Ravencourt

Ravencourt was a back alley and courtyard located in the Sea Ward of Waterdeep. It was home to the infamous Hanging Tree of Ravencourt, a haunted tree that occasionally snatched a guilty victim and sentenced them to death by hanging.

Description
This courtyard surrounded four buildings that were all of similar architectural style, bearing stone ravens on all the gables. Just to the west of the western-most building was a lone shadowtop tree known as the Hanging Tree. Ravencourt was often frequented by live ravens, adding credence to its name.

Geography
Ravencourt was accessed by turning west into Prayer Alley from Aureenar Street. The famed explorer Volothamp Geddarm described Prayer Alley as going around the central buildings and ending up parallel to Phastal Street, but earlier maps show it parallel to Aureenar Street. In either case, the one- and two-story tenements and taverns that surrounded Ravencourt formed a closed courtyard with only one exit.

History
Ravencourt was the site of a former noble villa belonging to the Nharrelk family. The patriarch, Lord Pallak Nharrelk, was a magister (judge) loyal to the Lords of Waterdeep and was put to death by hanging from his own tree and then buried under it around the time of the Guildwars in the 13 century DR. The family home was looted and the Nharrelkk name was eventually forgotten.