the splendours of waterdeep
Gale: I hail from Waterdeep, the City of Splendours.
we've all heard gale introduce himself and there's a certain pride that colours his voice. but what exactly are waterdeep's splendours?
1. general noteworthy things about waterdeep
i) waterdeep is one of the cleanest cities in the realms
this is not only achieved by having many of waterdeep's buildings and facilities connected to a sewer system, but also through waterdeep's dungsweeper's guild. the members of the guild make their rounds through the city, sweeping streets, collecting trash, litter and refuse.
this service is paid for by taxes.
ii) waterdeep's water system
waterdeep boasts an extensive water system that enables the city to have free access to clean water. this free access comes in many forms: fountains, wells and bath houses. some establishment even have their own access to fresh water in form of tap water "with the turn of a knob", as volo puts it in his chapbook about the city.
iii) waterdeep, city of light
waterdeep possesses many signs and street lamps that are lit with continual flame spells:
hundreds of driftglobes also illuminate the city each night:
Aย driftglobeย was a small glass orb that magically floated in the air and emitted light.
in addition to these magical means, so called lamplighters keep the streets lit - with the exception of the field ward and more dangerous areas of the dock ward.
iv) waterdeep and literacy
waterdeep is one of the most literate cities in the realms.
the font of knowledge is a temple to oghma, god of the domain of knowledge, in waterdeep. priests of oghma "valued, preserved, shared, sought, created, or uncovered knowledge and learning. [x]" the priests there offer free instructions and lessons in reading to everyone. the temple has a library, known as "the great library".
the city has many publishing houses and printing presses. books and chapbooks (short books containing various topics from memoirs to romances, politics, etc.) are popular, as are small and large paper advertisements that dot the streets and alleys. broadsheets are popular too in the city:
Aย broadsheet, also known as aย short scroll, was a short, printed document which usually contained tabloid-style news or political rants. They were common inย Waterdeep, where they were sold by broadcriers on the main streets.
some of these broadsheets popular in waterdeep are [x]:
The Vigilant Citizen, which was one of the most reputable broadsheets in the city.
The Blue Unicorn, which reported paranormal events such as haunted mansionsย or undead hiding among the nobility.
Theย Daily Luck, a sheet aimed at gamblers.
Horkle's Gossip Cauldron, whose style of writing was said to be profane and blunt to the point of rudeness.
The Mocking Minstrel, one of the most read broadsheets in the city, known for its caustic and sarcastic tone.
Theย North Wind, which focused on nobility gossip and fashion.
restaurants and other establishments in waterdeep often have printed menus that are placed outside, as well as handed out to those who choose to eat there.
"Waterdeep doesnโt have the fabled flying ships of Halruaa, but
it does deploy an aerial defense force. Brave warriors of the
City Guard light out from the Peaktop Aerie atop Mount
Waterdeep, riding fearsome griffons that have been bred and
trained for that purpose. Each of the riders is equipped with a
ring of feather falling โ not merely to prevent death from
mishap, but to allow them to perform stunning feats of aerial
acrobatics.
In both martial displays and in real battles against flying
threats such as manticores, harpies, and outlaw wizards, the
griffon riders actually leap off their mounts into the open air!
For a breath-stealing moment, they fall like stones, closing in
on their targets at incredible speed. Their opponents rarely
see the death blow, distracted as they are by other mounted
griffon riders. When they are past the danger, the free-falling
riders then suddenly halt in the air, drifting like feathers until
their griffon companions swoop in and they regain their
saddles. Working in concert with one another in this fashion,
members of the Griffon Cavalry can rapidly eliminate any
threat to the city โ and even catch the body of the offender
before it hits the rooftops below.
Riders of the Griffon Cavalry are trained to stay above the
rooftops, not because they fear crashing into towers and
weather vanes, but because the smell of so much horseflesh
in the streets below can sometimes drive their griffons into a
frenzy."
[from: volo's waterdeep enchiridion]
"Over a century ago, just one of these eight behemoth statues
stood visible at the northern foot of Mount Waterdeep, on a
bluff called Gull Leap. Ninety feet tall, it resembled a bald
human staring out to sea. Later events (discussed below)
caused it to be transformed into the statue known today as
the Sahuagin Humbled.
When the Spellplague gripped Waterdeep in 1385 DR, six
more walking statues suddenly appeared in the city,
wandering to wreak havoc even as the Sahuagin Humbled
remained motionless.
The authorities and citizens of Waterdeep succeeded in stopping three of these new statues, breaking the Swordmaiden and the Hawk Man, and sinking the God Catcher into the street up to its waist. Then all the statues mysteriously stopped their rampage just as quickly as they had begun it. Tsarra Chaadren, the Blackstaff at the time, couldnโt command them to return to their former hiding places on the Ethereal Plane. Consequently, the city repaired itself and built up around them.
Much later, in 1479 DR, the eighth statue โ the Griffon โ emerged from the Ethereal Plane to defend Ahghaironโs Tower against intrusion. It roosted there for a time before flying to its current position near Peaktop Aerie on Mount Waterdeep. Once more, this activity seemed to be outside the Blackstaffโs control.
Thankfully, all the walking statues have been dormant for
well over a decade now, serving only as beautiful, cyclopean
reminders of Waterdeepโs might."
[from: volo's waterdeep enchiridion]
below you'll find more lore and backstory about these walking statues of waterdeep:
[from: volo's waterdeep enchiridion]
gummygunk
tangentwithtanner
annaxmalina
theartofmadeline
titsay
