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:
A driftglobe 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:
A broadsheet, also known as a short scroll, was a short, printed document which usually contained tabloid-style news or political rants. They were common in 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 mansions or undead hiding among the nobility.
The 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.
The North Wind, which focused on nobility gossip and fashion.
The Merchant's Friend
Halivar's Broadsheet
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.
2. the griffon cavalry
"Waterdeep doesn’t 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 — 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 — 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]
3. the walking statues
"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, couldn’t 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 — the Griffon — emerged from the Ethereal Plane to defend Ahghairon’s 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 Blackstaff’s control.
Thankfully, all the walking statues have been dormant for
well over a decade now, serving only as beautiful, cyclopean
reminders of Waterdeep’s might."
[from: volo's waterdeep enchiridion]
the walking statues are:
the god catcher
the griffon
the sahuagin humbled
the great drunkard
the lady dreaming
the honorable knight
the hawk man
the sword maiden
below you'll find more lore and backstory about these walking statues of waterdeep:
[from: volo's waterdeep enchiridion]
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˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ They Take As They Please ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚
Haarlep - Halsin - Zevlor - Raphael
Dark Content
↳ Haarlep, but their hand is holding your neck down, their other grabbing your face as they lean down further to bury their nose in the crook of your neck. Haarlep's hot breath tickling your skin, their nose pressing against you, inhaling your scent with a sick hunger. Their slick tongue gliding along the surface of your sweat drenched skin, leaving a trail of wetness in its wake. A guttural groan escapes Haarlep's throat as they withdraw their mouth, “Don't stop now, my little pet,” they continue to taunt, their voice filled with sadistic delight, “Be a good thing and keep begging for me, beg like the obedient puppy you are.” You had no strength left to fight, no will to escape. Your tears stained the ground, your breath hot and labored, your body yearning for water, for Raphael to wisk you away... Slowly, you were withering away, your spirit broken, your hope shattered. You knew Haarlep and that bastard arch devil, Mephistopheles would keep you alive… You’d have to endure looking at Raphael's shell for the rest of your remaining life...
↳ Halsin, but it's him biting into your neck. His teeth sunk deep into your flesh to hold you to him, your blood pouring out against his lips, your hips squirming against his cock as he takes his fill. Your mind fuzzy, your whimpers falling on deaf ears. The pleasure of his bite fading, replaced with an aching pain. Your pussy not much better, over stuffed, sore, the blood from it mixing with his seed that seeps out from you. You were a sacrifice to his appetite, you've realized this now. His bruising fingers dig into the plush of your thighs, his thrusts hard against you, his seed painting your walls white and spilling into your womb yet again... He is not a god, not a man, but a beast. A beast that won't stop until your stomach is round with his child, that is when his appetite will finally be satisfied.
↳ Zevlor, but he's a traitor and has you pinned beneath him. The sharp end of his tail creeping up your shirt only to rip it open, exposing your bare chest. “The others will never believe you, that their reluctant leader Zevlor could do such a thing. Now keep quiet and I won't leave a scratch on you." He lines his thick, infernal, ridged cock at your entrance, the tip teasing your damp folds before forcefully sheathing himself fully inside you. His hands grasping your hips as he pounds you into the dirt, his hot breath tickling your ear as his body pins yours to the ground. His grunts and growls are all you can hear, and you try so hard to bite back a scream as his ridges rub against your inner walls. But when he wraps his tail around you and drags you further down onto his cock you cry out as it begins to collide with your cervix, knocking against it begging for entrance into your womb.
↳ Raphael, but it's him choking you unconscious. His large Cambion hands wrapped around your delicate throat as his cock thrusts inside you. You're nothing more than his little mouse, his plaything, he'll do as he pleases to you for his own pleasure. When he laughs at the state you're in that's when you feel his tail start to slide deep within your bowls, your tight little hole, your poor ass, stretching to accommodate the foreign appendage. You can feel it slithering up, deeper and deeper until your stomach starts to bulge with the shape of it, and all you can do is beg him to stop as your voice cracks, and the room spins around you. You can only see his smile as he continues, your voice only an echo in the void of darkness as the world fades away. “Such a pitiful creature.”
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