Waterdhavian
Waterdhavians are the residents of Waterdeep and it's general area.
Culture
Culture and cultural heritage
Waterdhavians tended to be social, stalwart and outspoken people who maintained a worldly perspective of the cultures throughout Toril.12 While they were proud of their realm's history, they typically kept from dismissing cultures from foreign lands. While they often sought the improvement of their lives through the accumulation of wealth and self-importance, as a people, they would not stand for military conquest or the thought of imperialization.
Common Dress code
Waterdhavian culture was called for a sort of resigned display of status when it came to the clothes one would wear. While all manner of dress could be seen on the city streets, guild members would only don their livery when conducting official business or meetings, during important holidays or while on ventures outside Waterdeep proper. Nobles would only display their crests or coat-of-arms in subtle affectations, such as a signet ring or other understated jewelry, while their servants wore clothes that were fully emblazoned with their house heraldry.35
In contrast, women were known to maintain a high sense of fashion, often wearing elegant silk gowns, furs and sparkling jewelry, as the season dictated.
Art & Architecture
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Foods & Cuisine
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Common Customs, traditions and rituals
Waterdeep was among several locations in Faerûn where cooking competitions were commonplace. They usually occurred during feasts or festivals that coincided with local market days. Winners could expect prizes in some cases. Such competitions were used to promote produce vendors that received orders for whatever ingredients were used. Savory pies and sausages were always the most popular items ordered in bulk by eateries, festhalls, nobles' estates, and fortresses. Those who won cooking competitions were considered highly desirable hires and were sought after by local and foreign noble houses, regents, fanciful eateries, and other wealth individuals.
Festivals and Holidays
In addition to the standard festivals of the Calendar of Harptos, there were several festivals and holy days held in Waterdeep:
Waterdeep Festival Calendar
| Dates | Event |
|---|---|
| Hammer 1 | Wintershield |
| Alturiak 14 | Grand Revel |
| Ches 1 | Rhyestertide |
| Ches 19 | Fey Day |
| Ches 21–30 | Fleetswake |
| Tarsahk 1–10 | Waukeentide |
| Mirtul 6–9 | Plowing and Running |
| Kythorn 1 | Trolltide |
| Kythorn 14 | Guildhall Day |
| Kythorn 20 | Dragondown |
| Flamerule 1 | Founders' Day |
| Flamerule 3–5 | Sornyn |
| Flamerule 7 | Lliira's Night |
| Eleasias 1 | Ahghairon's Day |
| Eleint 21 | Brightswords |
| First frost | Auril's Blesstide |
| Marpenoth 3 | Day of Wonders |
| Marpenoth 7 | Stoneshar |
| Marpenoth 10 | Reign of Misrule |
| Marpenoth 15 | Gods' Day |
| Marpenoth 30 | Liar's Night |
| Uktar 20 | Last Sheaf |
| Uktar full moon | Selûne's Hallowing |
| Nightal 11 | Howldown |
| Nightal 20 | Simril |
- Ahghairon's Day: A holiday celebrated on the first day of Eleasias, commemorating Ahghairon's birthday. It consisted of small details, like toasting for the Lords; leaving violets at the base of Ahghairon's Tower, the Plinth, or atop the altars of the House of Wonder; and bards performing songs in honor of the Old Mage. The Open Lords visited taverns and inns across the city, to wish the people well.184647
- Auril's Blesstide: Held on the day of winter's first frost, this day saw everyone in the city wearing white clothes, not serving or eating hot meals, and a parade of naked men and women wearing only white cloaks going from Cliffwatch in the North Ward, across the city and to the beaches. There, participants dived into the icy waters, sacrificing their warmth to the Frostmaiden.1848
- Brightswords: On the day of the Autumn Equinox, Waterdhavians held a series of displays and competitions of martial skill and open enlistment by the City Guard and City Watch, topped off by an aerial demonstration by the Griffon Cavalry.47
- Day of Wonders: On Marpenoth 3, worshipers of Gond held a parade to reveal their recent inventions. Due to the experimental nature of the inventions on display, it was very common for devices to fail and cause disruptions to the celebrations.4749
- Dragondown: This holiday was celebrated on Kythorn 20. It reenacted and celebrated the occasions in which dragons that attacked the city were either defeated or driven off. Parades reenacted each individual event, and bonfires and rituals to symbolically tame or bring down dragons were common across the city.47
- Fey Day: Held on Ches 19, the barriers between the Prime Material Plane and the Feywild were thought to weakest on this day. While rural areas were trepidatious and held many superstitions, it is a day of celebration for Waterdhavians.50
