1354 DR Sea Ward of Waterdeep

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Notable Neighborhoods
Sea Ward Lifestyles
  • Wretched: There is no space permitted for squatters and the homeless.
  • Squalid: The Sea Ward generally lacks the kinds of flophouses that mark this lifestyle, save perhaps among some of the meanest of servant quarters. Inns: None • Taverns: None • Festhalls: None
  • Poor: Occasionally, accommodations of this scale can be found at the edges of the Ward, generally closer to the wall and tucked well out of sight. Inns: None • Taverns: The Broken Lance, Wyvern's Rest • Festhalls: None
  • Modest: More common is the lifestyle of those who take space in a boarding house or spare rooms above or behind a shop. They are still undeniably the meanest of those in the Sea Ward, however. Many of the temples maintain boarding houses for their folk of this scale: humble and simple, without real luxuries. Inns: Golden Harp Inn • Taverns: The Sated Satyr • Festhalls: None
  • Comfortable: Generally speaking, the majority of the Sea Ward folk live comfortably, with secure incomes and good living spaces afforded by their proximity to noble wealth. Inns: Pilgrims' Rest, the Wandering Wemic, Maerghoun's Inn, Dacer's Inn • Taverns: The Ship's Wheel, Gournar's Tavern, the Fiery Flagon • Festhalls: High Flagon Gambling House
  • Wealthy: Many of the secondary branches of nobility dwell with this sort of wealth and comfort, as do the many very successful merchants, priests and the sort. Inns: The Silken Sylph • Taverns: The Crown & Heron • Festhalls: House of Purple Silks, the Silken Sylph
  • Aristocratic: For the most part, the nobles of the Houses live in this kind of opulence, particularly the immediate family of its patriarch or matriarch.
Waterdeep
The City of Splendors
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As the wealthiest ward of the city, Sea Ward is the seat of power for the established noble houses. Nearly empty during the winter due to the fierce sea storms, many of the nobles, well-to-do merchants, and social climbers call this home in the summer. Walking along the Street of the Singing Dolphin, the major avenue for the ward, one can expect to spot many of the grandest homes in Waterdeep, from the spires and gables of noble villas to the craggy and mysterious turrets of the wizards' towers. Sea Ward also contains many of the city's temples and Heroes' Garden, the only public garden outside the City of the Dead. Truly important (and self-important) people come to this ward to build their opulent homes while more modest folk or those more entrenched in the everyday politics and power of the city often choose to live in Castle Ward.

As with North Ward, watch patrols are quite frequent as one of the benefits of position. They are always polite and generally lightly armed, as most of the miscreants they find in this ward are well-dressed, drunken nobles who need only to be steered to the next party. The Watch deals swiftly with any other disruptions, their tolerance for any vandalism, violence or theft being quite low.

The boundaries for this district are Julthoon Street and Shield Street, with a small eastern arm extending to the High road along Vondil Street.

Architecture

Aside from Piergeiron's Palace, you cannot find more finely crafted workmanship than the homes of Sea Ward. While North Ward tends toward pretense, the older, grander villas and temples of this ward have an air of stateliness and majesty (to say nothing of haughtiness). The ward's variety of building details are astounding, from talking tavern signs that wink at customers to three gilded towers that seem braided together. While seeming petty and grasping to outsiders, an address here is not a joking matter, and many Waterdhavians spend their entire lives hoping to get a good address within Sea Ward's boundaries.

Most of the ward's streets are paved in cobbles or corduroy. The nobles insist on getting the rest of the alleys paved, but the Lords' Loyal Order of Street Laborers are under express orders to maintain the existing corduroy roads. They may, however, replace the corduroy by the House of Inspired Hands with cobblestone, as frequent "testings" and explosions have set the log road on fire on multiple occasions.

Watch of Sea Ward

Wardsman: Lider Tenaren (Tabra's Watchpost)

  • Wellcourt Watchpost: Rorden: xxx • x patrols
  • Morinskoar Watchpost: Rorden: xxx • x patrols
  • Skulls Watchpost: Rorden: xxx • x patrols
  • Howand's Watchpost: Rorden: xxx • x patrols
  • Tabra's Watchpost: Rorden: xxx • x patrols
  • Dob's Watchpost: Rorden: xxx • x patrols
  • Shark St. Watchpost: Rorden: xxx • x patrols

Residences

Noble Villas

Private Homes

Mage Residences

  • The Dragon Tower: A wizard's tower encircled by walls and an aura of menace, its sinister and dangeorus air is only amplified by the tower's shape of a dragon rampant. (Central Street of the Singing Dolphin)
  • Naingate: A walled enclosure around a famous wizard's tower with a magical mid-air waterfall that appears in the courtyard, appearing from nothing and splashing but not collecting on the cobblestones. (Northern Seawatch Street)
  • Blue Alley: A large, windowless stone building that houses a deadly magical trap-laden obstacle course, created by a wizard (who may or may not yet live there) to test the avaricious fools who wander into its blue-tiled passages.
  • Tessalar'’s Tower: Private Home of Tessalar Hulicorm (Mage)

Rentals

  • Stagdown Manse: Rental Villa

Businesses

  • Halazar'’s Fine Gems: Shop (Jewelry) (5c). A jewelry shop that prides itself as much on its expensive prices as its magically shining black walls.
  • Selchoun’s Sundries: Shop (General Goods) (4c). A shop filled with trinkets both useful (twine, flint, etc) and useless (childrens' tabards marked as "Junior Watch Member" or "Waterdeep Griffon Cub Patrol").
  • Gerin's Breads: Shop (Bread)
  • Melvar's Chapbooks & Folios: Shop (Books)
  • Velatha's Delights: Shop (Luxuries) (Northern Seawatch Street)
  • Tammerbund's Glasswares: Shop (Glass)
  • Antonyn's Imports: Shop (Imports) (Central Street of the Singing Dolphin)
  • Tartel's House of the Sword: School (Fencing). A school for persons desiring to learn how to fence or defend themselves with or against a light longsword or smaller blade, and a dagger.
  • Lavah's Triumphant Arms: Shop (Light Arms & Armor) (4c). A shop located near the Field of Triumph that caters to the fighters and athletes who compete in the Field. Run by the crafswoman Lavah the Eldest, and her husband Elmarq.

