Waterdeep
Rising from the shores of its deep harbor to ring the great mountain standing tall out of the Sea of Swords is Waterdeep, the City of Splendors and the Crown of the North. To all of Faerûn, this great metropolis stands as the pinnacle of what a great city might be, in wealth, influence, and stability. Here, the citizens work, the nobles sneer, and the great masked lords plot and scheme, all while merchants dance between them to collect their coins and continue profiting as best they can. Waterdeep’s shops and merchants offer goods of every sort from every corner of Toril, and even the rarest of items can be procured, given sufficient coin and patience. Adventurers lacking one or the other can very easily find all manner of employment, from simple escorting of caravans, to guarding nobility, to investigating a ruin or rumor of monsters anywhere in the North.
Though it has stood for hundreds of years, Waterdeep is only now returning to its status of a century and a half ago. The recent disruptions began when the gods walked the Realms and slew each other before the eyes of mortals, until they walked back to their divine domains through the very streets of Waterdeep itself. Decades later, more deities began dying off, magic failed, and all manner of catastrophes started altering the very nature of the city. Lord Neverember wasted the city’s navy and then, instead of rebuilding it, hired sailors out of Mintarn (and profited from the endeavor).
Now, the City of Splendors is on the mend. The harbor has been cleared of the broken ships that made up the former district of Mistshore, and Waterdeep again has its own navy. The city’s Guard (its army), Watch (police force), Navy, and it famous Griffon Cavalry are all being reformed, but all of that might be a matter of years in the settling. A plague chased most residents out of the Warrens and Downshadow, and living or digging below the city’s surface has been deemed illegal except by those authorized by the lords to do so. Somehow, even the air seems fresher. In the words of one wise moon elf matron (whose status as my aunt has positively no bearing on her wisdom), “Waterdeep is back to where it was when I was a lass.”
Demographics
| Race | % Pop |
# Pop |
|---|---|---|
| Human | 64% |
1,280,000 |
| Dwarves | 10% |
200,000 |
| Elves | 10% |
200,000 |
| Halflings | 5% |
100,000 |
| Half-elves | 5% |
100,000 |
| Gnomes | 3% |
60,000 |
| Half-orcs | 2% |
40,000 |
| Other | 1% |
20,000 |
| Ethnicity | % Pop |
# Pop |
|---|---|---|
| Tethyrian | 51% |
652,800 |
| Illuskan | 23% |
294,400 |
| Chondathan | 22% |
281,600 |
| Calishite | 2% |
25,600 |
| Other | 2% |
25,600 |
Government
Waterdeep was ruled by a council whose membership was largely secret. These hidden Lords of Waterdeep maintained their identities behind magical masks, called Helms, and while they ruled in public, none knew the true identities of most of them. The subject of who the Lords were became a common topic of noble conversation and some considered it a game to discover the Lords' identities, a game made more confusing by the fact the Lords themselves set their own rumors afloat.
Law & OrderThe City Watch was the local police force and in addition to capturing criminals, its members settled petty disputes, gave directions, summoned medical and priestly aid, generally performing duties that promoted the idea that Waterdeep was a city open to all who knew how to behave themselves.
Waterdhavian justice was dispatched by the Magisters, who directed the common courts of the city. These Black Robes, as they were often called, were empowered to pass sentences. They were always accompanied by six members of the guard. Any individuals found guilty could appeal to the Lord's Court, ruled over by the masked Lords of Waterdeep, where serious cases were usually heard. Individuals bringing frivolous cases to the Lord's Court usually faced stiffer fines than if they'd accepted a Magister's ruling
Code LegalDefences
Waterdeep maintained two separate armed forces, the City Guard and the City Watch. The City Guard served as Waterdeep's soldiery and its members staffed garrisons, road patrols, and watchposts, and served as bodyguards and gate guards. The Watch was the local police force.
Waterdeep had strong walls on its landward sides and was protected in part by Mount Waterdeep on the seaward side. Mount Waterdeep was studded with watch towers and defensive positions, and patrolled by special guard units on flights of griffons. Aside from this, Waterdeep also benefited from a large native population of the adventuring classes (including powerful mages, priests, and warriors) who were more than willing to deal with any and all miscreants who threatened their home city, and did so in the past. This often proved the City of Splendors' most potent defense.
The city also had the eight giant Walking Statues of Waterdeep. Seven of these statues could be animated by the Blackstaff of Waterdeep to defend the city, one was too damaged to be activated. These statues were extremely destructive, and only used to fend off armies or win otherwise impossible battles
Industry & Trade
Exports: Ale, arms, cloth, fish, furnishings, leather goods, pottery, refined metals, and all other sorts of finished goods
Guilds and Factions
Bregan D'aerthe
Emerald Enclave
Force Grey
Lord's Alliance
Order of the Gauntlet
Xanathar Guild
Zhentarim-Doom Raiders
Zhentarim-Manshoon
Guilds:
Crown of the North
- Bramerth Jhansczil
- Brath Jhansczil
- Breth Moonwhisper
- Cali Hawkstride
- Cami Crestlash
- Cathra Jhancszil
- Cethrene Hawkstride
- Dargadd Haventrap
- Desire (Kefli) Hawkstride
- Evethe Untusk
- Gelden Crestlash
- Gem Jhansczil
- Heinrich Koenig
- Jendri Jhansczil
- Kinastri Hawkstride
- Lanneth Jhansczil
- Liri Jhancszil
- Nalri Jhansczi
- Rovela Dawndancer
- Sovara Hawkstride
- Talandra Jhansczil
- Vatha Jhansczil
- 1 Harbor Moon = 5 Platinum Suns = 50 Gold Dragons
- 1 Platinum Sun = 10 Gold Dragons = 100 Silver Shards = 1,000 Copper Nibs
- 1 Gold Dragons = 10 Silver Shards = 100 Copper Nibs
- 1 Bronze Taol = 2 Gold Dragons
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