AT A GLANCE: Waterdeep is the most
important and influential city of the
North, and perhaps of all Faerun.
Waterdeep is located on the Sword Coast,
150 miles north of Daggerford
and is reached by paved, well-patrolled
roads. It is the hub of trading from the
mineral-rich lands to the north, the
Merchant kingdoms of Amn and Calimshan
to the south, the kingdoms of the
Inner Sea to the west, and the sea kingdoms
and traders to the west.

ELMINSTER'S NOTES: Waterdeep is
named for its outstanding natural deepwater
harbor, and the city that grew up
at this site has become the commercial
crossroads of the Northern Realms.
More than 100,000 people make their
home in Waterdeep, more than in all
the cities of Cormyr itself.

Men and other races come from all
over the Realms to earn hard coin in the
City of Splendors, and over the years
successful merchants have set up
guilds, and themselves become nobility,
supporting the secretive Lords of
Waterdeep, who police the city fairly
yet with a light hand by means of the
superb City Guard (soldiers), City
Watch (police), and over twenty blackrobed
magistrates. As a result, Waterdeep
is a place tolerant of different
races, religions, and lifestyles. This in
turn has encouraged commerce, and
Waterdeep has grown into a huge,
eclectic city.

The banner of Waterdeep is rarely
used, save on the Watchtowers of the
city wall, on Waterdeep Castle, and on
Lord Piergeiron's Palace. It is a rich,
royal blue flat-topped shield bordered
in silver; on the shield is a silver crescent
moon, horns uppermost, and
below it an area of purple hue (representing
the light of the city at night),
which ends in a straight horizontal line
representing the sea. Below this,
reflected in the water, is a wavery
upside-down crescent moon matching
the one at the top of the shield, and in a
semi-circle around it (from the watersedge-
line around towards the point of
the shield and back up) are nine silver
many pointed stars. The Meisarch of
Amn once said nastily that these stars
should really be replaced by gold coins,
as that's all that's held important in that
city, though this seems more inspired
by jealousy than reason.

Waterdeep is ruled by a council
whose membership is largely secret. It
is a known fact that Piergeiron "the
Paladinson," Warden of Waterdeep and
Commander of the Watch, whose
golden-spired palace dominates the
center of the city, is a member of the
Lords. It is generally supposed that the
archmage Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun
is also of the Lords, and perhaps
chief among them. The identities of other
members have not been made public
knowledge. The subjects of who the
Lords are is a common subject of noble
conversation, and some consider it a
game to discover whom the Lords are, a
game made more confusing by the fact
the Lords themselves set their own
rumors afloat. The names of Mirt the
Merchant, the Courtesan Larissa, and
Texter the Paladin have been connected
with the Lords, though evidence exists
to both prove or disprove these claims,
and beyond these four (including the
Blackstaff) conjecture swings widely as
to who belongs and does not belong.

The Lords appear in public only in
the Lords'Court, hearing all cases of
murder, treason, misuse of magic, and
appeals from lower courts. On such
occasions there are always at least four
Lords, but sometimes six or seven, and
rarely as many as nine. Piergeiron
chairs the Court and asks all questions,
for the Lords speak through him. In
chambers the Lords all appear similarly
masked and robed, their robes formless
and black with black capes, and their
masks completely covering the head
and face. These masks have featureless
faces, with mirrored crystals over the
eyes, save for Piergeiron, who has had
his facemask separated from the helm
and lets the condemned see his face.

GAME INFORMATION: The Helms of
the Lords of Waterdeep have some
undetectable magical enchantment,
which prevents the use of divination
spells (including ESP and detect lie) on
the wearer while they are in use. In
addition, many of the upper class of the
City of Splendors wear their own additional
protections to keep the curious
and indiscreet spell-casters at bay.

Further information on Waterdeep
and its immediate vicinity may be found
in FR-1, the Waterdeep and the North Sourcebook.