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 attracted 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-state of the Lords' Alliance, the coalition of nations and city-states that seeks to maintain order in The Steadfast.
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 lay 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."
The various roads to Waterdeep are well paved and well patrolled. The major trade routes include:
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.
Geographical Features Waterdeep is built on the site of the ancient elven settlement of Aelinthaldaar. It sprawls 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 is 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 are a popular target for adventurers, who enjoy the close vicinity of the city's main taverns and temples where aid can be purchased through donations.
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 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. The leader of the Lords of Waterdeep is the Open Lord, who does not conceal their identity. The current Open Lord of Waterdeep is Laeral Silverhand.

Aliases
City of Splendors
Crown of the North
Region The Steadfast, Northwest Faerun, Sword Coast North

Major Imports Grain, livestock, leather, ore, timber, and exotic goods from other lands
Major Exports Ale, arms, cloth, fish, furnishings, leather goods, pottery, refined metals, and all other sorts of finished goods
Currency 1 sun = 10 gold dragons = 20 electrum sambar = 100 silver shards = 1000 copper nibs
Politics Oligarchical city-state
Open Lord Laeral Silverhand
Legislative The Masked Lords of Waterdeep
Judicial The Magisters of Waterdeep