Baldur's Gate
Overview
Even the most hardened adventurers watch their steps in Baldur's Gate, where lives hold prices in copper and greed proves deadlier than dragon fire. Baldur's Gate has a reputation for being a rough place, where crime and opportunity walk hand in hand, and where anything can be bought, sold, or seized at swordpoint. If something can be given a price, it's for sale somewhere in Baldur's Gate. Drugs and poisons sit on shelves alongside potions and remedies. Trade goods from Chult, mechanical wonders from Neverwinter, tomes of magic from Calimshan, and the most believable counterfeits of each can all be found in the city's stalls. The Flaming Fist, a mercenary company paid for by the city, protects residents without the barest hint of civil delicacy. The Watch, the guardian force of the wealthy Upper City, exists only to serve the patriars - the city's detached upper class. Meanwhile, crime flourishes under the control of the Guild, which oversees almost every organized criminal act, from dockside gambling rings to blackmail at patriar garden parties. Either under the Guild's auspices or in defiance of them, those who cut purses or throats make a decent living in the city, their talents traded as briskly - and often just as openly - as those of any other professional. For all its shadows and dark dealings, Baldur's Gate is not without its lights. Some residents earnestly seek to make the city a safer place by banding together to make their own sort of imperfect but effective justice.History of Baldur's Gate
Since its beginning as a quiet backwater community, Baldur's Gate has undergone a dramatic transformation, becoming the hub of danger and adventure it is today.Founding Baldur's Gate
Centuries ago, the hero Balduran spent years questing in lands across the Sea of Swords and beyond. When finally he returned to his village of Gray Harbor, he brought fantastic wealth with him, much of which he gifted to friends and family. These boons greatly improved Gray Harbor's fortunes, launching businesses, expanding its docks, and seeing the creation of a defensive wall around the town. In honor of their heroic patron, the citizens came to call one of their new wall's passages Baldur's Gate. Within a generation. though. the gate became synonymous with the community, and the settlement known as Baldur's Gate began appearing on maps of the Sword Coast. The city's surprising growth attracted all manner of people. Peasants affected by raiding and war, farmers rendered penniless by famine and drought, pirates seeking a neutral port - all types saw a chance to put their mark on the rapidly growing community.Order in Baldur's Gate
As the city swelled, questions of law and taxation arose. The community's eldest families - largely those wealthy enough to afford homes within the city walls - came to be known as patriars and grew wary of the influx of strangers settling beyond their walls. The creation of various additional taxes on trade and travel led to violence breaking out between the Upper City - behind the original walls of Gray Harbor - and the Lower City, built on the slopes leading down to the River Chionthar. Patriar houses were ransacked, family heirlooms were lost forever, and heirs were kidnapped, never to be seen again. Gold flowed like blood as families and guilds hired mercenaries to protect them. Only the election of a new group of rulers - known as the dukes and, collectively, as the Council of Four - put the matter to rest. These elected rulers have been a part of the city's governance ever since. Another pillar of order in Baldur's Gate formed when the adventurer Eltan, a noted warrior raised in the area, returned home from exploits abroad. Seeing the chaos that had splintered his beloved city, Eltan united the city's independent mercenary companies under a single banner, that of the Flaming Fist. Eltan used the mercenaries to quash what pockets of disorder he found, punishing lawbreakers for their crimes. Though plenty of theft, blackmail, and assassination continued behind closed doors, the founding of the Flaming Fist marked a new chapter in the city's story.Bhaalspawn
Over the years, Baldur's Gate has harbored countless evil schemes and conspiracies. Perhaps the most dastardly, though, was that perpetrated by Bhaal, god of murder, who foresaw his own death during the Time of Troubles. While in mortal form, Bhaal conceived multitudes of offspring, plotting to have them resurrect him. They actively hunted and slew each other, with the survivors collecting ever more of Bhaal's godly essence. Sarevok, a Bhaalspawn and member of the Iron Throne merchants' guild, sought to spark war with the nation of Amn and become the new Lord of Murder. Another Bhaalspawn, aided by powerful allies, thwarted Sarevok's plan and brought stability, if not peace, to Baldur's Gate once more. Yet, Bhaal and his faithful have menaced the city ever since.Baldur's Gate Today
The original wall ringing the Upper City still stands, and a second defensive wall now rings the Lower City. The Outer City, a collection of hastily made structures and shantytowns, runs along the River Chionthar. While the Outer City might seem the most lawless, every district of Baldur's Gate has its own threats. In the Upper City, patriar families and government officials jostle to secure their positions. Many are not above using private agents to acquire blackmail material, sabotage public appearances, or even frame innocents to secure power. The victims of these plots, and officials who want a fair and honest legal system, must resort to hiring their own agents to unearth conspiracies, break out unfairly imprisoned citizens, and obtain evidence the Flaming Fist cannot. The Upper City's political intrigues and the Outer City's violence spills over into the Lower City, the city's middle ground. Rampant crime, class grudges, foreign threats, and economic pressures leave many Baldurians feeling trapped within their own homes. Flaming Fist patrols react to threats with indiscriminate violence, doing little to make citizens feel safer. As a