AGE 12+

MURDER IN BALDURS GATE

CAMPAIGN GUIDE
 CREDITS
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r
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620A4537000002 EN
CONTENTS
BALDURS GATE .4 Blaze Ulder Ravengard 43
CITY ON A HILL 4 Exchequer Favil Blanthe 43

UPPER CITY 8 THE GUILD 44

Governing the Guild 44
HIGH HALL 10 Day-to-Day Operations 45
THE WIDE 12 Nine-Fingers Keene 46
Rilsa Rael 47
HIGH HOUSE OF WONDERS AND
Fruward the Nail 47
HALL OF WONDERS 14
THE GATES DEITIES 48
SILVERSHIELD ESTATE 16
Gond 48
LOWER CITY 18 Umberlee 48
SEATOWER OF BALDURAN 20 Tymora 49
Major Shrines 49
OUTER CITY 22 Minor Shrines 50
LITTLE CALIMSHAN 24 Twin Songs 51
WYRMS CROSSING AND MERCHANTS AND TRADE 51
WYRMS ROCK 26 Professional Guilds 52
A DAY IN BALDURS GATE 28 SHOPS AND OTHER BUSINESSES 53
A NIGHT IN BALDURS GATE 30 Baldufs Mouth 53
Candlekeep Chandlery 53
HISTORY OF THE CITY 32 Counting House 54
Tax Revolt 32 Danthelons Dancing Axe 54
Flaming Fists Founding 32 Felogyrs Fireworks 54
Bhaalspawn and the Iron Throne 33 Hissing Stones Bathhouse 55
Failed Coup 33 Sorcerous Sundries 55
BALDURS GATE TODAY 34 CAFES, INNS, AND TAVERNS 56
GOVERNMENT 34 The Blade and Stars 56
The Blushing Mermaid 56
THE COUNCIL OF FOUR 35
ElfsongTavern 56
Duke Torlin Silvershield 35
The Helm and Cloak 57
Duke Belynne Stelmane 36
Jopalins 57
Grand Duke Dillard Portyr 36
The Low Lantern 57
Duke Abdel Adrian 37
The Splurging Sturgeon 58
OFFICERS OF THE CITY 37 Three Old Kegs 58
Harbormaster Erl Namorran 37 The Smilin Boar 58
High Constable and Master of Walls The Undercellar 58
Osmurl Havanack 37
CITYGATES 60
Master of Cobbles Esgurl Nurthammas 38
Purse Master Haxilion Trood 38 DEATH AND TAXES 61
Cemeteries and Tombs 61
PARLIAMENT OF PEERS 38
Funding the City 61
Coran 38
Imbralym Skoond 39 DRAINPIPES, CISTERNS, AND SEWERS 62
Above Ground 62
PATRIARS 39
Below Ground 62
Dlusker Family 39
CaIdwell Family 40 MYSTERIOUS LOCATIONS 63
Ramaziths Tower 63
THE WATCH 41
Seskergates 63
Vigilar Lenta Moore 41
\Vizard Cave 63
FLAMING FIST 42
Fortifications 42
Members 42

S.
. a.
&.
. .
CITY ON A HILL in part to its frequent mists and surely its residents
Baldurs Gate began its life as a hidden harbor where reputations, the settlement became known as Gray
traders would meet with pirates and ghost lighters, Ilarbora name Baldurians still use for the bay today.
folk along the Sword Coast who used lights to lure The city gained its current name centuries ago
fogbound ships toward shore, where they would run when the great explorer Balduran returned from his
aground and have their goods scavenged. After bit journey to the other side of Evermeet, the homeland
ting their targets, plunderers would journey leagues of the elves, where he searched for the fabled isles
upriver to the future site of Baldurs Gate, at a turn of ofAnchorome. He spread around wild stories of his
the Chionthar that gave good harbor and relatively adventures as well as huge amounts of wealth, some of
easy access to the Trade Way, and then sell their which he spent to have a wall constructed around his
booty to traders without fear of meeting the goods oft-raided hometown. Balduran left again for Ancho
original owners. rome and never returned.
In time, industrious traders and herders decided Baldurans gate-dotted wall encircled the homes at
that the excellent, albeit illicit, commerce outweighed the top of the bluffbut left the harbor arid the climb up
the bluffs poor soil, and they put down roots. I)ue the bluffs unprotected. This design allowed residents to
 COAT OF ARMS
The ship in the Baldurs Gate coat of arms represents both the citys role as a hub for
river and ocean trade and its namesake, Balduran, an explorer who sailed west into the
unknown and returned with great wealth. The calm sea symbolizes the Gates intent
to be a peaceful power, and the clear, blue sky denotes optimism about its future.
The frequent fogs and drizzling rains put the citys coat of arms at the center of
various jokes and sayings, such as uWhen the arms show true, meaning never or
rarely, and Dont forget your coat, indicating clear and sunny weather. Meanwhile,
(<CI
sayings such as The seas do roil and The ship is tipping reference present danger
or trouble on the way.

r
useful in intercity
negotiations. Fol
lowing Amns founding,
trade boomed in the Gates
relaxed climate, and the city grew.
It burst its original hounds, consum
ing Gray Harbor as it grew up and down the
bluffs. The Upper and Lower cities fates were so
entwined the dukes ruled the Lower City couldnt be
tax goods coming to market. Baldurans colleagues, sea left exposed to raiders. Thus, Baldurs Gate erected
captains to whom the harbor was home, angrily insisted two new wall segments along the bluffs that attached
the gate by which southern trade and the harbor traffic to the Old Wall, which was improved, and also kissed
entered the city was Baldurs Gate, and they refused the River Chionthar twice, on the citys western and
to pay. They fought, overthrew the enriched traders and eastern sides.
herders, and seized control of the city. Today. Baldurs Gate still refuses to he constrained.
The four oldest captains, their days at sea drawing People and businesses blocked from residing within
to a close, turned over their ships to younger sailors, the walls huddle against them or sprawl along outly
who in turn supported the captains installation as ing roads. What once was two communities now feels
the fledgling citys rulers. The aging skippers jok like three: the privileged Upper City, the hardworking
ingly called themselves dukes, hut the title proved Lower Cit) and the lawless Outer City.
 .

FIELDS AND PADDOCKS

The shallow soil around Baldurs Gate makes for poor farming, but
the grazing is good, so herders keep sheep, cattle, goats, and horses.
- \. -
UPPER CITY
- The strictly policed, orderly Upper City is home to the privi
. , / leged patriar class. The patriars are the oldest families in
Baldurs Gate and make up the citys nobility. Living alongside
them in more humble, but nevertheless beautiful and well
maintained, houses is an upper class of fmilies that boast
- -

proud histories as stewards of the patriars (tailors, jewelers,

-S.. head butlers, master chefs, lead gardeners, and the like) and
--.-.
as members of the Watch, a civil police force independent of
.-:- the Flaming Fist that protects the Upper City.
I
) TRADE WAY
An ancient path of travel, the Trade
4 Way runs north from Baldurs Gate
to Waterdeep. Nearest Baldurs Gate,
) the road is mostly gravel, but some
crumbling, granite-paved segments
remain from ancient attempts at
empire building. Farther afield, the
1: Trade Way becomes a dirt track
that the areas frequent, light rains
, often reduce to sludge. The old road
vanishes in the Fields of the Dead,
separating into various trails taken
by traders and travelers depending
on the season and reports of bandits.
When travelers come within sight 7- I
of Dragonspear Castle, it resumes a
more regular course.
-.5

--

- 3
.N

LOWER CITY
The crescent-shaped Lower City rings the harbor and
4 gains elevation up from the river until it meets the walls
of the Upper City. Its narrow, cobbled streets give way
to flights of stone steps in particularly steep locations.
Laborers and crafters of all sorts, including sailors,
salthands, shopkeepers, bakers, and finehand artisans,
whose work doesnt require noisy forges or noisome
vats or ingredients, toil and dwell in the Lower Citys
,----,
labyrinth of small, often subdivided buildings.
______ -

RIVER CHIONTHAR

The River Chionthar wends west along :---i ,,

... -
-.