- Fleetswake: A festival celebrating the sea, the sea trade and the gods of the sea. It spanned the last tenday of Ches, and included boat races, the Shipwright's Ball at the Shipwright's House, and guild-sponsored galas at the Copper Cup festhall. The festival was concentrated in Dock Ward and the Fiery Flagon in Sea Ward.185152
- Founders' Day: Waterdhavians celebrated the founding of the city on Flamerule 1. Several locations in the city commemorated the holiday, and it was also common for festhalls throughout the city to hold costume contests.4753
- Gods' Day: This holiday observed the anniversary of the end of the Godswar on Marpenoth 15. It was considered a solemn and serious event, especially at night, when Waterdhavians offered prayers in the city's temples to thank the gods for their lives and in remembrance of the catastrophic events of the Time of Troubles.5354
- The Grand Revel: Organized and led by the clergy of Sune, Sharess, Lliira, this holiday was celebrated on Alturiak 14. It consisted of numerous music and dance events, as well as the partaking of different kinds of sweet treats and traditional romantic getaways and exchanging of gifts by young couples.55
- Guildhall Day: This holiday was held on Kythorn 14, and was a celebration of the fruits of peoples' labor. On this day, most shops remained closed, and instead numerous street fairs showcased new products and hosted entertainment programs performed by magicians, jugglers, and singers.52
- Howldown: On Nightal 11, members of the City Guard honored Malar by leaving the city in groups to hunt known threats to farmers and travelers, including bandits, beasts, and monsters that haunted the roads and wilderness. During the same time, the City Watch engaged in its own hunt for malefactors within the city walls.56
- Last Sheaf: Sometimes called "The Small Feast," this day of residential feasting was held on Uktar 20 in celebration of the year's bounty. Small gifts were exchanged among neighbors, and "last letters" were gathered for carriage—so called because they are the last to leave the city before travel becomes difficult.56
- Liar's Night: This holy day paid tribute to Leira and Mask. On Marpenoth 30, to avoid those deities' unwanted attention, celebrants would don costumes or glamers to disguise one's self and pretend to be that which they were not.57
- Lliira's Night: A celebration honoring the Lady of Joy with dances and balls, held the night of Flamerule 7. Although the celebration was shared all over the city in many festhalls, the highlight of the night was the Cynosure Ball, which was sponsored by the Lords, the local clergy of Lliira, and several noble families.184749
- The Plowing and Running: Held on Mirtul 6 - Mirtul 9, it celebrated the plowing of fields and running of livestock, and also involved numerous racing competitions within the city.52
- Reign of Misrule: On Marpenoth 10, this day honored Beshaba. From dawn to dusk, people were expected to cheat, break oaths, and go against the social order, albeit without breaking any actual laws or doing anything unforgivable.54
- Rhyestertide: This holiday was celebrated on Ches 1 in honor of Lathander's miraculous restoration of Rhyester's vision in 717 DR.58 Followers of Lathander celebrated the holiday by dressing in bright red and other sunrise hues and by keeping one eye covered until the next dawn.4955
- Selûne's Hallowing: On whatever night in Uktar the moon was fullest, worshipers of Selûne would lead a parade, beginning at the House of the Moon and wound through the streets of the Sea Ward, south through the Castle Ward, and ending at the docks in the harbor.495659
- Simril: After dusk on Nightal 20, this holiday was celebrated by Waterdhavians by locating stars associated with themselves or their ancestors in the night sky. People tried to stay awake the entire night gathered around bonfires with plenty of music, food, and warm drinks.56
- Sornyn: This three-day festival held between Flamerule 3 and Flamerule 5 honored both Waukeen and Lathander. Celebrants planned business operations and signed meetings and agreements. Copious amounts of wine were consumed during the festival, accompanying all the meetings.4760
- Stoneshar: Followers of all faiths celebrated Marpenoth 7 as a day to start new projects and avoid idleness. People who begun working on new projects during Stoneshar believed that their work would be blessed during the following year.61
- Trolltide: This lesser holiday celebrated the end of the Second Trollwar at the start of Kythorn. On this day, Waterdhavian children would run about the city, dressed as trolls demanding treats from citizens and shop owners lest the children pull pranks on them at sundown.5262
- Waukeentide: Celebrated for the first tenday of Tarsahk in honor of Waukeen, it consisted of a number of festivals bundled together into a single event.4952
- Wintershield: Marking the start of the new year, it was celebrated on Hammer 1 as a day off work when people stayed at home reminiscing the previous year and discussing their expectations for the upcoming year.
Common Taboos
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Common Myths and Legends
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