This information is intended for use with the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game.
At a Glance
I think the best way to start talking about Waterdeep — also known as the City of Splendors— is to observe that in spite of all that’s already been written about it, there is still more to say. It’s a city of more than a hundred thousand residents… in a place/time where average folks live in villages of maybe a hundred or towns of up to a thousand, and a city one-tenth the size of Waterdeep is considered a metropolis.
No page on this site attempts to duplicate everything that’s been published about anything in the Realms, but this is particularly true for this page. The main point of this blog is to provide an index of where relevant info can be found.
Visiting
The Wards
Physically, Waterdeep is composed of six wards, each of which could easily be a city in its own right.
Castle Ward is the heart of Waterdeep. Most of the administrative buildings are found here. Many of the “big-name” landmarks of the city are also here: Mount Waterdeep, Castle Waterdeep, Piergeiron’s Palace, Ahghairon’s Tower, Blackstaff Tower, Mirt’s Mansion, the Market, the Yawning Portal, and the Walking Statue.
North of Castle is Sea Ward. This is the wealthiest ward of the city, where the who’s who of Waterdeep lives… or wants to live. Landmarks here include Heroes’ Garden, the Field of Triumph, and many villas and temples. Watch patrols are frequent, but polite and usually only lightly armed.
Moving clockwise from Sea Ward there’s North Ward. This is where the upper middle class and “lesser” nobility dwell. Although there are guild halls and family manses here, the casual visitor will likely find the ward rather boring and strangely quiet. The only excitement to grip this ward is the parties thrown at the Hawkwinter and Roaringhorn noble villas.
Below North Ward are Trades Ward and the City of the Dead. As might be guessed from the name of the ward, many guildhalls are located in Trades Ward. One such guildhall, the House of Song, was built on the ruins of an old Ollamh college. the Plinth is the tallest building here, and also a popular destination for locals and visitors alike. Three open areas also qualify as landmarks: the Court of the White Bull, Caravan Court, and Virgin’s Square.
South of Trades Ward is Southern Ward. Many of the city’s common folk dwell here. Sometimes called the Caravan City; locals refer to it as South Ward… anyone saying Southern Ward is immediately recognized as an outsider. There are inns and taverns aplenty here, and some guild halls. The Old Monster Shop —yes, it sells monsters— is also found here.
Finally, there’s Dock Ward. This is simply the lawless brawling place that tavern tales across Faerûn paint it to be.
Neighborhoods
Thayan diplomats have established a Thayan Enclave here.
Locations
This section would be far too long, so it gets its own page.
Travel Times
Assuming good weather and a favorable wind, here are some travel times (by ship) to nearby ports.
- Leilon: 1 day by longship or raker, 2 days by caravel or cog, 4 days by heavy cog
- Neverwinter: 1.5 days by longship, 2 days by raker, 3 days by caravel or cog, 6 days by heavy cog
- Port Llast: 1.5 days by longship, 2 days by raker, 3.5 days by caravel or cog, 6 days by heavy cog
- Luskan: 2 days by longship, 2.5 days by raker, 3.5 days by caravel or cog, 7.5 days by heavy cog
- Ruathym: 2 days by longship, 2.5 days by raker, 5 days by caravel or cog, 8 days by heavy cog
- Gundarlun: 2 days by longship, 2.5 days by raker, 5.5 days by caravel or cog, 9 days by heavy cog
Politics
Who Rules
The answer to this question depends a bit on who’s asking, who’s answering, and what definition of rulership they’re trying to agree on. The simplest answer, the one most apparent to outsiders, is that Piergeiron rules, since he is the one who lives in the palace and declares new laws.
However, those laws are written by the Lords as a whole, and enforced as well as possible by the trio composed of the Guard, the Watch, and the Watchful Order.
The Magisters mete out discipline for those who break the laws; that’s a form of rule, too. The guilds control who works, and when, and how much they’ll earn for their labor; for most common folks that’s more than enough power to let any one group of people have. Then there are the nobles, who have a great deal of clout in certain circles among both the Watch and the guilds, and often seem to “get their way” whatever that happens to be.
Finally, there are the incorrigible (such as adventurers) who fancy themselves above petty things like law and order, and try to seize control of whatever’s just ahead of them.
In short, the answer can change from one hour to the next.
Notable Individuals
This section would be far too long, so it gets its own page.
Sources
Ha! If you want to know Waterdeep, you’ve got a lot of reading to do.
Sources are (ideally) listed from most to least recent/credible. I (and I think others) don’t consider the 4e Campaign Guide or the 3e poster map credible, but I/we will have to make an exception for this listing. The point of including credibility in the criteria is that Ed’s answers on Candlekeep take precedence over all other sources regardless of their date and thus appear at the top of the appropriate source listings.
Primary Sources
Passing Mention
- Questions for Ed Greenwood (2013) — adventurers’ clubs, Elminster’s properties
- Questions for Ed Greenwood (2013) — Ilygelther’s House
- Questions for Ed Greenwood (2013) — ships entering/exiting Skullport unnoticed
- Questions for Ed Greenwood (2013) — coinwashing, Waukeenar practices
- Questions for Ed Greenwood (2013) — Waterdhavian handwriting style
- Questions for Ed Greenwood (2013) — “swinging” and expectation of monogamy
- Questions for Ed Greenwood (2013) — pension and retirement
- Questions for Ed Greenwood (2013) — mitigation of winter weather
- Questions for Ed Greenwood (2013) — knowledge of Skullport
- Questions for Ed Greenwood (2013) — Raventree family servants
- Questions for Ed Greenwood (2013) — Dungsweepers
- Undermountain: Halaster’s Lost Apprentice
- Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide [21828] (4e) pages 15, 44, 45, 84, 92, 93, 94, 99, 123, 125, 130, 139, 148, 164, 216, 251, 258
- Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting [11836] (3e) pages 293, 294
- Skullport [11348] — mostly about Skullport, but includes references to Waterdeep and its citizens
- Cormyr [9410] page 16
- Volo’s Guide to the North [9393] — many references to Waterdeep
- Dwarves Deep [FR11/9300] page 61
- Old Empires [FR10/9274] pages 14, 16, and 64
- Waterdeep [FRE3/9249] pages 31-35 describe bits of the city
- Ruins of Undermountain II [1104] — various notes about Waterdeep
- Ruins of Undermountain [1060] — various notes about Waterdeep
- Knight of the Living Dead
- Polyhedron #110 — Elminster’s Everwinking Eye page 5
- Rand’s Travelogue — More of Waterdeep and the Lands of Intrigue!
- 8 Apr 2005 post in Questions for Don Bassingthwaite (Summary)
- Collections of tidbits from Eye on the Realms articles and other sources, which I have not combed through yet: posts one, two, three, and four
- Collections of bits from 4e sources: thread
Maps
Other Resources
Disclaimer
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