Baldur's Gate Uprising
The Baldur's Gate Uprising (14-15 Uktar 1491) was a subconflict and attempted coup during the Great Dragon War, where the Cult of the Dragon, led by Councilman Alexander Rake, attempted to destroy Baldur's Gate's government and seize the city for himself. The short but bloody fighting saw Grand Duke Ulder Ravengard victorious, due to timely assistance of the Breadwinners.
The Conflict
Prelude
The roots of the Uprising lie in the Bhaalspawn Crisis of 1482. Following the destruction of much the Lower City, a large portion of Baldurians were disenfranchised and felt abandoned by their leaders. The Cult of the Dragon, looking to begin their plans of summoning Tiamat, targeted these groups, promising change, liberties, and other freedoms if they joined the cult's plan. During this time, the cult also recruited Alexander Rake, a councilman in the Parliament of Peers who felt he was owed more by the city. Rake would grow to become the cult's White Wyrmspeaker and organizer of the uprising. In the months leading up to the Uprising, the Cult of the Dragon began subtly manipulating Baldur's Gate to be primed for a takeover. One avenue they accomplished this was by replacing Parliament of Peers member Arabella Porter with a changeling copy to start undermining the government. Following the Raid on Tumbleton, Rake was given approval to begin the uprising. He purchased explosive materials, under the guise of construction contracts, to rig the High Hall to blow. On the 14th of Uktar, Rake called an emergency meeting. Once all the officials were inside, he magically sealed the building and retreated to his mansion, ordering the assault to begin.
Deployment
Scattered across the Lower City of Baldur's Gate, Cult of the Dragon cells waited for the call to attack. Each cell was given its own task, either a guard post to target or an intersection or gate to take over.
The various forces of the Watch and the Flaming Fist were caught unaware during the attack, and initial fighting was confined to small individual engagements.
As the attacks commenced, the Breadwinners, were just outside the High Hall and had just learned of Rake's treachery. They resolved to get to his mansion as fast as they could.
Battlefield
The fighting was predominately focused in the Upper and Lower Cities of Baldur's Gate. Due to the decentralized command structure on both sides, the vast majority of the fighting was conducted between individual groups, often not numbering more than 10 each. Combat was also based around guard posts, city gates, and any other locations city guardsmen, whether Watch or Flaming Fist, might congregate, as the Cult of the Dragon needed to neutralize them as fast as possible.
The Engagement
Soon after the call to attack went out to members of the Cult of the Dragon and their allies, fighting sprung up in multiple areas of the city. Battles raged between small group and the initial advantage belonged to the Cult of the Dragon, who's surprise attack overwhelmed many of the city's guardsmen.
Unknown to the Cult of the Dragon, the Breadwinners Mariana Goldfinch, Legolass Darkblade, Malachor Wolfsbane, and Eilidh Stormheart had already defused the bomb placed beneath the High Hall and had uncovered Alexander Rake's involvement. They made their way through the city, avoiding fights, to reach Rake's manor. It was during this stage of the fighting that Night Commander Aella Ravengard was killed when her guard post was overrun.
Alexander Rake, meanwhile, had been turned on by the Cult of the Dragon, as they rightfully believed he cared more about owning Baldur's Gate than freeing Tiamat. Rake killed the cultists that came to slay him and the guards that followed them and began suffering a mental breakdown. The Breadwinners arrived to stop him, and Rake fought back by animating the statues of his dead ancestors that lines his great hall and by utilizing the power of the Cloak of the White Dragon. Ultimately, after a fierce battle, Rake was killed by Mariana Goldfinch's hand.
Following Rake's death, the spell that trapped the leadership of Baldur's Gate in the High Hall was broken. Former adventurers, like Jessabelle Leonin, joined the fray, and the Flaming Fist were able to regroup under Ulder Ravengard's leadership.
The defenders of Baldur's Gate began by securing the Upper City, which didn't contain many cultists due to the expected destruction of the High Hall, and worked their way into the Lower City. The next few hours were hard fought, as many members and allies of the Cult of the Dragon were so disorganized they were not aware they were losing in other parts of the city. Nevertheless, by dawn of the 15th, it was clear that the remaining cult forces stood no chance in capturing Baldur's Gate. The surviving attackers either fled or went into hiding.