-L
the southern edge of the Fields of the
//
-
;

Dead. Baldurs Gate sits some forty miles

i --:
1 ,

from the coast and a few miles east of the

-

-
-

,,:
-. , S..

.-,- ...
_

-
-

head of tide, making its harbor safe from

rising waters unless exceptional rains ., I -.
- --
inland cause flooding. Sailing to the city -
-. S...

in a seagoing caravel takes about a day.

--

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..._...

.
,...:

-A / ,
 c , .. -

-s: -. S

- t

0 OUTERCITY
A sprawl of paddocks, dirt streets, shanties, and semipermanent buildings outside the walls,
the Outer City accommodates everything the Upper and Lower cities dont. It houses the dirti
est and smelliest trades. Horses, oxen, mules, and other beasts of burden and livestock arent
-

.:.i allowed inside the citys walls, so they are stabled, loaded and unloaded, or butchered here.
Long ago, the Council of Four decided not to pay the Flaming Fist to police the Outer City,
so the only law here is what common custom and the Guildthe citys syndicate of thieves,
thugs, racketeers, loan sharks, and assassinsimpose.

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.

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5,

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WYRMS CROSSING

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-

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%5\ -

S__%_ :-
ANDWYRMS ROCK
Two bridges meet at a tall, rocky island
;. .

in the rivers center, where a fortress

- li\\. , I guards passage. Local legend claims
- .5.
that the island, long called Wyrms
Rock, was once a bronze dragons lair,
but scholars give the tale little cre
dence. The bridges have thus become
known as Wyrms Crossing.
The Flaming Fist, the citys merce
nary army and police force, occupies
Wyrms Rock. In times of trouble, the
fortress raises both spans drawbridges,
leaving Outer City residents who have
built their lives atop the bridges to fend
for themselves.
-

S.

r-- --..

BLUFFS 5.

Nearly sheer cliffs border the River Chionthar for

leagues east and west of the city. The bluffs are
yellow granite, as are the citys walls and most of
its buildings. Most Gate roofs are made from gray
slate that comes from a Fields of the Dead quarry.
- S.
S

-;-

z ZL:
- 5.
__5._
-
.h
5..

d--.
-2
-

.5-

D COAST WAY
S... -S-,..
The Coast Way goes south to Calimshan, pass
ing through settlements the size of hamlets and
kingdoms and everything in between.

