Waterdeep
Likely you have already arrived in Waterdeep and borne witness to some of its many wonders. But in case this pamphlet has found its way beneath your worthy eyes in anticipation of your visit, due to the commendable efforts of some friend or family member who loves you dearly, I shall explain briefly the circumstances of entry.
You will have traveled through lands claimed and controlled by the Lords of Waterdeep long before you see its walls. If you’ve come from the south by the Trade Way, you’ll have met the City Guard at their post at Zundbridge. From the north by way of the Long Road, you’ll have passed under their watchful eyes at the town of Rassalantar. And whether by land or sea, you’ll likely also have been spotted by the Griffon Cavalry — even if you have not spotted them.
Worry not. Waterdeep is a welcoming city, and you have nothing to fear from these guardians unless you lead a rampaging army of orcs, a horde of gnolls, or similar. They don’t even require a toll be paid. (Beware any City Guard who demands a toll, and report the incident to a magister of Waterdeep at your earliest convenience.)
If you travel in a large caravan or on a ship, you will be required to register with a magister at the gate at which you arrived or with the harbor magister. Magisters can easily be recognized by the black robes they wear (and, in fact, are commonly called “black robes” as a result) and the City Guard force that always accompanies them. Be aware that magisters can pass a sentence without a trial. It behooves you to treat them with proper respect.
If you travel overland in a small party or alone, you aren’t required to register with a magister unless your stay extends beyond a tenday. At that point, you must register with a magister either at the harbor, the gates, or the city courts. Discovery of your failure to do so can result in a fine or forced labor. Of course, registration subjects you to monthly taxation. But as a truculent old acquaintance from the Dales once told me, “The sheep gives the shepherd its fleece or there’ll be mutton for dinner.” That is, the magisters will get you either way, so you might as well register up front.
That said, many canny visitors with business for a month or a season betimes avail themselves of the hospitality of inns in Undercliff, the pleasant farmland east of the city proper. The less well-off often find accommodation in the Field Ward. Because neither are official wards of the city, they aren’t subject to taxation. Note, however, that because both these areas have yet to be formally accepted as wards of the city, they don’t benefit from the securities of Guild Law or the protection of the Watch. If you choose to follow this path, be on your guard. Fools rush in where auditors fear to tread.
Regardless of what size party you arrive with or by what means, if you arrive by night or in winter, expect to register. In winter and at night the gates are shut. Ships aren’t expected at night or as a regular occurrence after the first frost of the coming season, and are often met at docking by a magister — or by a contingent of the Guard who will hold travelers aboard until a magister can be summoned.
None of these rules apply to the city’s least used gate, the West Gate. This smaller gate opens onto the Mud Flats — a mucky beach used by clam diggers, shore fishers, and those brave enough to bathe in the cold waves. Those who make a living through fishing with nets or traps also use this gate, keeping their small boats on the beach to avoid docking fees. Locals register with the Guard as they exit and as they enter. No magister is stationed at the gate, but no new arrivals to Waterdeep are accepted here.
If you approach by air, expect a vigorous pursuit by and confrontation with the Griffon Cavalry. Only specially licensed individuals and mounts can fly over Waterdeep. It is best to land well outside the city and approach on foot.
Demographics
The short:
110,000 in all.
The Long:
We do know that the City of the Dead is nearly empty, that the North Ward fills with workers in the mornings and empties at night (most people live elsewhere), that the Field Ward is a crowded shantytown, and that the Sea ward is filled with large estates (which do have live in servants but due to size and price the population density is low). We could assume that the majority of the population is evenly divided between Dock, Castle, Southern, and Undercliff; say 15% of the population in each of these wards with 20% in the Fields ward, and 10% or less in the others.
You can use numbers from the Late Middle Ages (after 1200 to the 1500s) for anywhere between 100 000 to 300 000 for the city proper; this wiki article is a good starting point that breaks down why the population fluctuated over the centuries https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Paris .
