Baldur’s Gate was an unremarkable dot for most of history, an insignificant hamlet among dozens along the savage Sword Coast. Had any histories been written, they would have told of dastardly pirates, daring smugglers, and heroic farmers struggling to survive while fending off barbaric orcs and raiders. The great city that the Gate has become was made possible through the philanthropy of its namesake, Balduran.
When Balduran returned from Anchorome, he freely and equitably gave away his wealth, requesting only that a portion of it be used to construct a great wall to protect his hometown, then called Gray Harbor. the great explorer was not one to drop anchor for long, and he set sail on a second voyage to Anchorome from which he never returned. Regardless, Balduran’s entreaty for a wall was respected, and a magnificent and strong granite bulwark was built around the hilltop settlement overlooking the harbor.
The hamlet of Gray Harbor swelled as people flocked to its safety. The harborage was good, and the site proved an excellent crossroads for trade between the North, South, and central Heartlands. Wealth flowed in with the people. New buildings were erected until the city spilled over its wall and spread down the steep, crescent-shaped hill toward the harbor below. Residents began calling the original city “Old Town” and the area outside it “Heapside,” after the way its buildings were piled atop each other. The descendants of Gray Harbor’s original inhabitants and residents who were wealthy enough to buy property within the walls became today’s patriar families. Those left outside the wall, including sailors, peasants, and crafters, supported the growing city.