- p.
UPPER CITY
The Upper City exudes wealth. Its buildings shutters Sea Gate, Manor Gate, Gond Gate, and Heap Gate,
and doors bear vibrant colors and are smartly main the other four Old Wall entrances, are smaller struc
tained. Its streets are wide, and its terrain is nearly flat. tures created for the patriars convenience after the
At night, the magic lamps that hang from ornate arms Lower City was enclosed. Those who are not in the
extending streetward from most buildings keep its company of a patriar, not wearing a patriars house
avenues well lit. Rain runs off raised roads into drains, livery, or not bearing a patriars letter of employment
rather than pooling or flowing down streets, and sewers must use Baldurs Gate.
carry away waste. Flowering plants that hang from The Wide: The Wide is the citys only large civic
windows and climbing wallsand a ban on smelly busi space and serves as its market. By law, all buying and
nesseshelp to sweeten the Upper Citys air. selling in the city not completed in a licensed and
Every Upper City citizen is either a patriar; a ser taxed establishment must be done in the Wide. Sellers
ant of a patriar. often coming from a proud line of at the daily market set up their tables, accoutrements,
retainers to the nobility; a Watch member, often also and wares just after dawn. At dusk, the Watch clears
a hereditary post; or an affluent business owner. the streets of visitors and vendors.
Upper City establishments serve the patriars and Decorum and order hold sway; street music and
other wealthy customers almost exclusively. This part noisy activities are prohibited. This rule does not per
of the city has few inns and no public taverns. Patri tain on days when the dukes declare that the Wide
ars do their drinking at home, in private clubs, or on be used for civic purposes and traditional market
overnight soirees into the Lower City. Few doors in holidays, such as Highharvestide. At these times,
the Upper City are open at night, and the streets are vendors suited to the festivities set up on the Wides
devoid of activity except for fringes while the areas central expanse is given over to
Watch patrols. dances, contests, and games.
The Gates: The Old Wall, Most nights, the Wide is an empty space whose
the original wall built at Bal perimeter (and only that much) is illuminated by light
durans behest, contains the from the buildings that ring it. A patriar sometimes
Upper City. Six gates pierce it. schedules the space for an evening social event, such
The Black Dragon Gate pro as a concert, a grand ball, or a wedding.
tects the northern entrance High Hall: The building known as the High Hall
into the city and is named for was once the citys last bastion against invasion, and
the black dragon head a victo it served that function again when Baldurans associ
rious knight displayed there. ates led their tax revolt. Since then, alterations to let in
The head is long gone now, but more natural light and make the space a more com
a stone replacement projects from the w-all above the fortable place from which to govern have weakened
inner gates arch in honor of the old trophy.
Originally, the only gate leading to the harbor was
Baldurs Gate, the passage that gave the city its name.
It is still the only gate in the wall segment separating
the Upper and Lower cities through which normal
traffic and trade is permitted. This segment is typi
cally referred to as the Old Wall. even though the
original wall enclosed the entire Upper City. Ironi
cally, despite the gates history as the flashpoint of
the tax revolt that established the dukes control, non
patriar merchants and travelers passing through the
gate are subject to tolls and taxes. The Watch always
guards Baldurs Gate, and the Watch and the Flam
ing Fist use the site to transfer prisoners destined
either for trial in the High Hall or confinement in
the Seatower of Balduran.
its status as a fortress. The High Hall is used for pro Temples: Most of the citys longest-standing and
fessional guild meetings, civic events, court trials, tax most influential temples are located in the Temples
counting, real-estate and law record-keeping, and any district. Several shrines and small temples dot the
thing to do with governance, including meetings of the Upper Citys other districts, and an oft-frequented
Parliament of Peers and the Council of Four. temple to Umberlee is located in Gray Harbor.
The long-held tradition of the whole citizenry voting Baldurians of all sorts give honor to Gond, and the
to elect dukes to the four lifetime posts ended after an temple complex to the god oflabor and inventions is the
attempted coup. Today, a parliament of representatives grandest of them all. His primacy has much to do with
chosen from among the patriars and the most wealthy the citys shipping and shipbuilding industries. Hundreds
and influential Lower City residents elects new dukes. ofrail carts and seventy-six worker-powered, wheeled
One of the four dukes holds the title of grand duke and cranes aid movement ofgoods in the port, and dry docks
is empowered to break ties when the councils vote is outfitted with hoists and pumps of Gond dot the quays.
evenly split. By tradition, and in the interest of good The High House ofWonders is a vast structure that
politics, one duke is always a high-ranking member of serves as the official temple and workshops of Gond.
the Flaming Fist, the mercenary company that is the The nearby Hall of Wonders is a museum open to the
citys de facto army. public that displays the clergys inventions. The influ
Watch Citadel: The Upper Citys police force uses ence of Gonds temple in the city has led to many
the Watch Citadel as a barracks and for training, stor attempts to co-opt its power, most recently by Brevek
age, and organizational needs. The citadel has only Faenor, loremaster most high of Oghma. The election of
a few jail cells, which the Watch uses to temporarily patriar Torlin Silvershield, the high artificer of Gond, to
hold those awaiting a trial in the High Hall or a trans the Council of Four quashed the loremasters influence
fer to the prison in the Seatower of Balduran. and reduced him to presiding over Oghmas old shrine
The Watch staffs the Upper Citys walls and runs and the library in the High House of Wonders.
interior patrols day and night. The Upper City is the Manorborn: The citys nobles have blood ties to
exclusive domain of the Watch; the Flaming Fist has the people who rose to power following Baldurans
no jurisdiction here. And, conversely, the patriars do triumphant return. They largely consider themselves
not call upon Watch members to work outside the the rightful rulers and owners of the Upper City, that
areas bounds. Watch members all live in the Upper being the old citythe true city.
City, and most belong to families that have a proud tra The patriars palatial homes are found in every
dition of loyalty to the patriars. Upper City neighborhood, but the grandest residences
At night, the Watch evicts everyone from the Upper blanket Manorborn, the Upper Citys western district.
City except for residents and their guests. All Watch Most members of the Parliament of Peers and their
members know every patriar by sight. Anyone else families live here.
is detained and politely (at first) questioned. Watch Grandest of all the manors, the Silvershield Estate
patrols release anyone who has a good reason to be occupies the districts westernmost edge. It boasts
out and is dressed in a patriars house livery, bears a ornamental and kitchen gardens as well as a small
patriar-signed invitation, or carries a Watch-issued orchard. The Silvershield familys reputation and
stamped and numbered wooden or silver badge. power were established more than a century ago, and
Passes that the Watch supplies are collected and High Artificer Torlin Silvershield is the latest member
changed often to foil counterfeiters. of the family to be elected to the Council of Four.
 p
HIGH HALL
The High Hall once stood as the central bastion in Theoretically, anyone is welcome here. In practice,
the defense of Baldurs Gate. In its heyday, it was an though, hardly anyone except for patriars uses the
ugly, powerful, and functional fortification. Its years space. Everyone else is too busy working to spend
as a defensive structure ended long ago, though. Since much time lolling in the High Halls garden.
then, so many modifications have been made to the The High Hall houses several small libraries tucked
building in the interest of comfort and beauty that in and about the structure on different levels and in
the lines of the original fort are hard to see. The basic different vings. These libraries contain all the citys
structure remains, however. The building encloses a records going back hundreds of years. Laws, contracts,
central courtyard, which was once a bailey. Graceful architectural plans, court proceedings, government
windows now pierce the heavy walls, and soaring appointments, accounting documents, tax rolls, census
spires and leering gargoyles stand in place of the information, land grants, guild charters, and other
original battlements. documents are packed into rows upon rows of shelves
Almost all the governmental business of Baldurs and tall scroll cases.
Gate is conducted here. The four dukes have sumptu In theory, the libraries are divided by topic of
ous offices and private meeting rooms in their own inquiry, but in actuality only the librarians (devotees
wing. The Parliament of Peers has a dozen small meet of Oghma who volunteer their time) can make much
ing rooms and one large chamber for whole-body sense of them. Some frustrated patriars and various
deliberations. The chambers gallery seats an audi barristers have campaigned in the past to have all the
ence of three hundred. Those seats are almost always libraries combined and catalogued in a sensible way,
filled when parliament is in session; on rare occasion, but theres never been enough political will behind the
though, parliament clears the house for closed-door effort to dedicate funds for it.
debate over matters considered too sensitive or inflam In addition to being a place of civic activity, the
matory for spectators. High Hall also serves as a kind of secular temple. The
The High Hall also contains court chambers where ground floor of the easternmost wing is a museum to
the dukes sit in judgment (individually, seldom as a the history of Baldurs Gate and a mausoleum for its
group) over accused criminals. The dukes often assign many dukes and heroes. There, a statue of Balduran
this duty to proxy judges on a rotating basis. Proxy looms over the citys holy relics in a glass case. The
judges are not paid a salary, yet a temporary assign items inside are things he supposedly owned: a bat
ment to the High Halls bench is a plum duty for any tered helmet, tattered pieces of a cloak, a longsword
patriar, because hefty gifts and bribes flow to judges in a cracked leather sheath, a steel shield, and, oddly,
from the Guild, from those grateful to be exonerated, a butter knife. Lesser heroes recline in marble upon
and from those hoping to be exonerated. beds of stone or sit enthroned, bronze upon bronze.
Serving as a judge is not light duty. The only cases gazing toward some unseen horizon with reso
that require the decision-making of a judge are those lute nobility, their bones dry as twigs in the caskets
that involve real doubt about a defendants guilt, or beneath them.
unclear points of law. When someone is caught in All dukes have the right to be buried in the mauso
the act of committing a crime, or close enough to the leum, and most of those who are entombed on the site
performance of the act that the presiding officer is lie under the floor, so that anyone who w-alks through
reasonably certain that the suspect is guilty, the indi the room is stepping over graves. Because of the vaulted
viduals trial boils down to a simple administrative dungeons beneath the High Hall, those interred in the
and sentencing process that the Flaming Fist or the floor end up suspended somewhere in the stonework
Watch directly handles. Its not uncommon for some between the museums floor and the dungeons ceiling.
one arrested for picking pockets in the morning to be Some graves have collapsed into the dungeons below, a
already serving a sentence in jail by evening. fact detectable from above by the hollow boom of foot
Aside from the aforementioned governmental steps on particular flagstones. The Parliament of Peers
offices, the High Hall is a place that Baldurians can decided not to address the issue of these fallen heroes,
enjoy. It includes a feasting hall that is used for both since they were assured by dwarf engineers that the
public and private banquets and a wing of meeting floor of the museum is in no danger of collapse.
rooms that are available to everyone on a first-come, The buildings entire structure is part of the Gates
first-served basis. The courtyard contains a small advanced water system. Below-ground catch basins
public garden that features walkways and benches. collect rainwater that runs off its roof. That water
 IAU N T\V\

