Waterdeep
Waterdeep, also known as the City of Splendors or the Crown of the North, is the most important and influential city in the North and perhaps in all Faerûn.
It is a truly marvelous cosmopolitan city of great culture that attracts the most talented artisans, artists, and scholars from across the Realms, as well as a commercial hub for financial interests along the coast and beyond.
It is one of if not the most powerful and influential member-states of the Lords' Alliance, the coalition of nations and city-states that aims to maintain order along the Sword Coast and the North.
Due to its great importance as a highly influential metropolitan city, Waterdeep is considered part of the Western Heartlands of the Realms, even though it lies 150 miles (240 kilometers) north of Daggerford on the shores of the Sword Coast North.
The city sits "slightly above the 45 degree north latitude line on Toril."
The various roads to Waterdeep are well paved and well patrolled. The major trade routes included:
It is a truly marvelous cosmopolitan city of great culture that attracts the most talented artisans, artists, and scholars from across the Realms, as well as a commercial hub for financial interests along the coast and beyond.
It is one of if not the most powerful and influential member-states of the Lords' Alliance, the coalition of nations and city-states that aims to maintain order along the Sword Coast and the North.
Due to its great importance as a highly influential metropolitan city, Waterdeep is considered part of the Western Heartlands of the Realms, even though it lies 150 miles (240 kilometers) north of Daggerford on the shores of the Sword Coast North.
The city sits "slightly above the 45 degree north latitude line on Toril."
The various roads to Waterdeep are well paved and well patrolled. The major trade routes included:
- Trade Way, the trade route to the south.
- Long Road, the inland trade route to the north.
- High Road, the coastal trade route to the north, not to be confused with the stretch of the road that passed through the city.
Government
Waterdeep is ruled by a sixteen-seat council whose membership is largely secret. These hidden Lords of Waterdeep maintain their identities behind magical masks, called the Lord's Helm, and while they rule in public, none knows the true identities of most of them.
The subject of who the Lords were 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.
The subject of who the Lords were 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.
Defences
Waterdeep maintains two separate armed forces, the City Guard and the City Watch.
The City Guard serves as Waterdeep's soldiery and its members staff garrisons, road patrols, and watchposts, and serve as bodyguards and gate guards.
The Watch is the local police force, acting as a constabulary within the city.
More delicate missions taken in the name of the City of Splendors are handled by Force Grey, an elite force of a dozen or so skilled spellcasters and cunning warriors.
Waterdeep has strong walls on its landward sides and is protected in part by Mount Waterdeep on the seaward side. Mount Waterdeep is studded with watch towers and defensive positions, and patrolled by special guard units on flights of griffons known as the Griffon Cavalry.
Aside from this, Waterdeep also benefits from a large native population of the adventurers that are often more than willing to deal with any and all miscreants that threaten their home city.
Notable companies that arose to aid Waterdeep in times of peril included the band of heroes that slew the first Xanathar, the all-halfling group known as the Defenders Three, the Dawnbringer Company, and perhaps most famously, the Company of Crazed Venturers.
The city is also home to the eight enormous Walking Statues of Waterdeep. Seven of these statues can be animated by the Blackstaff of Waterdeep to defend the city, while one is too damaged to be activated.
These statues are extremely destructive, and only used to fend off armies or win otherwise impossible battles.
The City Guard serves as Waterdeep's soldiery and its members staff garrisons, road patrols, and watchposts, and serve as bodyguards and gate guards.
The Watch is the local police force, acting as a constabulary within the city.
More delicate missions taken in the name of the City of Splendors are handled by Force Grey, an elite force of a dozen or so skilled spellcasters and cunning warriors.
Waterdeep has strong walls on its landward sides and is protected in part by Mount Waterdeep on the seaward side. Mount Waterdeep is studded with watch towers and defensive positions, and patrolled by special guard units on flights of griffons known as the Griffon Cavalry.
Aside from this, Waterdeep also benefits from a large native population of the adventurers that are often more than willing to deal with any and all miscreants that threaten their home city.
Notable companies that arose to aid Waterdeep in times of peril included the band of heroes that slew the first Xanathar, the all-halfling group known as the Defenders Three, the Dawnbringer Company, and perhaps most famously, the Company of Crazed Venturers.
The city is also home to the eight enormous Walking Statues of Waterdeep. Seven of these statues can be animated by the Blackstaff of Waterdeep to defend the city, while one is too damaged to be activated.
These statues are extremely destructive, and only used to fend off armies or win otherwise impossible battles.
Infrastructure
Waterdeep is characterized by its broad and busy streets and boulevards. Its heavy traffic, a constant during all day and most of the night, is monitored by the traffic wardens of the City Watch. The streets are kept well maintained and signaled by the Scriveners', Scribes', and Clerks' Guild, who manufacture and install labels and signs in all intersections.
Maps
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Waterdeep
Founding Date
936 DR
Type
Large city
Population
2,000,000
Inhabitant Demonym
Waterdhavian
Characters in Location
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