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Pales from the Tawning Yortal |
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Waterdeep is primarily a human city with the best natural harbor on the Sword Coast. The harbor and much of the city are sheltered from storms howling across the Sea of Swords by the soaring rampart of Mount Waterdeep. The city is divided into “wards” (districts). The northwesternmost is Sea Ward, by far the wealthiest part of Waterdeep. It’s crowded with the palatial residences of “old money” nobles, the grandest shops, and great temples. Adventurers might find patrons in Sea Ward, but can expect to be followed by the city Watch at all times. North Ward, the northeasternmost city district, is almost as wealthy as Sea Ward, and is home to most nobles whose villas aren’t in Sea Ward. It’s also where the majority of wealthy but non-noble Waterdhavians dwell, and is dominated by grandiose “new money” mansions. Waterdeep’s center holds three districts. Castle Ward, the civic heart of the city, wraps around the landward side of Mount Waterdeep and contains Castle Waterdeep, Piergeiron’s Palace, and the great open marketplace known simply as “the Market.” Directly east of Castle Ward is Trades Ward, the city’s bustling heart of shopkeeping and artisans’ “finework.” It wraps around the City of the Dead, a walled cemetery that by day serves the living as a green, pleasant park—and is locked up at night due to hauntings. The city’s south end is occupied by another two districts. South Ward, in southeasternmost Waterdeep, is dominated by warehousing, stabling, and caravan-equipping businesses, and is home to many poor laborers. Dock Ward lies to its west, bounding the north and east sides of the harbor. It’s the fishing, naval shipping, and notoriously lawless “seedy” end of Waterdeep, where the smells and squalor are greatest, drunken sailors brawl, and violence and street crime are most common. It’s been said Waterdeep’s true religion is making money. No official faith dominates, and almost all are tolerated or (in the case of evil or oppressive deities) worshiped in secret. Temples and private shrines are found throughout the city, and in Trades Ward soars the all-faiths tower known as “the Plinth,” serving as a grand temple for all faiths that lack their own holy building. It’s where “clerics for hire” are most likely to be found. Many of the names associated with Waterdeep are |