flows through aqueducts to a cistern beneath the great into odd corners of the High Hall, as well as an
fountain in the Temples district. Thanks to the inno unknown number of connections to the Upper Citys
vative pumps of Gond, the Upper Citys fountains are water system.
both beautiful works of flowing-water art and sources A handful of chambers nearest the stairs have
of safe, clean water for residents. been converted into jail cells, but they are seldom
The original fortifications dungeons still exist. used. The near-constant rain keeps the dungeons
Unlike the High Hall above them, they have seen perpetually damp and dripping. The only dangers
little renovation and no beautification since they were in the area come from swarming rats and the threat
excavated. Under vaulted ceilings supported by thick of becoming lost in the unmapped, echoing dark
pillars lie dozens of brick-lined chambers linked by ness. No one knows whether the master of walls, the
winding, rock-cut passages into a labyrinth that few master of cobbles, or the master of drains and under
dare to traverse. Entrance to the underground area ways should be in charge of the dungeons.
can be had by way of a handful of staircases tucked Consequently, no one takes responsibility.
THE WIDE
The Wide, a sprawling marketplace, is the eponvmous shops, well-heeled merchants residences, trading and
landmark of this Upper City district. Its reputation as insurance offices, the sages and traders guildhalls,
a thriving crossroads of trade spans the Sword Coast the Undercellars public entrance, and Ramaziths
and stretches as far east as Thay. Tower fill out the rest of the district.
During the day, the steamy aroma of roasted, spiced
meats mixes with the wet, earthy smell character
istic of Baldurs Gate. Bright, multicolored awnings
Bailiff of the Wide
Someone has to the record the names and goods of
cover stalls in which tools, textiles, foods, luxuries,
sellers, manage disputes over stall space, and schedule
oddments, silks, scarves,
the Wides nighttime use to balance the concerns of
tobacco, Shining South
competing patriars. These and many other unenviable
spices, and all manner
tasks falls to the bailiff of the Wide.
of creature comforts
Each morning, Baliff of the Wide Jedren Hiller
from every corner of
wakes before dawn, meets his officers and assistants
Faerfln are bought and
sold. Prices are lower around the Beloved Ranger for a quick discussion of
in the Wide than else the changes for the day, and then heads to Baldurs
where in the Gate, which Gate. While the assistants scatter across the Wide to
means negotiations are mark out stall placements with chalk, half the officers
usually sharper. Not all line up around the inside of Baldurs Gate to hand
merchants here are in out stall-marker chits while the other half goes to the
Black Dragon Gate. Bailiff Hiller then squeezes out
the commodities trade. Tattoo artists, fortune tellers,
through the gate and begins assigning stall space to
sages, hedge wizards, astrologers, and poets also work
the merchants who have come for the day.
in the Wide. At tables throughout the market area,
Merchants who live in the Upper City receive their
Baldurians mingle to debate city affairs, philosophize,
stall markers early each day by nighttime doorstop
gossip, and conduct business and trade.
deliveries, and they begin setting up as soon as the
Meanwhile, strong, young delivery-makers bull
stalls are chalked. Anyone who forgot to request a
through the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds heading to and
stall on the previous day must wait for Bailiff Hiller
from stalls. If not for the tall poles they wear strapped
to pass through the Wide on his way to Black Dragon
to their backs and shoulders, the goods carried by these
young males and females would be easy targets. Atop the Gate after he finishes making the Baldurs Gate
assignments. The bailiff gives out stall assignments
poles, out of a human-sized persons reach, swivel and
according to a complicated formula that accounts for
sway baskets and crates full ofgoods. Seldom do these
similarity of goods, the length of time a merchant
top-heavy poles collide and become entangled. But when
has been selling in the Wide, ones past infractions
they do, a row inevitably ensues. As soon as pole-carters
such as crossing a stall boundary, and rotating the
leave the open air ofthe Wide and enter less crowded
best sellers through the best locations for fairness. Of
city streets, they lower their merchandise to street level
course, everyone knows that a little something extra
lest enterprising bandits lean out second-story windows
can improve your standing in the Registry, the ledger
to strip them of their wares.
of the Wides market and social activity that is Bailiff
The Beloved Ranger statue is the only permanent
1-lillers constant companion.
structure in the marketplace. All others are collapsible,
The bailiff of the Wide works under the auspices
movable, pitchable, or temporary. Competition for the
of Haxilion Trood, the citys purse master. Trood is a
best stall locations is fierce. Upper City merchants have
meticulous coin-counter, so Hiller has been obliged to
the upper hand, of course, as do those with plenty of
turn down cash bribes. But giving him and his hungry
cash to grease the palms of the bailiff of the Wide, his
crew some samples of food, or making deliveries to
officers, Watch soldiers who provide security and the
dozens of other outstretched hands bearing permits, his home of various goods for inspection is still quite
welcome (and often necessary if a merchant doesnt
charters, and signet rings of office. A prime location
wish to languish in a less traveled area or some other
in the Wide can turn so much profit that almost any
unfortunate locale). What a shame it would be for the
amount of graft is justified in obtaining it.
Registry to dictate that a perfumer ended up next to
The Wides market area constitutes nearly half
someone selling roast meat?
of the district that bears the same name. High-class
Beloved Ranger
A statue of a powerful warrior in plate armor stands in
the Wide. Far from being the typical grim guardian,
this warrior wears an enthusiastic grin and cradles a
hamster in his hands. The late Orburt Lewel, an eccen
tric textiles merchant, erected the statue about seventy
years ago. According to legend, the featured figure is
Minsc, a dull-witted but brave warrior of Rashemen
who saved Levels life from some forgotten danger.
The hamster is Boo. a pet that iv1insc referred to as a
giant pygmy space hamster.
The quirky statue is a favorite landmark and meet
ing spot in the ever-changing sea of market stalls, both
because its easy to spot and because Baldurs Gate
loves its peculiar characters.

Entering the Undercellar

A clearly marked entrance to the Undercellar beckons
on the Wides southern rim. Most Baldurians view the
Undercellar as a seedy yet unique underground tavern
and festhall. Its cobbled, vaulted chambers were once
the storage cellars of various buildings, many of which
still conduct business today. Over decades, the judi
cious addition of arched doorways and freshly dug, owned but made available for the Guilds use in
narrow tunnels has strung the cellars together, form exchange for coin.
ing a sizable network of passageways and chambers. Only a few people know the whole of the Undercel
The Undercellar is much more than an idio lars pathways well enough to act as guides (see The
syncratic festhall. Its unmapped tunnels are more Fetcher and the Tunnel on page 59), and only a fool
extensive than most city residents imagine. Dozens would enter the jumbled, lightless spaces without a
of access points reach it. Most of them are unmarked, knowledgeable escort. With a guide, its possible to
and owners and overseers of more than a few travel beneath almost the entire Upper City. While
such sites purposely keep them secret. The Guild neither swift nor comfortable, such a journey can be
directly controls some entrances; others are privately made in complete secrecy.
 l

the time at the passing of every hour. Releasing the

pulley system would slam down the bronze doors.
WONDERS AND Anyone and anything caught beneath the massive
slabs would be crushed. Since the temple is open to
HALL OF WONDERS inspiration at all hours, the doors have not been closed
in living memory. However, if rioting were to threaten
Built from the profits of a lucrative technology deal
the temple. the Gondsmen would seal the High House
with the city, the High House of Wonders and the
of Wonders and open it again only when it appeared
Hall of Wonders stand apart in the Upper City,
safe for the people to return to holy labor.
their pillared marble buildings gleaming white in
Each day, the High House of Wonders rings with
a cityscape ofyellow and gray. Gonds first priests
the clamor of hammer and saw. Acolytes create the
in the Gate took great pains to make the temple as
knickknacks that are sold in the Hall of Wonders,
ostentatious as possible, hiring expert masons from
crafters of all sorts attend master-taught classes, and
as far away as Chessenta and importing Lantanese
inventors experiment alongside priests as they build
sculptures and exterior cornices.
new projects or tinker with old machines. The House
has several huge wings, each devoted to a type of
High House of Wonders work or a scholarly pursuit related to invention and
The High House of Wonders serves as a vast work artifice. Silversmiths toil alongside those who cast in
shop for the many crafters and inventors that the bronze, architects draft beside engineers, and car
temple houses. To enter the building, a person must penters build cranes next to woodcarvers working on
pass under three great bronze blocks, or doors, that jewelry boxes. Everything from ships to siege weap
appear to float in midair. In fact, a system of hidden ons is built at full size in the great halls of the High
pulleys and counterweights holds them aloft. Great House of Wonders and then is disassembled for trans
chimes are hidden within each block, and they ring port. Of course, the faithful of Gond work on repairs
.

31yc ous
of Ykndrs

HIGH CONFUSION
The similar names of the High Hall, the High House of Wonders, and the Hall of Wonders cause endless confusion among
newcomers to Baldurs Gate. Baldurians often further befuddle visitors by shortening the last two of these important build
ings names to the House and the Hall. Additionally, the High House of Wonders is sometimes referred to as the Temple,
and the High Hall is sometimes called the Ducal Palace or the Palace.


