Yawning Portal

The Yawning Portal inn, built in 1346 DR by the later Lord of Waterdeep Durnan on the ruins of Halaster Blackcloak's old tower, gained most of its renown for being the primary open route to the Undermountain. A well within its walls led down into the first dungeon of Undermountain.

Purpose / Function

Entrance down the Entry Well to Undermountain cost 1 gp per person
The fee for getting hoisted up again was 1 gp per person
While this was not exactly a service of the inn, it was quite common for customers to gamble on the success of those who ventured into Undermountain

Architecture

A stone building with a slate roof, the Yawning Portal offers guest rooms on the three upper floors. Well-worn boards covers the floor, but the main impression is one of comfort. Rich blue tapestries decorate the wood-paneled walls of the common room, which consists of a bar and tables of stout wood. A signboard that simply read "The Yawning Portal," hanging on chains from a black iron pole above the front door, announced the entry to the inn.
Entry to Undermountain The inn has a total of two wells that both serve as entry points to Undermountain. The first measures 40 feet in diameter (12 meters), descends 140 feet (43 meters), and is located between the bar and dining tables. This dry well is the main and only publicly known passage to Undermountain. A waist-high stone ring is built around the well to prevent customers and objects from falling into the dungeon. Around the 50 feet point (15 meters), the well grows completely dark and on reaching the floor, one enters a sandy floor with stone walls decorated with shields. These shields are rusty to the point of uselessness but for one purpose: people who want to be drawn up hit these shields and the noise made that way is considered a sign that people below want to be pulled up from the dungeon.
The second well is a normal well in the sense that water could be pulled up from it. It is located in the back room and is the inn's source of washing water. It leads directly to a total of two areas: a different area of Undermountain than the Entry Well and to the sewers of Waterdeep.

Defenses

The staff consists of the waitresses and kitchen maids Tamsil Dryndilstann, Luranla Dreer and Marrauda Belaskurth. Jarandur Tallstand and Parth Melander are the senior and junior cook respectively. The rest of the staff is made up of Tarlgarth Vathar, the stablemaster, his two hostlers and four hard-working chambermaids.
Tamsil is a cleric apprentice, who offers healing services to adventurers as well.

Tourism

A typical dish served at the Yawning Portal consists of quipper and chips. Shadowdark ale is a popular beverage served at the taproom.