result, in recent years many citizens have started banding together in crews. These counter-gangs align along professional or neighborhood affiliations, doing their best to protect their territories. While this has given some of the city's people a way of feeling more in control of their lives, it's also increased the number of armed citizens on the streets. Whether the Lower City is actually safer after the formation of crews remains an open question. In the Outer City, all the world washes against the city's gates. Here crime and poverty are contrasted by wonders from afar and the riches of cultures across Faerûn. The mix of wanderers and refugees remains in constant flux, with communities forming and disbanding on a monthly basis. None can possibly keep track of all the foreign traditions or the dangerous - sometimes outright evil - religious practices observed in the Outer City. As a result, Baldur's Gate has widely adopted a "do no harm" policy when it comes to faiths and organizations operating in the city. Any group is welcome to operate openly so long as the city's important citizens aren't harmed. Beyond all its dangers, Baldur's Gate is an adventurer's city, a place where a sword-for-hire can find a rich patron, join a secret guild, stalk killers for a bounty, or come to the aid of desperate citizens. Good-hearted champions fight against corruption and bring murderers to justice, while less moral mercenaries find a good price for their services. The city offers opportunities as well as the most reliable and ruthless market on the Sword Coast. Information, treasures, secrets, and souls can be bought or sold for the right price. As a great hero of Baldur's Gate once said, "Watch your step in the shadows. Watch your back in the light. Win a prize beyond your wildest dreams or disappear into forgotten history. Every day your life is on the line. Every day you could become a legend. Welcome to Baldur's Gate."Neighbors, Rivals, and Allies
Other cities and nations keep a watchful eye on Baldur's Gate, which is growing in wealth, power, and influence. Baldur's Gate trades with the coastal cities of Waterdeep and Neverwinter to the north while contending with the aggressive mercantile nation of Amn to the south. Amn seeks to dominate trade on the Sea of Swords and views Baldur's Gate as a growing threat. Baldur's Gate joined the Lords' Alliance, a coalition of independent cities that includes Neverwinter and Waterdeep, largely because of disputes with Amn. Should Amn decide to attack Baldur's Gate, the city can count on the other members of the Lords' Alliance to come to its defense. This arrangement infuriates Amn, which is not prepared to test the alliance's resolve. To the east, the nations of Elturgard and Cormyr view Baldur's Gate as a lawless cesspool that might have to be dealt with someday. These nations especially frown on the city's broad religious tolerance.Government
The Parliament of Peers, a group mainly composed of nearly fifty patriar members, makes recommendations on issues of law and governance. Once the parliament comes to a majority decision on a matter, usually after much heated debate, it presents its position to the Council of Four. Three dukes and one grand duke make up this ruling council. The council also votes on matters, and in the case of a tie, the grand duke's vote counts as two. Common belief holds that many parliament members, and possibly one or more of the dukes, can be bribed for their votes. Corrupt parliament members don't wish to be caught taking payments, usually not out of fear of legal reprisal, but of being perceived as incompetent among their peers. The perception is that one who can't be trusted to receive something as simple as a bribe likely can't be trusted to manipulate the city's intricate social web. Such leads to the common trick of officials buying cheap jewelry or fake art objects with their bribe money (usually in the form of platinum coins or jewels) hidden inside.Council of Four
Comprised of four dukes, the Council of Four presides over the government of Baldur's Gate. Though the Parliament of Peers and the patriars hold a great deal of power, the Council of Four is the ultimate authority. It convenes in High Hall, a fortress in the middle of the Upper City, and controls the Flaming Fist. the navy, the tax collectors, and all public utilities, among other things.Military
Baldur's Gate boasts two military forces: the Flaming Fist and the Watch.Flaming Fist
The red and gold symbol of the Flaming Fist mercenary company has become emblematic of Baldur's Gate. The Council of Four funds the Flaming Fist, supporting it as the city's army. Grand Duke Ulder Ravengard is now its undisputed leader. The Flaming Fist largely patrols the Lower City, though it holds nominal authority over the Outer City as well. The company has enough to do maintaining order within the city walls without straying too far from its gates, though the Fist has been known to hire independent agents when its ranks are spread thin. Thousands of soldiers currently serve in the Flaming Fist: in Baldur's Gate proper, at the fortress of Wyrm's Rock on the River Chionthar, and patrolling the surrounding area. The Flaming Fist offers employment and a sense of belonging to any who can lift a sword and follow orders. Native Baldurians, immigrants, former criminals, and retired adventurers can all be found within the company's ranks.The Watch
Watch officers can spend their entire careers within the Upper City. Bankrolled by the patriars, the Watch has a reputation as glorified bodyguards for the city's elite. Orderly and regimented, the Watch maintains precise, predictable patrols. At dusk, the Watch clears the Upper City of everyone but residents, their household staffs, and guests bearing written invitations. Many Watch officers, born and raised in the city, pride themselves on recognizing every Upper City resident on sight. The Watch operates out of the Citadel, a massive keep built into the Upper City's walls. In times of crisis, bells at the High Hall and the Citadel are rung simultaneously. If the pealing continues for more than a few minutes, every Watch member is required to rally at the Citadel or appointed guard posts. The function of the bells is common knowledge.Law and Order
