Hello everybody Jorphdan here the PH is silent. Before I begin I wanted to mention that Forgotten
Realms Explained, i.e. me Jorphdan started a Patreon. If you’ve ever wanted to help us out consider
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early but check it out. Links down below~ Let’s talk about Waterdeep! Also known as the City of Splendors or the
Crown of the North it’s a huge influential city in Faerun. The city is a hub of trading from mineral-rich
lands to the north, Amn and Calimshan to the south, Inner kingdoms to the east and the
far sea kingdoms of the west. Waterdeep sits on an old elven kingdom called
Aelinthaldaar. Aelinthaldaar was destroyed and by -1088 DR
the area became a trading site, or meetup point between tribes and merchants. It wasn’t until 52 DR that permanent farms
arose in the area. The area of Waterdeep was then founded by
ship captains docking to trade at this site. By 936 DR the “Town of Waterdeep” was
founded after the locals went to war against Orcs. Known as the Orcfastings War when these battles
finally ended the outpost known as Nimoar’s Hold which then became known as Waterdeep
to the ship captains sailing there. The Name stuck and we now have the budding
city of Waterdeep. By 963 DR the construction of castle waterdeep
begins and is completed by 974 DR. At this point Waterdeep had a series of War
Lords that rule the kingdom. It was also in 974 DR that Waterdeep had its
first female war lord. The city wasn’t truly established until
1032 DR, when Ahgharion became the first Lord of Waterdeep. Ahgharion was a human mage who created the
Lords of Waterdeep, the system in which Waterdeep has been ruled ever since. He got in a disagreement with the previous
Warlord about how the city should be governed. The Warlord attacked him but Ahgharion turned
his sword into a snake that bit and poisoned him. Ahgharion assumed control and became the first
Open Lord of Waterdeep, establishing the government that involved the Masked Lords. Which kept the rulers identities private. Waterdeep is ruled by these masked lords,
keeping membership a secret. They hide behind magical masks and no-one
knows their true identities. I’m not sure why though? Other than assassination attempts are probably
more difficult if you don’t know who your political figures are? After Ahgharion’s death in 1256 DR the guildmasters
took power over Waterdeep for 6 years. They murdered most of the masked lords and
by the end only two guild masters were left alive. These two agreed to share power and became
the Lords Magister of Waterdeep. It was soon after the Masked Ruling system
was put back in place, and Waterdeep has been ruled this way ever since. The name Waterdeep comes from the natural
deep-water harbor. The city grew around this harbor and became
a commercial crossroads of the northern realms. Presently over 100,000 people make their homes
here in Waterdeep. They’ve built walls, wizard towers, a massive
harbor, and temples to various deities. By 1215 DR a massive temple to Mystra was
dedicated called “The House of Wonder.” Waterdeep has a huge variety of faiths, if
there is a deity for it odds are there is a place of worship in waterdeep. The largest temples in the city are dedicated
to Oghma, Tyr, Tempus, Selune, Mystra, Silvanus, Mielikki, Lathander, Sune, and Tymora. Many of the dark gods have hidden secret temples
and shrines. Such as Cyric, Umberlee, and Shar. All creeds are respected as long as worship
of a deity does not involve theft or destruction of other beings (i.e. human or animal sacrifice)
or the theft of their property. Priesthoods that attempt to restrict trade
are also looked at poorly, as that is the name of the game in Waterdeep. Any temple that expects large cash gifts to
their deity will not be that popular. The largest rivalry in Waterdeep has to be
between the Guilds and the Ruling Lords. Traditionally won by the Lords, the Guild
merchants want to rule Waterdeep but the Masked Lords in place keep them at bay. Mostly though people are too busy making and
spending money to really care about this power struggle. With only five to six masked lords of water
deep and 42 recognized guilds the lack of organization on the guild part keeps the Masked
Lords in power. Since 1035 DR Waterdeep has been roughly divided
up into wards. The sprawling city kept growing and needed
to be organized. Castle Ward is the first and encompassed Mount
Waterdeep. Much of the government is located here as
well as Blackstaff Tower (created by Blackstaff himself), which is the residence for the Archmage
of Waterdeep. City of the Dead is Waterdeep’s graveyard. Before the spellplague this was often visited
by citizens to pay respects to the dead. However after the spellplague it fell into
disrepair. A relentless undead creature arose up in this
area and the city guard’s option was to lock it in the City of the Dead rather than
remove the threat. Dock Ward holds the harbor, the naturally
sheltered deepwater basin that gives Waterdeep it’s name. It is a bustling place. Underneath the water are mermen who are paid
in food and medical supplies for patrolling the harbor depths and keeping them clear of
invaders, predators, and hazards to shipping. South Ward is named because it was close to
the South Gate. Merchants and traders frequent this area. Sea Ward is where the wealthiest live. It contains many temples along with noble
family houses. North Ward is also home to nobility. The rich of the rich make their homes here
far removed from the docks and busy southern ward. Finally there is the Trades Ward, which is
the commercial section of waterdeep. Plenty to buy! And that’s it for this episode. If you want more information on Waterdeep
I recommend “Waterdeep and the North” as well as “Volos Guide to Waterdeep.” Both can be found below, links in the doobly
do. Thanks again for watching everyone, hit a
like button if you enjoyed this video every bit helps out a channel like mine, and I’ll
see you next wed.
