Waterdeep/City of the Dead

The City of the Dead was a large cemetery and ward in Waterdeep. Most of the city's dead were buried here.^[3] By day, it also doubled as the city's major public park picnic area.^[4][5]

Activities[]

Besides burials and funerals, the City of the Dead was host to a variety of activities among Waterdhavians. These included, but were not limited to: being an exercise run, a dueling ground, a playground, a highsun dining area, a meeting-moot, a place where courting lovers could meet in private, and a performance venue for minstrels (and would-be minstrels).^[6]

At night the City of the Dead was off-limits to the public, yet it was still used by many during those hours for more nefarious activities.^[4]

History[]

The area that would eventually become the site of the City of the Dead was used as a burial site as far back as the days of Nimoar's Hold.^[7]

When Waterdeep was much smaller, a cemetery was established on the end of the plateau overlooking the plains east of the city. A low wall was built around the cemetery in 1064 DR first establishing its boundaries north and east of the Trades Ward and south of the North Ward. Since that time, higher walls were built and gates into the City of the Dead were established which were only opened to the public during the daylight hours.^[8]

Space soon became hard to come by in the cemetery itself. Many of those who could not afford to be buried there found themselves interred in an area known as Grave Alley (later called Ilisar’s Alley). There coffins were placed vertically below the cobblestones. This led to issues of the undead rising from the streets themselves and the practice was soon abandoned.^[9]

In order to alleviate the overcrowding, in 1250 DR, Ahghairon and other mages of Waterdeep began to establish portals from tombs and mausoleums to uninhabited demiplanes of various types where the dead were laid to rest. Most notable among these wizards, except for Ahghairon himself, was the portal and teleportation specialist, Anacaster. Two of his more well known portals led from The House of the Homeless and Merchants’ Rest.^[4]

Most noble houses, reportedly less than half, did not keep family tombs in the City of the Dead. They instead had crypts below their villas or were buried in family estates outside of Waterdeep.^[8]

The cemetery suffered extensive damage during the Spellplague.^[10]

Notable Locations[]

Gates[]

Andamarr Gate

One of the public gates.^[11]

Coffinsmarch Gate

One of the public gates.^[12]

Dead End Gate

The hidden, private gate the Carver family uses to enter in order to conduct burials or perform maintenance on the tombs ^[3]

Mhalsyymber Gate

One of the public gates.^[13]

Crypts, plots, tombs, vaults[]

Deepwinter Vault

A tomb near the north end of the City of the Dead. It once housed the noble Deepwinter family, but was also the entry into the Dungeon of the Crypt.^[14][15][16]

Guildbones

A dedicated burial space for members of the different guilds of Waterdeep. Part of the site was made up of a glade which would be dug up from time-to-time to make up space for new dead, while older, forgotten bones were moved elsewhere. Many guildmasters would buy themselves and their families statue-guarded vaults within the forehalls of Guildbones.^[17]

The Hall of Heroes

A tomb with a trophy hall for fallen warriors. A portal led to an area of rolling grassy fields with row upon row of buried dead.^[15][8]

The Hall of Sages

A tomb reserved for sages.^[4][8]

The House of the Homeless

A mausoleum with a portal to a seemingly endless crypt.^[4][8]

Lords' Respite

A tomb reserved for those Lords of Waterdeep who chose to be interred here.^[4][8]

Markarl Tomb

A tomb near the north end^[18]

Mariner's Rest

A tomb for those who drowned at sea or sea captains. It contained a portal to the shores of a placid lake.^[8]

Merchants' Rest

Also known as "the Coinscoffer", was a tomb with a portal leading to a lightly wooded area with burial plaques set into the ground. One could have gotten interred here by prepaying for the honor.^[4]

Narfuth crypt

A crypt near the north end.^[19]

Roads' End

A tomb for travelers who died within Waterdeep.^[4][8]

Sultlue Vault

Secretly held a slumbering noble yuan-ti sorcerer.^[15]

Vesham Tomb

A tomb near the north end.^[18]

Other locations[]

Ahghairon's Statue

A marble monument to the first Open Lord.^[4][8]

Dead End House

Not technically in the City of the Dead, but not really a part of another Ward. Home of the Carver family - a family of coffin-builders, stone carvers & performers of other tasks related to the funeral & burial process.^[20]

Thief's Knot

A hedge maze constructed to honor a long-dead thieves guildmaster.^[3]

Warriors' Monument

A sixty-foot tall sculpture and fountain depicting a battle between men and humanoids along with a griffon rider fighting a skeletal ally of Myrkul^[5][8]

Known Burials[]

• Ilyndeira Dyre, buried within Guildbones.^[21]
• Sarel the Trollscourge^[10]

Trivia[]

• Saying that someone was "in the City" was a slang phrase used by Waterdhavians to mean that person was dead.^[22]
• The City of the Dead was the only area of Waterdeep where the establishment of places to worship was forbidden. This was decreed by the Lords to ensure that no religion could claim areas as sacred and thus charge large fees to be buried there.^[23]

Appendix[]

Appearances[]

Gallery[]

Map showing the boundary of the City of the Dead circa 1357 DR.

The site of the future City of the Dead in 940 DR.

References[]

Connections[]