Everyone in Baldur's Gate is expected to hew to common law. Murder, theft, assault, blackmail, and fraud all carry severe penalties. Patriars, the wealthy, and the well-connected are given much more leniency than commoners. A noble heir who steals from a shop might get away with a fine paid by a parent, whereas a commoner committing the same crime may be jailed or publicly flogged. Both the Watch and the Flaming Fist have the right to dispense immediate justice, should they witness a crime in progress. In unclear situations, or when a person of influence is involved, the accused is jailed until a trial can be set. Patriars and other powerful individuals are usually placed under house arrest, except in dire circumstances. Commoners await their trial in jail. On occasion, a vigilante or hired mercenary will break an accused commoner out of prison in order to ensure the accused's safety until the trial date. Minor crimes, such as creating a public disturbance, petty theft, or vandalism carry similar punishments. Time in the stocks, public humiliation, or a fine are the usual judgments. Some patriar families consider petty crimes to be worse than major ones - they are a sign that one can't manage one's baser instincts. Patriars have been known to pay huge bribes or promise outsized favors to protect a rebellious heir from being charged with a minor crime. Lawyers must belong to the Barrister's Guild to practice, and the associated fees means they prefer to represent wealthy clients. Poorer citizens often must throw themselves on the mercy of the courts, or scrape together what coin they can to hire an adventurer or mercenary to find evidence to support their plea.The Gates
Nine gates separate the districts of Baldur's Gate, providing the only points of entry to pass from the Upper City to the Lower City, or from the walled city proper to the Outer City and the wider world beyond. Baldurians, particularly if they do not wish to reveal a crew or family affiliation to a potentially hostile audience, often describe themselves by the nearest gate to their homes. Terms like "Gondgater" and "Dragongater" are widely understood as neighborhood identities, and are also understood as a way of omitting more troublesome connections. The Watch guards gates leading to the Upper City, while the Flaming Fist oversees the rest. Guards assigned to Baldur's Gate and Black Dragon Gate stay at sharp attention and seldom accept bribes. Those assigned to the smaller and more secluded gates, however, can be less attentive, particularly when distracted by jingling coins. Anyone entering the city must pay a nominal entry toll of 5 cp. While this is a small sum, it ensures that the truly destitute remain outside, consigned to the slums of the Outer City. Beggars and refugees crowd at the fringes of these slums, typically around Black Dragon Gate and Basilisk Gate, pleading for money to pay the toll and hoping that the guards won't drive them off for annoying more prosperous travelers. When the city is not under lockdown, merchants pour through the external gates from morning till night, while peddlers, delivery carriers, and servants move in equally swift streams through the inner gates. Toll collectors work quickly but methodically to inspect incoming and outgoing trade goods, ensuring that commerce flows smoothly and the city gets its share at every turn. The city gates are closed at night. At dusk, the Watch evicts anyone from the Upper City who is not a patriar, bearing a patriar's livery or permission letter, or carrying a Watch-issued token. The enforcement of this rule is one of the means by which the Upper City reinforces its snobbery over the other districts. More than one Lower City merchant visiting an Upper City restaurant or theater near sundown has been embarrassed by a Watch member's loud, public caution that the gates are about to close. While being seen hurrying toward the gates is an obvious embarrassment, being caught and escorted out would be far more bruising - both to one's ego and body. The nightly closing of the gates ostensibly keeps the patriars safe. Closing off the Upper City pushes street crime into poorer neighborhoods, or out of the city altogether. In the Upper City, patriars can walk down alleys with relatively little fear, but beyond its well-lit streets and tightly watched gates, the other districts become much more dangerous after dark.Citizenry
The citizens of Baldur's Gate include many races and ethnicities. Though prejudices can exist among certain residents, Baldur's Gate as a whole is a diverse and unprejudiced - if not welcoming - city. Many of the patriar families of Baldur's Gate can trace their lineage back for generations, but a significant portion of Baldurians were not born in the city. Most citizens began their lives in Tethyr, The North, the Western Heartlands, or other communities along the Sword Coast. Baldurians born in Amn and the High Forest are less common, but still present.Commoners and Crews
Baldur's Gate can be a rough place for ordinary folk. Among the twisting streets of the Lower City, commoners have significantly fewer rights than patriars, with only the rough mercenaries of the Flaming Fist to keep them safe. Even worse off are the poor residents of the Outer City, many of whom aren't recognized as citizens. With the Flaming Fist too eager to punish criminal behavior by drubbing both accuser and accused, it's important that common folk have someone to watch their backs. That's why the people of Baldur's Gate created crews - collections of likeminded folk who band together for mutual protection. Depending on the crew, this protection can range from taking someone's side in a tavern brawl or guarding each other's shops to price fixing or inter-crew loans. Crews were the first to institute the common practice of burl. Under this system, anyone seeking shelter and safety - usually those fleeing from the Flaming Fist or some other danger - can approach a house or shop and give three sharp knocks followed by a heavier one. The residents are then obligated to take that person in and bide them. This applies even to members of opposing crews, though anyone requesting sanctuary from a crew other than their own incurs a debt, both personally and on behalf of their crew. Abusing someone who's granted burl is grounds for immediate expulsion from one's crew, and such "drowners" are universally shunned.Patriars
