Dock Ward
The Dock Ward was long considered the most dangerous
district in the city, but the Field Ward has since
taken that title. I don't doubt the residents of the Dock
Ward are glad of it, for in some respects this area has
never truly deserved its bad reputation.
Yes, aside from the Field Ward, this is the area where
most of Waterdeep's poor reside. Yes, it is home to some
of the least literate people in the city. Yes, most of its
taverns are inhabited by habitual drinkers, and far too
many inns charge by the hour. But aU must concede this:
the residents of the Dock Ward often work the hardest
while living under the harshest conditions.
Warehouses, poorhouses, and tenements dominate
much of the area. Streets are steep throughout, and
few have space alongside for pedestrians. Wandering
through the ward can be a bewildering journey without
a guide. Except in the immediate vicinity of the piers,
shop signs and advertising of any kind are rare, and
warehouses and other businesses often have no sign
at all. You either know where you are going and have
reason to be there- or you are lost, and a likely mark for
pickpockets or worse. Streetlamps don't fare well in the Dock Ward. Their
candles, oils, and glass are too regularly stolen or
smashed. The Guild of Chandlers and Lamplighters
makes a halfhearted attempt to repair the streetJamps
at the start of each season, but for most of the year, lo cals
are forced to carry their own light when traveling
these streets at night.
The colors of the Dock Ward are burgundy and orange,
and its mascot is a swordfish that has always been
depicted as green for reasons lost to time. The folk of
the Dock Ward take competition seriously, and they frequently
draft their champions from the rough-and-tumble
sailors who come to the city. (Some say they draft
pirates, but that is pure slander.) Frequent complaints
arise that these women and men are more citizens of
the sea than of the Dock Ward itself. But if they register
with a magister and pay taxes, they are as welcome to
compete as any long-term resident ofWaterdeep.
Included Locations
