Virgin's Square was a prominent, cobblestone paved,[1][2] courtyard in the Trades Ward of the city of Waterdeep.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
Description[]
Despite its name, Virgin's Square had a roughly round shape to it.[8]
Geography[]
This courtyard was located in the center of a block of buildings bounded by the High Road, Scroll Street, Simple's Street, Snail Street, and the Way of the Dragon. Most of it opened southward on to Simple's Street, but it could also be entered from the north through Atkiss Alley.[2][9]
Activities[]
Virgin's Square acted as a marketplace,[5][6][7] but was also the place in Waterdeep where bodyguards and hireswords typically gathered to seek employment.[1][5][6][7][10][11] Fully armed and often sinister looking, these mercenaries originated from all across Faerûn.[8] Many of them spoke out and advertised their abilities or skills, some even approaching known mercenary contacts.[11]
Waterdhavian citizenry often lingered in Virgin's Square to watch the boastful warriors,[1] with women often giving them dirty looks,[8] or to watch the constant traffic from the nearby main avenues,[1] the High Road and the Way of the Dragon.[2]
History[]
Virgin's Square was named for a local legend that claimed long before Waterdeep's founding, the spot the square stood on was used by nomadic barbarian tribes to sacrifice virgins,[5][6][7][12] both male and female,[12] to dragons.[5][6][7] In later centuries, Virgin's Square would become a traditional meeting place for members of the Cult of the Dragon.[5][6][7]
One of the more notable incidences to occur in Virgin's Square was when a mimic took up the share of a statue in the courtyard,[8] shoving the real statue in a nearby sewers entrance that had a depth of 60 feet (18 meters).[12] The mimic lingered there for two winters undetected,[8] preying upon drunkards every night and heaping their bones atop the real statue.[12]
Eventually the nightly disappearances prompted an investigation by the City Watch. Not expecting to find anything amiss, two Watchmen prodded the mimic with their spears, who retaliated by devouring them. After this, the Watch found that the statue's sculptor did not recognize it and discovered the hiding place of the real statue, along with the huge heap of bones that had been amassed atop it.[12]
In the late 14th century DR, over the course of a tenday and more, streets across the Trades Ward experienced a number of ghostly sightings. These left many citizens, scribes, and members of the City Watch confused and some speculated if a wizard experimenting with illusions may have been the cause. In response to the incidences, the Lathanderite priest Thalomaun gave a speech on Virgin's Square, wherein he claimed that these were a sign from the dead that it was time for the living of the affected neighborhoods to do away with old businesses and make way for new ones.[13]
Notable Inhabitants[]
Most days, Blazidon One-Eye could be found in this courtyard sitting on a crate or stool,[12][14] the veteran warrior acting as a mercenary contract. In return for a small fee, he matched hireswords with caravan masters or others in need of such services.[14]
Reputation[]
Virgin's Square was considered to be one of the landmarks of the Trades Ward.[6][7][10][15]
Rumors & Legends[]
In the 14th century DR, some barbarian tribes on the Sword Coast were noted as refraining from raiding Waterdeep due to having legends of a Dragon God. According their legends, if the dragons that laired on Mount Waterdeep were to see them, the dragons would come to devour all their tribesmen for their ancestors having ceased their sacrifices.[12]
Appendix[]
Appearances[]
- Gamebooks
- Knight of the Living Dead
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Ed Greenwood and Steven E. Schend (July 1994). “Adventurer's Guide to the City”. City of Splendors (TSR, Inc), p. 11. ISBN 0-5607-6868-1.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Map included in Ed Greenwood and Steven E. Schend (July 1994). City of Splendors. (TSR, Inc). ISBN 978-1560768685.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Map included in Ed Greenwood (January 1993). Volo's Guide to Waterdeep. (TSR, Inc.). ISBN 1-56076-335-3.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Map by Jason Engle included in Christopher Perkins, James Haeck, James Introcaso, Adam Lee, Matthew Sernett (September 2018). Waterdeep: Dragon Heist. Edited by Jeremy Crawford. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 978-0-7869-6625-7.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Ed Greenwood (1987). Waterdeep and the North. (TSR, Inc), pp. 24–25. ISBN 0-88038-490-5.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 Ed Greenwood and Steven E. Schend (July 1994). “Campaign Guide”. City of Splendors (TSR, Inc), p. 50. ISBN 0-5607-6868-1.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 Eric L. Boyd (June 2005). City of Splendors: Waterdeep. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 100. ISBN 0-7869-3693-2.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Ed Greenwood (January 1993). Volo's Guide to Waterdeep. (TSR, Inc.), p. 116. ISBN 1-56076-335-3.
- ↑ Poster map included in Ed Greenwood (1987). Waterdeep and the North. (TSR, Inc.). ISBN 0-88038-490-5.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Ed Greenwood (January 1993). Volo's Guide to Waterdeep. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 106, 116–117, 217. ISBN 1-56076-335-3.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Ed Greenwood and Steven E. Schend (July 1994). “Who's Who in Waterdeep”. City of Splendors (TSR, Inc), p. 33. ISBN 0-5607-6868-1.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 Ed Greenwood (January 1993). Volo's Guide to Waterdeep. (TSR, Inc.), p. 117. ISBN 1-56076-335-3.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (2006-11-08). Ghost Sightings. Waterdeep News. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2009-06-02. Retrieved on 2021-11-21.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Ed Greenwood (January 1993). Volo's Guide to Waterdeep. (TSR, Inc.), p. 117. ISBN 1-56076-335-3.
- ↑ Bruce R. Cordell, Ed Greenwood, Chris Sims (August 2008). Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide. Edited by Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 196. ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.