Patriars are the elite upper class of the city, a rank defined largely by money and lines of vague, increasingly inconsequential heritage. Many nobles claim generations of lineage, dating to the earliest days of Baldur's Gate. Their money funds industries and lines political pockets, but their names allow them to wield influence throughout the city. Some patriars are economically-minded individuals who rise early and spend their days in meetings and negotiations. They fund expeditions into dangerous locales and hire explorers to map uncharted territories. Other patriars manipulate the city's power players through diplomacy and intrigue. They spend their days flitting from theater performances to private balls, while quietly making and breaking the alliances that underwrite the city's structures. Patriars live and work in the Upper City. Their manor homes employ dozens of servants, along with contingents of personal guards. The wall surrounding the Upper City as well as the constant presence of the Watch - which exclusively patrols that district - goes far toward assuring their security. As a side effect, it also means many patriars go months without engaging with the city's common folk, their insulation leading to the spread of divisive rumors. Patriars know the danger of the other districts, where their wealth is a lure and their names carry no weight. Patriars who have to travel the Lower City always do so with guards, and still risk robbery or worse violence. Many patriar families hire proxies to carry out their business in the Lower City or Outer City. If circumstances force patriars to visit the Outer City personally, they typically travel in disguise, paying adventurers or mercenaries to protect them without drawing the attention of a uniformed personal guard. Among the common folk and criminal element of the city, patriars have a reputation for callousness. Common wisdom holds that patriars are out of touch with everyday life and value citizens' lives cheaply. For some nobles, this assessment holds true. These patriars are class-conscious dilettantes who spend their money on frivolous bets, debauched entertainment, and risky business ventures. For this callous lot, the common people are nothing more than fools to be exploited, clods undeserving of comfort and wealth due to their lack of comfort and breeding. For a few patriars, though, the inequality of Baldur's Gate is a serious concern. Blocked by a corrupt government and uncaring peers, these civic-minded nobles use unorthodox channels to distribute aid. They quietly fund vigilante action that protects the vulnerable groups. They stage robberies on their own property and secretly send the "stolen goods" to sick houses and charities. These patriars know that to act openly is to invite scorn from their peers, which may edge them out of alliances and deals that could strengthen their standing. Worse, it makes them targets for corrupt elite who prefer the city's divisions as they are. Some good-hearted but naive patriars have been known to venture into the Lower City and even the Outer City to volunteer with the disadvantaged or share their wealth. Even in disguise, though, these nobles are usually quickly identified and become targets of the Guild or other criminals. More than one patriar on a mission of mercy has disappeared into the Lower City, never to be seen again.Economy and Trade
With trade ways running north and south along the Sword Coast, a port on the Sea of Swords, and the River Chionthar leading inland, Baldur's Gate is perfectly situated for its role as a commercial hub. Craftspeople, merchants, traders, and smugglers all make a brisk living in the city, and many immigrants are drawn by the dream that anyone willing to work hard can be successful in Baldur's Gate. Baldur's Gate has plenty of exports, notably fish, fish glue, and sea salt, but its main economic force is trade itself. The city boasts a large and well-connected marketplace where wholesalers can exchange goods before moving up or down the Sword Coast. The number of ships in port and traders making their way north or south mean that Baldur's Gate boasts one of the most expansive markets in the west. Coin trumps morals in Baldur's Gate, with profit being the ultimate good. As a result, nearly anything can be bought and sold in the city's shops, whether it be rare jewels, magic weapons, secrets, alliances, or even murder. People visit the city seeking anything from rust-covered treasures dredged from the sea to blackmail information on political rivals to custom-brewed poisons. Though the city has laws regarding the sale of stolen property, smuggling, and contract killing, such crimes are rarely reported and even more rarely enforced. Unless the complainant is a patriar or other powerful individual, law enforcement lacks the time and interest to pursue those engaging in mutually beneficial transactions. The unwritten law is do nothing that interferes with the city's economy and make your bargains in peace. Individuals who suffer due to morally questionable contracts must seek out private means of obtaining justice.Religion
