Westgate

Westgate was a seedy and squalid metropolis—with a history in piracy, powerful crime syndicates, and nameless vampiric crime-lords. Westgate thrived on blackmarket trade and corruption, and was perhaps one of the most sordid cities in all of Faerûn. The legacy of scoundrels and spies was found in every alley, and danger lurked for the unprepared in every corner.

It was an open city that welcomed all travellers and citizens alike as long as they abided by the local laws and, of course, had enough coin.

It was probably the oldest, richest and most corrupt port on the Sea of Fallen Stars. It received the nickname, "Gateway to the West", from its role as the Inner Sea's most prolific port city. A person from Westgate was known as a Westar or a Westhavian.

History
This area of the Dragon Coast was first settled by humans from the Vilhon Reach roughly 3,000 years ago. The largest place was the human town of Westgate, ruled cruelly by the great topaz dragon Kisonraathiisar.

In -349 DR, Saldrinar destroyed Kisonraathiisar and became Westgate's first human king.

Im -286 DR, the vampire Orlak and a small army of mercenaries captured the city in a single night. Orlak proclaimed himself the Night King and ruled until he is defeated by a group of Lathander-worshipping paladins in -157 DR.

In 257 DR, pirates from the Pirate Isles invaded Westgate and began the 200-year-long reign of the Pirate Kings.

After the Spellplague, the Sea of Fallen Stars began to drain into the Underdark. The lower water level caused the shoreline to recede and left the dock area of Westgate high and dry. The docks were rebuilt on the new shoreline and the new dock area was known as Tidetown.

Foreign Policy
By the Year of the Ageless One, 1479 DR, Westgate was one of the few free cities left on the Dragon Coast not occupied by either Cormyr or Sembia. In order to preserve its independence Westgate played both powers against each other, perhaps even supporting insurrections within Cormyr's borders to stem its expansionism.

Inns and taverns

 * Bent Mermaid Inn
 * Black Eye
 * Blue Banner: Tavern and inn in the Shou Quarter
 * Rotten Root Tavern

Shops

 * Aurora's Emporium: Curio shop

Temples

 * House of Spires and Shadows: Temple of Mask; also called the Shadowspires. Abandoned circa 1480 DR.
 * House of Steel: Abandoned temple of Garagos and lair of the vampire Kirenkirsalai.
 * House of Winds: Temple of Talos
 * House of the Sun: Temple of Amaunator
 * Whitecap Hall: Temple of Umberlee
 * A small shrine to Sune

Other locations

 * Castle Thalavar: Gedrin Thalavar's childhood home and headquarters of the Eye of Justice.
 * Darkdance Manor: Home of House Darkdance and ancestral home of Myrin Darkdance.
 * Lair of the Night Masters: Formerly the lair of the vampire Orbahk.
 * Purple Lady: Festhall owned by Ilira Nathalan.
 * Shou Quarter: District home to many immigrant Shou.
 * Tidetown: New dock district built after the water level of the Sea of Fallen Stars dropped
 * Timeless Blade: Fencing school

Inhabitants

 * Clyde The Cleaver: Information broker & underworld figure. Notorious for his hand axe of Sharpness
 * Gedrin Thalavar: Founder of the Eye of Justice
 * Gul The Grim: Dwarven Leader & figurehead of the Westgate underworld
 * King Verovan: last King of Westgate who during a ship race against the Red Wizards of Thay was tricked into turning his whole crew into stone; the Red Wizards had secretly replaced his whip with one braided with a cockatrice feather.
 * Lord Topaz: Mercenary, assassin, bounty hunter, and unofficial contractor for the Night Masks. Affiliated with Waterdeep's Assassin's Guild of the VenomBlade.
 * Mintassan the Magnificent
 * Zedrick Neely: Leader of the Night Masks

Organizations and factions

 * Eye of Justice: Paladin order dedicated to the worship of the Threefold God
 * Fire Knives: Assassins' guild at war with the Nine Golden Swords.
 * Night Masks (guild): Thieves guild driven out of Westgate by the Eye of Justice in 1391 DR.
 * Nine Golden Swords: Shou organization with criminal roots by way of Telflamm; opposes the Fire Knives
 * Zhentarim: mercenary company



Noble Houses

 * Athagdal: symbol is a set of russet weighing scales
 * Bleth: symbol is seven suns
 * Cormaeril: symbol is a red wyvern and a silver horn
 * Guldar: symbol is a black hawk
 * Malavhan: symbol is a red sun
 * Ssemm: symbol is an ivory bird's claw
 * Thalavar: symbol is a green feather
 * Thorsar: symbol is a blue hand holding corn
 * Urdo: symbol is a yellow eye
 * Vhammos: symbol is a steel-gray open hand