Baldur's Gate
Like Waterdeep, the Gate is tolerant and quietly well-policed. As a result, it is one of the most popular ports-of-call in the seafaring Realms, and home to many eccentrics, adventurers, and freewheeling entrepreneurs.
Baldur's Gate, also called simply the Gate, is a metropolis and city-state on the Sword Coast and Western Heartlands border, on the north bank of the River Chionthar about 20 miles (32 km) east from its mouth on the Sea of Swords . It is located to the south of the great city-state of Waterdeep and to the north of the country of Amn, and was located along the well-traveled Coast Way road.
This wealthy port metropolis, whose population, according to many accounts, exceeds that of Waterdeep, is an important merchant city on the Sword Coast. Its strong watch and the presence of the powerful Flaming Fists mercenary company keep the city generally peaceful and safe
Notable Churches
The High House of Wonders, temple complex to Gond; Thalamond Albaier; 21 priests, 397 followers). The Lady's Hall, temple of Tymora; High Priest of the Lady's Favor Chanthalas Ulbright; 24 priests, 69 followers. The Water-Queen's House, temple of Umberlee; Storm-Priestess Jalantha Mistmyr; 8 priestesses, 16 followers. Shrines to Helm, Ilmater(deity), Lathander, Oghma, and Waukeen.Inns and Taverns
Blade and Stars: A quiet inn known for its high-quality foodstuffs. Blushing Mermaid: Located in the north-eastern section of Baldur's Gate, the Blushing Mermaid is an establishment known for its status as a hub of illicit business. Elfsong Tavern: A tavern in the southeast near the eastern gate known best for its strange haunting, a ghostly elven voice of unidentified origin that could be heard singing quietly at night. The trademark song faded in 1374 DR, only to return in 1437 DR with regular administration. Helm and Cloak: An expensive but well-rated feasting hall popular with both locals and travelers alike. Its upper floor was also rented out to the vast majority of the Knights of the Unicorn. Purple Wyrm Inn and Tavern: A tavern much compared to the Elfsong, but it is more commonly used by merchants and those seeking adventure. Splurging Sturgeon: Located a bit south from the Blushing Mermaid, the Splurging Sturgeon was a small but well-known establishment. Three Old Kegs: Highly comfortable but only slightly expensive, the Three Old Kegs is perhaps the most highly rated establishment in Baldur's Gate. The Gate has better inns and rooming houses, but adventurers (except single sailors not given to rowdiness) are not welcomed in such establishments.Mercantile
Counting House: A moneylender on the docks along the waterfront specializing in the trade of coins, gems, and valuables. Sorcerous Sundries: A shop near the eastern gate that stocked all sorts of arcane supplies, from spell components to magical items.Demographics
all races except full orcs, illithids, and drow
Government
The Council of Four (elected for life, or until resignation, by the populace). All council members take the title of grand duke or duchess. The present grand dukes are Entar Silvershield (LG male human Ftr21), Liia Jannath (CG male human Wiz16), the adventurer known only as Belt (CN male human Ftr19), and Eltan (LN male human Ftr20 of the Flaming Fist mercenary company, which he commands). The Council is backed by the Flaming Fist (who serve as unofficial secret police/enforcers). The current dukes are part of the Lords' Alliance
Defences
City Walls, Keeps, The Watch, The Flaming Fist
Industry & Trade
Fish, trade-coinage (25-gp-value merchant trade bars, used throughout the Sword Coast and the Shining Sea), lamp oil (rendered from fish and whales), dyes (from mollusks).
Guilds and Factions
The Guild of thieves, assassins, smugglers, and fences (Guildmaster: Alatos "Ravenscar" Thuibuld, NE male human Rog19; current active membership: 560+). The Guild ruthlessly crushes rivals seeking to do business in the city, and possesses a large collection of magical items, such as a wand of displacement.
History
The city is named for the legendary seafaring explorer Balduran, who long ago sailed past Evermeet in search of the rich, fabled isles of Anchorome (pronounced "Ang-kor-OH-may"). Balduran returned with tales of strange, vast lands across the seas. He also brought back much wealth, and scattered it about his sparsely-settled home harbor, commanding that some of it be spent on a wall to protect the harbor from orc and barbarian raids (still an annual problem in the area, in those, long ago days). Then he set sail again for the wondrous lands he had found. Balduran never returned. Some say he sails still, finding new lands in the endless reaches of the far sea, or even that he sailed off the world and fares now among the stars! Others whisper that he met with misfortune and perished in the deeps, while still others believe he lived to a ripe old age in his new-found home. Whatever Balduran's true fate, his money was spent on a splendid city wall.
Within its protection, building went on at a great pace, soon growing out past the wall. The wall was built by several farmers, who put it around their own holdings, excluding the actual harbor from its protection. This allowed them to tax all carts coming up from the docks to the protection of the walled city. The colleagues of Balduran, sea-captains to whom the harbor was home (an ideal place for beaching and repairing ships, without local fees or crowding), angrily insisted that the gate by which southern trade and the harbor traffic entered the city was "Baldur's Gate," and refused to pay for entering by it.
The strife ended in the overthrow of the enriched farmers and the seizure of the city (which came to be called Baldur's Gate) by the sea-captains. The four oldest captains, their days at sea drawing to a close, turned over their ships to younger sailors, who in turn supported their installation as rulers of the fledgling city. The four called themselves Dukes as a joke, but the titles proved useful when dealing with other rulers, and were later glorified by the appellation "grand."
Retired grand dukes live in honor, supported by the city and welcome at all feasts and temple functions (unless dismissed in disgrace and banished).
Geography
Port City
Natural Resources
Fish, Seafood, mollusks
Maps
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Baldur's Gate
A map of Baldur's Gate.
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