Laws and punishment

Legal authority in the City of Splendors rests within the Open Lord and the hidden Lords of Waterdeep. The Lord’s Court is chaired by Piergeiron, and is attended by at least two other Lords and two Magisters. The Lord’s Court hears all “severe” crimes, including suspicious deaths, rape, misuse of magic, and succession and inheritance disputes.
Twenty-six appointed black-robed Magisters conduct the Common Courts of Waterdeep. Three “Black Robes” are always on duty at the Palace. During daylight hours, a Magister is also posted at each gate. Magisters can pass sentence instantly, but most sentences are conditional on the supporting evidence of witnesses. Magisters are always accompanied by at least six members of the city guard. Any citizen of Waterdeep can appeal to the Lord’s Court within two days of being sentenced by a Magister, but most such appeals fail. There is no bail in Waterdeep, and barristers are barred from working in the city (although counsel from “professional witnesses” is grudgingly tolerated).
Waterdhavians are largely law-abiding, and most of Water- deep’s laws remain unwritten, within the “reasonable discretion” of the Magisters (and thus the Lords who oversee them). The Code Legal serves as a basis for sentencing, dividing all crimes into four Plaints and each Plaint into severe, serious, lesser, and minor offenses.
The first Plaint involves Crimes Against the Lords (treason, impersonation, forgery of official documents, destruction of city property, assault, willful disobedience of edicts, and blasphemy against a government official). The second Plaint involves Crimes Against the City (poisoning of wells, murder, spying, sabotage, fraud, fencing, unlawful dueling, bribery, unlawful entry into the city, vagrancy, littering, brandishing a weapon without cause, and reckless driving). The third Plaint involves Crimes Against the Gods (defiling of a holy place, theft of temple goods, tomb-robbing, assault on a religious person, public blasphemy of a god or priesthood, and disorderly conduct at worship). The fourth Plaint involves Crimes Against Citizens (arson, rape, bodily harm, magical assault, forgery, slavery, robbery, burglary, theft/killing of livestock, usury, property damage, assault, hindrance of business, and excessive noise).
Slavery is illegal within the city, and slaves brought into the city are considered free. Selling slaves within the wall is forbidden and strictly policed. Weapons can be worn openly and used in self-defense, but brandishing weapons in other situations is a crime. Waterdhavians also expect debts to be paid in full, even if that means the debtor must serve a form of indentured servitude to the creditor (in the case of small debts) or the city (in the case of large debts).
Duels (for reasons of specific, unprovoked injury) are legal only in specific places, but must be marshaled by a member of the Watch or a Magister. Lords, Magisters, guard and watch members, and Heralds are exempt from challenges, and the Lords forbid most duels involving heads of guilds, noble houses, or priesthoods. Most importantly, duels are rarely to the death.
Sentences for lawbreaking include instant death, death upon conviction, exile, mutilation, hard labor, imprisonment (dungeon), imprisonment (light work in castle compound), fine (payable to city), or damages (payable to injured party). Perjury, adjudicated by magic, is punished by expulsion from the city. Death sentences vary by station—commoners and soldiers are
Only the most wealthy and powerful Waterdhavians can afford large private libraries of bound tomes. Though the majority of citizens can read, and they do so often both for pleasure and to feel “on top of Mount Waterdeep” (which means commanding a view of current events, politics, trade activity, and near-future business opportunities), most citi¬zens only own a few well-worn chapbooks, some traditional “long scrolls,” and a large selection of the “short scrolls” commonly known as broadsheets (typically 1 cp on the street or in specialty shops).
Broadsheets are short, written newssheets that specialize in tabloid-style news, filled with political rants, sly social comments, jokes, and serialized “adventures” (often bawdy or pranksome) and are usually available for sale on the streets and in specialized shops. Chapbooks are apt to contain anything from poetry to furious arguments against guilds, governing policy, or methods of tiling roofs. However, chap¬books are most often devoted to memoirs and to romantic tales of either the tearful (for goodwives) or bawdy (for jacks old and young) variety. Long scrolls tend to have writing on one side only, and they are the form of choice for setting down religious texts, accounts that are maintained over time (large ledgers are favored for official coinkeeping, however), and spells that will be cast directly from the writing.
hung from the Castle battlements, while nobles are beheaded by the sword. Floggings are typically carried out at the Court of the White Bull. Death sentences are sometimes commuted to exile into Undermountain, although this often winds up with the same result.