of Myrkul, god of the dead. But this statue is also a fountain, and the wounds on these combatants gush water.Dock Ward
As one might assume, the Dock Ward is situated hard on the Great Harbor of Waterdeep and held the docks, shipbuilding yards, and warehouses for the sea trade. The harbor is inhabited by merfolk who kept the peace within their own aquatic city. The Dock Ward was long considered the most dangerous district in the city, but the Field Ward has since taken that title. Despite being the poorest and least literate, residents of the Dock Ward are often the hardest working folk in Waterdeep. Warehouses, poorhouses, and tenements dominate much of the area. Streets are steep throughout, and few have space alongside for pedestrians. Wandering through the ward can be a bewildering journey without a guide. Except in the immediate vicinity of the piers, shop signs and advertising of any kind are rare, and warehouses and other businesses often have no sign at all. People here either already know where they are going or are already lost.North Ward
Tucked in the northeastern portion of the city, North Ward is the home of the nobility and their villas. The wealthy classes make their homes here, far removed from the hustle and bustle of the lower classes by the docks and in Southern Ward. As the sun rises, the drays arrive with servants. These aren't the live-in staff used by noble houses, but people hired to come and work for a day. Most of them come from less affluent parts of the city, arriving with the tools of their trade and outfitted in their customary garb: launderers and cooks in white, chimney sweeps and house-cleaners in black, valets and child-minders in gray, gardeners in green, and tutors in blue.Sea Ward
The Sea Ward stands proud on the high ground above Mount Waterdeep's sunset shadow. The rich and the powerful (or those who wish you to think such of them, and can afford the rent) reside or run their businesses here. When the warlords and pirates of early Waters Deep gained enough gold, they built fortresses on what used to be fields of grass tousled by sea wind. You can still see the remains of some of those old castles incorporated into the palatial homes of the noble families that dwell in the Sea Ward.Field of Triumph
The Field of Triumph is the venue for many public spectacles from late spring until late autumn, weather permitting. The Open Lord of Waterdeep uses the Field as a public forum to give proclamations to the city, but most of the time it is host to exciting events such as horse races, shows of magic and illusion, martial displays of formation and skill, gladiatorial combats, and exhibitions of strange and wondrous creatures and monsters from all across Faerûn and beyond. Attendance often numbers in the tens of thousands.South Ward
Sometimes referred to by the locals as simply "South", the Southern Ward is a place of caravan masters and traders, for it was close to the South Gate. One can indulge in the finest halfling food here, enjoy the best singers of Calishite music, and examine the most stunning works of dwarven crafting-but the first challenge is finding where these treats are housed. The Southern Ward has long been a district of laborers catering to travelers, so its folk have adopted the architectural custom of building homes and businesses above stables or around inn yards, near to where wagon trains are housed. Residents of the Southern Ward take pride in their legacy as overland travelers and hardworking folk, so it should be no surprise that the ward's mascot is the mule. On their competition flags, a pugnacious mule in rampant pose stands on a field of red and white-colors said to represent the blood and tears the people of the Southern Ward have shed during their labors.Trade Ward
Waterdeep's commercial section. This ward bustles day and night with activity, both on the street and on balcony walkways that run the length of blocks and are sometimes layered five stories high. Shop signs appear to leap out from buildings, whose sides are plastered with advertisements all vying for the attention of the eye. Glove shops, shoe shops, jewelry stores, perfumeries, flower shops, cake shops, taverns, cafés, tea shops, inns, row houses, boarding schools, offices, dance academies, grocers, pottery stores, armor vendors-as long as it's not illegal, you can find it in the Trades Ward. But if you are looking for something illegal, the Trades Ward is likely the place to get that too. Do not do so too loudly, though. The City Watch has a heavy presence in this ward, in the form of both open patrols and officers working out of uniform.House of Light
As befits a place of so much business, many guilds have their halls in this ward. Of particular note is the House of Light, the hall of the Guild of Chandlers and Lamplighters. Outside the building, a wagon-sized mound of wax with hundreds of wicks is kept lit day and night, while being continually built up with adhered candles. Inside, the best works of the guild are put on display and sold, including not just candles of various colors, lamps, and chandeliers, but elaborate waxwork constructions that depict all sorts of subjects from personages of note, to dragons, to complex and abstract lattices-all represented as fantastical candles.Other Information
Demographics
Humans make up about 65% of Waterdeep, with the rest being a fairly even mix of the common races. Though they are not unwelcome, the more exotic races are rarely seen within the city.
Government
Waterdeep is ruled by a council whose membership was largely secret. These hidden Lords of Waterdeep maintain their identities behind magical masks, called Helms, and while they rule in public, none know the true identities of most of them. The subject of who the Lords are is a common topic of noble conversation, and some consider it a game to discover the Lords' identities, a game made more confusing by the fact the Lords themselves set their own rumors afloat.
Maps
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Waterdeep
Alternative Name(s)
The Crown of the North
Type
Large city
Population
1,500,000
Owner/Ruler
Owning Organization
Characters in Location