Nightlife

Inns

  • Pilgrim’s Rest: Inn (4c•4a). A comfortable but modest inn that provides affordable stabling and lodgings for many visitors of Waterdeep's temples.
  • The Wandering Wemic: Inn (4c•4a)
  • Maerghoun'’s Inn: Inn (4c•4a) (Central Street of the Singing Dolphin)
  • Dacer’s Inn: Inn (4c•5a)
  • Golden Harp Inn: Inn (3c•4a). A comfortable two-story stone and slate inn, cheery and well lit at all times and noted for the magical harp that appears in mid-air at odd times to sing and play ancient ballads by itself.
  • The Silken Sylph: Inn, Festhall (5c•4a)

Taverns

  • Sated Satyr: Tavern (3c•3p)
  • The Broken Lance: Tavern (2c•3p). A cozy tavern frequented and staffed by the athletes and fighters from the Field of Triumph. The eel pie is the house specialty.
  • The Crown & Heron: Tavern (5c•5p) (Central Street of the Singing Dolphin)
  • The Ship’s Wheel: Tavern (4c•3p)
  • Gournar’'s Tavern: Tavern (4c•3p). A brightly lit, expensive place that's more a showcase for Waterdeep's high society at play than a tavern. It is a place to be seen, first and foremost.
  • The Fiery Flagon: Tavern (4c•3p). A tavern that is famous among sailors the Realms over for its seafaring decor and pricey fare, without the trouble and decay of the Dock Ward.
  • Wyvern's Rest: Tavern (2c•4p). A former Watch-post and blockhouse, this one-story stone tavern is a favorite of Watch and Guard members, it hallmark being the stuffed wyvern that looms over the bar.

Festhalls

  • House of Purple Silks: Festhall (5c)
  • High Flagon Gambling House: Gambling House (4c)
  • The Silken Sylph: Inn, Festhall (5c•4a) (Northern Seawatch Street)

Temples

  • The House of Inspired Hands: Temple to Gond. An enterprising temple to Gond that frequently abounds with new and noisy inventions of its faithful. (Central Street of the Singing Dolphin)
  • The Tower of Luck: Temple to Tymora. The second largest temple in Waterdeep is a large walled tower, its clergy funneling its weighty resources into improving the complex and undermining the city of Arabel's claim as the center for Tymoran worship. (Central Street of the Singing Dolphin)
  • The House of Wonder: Temple to Mystra. The ornate tower for the faithful of Mystra with her holy symbol in mosaics on the courtyard, with the tower rising from the center of the starburst. (North Diamond Street)
  • The Shrines of Nature: Shrines to Mielikki and Silvanus. A walled and forested complex that holds unpretentious "shrines" the size of some small temples to Mielikki (called "The Lady's Hands") and Silvanus (unnamed).
  • The House of Heroes: Temple to Tempus. The largest of the temples in the city is dedicated to Tempus, the Lord of Battle, and attracts spectators and combatants alike from the nearby Field of Triumph.
  • The House of the Moon: Temple to Selune. A silver-gilded temple of fine white and blue stone, the House of the Moon is the oldest temple in Waterdeep.
  • The Temple of Beauty: Temple to Sune. A lavish temple of marble, gold and silver with many statues of the goddess and her most comely worshippers throughout the history of the faith.

City Buildings

  • Heroes' Garden: City park
  • Seaeyes Tower: Sentry Tower
  • West Gate: City Gate
  • Seawatch Tower: Sentry Tower
  • North Tower: Sentry tower; also called "The Trolltower"
  • City Armory: Armory for City Guard
  • Field of Triumph: The vast, open stadium that plays host to gladitorial combats, illusion and spell exhibitions, and other public gatherings. It is well-known for its Lion Gate, an awe-inspiring craved grand entrance in the shape of a roaring lion, with entrants passing into its open maw.
  • Trollfort: Keep

Guildhalls

  • None

Alleys & Courts

  • Gondwatch Lane, the charred corduroy lane at the southern entrance to the House of Inspired Hands where many Gondsmen’s inventions are tested.
  • Kulzar’s Alley, a short alley close to Heroes’ Walk that allegedly hides both the buried treasure of Kulzar and many treasure-hunters eager to find it.
  • Pharra’s Alley, named for the first Magistress of the House of Wonder but infamous for the Circle of Skulls that spew either helpful news or deadly spells.
  • Prayer Alley, a short run parallel to Phastal Street that is the location of a vanishing mages’ shop.
  • Rook Alley, the last headquarters of the Rook, an infamous thief from 50 years agone, and the entry location to numerous tunnels and burial crypts that hold much treasure (and undead danger . . . ).
  • Wagonslide Alley, a loose-stone paved alleyway that causes as many to trip over its cobbles as wagons used to slip on water or sea-rime (rumor has it thieves hide invisible weapons and secret messages under the stones).