Baldurians are permitted to worship whatever deities they wish, so long as they refrain from violent acts and practices that disrupt trade. While multiple temples rise within the city walls, hundreds of tiny shrines sit along the twisted streets of the Outer City. In the city proper, worship centers around a handful of well-known and generally respectable deities. Most established temples, with clergy and daily rituals, are in the Upper City, which precludes commoners from worshiping after dark, when only residents are allowed to remain in the Upper City. Since most commoners work during the day, their faith usually becomes secondary in their lives. Ostentatious adherence to religious rituals is seen as a privilege of the wealthy. Some Baldurians even think outwardly displaying one's faith is a sign of pretentiousness and insincerity. Among the many deities worshiped in Baldur's Gate, a handful hold particular prominence.Dead Three
Bane (the Lord of Tyranny), Bhaal (the Lord of Murder), and Myrkul (the Lord of Bones) make up the Dead Three. While these deities have lost much of their power, their faiths still command respect and fear throughout Baldur's Gate. While open worship of the Dead Three is frowned upon in Baldur's Gate, their worship is not illegal - so long as worship remains within the laws. Every now and then, rumors surface that a powerful political figure is a Bhaalspawn. These claims almost always prove to be smear campaigns with no basis in truth - though, in some cases, such claims have actually raised a figure's standing in the public eye.Gond
The High House of Wonders, located in the Upper City, serves as the city's temple of Gond, a god of innovation and invention. Within the walls of the temple, clergy members are permitted to brew experimental potions and elixirs, build and test mechanical constructs, and hire locals to participate in controlled experiments - all in the spirit of invention and innovation. High-ranking members of Gond's clergy oversee a number of secret projects sponsored by wealthy patriars or the Flaming Fist.Helm
In a city as dangerous as Baldur's Gate, prayers to the Vigilant One are many. Members of the Watch and the Flaming Fist, mercenaries, bodyguards, and the fearful pray for Helm's protection at his shrine, the Watchful Shield, located in the Upper City. Patriars who see themselves as protectors of the common folk pray to Helm for guidance as well. The Order of the Gauntlet, a good-aligned faction devoted to Helm, quietly sponsors vigilantes throughout Baldur's Gate. These self-styled "protectors of the innocent" leave Helm's holy symbol on the bodies of dead criminals, or carved into the flesh of live ones left at the Flaming Fist's doorstep.Ilmater
IImater's humble shrine stands in a quiet square in the Lower City. The Shrine of Suffering provides free meals and a few coppers to the poor and destitute. Even in the Upper City, some citizens feel their existence is one of secret torment and suffering. The idea that pain has nobility to it - that there can be a divine reason behind the trials that face Baldurians - comforts many. Some patriars spread word of IImater's faith not out of devotion, but to control their lessers. If people believe their suffering is worthy, they are less likely to demand safer conditions, higher pay, or more rights. In recent memory, cryptic notes have appeared on the gates of patriar estates, warning that "those who falsely champion the Crying God will find their own suffering multiplied."Oghma
An eye-catching, white marble pavilion in the Upper City known as the Unrolling Scroll serves as Oghma's shrine. Pilgrims on the road to Candlekeep often stop at the shrine to purchase or trade rare tomes. Adventurers looking for work sometimes linger nearby, waiting to hire on to missions intent on recovering lost books of magic.Tymora
Adherents of the goddess of good fortune maintain her temple in the Upper City. Given the number of people in Baldur's Gate who rely on luck to make it through each day, her following thrives. Even cruel-hearted criminals turn to Tymora for luck, hoping the goddess recognizes their boldness and daring. Evildoers who work outside the Guild tip their hats to Lady Luck before going out on a job. Citizens who must walk the Lower City at night, or who venture into the depths of the Outer City, usually whisper joint prayers to Tymora and Helm. They know that luck is almost as valuable as vigilance when it comes to staying alive in the city. Tymora's temple unofficially serves as a gathering place for adventurers seeking dangerous quests. Citizens with bizarre problems or in overwhelmingly perilous situations come to the temple in hopes of finding the perfect aid to help them.Umberlee
No city as reliant on the sea as Baldur's Gate could do without a temple to Umberlee. Fisherfolk pray to the Queen of the Depths for good waters to ply their trade, and sailors beg Umberlee's mercy before embarking on their voyages. Smugglers, too, pay homage to Umberlee. A great deal of illegal trade passes through the harbor in small crafts on moonless nights, and smugglers - particularly of dangerous beasts and kidnapped souls - know to drop a few coins into the water as they pass into the harbor to appease Umberlee. Umberlee's adherents work out of the Water Queen's House, a magnificent structure on the city docks. They provide blessings to sailors and identify relics dredged up from the deep. When Umberlee is offended by the removal of an item from the sea, she expresses her displeasure to the clergy by sending them omens, urging the priests to advise the finder to return the plundered item to the depths at once - or else.Dangers in Baldur's Gate
Crime is a powerful force in the city. Fearsome creatures hunt along cobbled streets, and the worship of evil deities continues to rise.The Guild