It bears mentioning, though, that Waterdeep is a port city with farms nearby and its population would fluctuate with the seasons and trade. I would assume the Dock and Field Ward might have vastly higher populations (migrating workers, sailors, traders, caravans, etc) in working months than in winter. Conversely, you could have common people wintering in Waterdeep (public services like sewers, warm temples, and garbage collection are nice to have in winter) and have those wards or other residential ones being very crowded as people aren't abroad on ships or trips to other major cities.
We can also assume that magic and technology allows more people to live comfortably in less space so we could bump those numbers even higher if we wanted; more like towards the Early Modern or even the Age of Revolutions if you want to expand the city's size (which WotC has also not been 100% specific on for our freedom). We could also assume disasters like the Black Death, Great Famine and civil/religious wars that happened in Europe could have happened in Waterdeep (demons, evil wizards, etc) if you wanted the population on the lower end of the estimates.
Government
Waterdeep is ruled by a council whose membership is largely secret. These hidden Lords of Waterdeep maintain their identities behind magical masks; while they rule in public, none know the true identities of most of them.[3] The subject of who the Lords are is a common topic of noble conversation, and some consider it a game to discover their identity, a game made more confusing by the fact the Lords themselves set their own rumors afloat. It is a known fact[citation needed] that Piergeiron the Paladinson, Warden of Waterdeep and Commander of the Watch, whose golden-spired palace dominates the center of the city, is a member of the Lords. He is the Unmasked Lord (in some references, the Open Lord), and wears no mask over either his face or his heart.
The archmage Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun was also of the Lords, and perhaps chief among them, exceeding even Piergeiron. Three members of The Four (excluding Randal Morn, who rules far Daggerdale Mirt the Moneylender and his wife Asper, and Durnan the barkeeper and owner of the Yawning Portal are revealed to be Lords of Waterdeep in several of Ed Greenwood's stories. Though the names of the courtesan Larissa and Texter the Paladin have been connected with the Lords, evidence exists to both prove or disprove claims that they are Lords. Beyond these listed conjecture swings widely as to who is a Lord and who is not.
The Lords appear in public only in the Lords' Court, hearing all cases of murder, treason, misuse of magic, and appeals from lower courts. On such occasions there are always at least four Lords present, but sometimes six or seven are seen, and rarely as many as nine. Piergeiron chairs the Court and asks all questions, for the Lords speak through him. In chambers the Lords all appear similarly masked and robed, their robes formless and black, with black capes, and their masks completely covering the head and face. These masks have featureless faces, with mirrored crystals over the eyes, save for Piergeironís. He has had his face covering separated from his helm, and lets those who appear before the Court see his face.
Defences
Waterdeep maintains two separate armed forces, the Guard and the 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 and in addition to capturing criminals, its members settle petty disputes, give directions, summon medical and priestly aid, generally performing duties that promote the idea that Waterdeep is a city open to all who know how to behave themselves.
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 hippogriffs. Aside from this Waterdeep also benefits from a large native population of the adventuring class (including powerful mages, priests, and warriors) who are more than willing to deal with any and all miscreants who threaten their home city, and have done so in the past. This has often proved the City of Splendors most potent defense.
Waterdhavian justice is dispatched by the Magisters, who direct the common courts of the city. These Black Robes, as they are often called, are empowered to pass sentence. They are always accompanied by six members of the guard. Any individuals found guilty may appeal to the Lord’s Court, ruled over by the masked Lords of Waterdeep, where serious cases are usually heard. Individuals bringing frivolous cases to the Lord’s Court usually face stiffer fines than if they accepted a magister’s ruling.
