The City of the Dead functioned as Waterdeep’s cemetery for centuries, becoming increasingly crowded by graves. No different than the city surrounding it, this area has been built over repeatedly, with the old being supplanted by new. As such, the remains of the most ancient noble families can be found here, if one digs deep enough. During his Open Lordship, Ahghairon solved the issue of crowding by creating a series of extra-dimensional portals, locked inside of mausoleums. Prior to the Spellplague, this resulted in the City of the Dead being the safest ward (during the day, at least). In short, it was a curated garden, dotted with some of the finest sculptures from Waterdeep’s past. It was not uncommon to see families strolling the parklands or children playing hide and seek around the tombs. Granted, it wasn’t wise to dally after dark, but, at present, it isn’t wise to enter except under guard. Perhaps due to the concentration of portals, the Spellplague hit the City of the Dead harder than the rest of the city. What was once well manicured lawns and imposing tombs has undergone a disturbing transformation. Dead and twisted trees claw the sky. The scent of rot wafts from opened tombs. Nature has reclaimed much of it, as have the dead. The vaunted portals that once made this the safest cemetery in Faerun have mostly malfunctioned, and entire vaults have been transformed into undead. Thankfully, most are locked shut, but crafting new ones is a difficult endeavor. This part of the city is barred to the public without sanction, though few seek to enter unless necessary. To Silverhand’s credit, she is the first Open Lord in sixty years to make reclamation of this area a priority, going as far as personally partnering with Waterdeep’s clergy and mages. ~The Lord Dumaine