The organization known simply as the Guild unites cutpurses, loan sharks, killers, thugs, con artists, grave robbers, cat burglars, and every other type of criminal in the city. The Guild operates under the noses of the Watch and the Flaming Fist by adroitly keeping its illicit activities quiet. The current leader of the Guild is Nine-Fingers Keene. Guild operations in the Outer City center on smuggling and gambling. Some violent crime and theft occur, but for the most part, Outer City residents are too poor to draw the attention of the Guild. Travelers and visitors do fall victim to pickpocketing, muggings, and assault, though. As the Flaming Fist rarely comes to the district, the Guild has long operated with impunity. In recent years, though, the interference of vigilantes and hired adventurers has been on the rise. The Lower City serves as the heart of the Guild's operations. The locals here have enough money to make burglary and protection schemes worthwhile, and the Flaming Fist is spread too thin to address every instance of petty crime. The Guild's operations widen to numerous commercial ventures, such as gambling dens, animal fights, races, and brawling tournaments. Their traffickers also maintain routes into other districts, and guide individuals and illicit trade through them for a fee. Those who oppose the Guild - typically by going to the Flaming Fist - invite retaliation upon themselves and their neighbors. This makes most folk afraid to report crimes and pressures their neighbors to keep quiet as well. In the Upper City, the Guild engages in burglary, extortion, blackmail, and confidence games. Patriars might even hire Guild members to gain (or plant) information about their rivals, involving the Guild in Upper City politics. Only the most talented criminals dare to burgle patriar estates, but many often work as pickpockets or try to con residents of the district. Here, the Watch zealously monitors for Guild activities and targets anyone threatening the peace.The Dead Three
The plots of patriars and the schemes of Guild operatives fill the gossip and whispers of Baldur's Gate. Yet, throughout the city, no names are as synonymous with dastardly acts as those of Dead Three. The gods Bane, Bhaal, and Myrkul have walked among mortals, personally seeking followers to their cause. More than once, it's rumored, the trio has even trod the streets of Baldur's Gate. Nefarious patriars whisper prayers to Bane when they seek to gain power through coercion, intimidation, and forceful exaction of the law. Gang leaders, evil mercenaries, and others who rely on fear and control, also pay homage to Bane. Those who want to evoke dominance and ruthlessness favor wearing black gloves - a nod to Bane's symbol. Myrkul claims a following among those who wish to learn from or command the dead. Those who plunder tombs for lost knowledge, grim entrepreneurs who see business sense in undead servants, even pragmatic necromancers seeking to conjure secrets from the wealthy dead of Cliffside Cemetery all whisper prayers to Myrkul. Of the Dead Three, Myrkul's base of power is the smallest. Residents of Baldur's Gate rarely fear death by old age - a grim fact of living in such a dangerous city. As a result, few desperate elders seek the blessing of the Lord of Bones. Those who do, though, tend to be both cagey and wealthy, which means that although Myrkul's worshipers are small in number, their resources have hidden depths. Since the time when the Bhaalspawn Sarevok plotted to start a war between Baldur's Gate and Amn as a path to claiming Bhaal's power, awareness of the Lord of Murder's children has grown. Baldur's Gate maintains a grim draw for Bhaalspawn, whether due to some foul influence in the city itself, or merely because of Sarevok's lingering reputation. At the same time, worship of Bhaal proves darkly popular in Baldur's Gate. Few openly admit to worshiping the Lord of Murder, but there is an unspoken assumption that anyone who benefits from violent death has some respect for Bhaal. Assassination and murder underpin many of the plots in the city, from the business of highly-paid killers on patriar payrolls to slayings of opportunity committed by Outer City fanatics. Such bloodthirsty faithful rarely gather in numbers, but they typically mark themselves by carving a fresh gouge on their thumbs - spilling their blood in Bhaal's name while creating a subtle mark identifying that identifies them among allies. While the Dead Three occupy a prominent place in Baldurians' fears, their faiths currently have only the shallowest roots in the city. Followers of the Dead Three have done more to incite dread than faith. As a result. their numbers remain relatively small. Their sinister reputations outstrip their actual influence, though, with gossip spreading quickly whenever the deities' ominous symbols appear in graffiti or the Flaming Fist cracks down on overzealous fanatics. Despite public fears and resistance from law enforcement, the cults of the Dead Three persist, causing many to darkly wonder why the servants of Bane, Bhaal, and Myrkul hold such interest in Baldur's Gate.Murder
Blackmail and theft pay well, but murder is the preferred tool of the ambitious. Murder silences witnesses, disposes of enemies, and clears the path to power. Assassins never lack for work in Baldur's Gate. In the Outer City, murder is practically a way of life. With neither the Watch nor the Flaming Fist to look after residents, criminals run free in the sprawling district. Criminals use murder to keep order among their ranks and remove threats to their organization. So-called "snuff streets" hold the bodies of the dead, dumped by their murderers in piles along the lane. The most desperate of Outer City residents prowl the snuff streets, hoping to find a missed copper piece or a salvageable boot to pawn. They strip the teeth from bodies, cut off hair that might fetch a coin, and sometimes - it is rumored - slice flesh from the corpses to stave off starvation. Recent reports of ghoul activity in the Outer City likely have their origins in these snuff streets. In the Lower City, murder is less common but remains a threat. Long-time residents know to travel in groups after dark. Those looking to earn a few coins sometimes linger outside of taverns, hiring out as escorts for drunken patrons. Revelers can stay as late as they wish and still get home safely, provided they hire someone trustworthy to guard their trip home. Most murders in the Lower City have reasons behind them. The merchant found with his throat cut and pockets emptied, the wife murdered so her husband can marry his young mistress, the tyrannical shop owner stabbed by a desperate underling - residents understand these crimes. What frightens people are the