Hall of Wonders
and building sites citywide. Among other tasks, they The Hall of Wonders puts
replace broken spars in the ports worker-powered, Gonds magnificence on full
wheeled cranes; erect scaffolding around construc displai This building is a
tion sites; and venture into patriars homes to fix the museum as much as a reli
plumbing. gious site. For S cp, a visitor
The High House of Wonders hosts about one hun can enter to viewin long
dred priests and acolytes in its residential wing. By aisles and even hanging from
day, up to five times that many faithful fill the temple the ceilinga gallery of holy
as people who live in other parts of the city arrive to relics ranging from the prag
work and learn. matic, such as ordinary locks
Most of those who enter the temple every day are and mechanical lock boxes
long-standing members of the citys various craft disguised as furniture and
ing guilds who come to study, experiment, and teach. other household goods, to the scholarly, such as preci
Some are would-be apprentices hoping to make con sion water clocks and orreries.
nections and show off their talents to prospective More impressive inventions loom large amid the
masters. A few are individuals of great talent but small collection, such as a steam dragon (a steam-operated
means. Too poor to afford the entrance and class fees, engine for moving heavy objects), a steam-operated
such people can sometimes find a patron to pay for mechanical orchestra, and mechanical scribes that can
their tutelage in return for future indentureship. be linked in sequence to make many copies of exactly
All these folk are counted among the faithful, and what a person writes as he or she pens it. One of the
they are literally counted as they enter and exit the most popular displays among seafaring Baldurians is
House. The many fascinating items in the High House the collection of nautical tools, such as a gold filigreed,
of Wonders are theoretical experiments, early-stage coral-carved astrolabe and one of the first farseers
prototypes, or specially commissioned worksnot (telescopes). Small signs indicate the purposes and
for the eyes of the public. Thus, Gondar door guards ways to use the items. Since visitors are not allowed
politely turn away the curious and those who do not to touch the inventions, numerous Gondar acolytes
have explicit business in the temple, directing them circulate throughout the Hall of Wonders and readily
across the square to the Hall of Wonders. demonstrate the items uses.
To exit the museum, a visitor must leave through a
shop filled with devices for sale. Printed catalogues of
additional items and larger devices that can be ordered
for later delivery are also on display. Locks, strong-
boxes, objects with hidden storage compartments,
steam dragons, water pumps, and more can he had for
the prices listed.
Because the Gondsmen are given to ostentatious
displays of wealth, rumors persist of a treasure vault
hidden beneath the temple and guarded by mechani
cal monstrosities. The rumors are mostly true. Behind
the grand altar in the High House of Wonders is a
complex pressure-plate system that opens a secret
passageway leading beneath the temple. Numerous
chambers and storerooms into which the public is
never invited exist beneath the site. Whether golems
or other automatons guard the rooms is known only to
the priests.
-lit jG4t bO$
oE?-S

iE._ -
 SILVERSHIELD ESTATE
High Artificer of Gond Torlin Silvershield stands as
the latest in a nearly unbroken line of Silvershields
who have been elected to the Council of Four. Power
.i
has afforded luxury to the Silvershield family. Its
estate, roughly the size of a city block, attests to that.
It was built up over several generations on land the The garden has green lawns with a white-gravel
Silvershields purchased or were gifted as a show of path that meanders past exquisite statuary, through
gratitude or to solicit the discreet Silvershield touch. flower beds, and around trees and bushes. Peacocks
The estate is located in Manorborns western corner. strut freely across the property, and songbirds roost
A thick, 12-foot-high wall surrounds the compound in the trees. Pears and persimmons grow in the com
before joining the Upper Citys walls. Even though the pounds small orchard. Silvershields are the only
neighborhood is a safe one, Silvershield always assigns persimmon trees in Baldurs Gate. Around back, near
a handful of retainers to patrol the estates periphery the kitchens built against the outer vall, the path
wends past a small gazebo that houses a shrine to

r
for burglars and beggars who manage to sneak past
the Watch. Gond, then leads to vegetable and herb gardens set
The Silvershield estate dwarfs most other patri amid lines of blueberry bushes.
ars manors but has little of their coziness. When Duke Silvershield is most proud of his estates
Silvershield hosts a revel, sounds of music and laugh topiary maze. He commissioned master crafters
ter can seldom be heard beyond the walls of the at the High House of
behemoth estate. Deserved or not, the place has a rep Wonders to make several
utation for unfriendliness. modified, steam-dragon-
Armed guards are stationed at the gate of the com powered miniature cranes.
plex. A white-graveled courtyard extends from the gate They are arranged and
to the houses portico, where a beautiful Gondar inven camouflaged within the
tion is suspended. This self-refueling oil candelabra is topiary, making the necks
designed to appear as eight miniature geysers spewing and tails of the animal-
gold and silver flames. shaped shrubbery move.
A long outbuilding on the manors northern side Silvershield, who claims
houses palanquins and sedan chairs. Silvershield he animated the topiary
seldom rides in such conveyances, but he strives to to amuse his children and
provide ever- courtesy and comfort to his guests. visitors, enjoys the maze immensely, particularly when
The grounds extensive gardens might be the his real peacocks imestigate and confront their leafy
estates most distinctive and envied feature. The duke counterparts.
is fond of strolling as he meditates, and he often fusses On the manors ground floor, the Silvershields
over his garden as though it were a fourth child. The receive guests, play host to revels, and attend to minor
lush gardens have been designed with the cool cli business. The level hums with the soft, whirring
mate and damp weather in mind so that they display sounds of dozens of fragile, intricate clockwork inven
splashes of color regardless of the season. Over the tions brought here from the High House of Wonders.
years, the Silvershields have imported flowering plants In the grand foyer, a mosaic depicting the Silvershield
and colorful shrubs from as far north as the High coat of arms above the ship from the Gates coat of
Forest and sent master gardeners as far out as the armschosen to remind visitors whose city theyre
Moonshae Isles to collect specimens. Newly arrived instretches across the rooms ornate ceiling. A ball
plants and those that need special care grow in a room and a performance stage dominate the rear of
glass-walled greenhouse with mirrors set around its the building, and a handful of sitting rooms and salons
exterior to catch and concentrate the meager sunlight. complements them. In the western wing, a spacious
Although few in the city know it, Silvershield uses the feasting hail easily seats forty while providing plenty of
greenhouse to grow his own supply of sable moon- room for servants and entertainers to move about.
flower. Its not for his own use, of courseSilvershield Below the ground floor, servants quarters pro
doesnt allow himself to become intoxicatedbut for vide personal space to maids, valets, retainers, cooks,
the entertainment of certain dissolute guests at revels and the many other staff members that support the
whose secrets might not otherwise be prized away. patriars luxurious lifestyle. The manors wine cellar,


