Baldur's Gate

Baldur's Gate is a a metropolis and city-state on the Sword Coast in western Faerûn. It sits on the north bank of the River Chionthar close to its mouth.

Government

Baldur's Gate is governed by its Council of Four, who are elected officials that serve lifetime appointments, and a parliament of peers. The government is based in a large adminstrative building in The Wide, which also contains apartments for the Council of Four. Day-to-day law enforcement is handled by City Watch.

Industry & Trade

Baldur's Gate is an important merchant city on the Sword Coast, due to its position on the well-travelled Coast Way road and its large, busy docks.

History

At the city’s founding, it consisted for many years of only the neighborhood known today as the Lower City, which was home to the early residents of Baldur’s Gate who claimed pre-existing city walls to protect their farmlands. The city was later claimed by sailors arriving in ships, who extended the city to both the east and west extents of the historical walls with the construction of the docks. As the wealth of the city grew, the Council of Four constructed a large castle outside of the city walls to house the city administration, and also moved their residences inside the walls of the castle to retain their security in spite of no longer living within the city walls proper. As space within the original city walls became tight, merchants wanting convenient access to the port began to settle outside of the old north gate, travelling into the city each morning to receive shipments. These new structures were eventually adopted into the city proper as part of its expansion, becoming the Merchant Quarter. With the growth of the Merchant Quarter and growing interest from wealthy business people to live near to the administrative building, the dukes resolved to formally extend the bounds of the city, constructing a new city wall that brought the administrative building and the Merchant Quarter back into the city proper. This expansion also absorbed some land along the river to the west which at the time contained fishing slums, and claimed some further land to the east for future use. With the fortifications around the administrative building now redundant due to the new city wall, these were demolished and the area around the building became a city park, now called The Wide. The Wide has gradually accepted encroachment from the surrounding areas, and so is now a mixture of parkland, housing, and merchant buildings. The area to the north east continued to attract wealthier people and formed what is today known as the Garden District, which has more substantial houses and more green open space than other parts of the city. The final addition was the Pearl District to the east of the city, which was planned as a more upscale commercial area containing taverns and merchants that are more attractive to the residents of the Garden District and to wealthier visitors, after the old Lower City developed a reputation for undesirables. Along with all of the officially-recognized neighborhoods, there is also a small collection of slums outside the south-east gate which is informally considered to be a part of the city by locals. The south-east gate gives the fishermen access to the market square and counting house to sell any surplus fish they catch.