Waterdeep (city)

Waterdeep
Type	Oligarchy
Ruler	Lords of Waterdeep
Race(s)	Humans, dwarves, elves, halflings, half-elves, gnomes, half-orcs
Notable locations	Waterdeep (capital)
Population	130 thousand

Waterdeep is a fictional city-state that forms part of a Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game campaign setting called the Forgotten Realms. It is a port city that is located along the western coast of the Faerûn sub-continent. Known as the City of Splendors, Waterdeep is one of the largest and busiest cities and one of the most important political powers on the continent. The population is primarily human although other races dwell therein. The city government consists of a of (mostly) anonymous individuals known as the Masked Lords of Waterdeep.

The City of Waterdeep was an integral part of Ed Greenwood's house campaign, and is the most important city in the north of the Forgotten Realms setting. Game designer Ken Rolston called Waterdeep "the urban showpiece of the Forgotten Realms campaign".Jim Bambra called Waterdeep "an ideal setting for urban adventures", adding that Waterdeep "has a rich background which gives the city great character".

The city-state of Waterdeep is documented in several publications that support the Forgotten Realms campaign setting. These describe Waterdeep, or the City of Splendors, as the most important and influential city in the northwestern part of the Faerûn continent, an area referred to as the North. Geographically, the city is included in a region called the Heartlands of the Realms, even though it lies 150 miles north of the western Heartland town of Daggerford, along the Sword Coast. The roads to Waterdeep are described as well paved and well patrolled. The city serves as a trading hub, tying together 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 east, and the sea kingdoms and traders to the west.

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