storerooms, and servants common areas complete the dining room, a halfdozen guest bedrooms, a guest
basement level. The estate is in a constant flurry of parlor, a library, and the master suite. Silvershield also
action, especially down here. The Silvershields have maintains a home office in the tower, but he seldom
approximately fifty servants on hand at any given time, uses it. His real office is hidden behind a second-floor,
twenty other retainers and guards elsewhere on the hinged bookcase that leads out to a private walkway on
estate, and another ten to twenty out running errands the manors roof. Atop the roof, Silvershield has a work
in Baldurs Gate. shop and study within a small solarium. The family and
The family lives on the manors upper floors. The servants are well aware of the secret door behind the
floors above the main house contain a private parlor, a bookcase, but the duke prohibits others from walking
nursery for Alana and Entar III, a bedroom and play the roof or entering his hideaway, which is where he
room for Skie II, and other rooms reserved for the conducts secret business and lays the groundwork for
children when they outgrow the nursery. The round his most sensitive schemes.
tower has three upper floors and is composed of a small
LOWER CITY
The Lower City, a great crescent of steep slopes sea captains, who settle their families in Lower City
descending to the docks, is packed tight with conjoined, homes. As a result, the Gate handles a wide variety
slate-roofed buildings that are made of stone and fea of cargoes. Many pirates looking to fence their latest
ture window boxes and stout shutters in vibrant hues. prizes also regularly tie up in the Gate.
The Lower Citys narrow alleys access interior court Visitors are often impressed by the harbors sheer
yards and other streets. Stone buttresses often span size and level of activity, marveling at its seventy-
its roadways, literally holding apart the upper floors six enormous cranes and its scoops and cargo carts,
of structures that face each other. Even though some which run on rails of steel along the docks and make
of these narrow supports act as pedestrian bridges, loading and unloading an efficient process. The dock
they are most often used by pigeons, gulls, rats, and equipment is operated by Baldurans Honorable Com
cats. Lower City citizens are accustomed to their noisy, pany of Harborhands. but the priests of Gond devised
cramped existence. As the long-ago sage Asturgel of the and built it. Thus. Gonds High House of Wonders
Gate wrote, In the Lower City, we live and work atop receives 1 cp out of each fee paid for the use of a cart
each other untidily. or a crane. All fees and ship manifests are taken to the
Trade is king in this section of Baldurs Gate. Craft- Harbormasters Office, a tiny building with thick walls
work, repairs, and buying and selling consume the and barred windows that stands apart from other city
lives of the tradesfolk, shopkeepers, and day servants structures.
who dwell here. Commerce in shops and crowded The Water Queens House is also a solitary struc
streets begins before sunrise and continues until after ture. It dominates the end of a pier and descends on
dark. By day, each shops shutters are flung open. one side into the harbor. Waves have lapped against
At night, theyre firmly fastened shut, regardless of this temple of Umberlee for generations. Sailors and
whetber their windows have iron gratings. Aside from their families make frequent small offerings at it to
inns and tavernswhich are open, well lit, and employ buy the Bitch Queens favor. Its priestesses can often
trusties to guard against vandals, drunkards, arson be seen descending the temples outside staircase to
ists, thieves, and brawlersthe Lower City is largely walk offerings into the river, where they disappear
dark and shuttered after sundown. beneath the waves and climb back up empty-handed.
Dark and Foggy Streets: Since the damp clings What happens to the offerings is a mystery no one in
to the entire city, the Gates cobbled streets are typi Baldurs Gate has ever dared to investigate, and the
call) slick underfoot. ,iVhen traction becomes a real wrath of the whole city would surely fall upon anyone
problem, the locals spread straw or river gravel on the who did.
cobbles to help folk find their footing. Bloomridge: Lower City citizens generally lead
Communally maintained streetlights dot various a working-class existence, but successful merchants,
crossroads and light the darkest spots beneath the ship captains, landlords, and others who have access
Lower Citys many stone support arches. Oil-and- to wealth try to live as much like patriars as they can.
wick copper bowls, whose copper wing reflectors Rich folk sometimes purchase several Lower City
direct radiance, partially illuminate the Lower Citvs buildings, or even small
nicer districts. Glassless, tin candle lanterns throw blocks, and either raze the
light into its rougher neighborhoods. Both types of structures or modify and con
lighting are solidly constructed and mounted. Citi nect them to form a palatial
zens who live near the lanterns light them at dusk home. Slightly less prosperous
and, if wind or rain have not yet extinguished them, folk typically rent expensive,
blow them out at sunrise. upper-floor apartments, pre
The open doors of inns, taverns, and late-to-close ferring locations that feature
cafes spill some light into the streets, but most folk rooftop terraces or balconies
carry lamps or hire lamp lads and lamp lasses. These that offer fine views.
youths carry many-candled lanterns on long poles and, These impressive homes
for a few coppers, guide customers through the streets are mostly found in Bloom-
at night. ridge, a fashionable Lower City district dotted with
Gray Harbor: Baldurs Gate has one of the largest, cafes, flower shops, and artisan boutiques. The districts
busiest harbors on Faerns western coast. The citys main street runs steeply up from the harbor to the Old
independent status and tolerant nature appeal to many

I.
 still missing, but the odd little black invitations occa
Wall. Numerous structures have exterior staircases and sionally appear on peoples doorsteps when no one is
open terraces built into or against the wall. looking.
The only blight in this otherwise upscale area is Flaming Fist: The Flaming Fist mercenary com
Mandorcais Mansion. This structure appeared out pany functions as the citys de facto police force and
of nowhere. fully built and staffed, overnight on a army. At any given time, about three thousand of its
vacant lot. For several tendavs afterward, citizens gos six thousand members are out on campaign. Baldurs
siped about Mandorcai, the eccentric, magic-wielding Gate has long maintained its neutrality in conflicts
builder of the place, and influential residents courted in the region, but the city profits from them all the
him, eager to retain the services of such a powerful same. Even though Baldurs Gate has become more
wizard. prejudiced since refugees flooded the Outer City, the
Mandorcai then vanished from public life. No one Flaming Fist continues to draw its members from all
heard from him except through invitations he sent walks of life.
to various individuals. These peculiar missives were The Fist polices the Lower City and Wyrms Rock,
written in silver atop black paper folded into the and its soldiers stand sentry on the Lower Citys east
shape of a pentagon. Those who entered the mansion ern and western walls. Their presence, both on and off
to keep their appointments were never seen again. duty, deters bold crimes. Although some Flaming Fist
After a handful of such disappearances, a Flam soldiers live in barracks in the Seatower of Balduran or
ing Fist squad invaded the building. Only two of its Wyrms Rock, most have Lower City homes.
members emerged, and they spoke of shifting rooms, The Council of Four renews its contract with the
oppressive chants, and blood-soaked chambers. The Flaming Fist annually, so the mercenary company is
Council of Four would like to have the mansion torn nominally under the dukes control. The Fist earns
down, but no laborers are willing to touch the place. income, aside from the contract, from its share of the
Since the building does not appear to be dangerous taxes collected at the harbor, Basilisk Gate, and the
as long as no one goes inside it, the dukes have not Wyrms Rock drawbridges.
pressed the issue. Mandorcai and his servants are
 made Gondar trebuchets atop the towers can fire thrice
the distance of a normal siege weapon, allowing hurled
stones to reach atop the cliffs on the opposite side of the
/ river (or even into the Upper City), although such shots
must be calculated and made blind due to the low
EATOWER OF BALDURAN elevation of the Seatower.
The Flaming Fist maintains two bastions in Baldurs Gate, A 400-foot-long causeway connects the Seatower
Wyrms Rock and the Seatower ofBalduran. IfWyrms to shore. No gate or drawbridge along the span exists;
Rock is a symbol of the Fists unbreakable strength, then its length alone is considered sufficient defense, since
the Seatower is a symbol of its stature and success. attackers would be exposed to archers and missile fire
The Seatower serves the Flaming Fist as headquar along their entire approach. If enemies come to Bal
ters, barracks, naval base, prison, and fortress. The durs Gate, the Flaming Fist wants them to attack the
marshal and most of the officers responsible for day-to Seatower, believing that the sooner they do, the sooner
day Fist operations typically work from the Seatower. theyll be defeated.
Its well-stocked armory houses longswords, short The Seatower houses about a hundred Flaming Fist
swords, cudgels, chainmail, bows, thousands of arrows, soldiers on a rotating basis, billeting them in levels of
pots of alchemists fire, other assorted tools for waging the towers not given over to the prison and in the two
war and policing the streets, and plenty of stone ammu buildings within the bailey. These buildings are the
nition for the Fists three parapet-mounted trebuchets. armory and the officers tower.
A stone flung from atop the Seatower, with the added Although small caches of gear and weapons exist
impetus ofgravity behind it, is almost guaranteed to throughout the Seatower for ready access, the armory
crash clean through any wooden-hulled ship it strikes. holds most of the Flaming Fists hoard of war-making
A capstan at ground level in the tower can raise a mas materiel. The underground rooms beneath the armory
sive chain from the riverbed and stretch it taut across the are a virtual museum of every conflict in which the
harbor mouth from the Seatower to deep pilings under Flaming Fist has engaged. Everything from elephant
the easternmost wharf in Brampton. When the chain is barding to snowshoes can be found somewhere in the
raised, nothing bigger than a rowboat can sail into or out depths of the armory, all of the items carefully cata
of the harbor. Except for drills and maintenance checks, logued and regularly maintained.
the chain has not been raised for decades. A small section on the first floor is set aside as
The last time the chain was raised for defense a gallery. There, on racks and in cases, rest the tro
was to protect against a veritable fleet of Calishite phies of battles lost and won: Duke Eltans sword and
ships. Fishermen and merchants arrived in the eve- armor; a coral trident taken from a leader of the ltzcali
fling warning of a flotilla heading upriver, many of sahuagin; a tattered flag from Fort Beluarian: Kings
the ships flying Calishite flags. The dukes, having car, the massive sword of Sothillis the ogre king of
heard reports of war in the south but not having been Murannheim; and more. The armory also holds the
informed by any dignitary of Calimshans need to use Seatowers kitchens and larder.
the river, feared invasion. When the ships arrived just The smaller officers tower serves as the quarters for
after sunset, the chain had been pulled up across the the marshal and a temporary billet for officers of vari
harbor, and ships full of Flaming Fist soldiers floated ous raiks. There, the marshal frequently speaks with
just beyond it with catapults and flaming arrows at the the officers of current events or plans campaigns. In
ready. They neednt have bothered. The ships held no addition to meeting areas and private rooms, it holds a
Calishite warriors,just refugees from the war. When collection of books and scrolls in a library that the offi
the dukes determined the truth of the matter, the cers can use to study tactics, consult maps, and review
chain was lowered and the refugees were allowed into contracts. Beneath the officers tower are the Flaming
Baldurs Gate. Citizens didnt repel them as invaders, Fist coffers, in a lead-walled vault separated by yards
but neither did they make the Calishites welcome. The of solid stone from any other underground area. None
incident set the tone for relations between the refugees but the highest-ranking officers knows exactly where
and the people of Baldurs Gate, and led to the found the door to the vault can be found and what the secret
ing of the separate settlement of Little Calimshan. is to opening it.
The Seatower is an impressive architectural work The Seatowers least glamorous role is as the local
looming over the bay. It erupts from a rocky islet in prison. Long-term incarceration isnt common, but
the harbor in such a way that attackers approaching plenty of people need to be locked up for a few days,
by boat will find few footholds at the towers base. Five tendays, or months. Three levels of dungeon extend
stout towers provide firing lines along all the Seatowers beneath the Seatower. The two lowest are below the
walls and away from the islet in all directions. Specially harbors water level, so they are always frigid and
 P