Guilds and Factions
Guilds of Waterdeep
Bakers’ Guild
Carpenters’, Roofers’, and Plaisterers’ Guild
Cellarers’ and Plumbers’ Guild
Coopers’ Guild
Council of Farmer-Grocers
Council of Musicians, Instrument-makers, and Choristers
Dungsweepers’ Guild
Fellowship of Bowyers and Fletchers
Fellowship of Carters and Coachmen
Fellowship of Innkeepers
Fellowship of Salters, Packers, and Joiners
Fishmongers’ Fellowship
Guild of Apothecaries and Physicians
Guild of Butchers
Guild of Chandlers and Lamplighters
Guild of Fine Carvers
Guild of Glassblowers, Glaziers, and Spectacle-makers
Guild of Stonecutters, Masons, Potters, and Tile-makers
Guild of Trusted Pewterers and Casters
Guild of Watermen
Jesters’ Guild
Jewelers’ Guild
Launderers’ Guild
League of Basket-makers and Wickerworkers
League of Skinners and Tanners
Loyal Order of Street Laborers
Master Mariners’ Guild
Most Careful Order of Skilled Smiths and Metalforgers
Most Diligent League of Sail-makers and Cordwainers
Most Excellent Order of Weavers and Dyers
Order of Cobblers and Corvisers
Order of Master Shipwrights
Order of Master Tailors, Glovers, and Mercers
Saddlers’ and Harness-makers’ Guild
Scriveners’, Scribes’, and Clerks’ Guild
Solemn Order of Recognized Furriers and Woolmen
Splendid Order of Armorers, Locksmiths, and Finesmiths
Stablemasters’ and Farriers’ Guild
Stationers’ Guild
Surveyors’, Map-, and Chart-makers’ Guild
Vintners’, Distillers’, and Brewers’ Guild
Wagon-makers’ and Coach Builders’ Guild
Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors
Wheelwrights’ Guild
Factions
Forgotten Batallion
Emerald Enclave
The Grey Hands
Hapers
Lords' Alliance
Order of the Gauntlet
Xanathar Guild
Zhentarim
History
In the Golden Age, Waterdeep was renowned as a city of culture and technological and magical splendor. Pelor and Ioun are said to have established a home in Waterdeep. When the Devastation ocurred, the city was razed almost to the ground.
Waterdeep was founded post-Devastation by local tribes who benefited from trading timber and furs with southern merchants, and the settlement's deep harbor gave the city its name.[3] These were violent times, and a savage human tribe overran the settlement and built defenses and fortified their new homes. As tribes of humanoids advanced on Waterdeep, more human tribes converged on the settlement, swelling its size and number of defenders, and after savage battles, Waterdeep emerged as a free city ruled by War Lords. The mighty mage Ahghairon then overthrew the last of the War Lords and established a government based on wisdom instead of armed might, and he ruled the city with a group of masked Lords who were secretly selected to govern. When Ahghairon died 200 years later, his rule was followed by a brief period of anarchy, as powerful guildmasters attempted to gain sole control of the city, until Ahghairon's surviving fellow lords took steps to reestablish the rule of the Lords.
The city grew rapidly and it did not take long for both the City of the Dead—a sprawling cemetery complex—and the various trade guilds to be developed. The guildmasters seized control of the city soon afterward, ushering in a period of unrest and bitter conflict known as the Guildwars. The Guildwars ended only when the two surviving guildmasters brought in their own period of misrule.
Since that time, the city has continued to grow and prosper. Humankind and other races come from parts of Aevallon to engage in business in the Waterdeep, now known as the City of Splendors. Over the years these successful merchants set up guilds and themselves become nobility, supporting the secretive Lords of Waterdeep who police the city fairly, by means of the well-trained city guard (soldiers), city watch (police), and over 20 black-robed magistrates. As a result, Waterdeep is now described as a place tolerant of different races, religions, and lifestyles. This in turn has encouraged commerce, and Waterdeep has grown into a huge, eclectic city.
Geography
Waterdeep is named for its outstanding natural deepwater harbor, which has made the city a commercial crossroads. The city sprawls northward from the sea, spreading along the flanks of Mount Waterdeep, a solitary mountain. Mt. Waterdeep is indicated to have been a citadel of a fantasy race called the dwarves, and the entire length and great depth of the mountain is riddled with passages and tunnels, most of which are still occupied by deadly creatures whose presence in the mountain pre-dates the founding of the city itself.
Maps
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Waterdeep
Alternative Name(s)
The City of Splendors
Type
Large city
Population
130,000 (approx.)
Inhabitant Demonym
Waterdavian
Included Locations
Owner/Ruler
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
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