senseless murders. The man found ripped to pieces with his pockets still full of gold, the woman slaughtered so viciously that her grieving husband is sent to the asylum, the shop owner who suddenly strikes down his faithful clerk - these are the crimes that lead to panic and wild rumors. Some commoners claim that something about the city itself sparks violence in its citizens. A popular theory is that the spirits of the vicious pirates that once sailed the harbors still influence the city. Another is that the spirit of the long-executed serial murderer Alhasval Drenz, the Whitkeep Whistler, still stalks the city, possessing innocents to continue her unmatched killing spree. In the Upper City, murder brings results. Muggings and crimes of opportunity are rare here. The Watch keeps Upper City residents safe from criminals and riffraff. The biggest threat to patriars are other patriars. Bribery and blackmail can secure votes or sway an allegiance temporarily, but murder permanently changes the makeup of the Parliament of Peers. Several elite assassins exclusively take on political targets. The Watch puts little effort into tracking down expert assassins, knowing that arresting one means possibly exposing a whole cadre of powerful patriars. The wrath that would fall on the Watch isn't worth putting one assassin in the cells.City Districts
Today, Baldur's Gate is split into three districts: the wealthy Upper City on the hills above the docks, the bustling Lower City around the harbor, and the lawless Outer City (which includes all neighborhoods outside the city walls).Upper City
The Upper City, home to the patriar aristocracy of Baldur's Gate, is a place of beauty and splendor, where magnificent public sculptures stand alongside historic manors, upscale theaters and boutiques, and tiny stonewalled gardens tucked among the streets like hidden jewels. Flowers bloom along the tree-lined streets, ushering away any stray miasma that escapes from the less fortunate quarters below. Silks and velvets, gold braid and mink, water-clear diamonds and luminous pearls: these are common sights in the Upper City, and hardly glimpsed elsewhere except as cheap imitations. Everything in the Upper City speaks of privilege and wealth. Magical lights illuminate the clean-swept streets, some bearing enchantments that hold back the river fog. Most of the city's major temples are located in this district, flagrant evidence of how the faiths value the city's wealthy elite over congregants with shallower pockets. The finest wine shops, ateliers, and jewelers are all in the Upper City, where the Watch's nightly ritual of expelling all non-residents reinforces their air of luxurious exclusivity. Those without either Watch-issued tokens or a patriars' vouchsafe must leave at nightfall, without exception. Residents of the Upper City feel great pressure to maintain outward appearances, and will keep their estate's image finely maintained even at the cost of pawning everything within. Admitting to poverty in this district is admitting to shameful failure. The patriars' unabashed snobbery fosters deep resentment among denizens of the Lower City and Outer City, who can see the good life enjoyed before their eyes but are excluded from all but the smallest tastes. The Watch is merciless about turning beggars and malcontents away from the gates, where an erratically enforced entry toll for non-residents and those without Watch tokens or escorts effectively bars the poor from setting foot within this district. A patriar caught outside the Upper City after dark, therefore, is at high risk of robbery, beating, or worse.Gates
The Old Wall, built at Balduran's behest centuries ago, surrounds the Upper City. Six gates pierce it, channeling the district's visitors and commerce. Entering the Upper City requires either being a patriar, having a patriar's letter or livery, showing a Watch token issued to the Upper City's residents or licensed to its few inns for guest use, or paying an entry toll. Tokens and tolls are only accepted at Citadel Gate, Baldur's Gate, and the Black Dragon Gate, since the other gates are reserved for the exclusive use of patriars, their servants, and their guests.Neighborhoods
While most outsiders see only rampant luxury among the Upper City's streets, the district's residents perceive a wide spectrum of style and status. Wealth and taste as much as location serve to divide the Upper City into a variety of distinct neighborhoods.The Old Wall
The original wall built during Balduran's day, which encloses the Upper City and separates it from the Lower City, occupies an outsize place in the city's history and imagination. As the original relic of the city's first borders - and, more importantly for daily life, the physical embodiment of the division between patriars and ordinary citizens - the Old Wall is a symbol for much that Baldurians both admire and resent about their city. Most of the Old Wall was rebuilt following revolts early in the city's history, then reinforced during every major period of tumult that troubled Baldur's Gate afterward. Each push for renewal saw a conflict between Gondan engineers advocating for new building techniques and materials, and patriars and preservationists striving to protect the original architecture. Meanwhile, smugglers and Guild agents bribed building crews, altered blueprints, and otherwise put their fingers in the plans at every turn to steer reinforcement efforts away from their own secret passageways or induce builders to make new ones. After centuries of such unreliable maintenance, the Old Wall stands proud and strong, but only outwardly so. In truth, the barrier is riddled with numerous secret holes through - or, more often, underneath - its stones. Knowledge of such secret passages' locations is jealously guarded, and the hidden ways are used only sparingly, for the risk of discovery is too great to use them routinely. Nevertheless, if the Old Wall were ever to be seriously tested, its defenders might find it far less impenetrable than it seems.Patriar Manors