Z3c Scarovccr of l3aiduran

damp. The uppermost dungeon level is divided into members of Parliaments Distinguished Union of
small cells that hold one to five prisoners each. The Metalworkers operate shops in the Seatower district,
lower levels consist of two large cells apiece. Under making it the best place in Baldurs Gate to shop for
normal conditions, no more than twenty-five prison high-quality weaponry and armor at fair prices.
ers are housed together in a large cell. If the situation The high population of soldiers in the Seatower
calls for it, however, up to ten times that many can be district has inspired its thick concentration of taverns,
crammed cheek by jowl into each of those chambers. festhalls, and gambling parlors. These businesses are
The causeway connects the Seatoiver of Balduran clustered along the river, as far from the Old Wall and
to the citys Seatower district. The tower affects nearly the trendy streets of Bloomridge as possible. On nearly
every aspect of district life. Many of its residents are every Flaming Fist paydayc Seatover becomes the Gates
Flaming Fist members who prefer the comfort of most boisterous corner, and Flaming Fist officers field a
apartments or family homes ashore to the spartan profusion of complaints about noise and brawling from
barracks of the Seatower. Many masters and veteran their Manorborn and Bloomridge neighbors.
 -
r; 4

sales to Outer City residents are handled directly,

OUTER CITY thereby avoiding the citys taxes and tolls.
Even though the dukes tax the Outer City and nominally Despite the reduced costs of operating in the Outer
rule the area, they rarely exert control over it. Neither City, merchants still take their best wares inside the
the Watch nor the Flaming Fist patrols these poverty- walls, leaving the poorest districts to serve as mar
stricken districts. In times of siege, Outer City residents ketplaces for substandard, defective, or stolen goods.
can flee inside the Gates wallsif theyre fast enough. In Crime pays well in the Outer City, where pickpockets
normal circumstances, Outer City residents must rely on are rampant; undercloak slavers buy, drug, and hide
neighbors and friends for justice or pay for the Guilds new stock; and sellers of poisons make a killing.
protection. Despite this state of affairs, the leaderless Stockyards, Stables, and Storage: Due to the
Outer City is not ripe for conquest, since the Flaming citys narrow and steep streets, and the patriars desire
Fist would brutally quash an) such attempt. Thus, even to keep Baldurs Gate clean, no animals larger than
though crime and open violence are commonplace in the a peacock are allowed within the walls. (The beasts
Outer City, people are still able to do business. most often seen in the city are cats, both domesticated
The Outer City sprawls without rhyme or reason, and feral ones. Baldurians believe its bad luck to kill a
its muddy streets a tangle of shanties, forges, tanneries, cat, especially since they help to control the ever-pres
dye works, slaughterhouses, stables, stockyards, pad- ent influx of shipborne vermin.)
docks, and dung heaps. Its layout and architecture are This ban on large animals means that Outer City
a mess of unregulated construction and styles. Many establishments are responsible for receiving caravans,
buildings are made of wood or wattle. A significant unloading goods into xvarehouses for later portage into
amount of daily trade takes place in this unpoliced, the city, and stabling horses and beasts of burden. In
dangerous area, where live outsiders (foreigners too addition, flocks of sheep and goats and herds of horses,
poor to lodge in the Lower City, farmers, dabblers in pigs. and cattle available for purchase are penned in
unwanted or illegal trades, and the lawless). paddocks along the Trade Way. The Flaming Fist pays
The Outer City threatens to overwhelm visitors to Bal some Outer City stables and liveries to maintain groups
durs Gate. On any given day, a passerby could encounter of horses and mules that are kept in reserve for when
packs of stray dogs, people hawking wares, stable hands the mercenary companys members need to ride out.
fighting over potential customers, braying animals Culture Cauldron: Baldurs Gate does not take
penned near the road, flocks of chickens and geese, beg sides in the conflicts of other nations and city-states. Nor
gars raising their hands and mumbling in unknown does it form grudges or permanent alliances based on
tongues, and a riot of pungent scents. Patriars who need the Flaming Fists actions outside the city. This policy of
to run this gauntlet do so inside closed and curtained car noninvolvement has earned the city a not-quite-deserved
riages filled with fresh-cut flowers or perfumed cushions. reputation for tolerance and has made it a magnet for
Other visitors carry a handkerchiefdipped in rosewater refugees looking to escape wars and other disasters.
or a cut citrus fruit shipped in from Calimshan. Folk who Battles in Calimshan have driven many of that
live in the Outer City just get used to it. nations people north. In fact, the Calishite immigrant
Unlike in the Upper and Lower cities, the Outer population has built a walled-in village in the tradi
Citys days and nights are much the same. People live tional Calishite style. Baldurians took to calling it
in shifts and sleep when they can, so their filthy sur Little Calimshan, and the residents eventually adopted
roundings are always bustling. For instance, although the name for themselves.
Hulthar the swordmaker might be unavailable at a Similar but smaller communities dot the Outer City,
particular time of day or night, several of her competi giving immigrants of different sorts pockets of their
tors will be open for business then. homeland in which to rest their heads and weary souls.
Noisy and Noisome: Businesses considered to be Halflings exclusively occupy a larger tenement on
public nuisances because of the sounds or smells they \Vyrms Crossing; several half-orcs who work as porters
produce are prohibited within the walls of the city so have taken lodgings in Stonyeyes; shield dwarves do far
the Outer City houses the Gates loudest and smelliest rier and ironsmithing work in Blackgate; and gnomes in
trades. Butchers, blacksmiths, tanners, dyers, masons, Whitkeep perform most of the citys tinsmithing.
animal breeders, and fullers all ply their trades outside The Guild: Like any other conclave of thieves, the
the walls and sell their merchandise inside the citys Guild tries to keep a low profile, and much of its effort
fortifications. The most successful tradespeople have inside the walls deals with policing crime so that the
Lower City shops to which they bring their goods; the illicit activities dont draiv too much attention. The
rest end up selling their wares in the Wide. Of course, criminal organization doesnt rule the Outer City in
J/i.. J -.,- -.

