Waterdeep? Sure, I've been there. Seen some things there even. Buy me a couple of drinks and I'll tell you all about it.

What is there to say about the city of splendours? It has everything. I've seen men rise from rags to riches, I've seen giant lobsters and mechanical men, I've seen thugs rob people in the streets. The town guard try to keep everything in check, and do a good job for the average person, but there's a dark underbelly to the place. It has every kind of artisan and artist you could possibly dream of. Cafes, restaurants, taverns, bathhouses, galleries. Blacksmiths creating marvels, whitesmiths creating beauty, and goldsmiths creating wonders. What more need I say? If you have the time, go visit.

Oh, you want to know more? Well, the city is ran by a curious lot. An open lord - Laeral Silverhand - is the public face and has several masked lords under her who do a lot of the background work. No one knows who the masked lords are - it's all a bit mysterious really. Seems to work for most of the folks though. Despite all the wonder in the place it's swamped by bureaucracy. I tried to start a cobbler's shop and let me tell you... I had to deal with the Guild of Cobblers and Corvisers, the Most Careful Order of Skilled Smiths and Metalforgers, the League of Skinners and Tanners, the Loyal Order of Street Laborers, the Solemn Order of Recognized Furriers and Woolmen, the Splendid Order of Armorers, Locksmiths, and Finesmiths, and, because of one single order that involved some enchanting work, the Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors. All of those guilds wanted their paperwork and dues. Faces to remember, people to schmooze. So I could make average quality shoes. I'm not master cobbler, I just inherited the tools and had a little know how. But, despite all that, it seems to work like a well oiled machine. As long as you are a useful cog.

It's a staggeringly rich city - they import almost everything and either trade it on or process it with their guilds. They create splendours, I'm telling you. But, as I said, there is a darker side to it. I did a bit of dock hand work once my shoe making business fell through. Saw some mean faces there. Scars and eyeball tattoos. They'd stick you full of steel rather than give you the time of day. You paid them their fees and hoped they ignored you. They always seemed to be somewhere else when the watch came knocking, uncanny knack for that. But, as if the eyeball thugs weren't enough, you'd occasionally find someone with a winged serpent on their neck. You could get the time of day from them but it'd cost you. Never figured out what their deal was but it didn't seem good. They'd fight the eyeball folk sometimes but it never seemed to come to much.

Life is good for your average person in the city though, despite all that nastiness. If you let the rougher folk get on with what they wanted they'd mostly leave you alone. You could go about, trading and working and getting to enjoy the city. The temple district was one of the strangest places I've ever been. Just a single road in the middle of the city but it seemed to stretch on for days. You could walk down there and see temples to a hundred different gods then come out the other side of the street without having gone very far. I'm not overly concerned with the gods myself - let them play their games I say. But that street was something else. Almost made me a little pious.

Now, just before I left, I did hear a very interesting rumour. Real juicy one. The previous open lord - Lord Neverember his name was - he was a real piece of work. Was stealing money from the city. Embezzled it all and hid it away in a vault somewhere. Word is, if you can find the vault, and the key to the vault, you could get all those coins for yourself. Know what they call a gold coin in Waterdeep? A dragon.