Outcome
The failure to capture Baldur's Gate was a major blow to the Cult of the Dragon. Instead of neutralizing one of the major city-states of the Lord's Alliance, the cult suffered massive losses and exposed itself across the Sword Coast as a clear and present danger to all.
In the days following the the Uprising, the Council of Four voted unanimously to join the Council of Waterdeep in opposing the Cult of the Dragon.
In addition, Grand Duke Ulder Ravengard obtained the Cloak of the White Dragon following its retrieval from Alexander Rake's corpse.
Aftermath
Ulder Ravengard hosted a private funeral for his daughter, Aella Ravengard, who died defending her guard post during the Uprising. She was buried with full honors as part of the Flaming Fist.
Due to the urban and guerilla nature of the Uprising, sporadic retaliatory attacks continued for the rest of the Great Dragon War, prompting a sharp increase in guard patrols and the implementation of a curfew. These attacks did little to endear the citizens of Baldur's Gate to the Cult of the Dragon, and the city's populace overwhelmingly supported Baldur's Gate's role in the Council of Waterdeep.
The Uprising was a calculated gamble made by the Cult of the Dragon to scare members of the Lord's Alliance into submission. By failing, it instead galvanized them into resisting, ultimately leading to the defeat of the Cult of the Dragon at the Battle at the Well of Dragons.
Rake's plan to destroy the High Hall brought to everyone's attention how much safer the seat of government needed to be. In the past, the High Hall was a castle that had been neglected and only repaired on a surface level after years of disuse. After the Uprising, massive amounts of gold were spent refurbishing the old building and security in the High Hall was increased at all hours.
Historical Significance
Legacy
It is not uncommon for historians to look at the failure of the Baldur's Gate Uprising as the beginning of the end of the Great Dragon War, despite its relative early occurrence. By failing to eliminate Baldur's Gate, the Cult of the Dragon aided in creating the very alliance that would ultimately defeat it.
In Baldur's Gate, the weathering of the Uprising is considered to be a mark of pride, as the city stood up to the tyranny of the Cult of the Dragon in a way no other member of the Lord's Alliance did. Every year, on the anniversary of the Uprising, the city hosts a public gathering to commemorate Baldur's Gate perseverance and unity in repelling the Cult of the Dragon
What is often forgotten, however, is that many, or perhaps most, of the participants in the Uprising were Baldurians, who were fighting for more personal rights and against what they perceived to be an unjust society. Instead, their grievances, faulty or just as they might have been, have been mostly lost to time. History is, after all, written by the victors.
What is often forgotten, however, is that many, or perhaps most, of the participants in the Uprising were Baldurians, who were fighting for more personal rights and against what they perceived to be an unjust society. Instead, their grievances, faulty or just as they might have been, have been mostly lost to time. History is, after all, written by the victors.
Included under Conflict
Conflict Type
Battle
Battlefield Type
Urban
Start Date
14th of Uktar, 1491
Ending Date
15th of Uktar, 1491
Conflict Result
Major defeat for the Cult of the Dragon
Location
Belligerents
Strength
800+ cultists and mercenaries
300+ kobolds
80+ guard drakes
≈4-7 thousand untrained Baldurians
Casualties
350+ cultists and mercenaries
107 kobolds
61 guard drakes
600+ Baldurians revolutionaries
White Wyrmspeaker Alexander Rake
Objectives
Blow up the High Hall, eliminating Baldur's Gate's leadership
Overwhelm the Watch and Flaming Fist garrisons in the city
Prevent Baldur's Gate from joining the Council of Waterdeep
Overwhelm the Watch and Flaming Fist garrisons in the city
Prevent Baldur's Gate from joining the Council of Waterdeep
Free the city leaders trapped in the High Hall
Repel the Cult of the Dragon forces
Repel the Cult of the Dragon forces
Comments