The great houses of the patriars are the wellspring of their pride and the center of high society. A manor stands as proof that the family held anchor in Baldur's Gate when the Old Wall was raised, and that its line has remained prosperous and unbroken since. Even on the rare occasion that a patriar manor changes hands entirely, the new owner generally goes to great lengths to prove - or fabricate - some connection, however slight, to the previous holder's line. Most patriar manors are town homes rather than free - standing mansions, for the Upper City has always been constrained by its walls, and even the wealthiest families are limited to narrow footprints. In general, patriar manors have only small courtyard gardens, and rely on vertical arrangements such as towering fruit trees, framed roses, and vines trained along the house's walls. Because of the manors' storied pasts and small spaces, most manors are crowded with heirlooms and treasures accumulated across generations. Occasionally, however, a manor's grand façade hides destitution. Estates are expensive to maintain, and dynasties are prone to decline. Although no patriar would ever openly admit to lacking money, quite a few are hunting marriages with wealthy outsiders who might bring an influx of capital and ambition to their dying lines.Lower City
A crescent of steeply sloping neighborhoods plays home to the common folk of Baldur's Gate. The Lower City is a chaotic tangle of conjoined, slate-roofed buildings, its narrow cobblestone thoroughfares spanned by bridges and buttresses designed to keep overflowing tenements from tumbling into the streets. As cramped and noisy as the Lower City can be during the day, bustling with business from a thousand shops, the district turns eerily quiet at night. Though lit by street lamps and traversed by hired lantern bearers, the darkened streets are far from safe, and those citizens not running taverns or other late-night establishments tend to lock their doors and bar their colorful window shutters as the river's dense fog rolls in. Nearly everyone in the Lower City is engaged in some sort of trade. Crime of all sorts is rampant, from petty smuggling to outright robbery and murder. Though the city government tries to curtail this by paying the Flaming Fist to patrol the streets, the mercenaries sometimes seem more like an occupying army than a true police force, better suited to indiscriminate head-cracking than delicate investigation. As such, while most residents are happy to shout for the Fist when beset by obvious criminals, they also band together into local crews to better watch each other's backs and settle more subtle scores. In such an environment, laws are often treated as suggestions, and while most residents are just ordinary folks trying to get by, there's truth to the old adage that everyone in Baldur's Gate has a secret to keep.Gates
The three gates of the Lower City are ripe with logistical, historical, and metaphorical significance. Though tokens are not required to pass through the gates connecting with the Outer City, using any gate comes with a 5 cp entry toll and erratic investigation of cargo and suspicious individuals.Neighborhoods
General wealth, predominant profession, and traditions divide the Lower City into several neighborhoods. These divisions foster stereotypes and rivalries between city residents, some comical, some age-old insults that can quickly turn violent.Outer City
Dirty and uncouth, the Outer City holds everything the elite of Baldur's Gate resist allowing within their walls: the poor, refugees, tanneries and stockyards, and other industries that offend highborn sensibilities. Stretching forth from each of the city's external gates, the Outer City sprawls in a chaotic tangle of shanties and shops, carts and tents lining the roads in hopes of bleeding off enough city trade for their owners to survive. And indeed, much of the commerce in Baldur's Gate happens in these unregulated markets, with even patriars shopping from inside perfumed litters. While smaller neighborhoods such as Tumbledown and Blackgate squat outside their respective gates, the majority of the Outer City runs along the Coast Way as it curves around the foot of Duskhawk Hill, between Wyrm's Crossing and the city proper. Residents of these neighborhoods are not technically citizens and receive no representation in the government, nor do they receive the benefit of the city's police forces. The Flaming Fist rarely patrols the Outer City, usually emerging only to pursue Outer City residents for crimes committed within the walls. The Outer City's challenges lead to small, tightly knit communities, where a person's honor and social connections are the only things standing between them and a quick death.Approaching the City
Visitors approaching Baldur's Gate by road first pass through the Outer City's ramshackle neighborhoods, their traffic hemmed in by cook fires, market stalls, and industries too noisy or repugnant for more respectable citizens. Here travelers must leave any sizable mounts or beasts of burden at one of countless stables and caravanserais before paying the fees to pass through the gates into the city proper. Travelers from the south are twice blessed in this regard, paying once for the bridge at Wyrm's Crossing and again once they've run the gauntlet of Outer City neighborhoods circling Duskhawk Hill. Travelers arriving via the river wait in the center of Gray Harbor, under the watchful eye of the Seatower, until one of the harbormaster's agents approaches in a fast-moving skiff. Protected by coteries of Gray Wavers (Flaming Fist veterans), these customs officials assess the boat's cargo, collect taxes, and sell hourly berth assignments at one of the city's many docks and piers. Large vessels may also pay to make use of the city's marvelous mechanical cranes, dramatically accelerating their unloading process.
Maps
-
Baldur's Gate
- 25 Landmarks
- 6 Inns and Taverns
- 6 Shops
- 18 Neighborhoods
- 7 Temples and Shrines
Founding Date
1235 DR
Type
Metropolis
Population
125,000
Characters in Location
Related Plots
Comments