: _.LC . ..-

anything resembling the same way, but its the only

group that has any significant control in the area.
fortress to reach the other side. The fort leaves both
Many Outer City businesses and residents pay pro
drawbridges lowered until dusk, unless an enormous
tection money to the Guild. In return, these cooperative
merchant ship in need of quick passage pays a hefty
establishments and people are marked with a special
fee to have the northern drawbridge raised.
sign as offlimits to would-be burglars or vandals, and the
A stone-lined tunnel, replete with arrow-slits, port
Guild makes an effort to hunt down anyone who flouts
cullises. and murder holes, passes through the fort.
its decrees. Pleading ignorance earns offenders nothing.
Before travelers can enter it, they must pay a toll. Folk
Wyrms Crossing and Wyrms Rock: No laws
on foot pay 2 cp apiece, and people traveling with a
control construction in the Outer City, including on the
cart or wagon pay 1 sp. For 1 gp, an individual can buy
bridge spans that comprise WTyrms Crossing. Tenements,
taverns, and shops heap up on both sides of these stone a writ of passage that allows an unlimited number of
crossings for a month. To decrease the chance of fraud,
spans. Many cantilevered structures extend out over the
both a court official and the purchaser must sign the
Chionthar, and others loom above what has become a
document at the time of purchase so the writ holder
shadowy and crowded alley down the bridges center.
can be identified.
Wyrms Rock stands between the bridges lengths,
and land traffic must pass through the Flaming Fists
 In the Outer City, determining exactly where
LE CALIMSHAN neighboring districts, such as Whitkeep and Sows
Little Calimshan is often the loudest, liveliest, and Foot, begin and end is a matter of much debate. Little
most chaotic place in Baldurs Gate, aside from the Calimshan is an exception. Its brick-and-plaster. mm
Wide. The scent of cinnamon and the sounds of exotic, aret-topped walls, measuring 15 feet high and 3 to 5
reeded instruments often slip over its encircling walls feet thick at the ridge, clearly mark its extent. People
and draw the curious toward adventure and mystery. move along the wall tops as though they were streets,
which they effectively have become.
Little Calimshan is built in the Calishite style,
meaning it is organized as a sabban (district), com
posed of multiple drudachs (neighborhoods). Each
drudach is walled off, creating compartmentalized
hamlets within the district. Typically, a drudachs
inhabitants belong to the same extended family or
tribe. The tops of the drudachs walls are paved so
locals can travel easily from drudach to drudach
without stopping at gates. From atop the walls, it is rel
atively easy to spot an intended destination and choose
a path to reach it.
A drudachs buildings cluster, as much as possible,
along the hamlets thick walls. Calishite buildings
and drudach walls are typically composed of plaster-
covered brick. Calimshans traditional bright tiles and
decorative brickwork are less common in Baldurs
Gate, since those who build and live in Little Calim
shan lack a pashas resources. Someone familiar with
drudach architectural styles would know that Little
Calimshan looks ramshackle when compared to
Calimshan proper.
Individual drudachs are fairly uniform in their
contents, if not their layouts. Most contain at least one
religious area, such as a shrine, temple. or other holy
site; a place for refreshment, usually a well or fountain
but sometimes a tavern, inn, or festhall; a bazaar or a
tent market; a handful of service buildings. (smithy.
armory, tanner), mill); family living quarters; and an
amlakkhan, to house the amlakkar, a group of a dozen
or more young bachelors ho police the drudach.
Spending time as an amlakkhan has become a de
facto path to Guild membership.
The center of a drudach is either its most affluent
site or an open courtyard featuring a well or tempo
rary market. Finally, a drudach always contains the
abode of its druzir, or leader.
When visiting Little Calimshan, it is best to enter Most Baldurians view the walls of Little Calimshan
during the day through one of the districts arched from the outside and imagine soft-handed Calishite
gateways. After dark, most of the doors to the outside merchants lounging on silk pillows and being fed deli
and many within the district are closed and barred cacies while they complain about the cold and rain.
to impede the neighborhoods plague of burglars. After all, the walls arose in what seemed like the blink
Thieves still move around after dark, prowling above of an eye, with much gold flowing from Calishite cof
the streets along the districts thick walls and crowded fers to the local builders guilds. And the Calishites
rooftops, but at least their paths are made more diffi keep to themselves, treating their domain like a for
cult and visible. tress and rarely entering the city proper.
 ;:

Less ignorant people remember the ships that The people of Little Calirnshan stand out amid
arrived by night. They recall the childrens frightened other Baldurians because most continue to wear the
faces and the adults exhausted resolution. They can fashions of the south regardless of the local weather.
still hear themselves saying the inn was full, or claim Speaking their own breathy tongue, Alzhedo, is a point
ing not to understand what was being asked for, even of pride, although nearly all of them can communi
though the Calishites expressions and desperate ges cate in Common and Chondathan well enough to be
tures spoke clearly in every language. understood. These little acts of rebellion against local
Hustled through the city and taxed for the privi custom speak both to the continuing friction between
lege of being kicked out in the middle of the night, the their settlement and the rest of Baldurs Gate, and to
refugees found their way to the only place that wel the desire of many to return to lives in the south.
comed them: a long-standing The Calishites desire for the goods of their home
Calishite caravanserai on land has prompted overland traders from the south
the outskirts of the city. The to deliver cargo directly to Little Calimshan. This
owner was overwhelmed, commercial route started with the fortuitous sale of a
but once he heard his com few things the traders just happened to have, but now
patriots description of the caravans are bringing such goods in as much bulk as
wars that had consumed they can manage. Baldurians who are interested in
the south, his home became purchasing silks, Golden Sands beer, items made of
theirs. With every last copper Calishite steel, and other esoterica now regularly exit
of the wealth the travelers the city to buy from Little Calimshans bazaars, which
had brought, they paid the open to outsiders for a few hours around midday each
inflated prices of the guilds day. This turn of events caused some consternation in
to construct their homes, building up from the cara the Parliament of Peers due to lost revenue from taxes
vanserai as has been Calishite custom for generations. at Baldurs Gate and port fees, but the Council of Four
Until the could return to Calimshan, they would live has eased those concerns by instituting a special tax on
behind the walls, being as hospitable to the Baldurians business conducted in a fortification within the lands
as the Baldurians are to them. They reside behind the of entitlement.
walls still, and few non-Calishites are welcome.
 -t

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WYRMS CROSSING
AND WYRMS ROCK A-

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The first sign of civilization that a traveler boating on

the Chionthar or coming overland from the south or
east is likely to see is Wyrms Rock, an impressive fort r
rising high above the surface of the water. Wyrms
Crossing, the bridge that arches over the rivers slowly
flowing water, connects the forts islet to the Outer
City districts of Twin Songs to the north and Rivington Wyrms Rock is a formidable fortress. Arrow-
to the south. slits dot its foot-thick granite walls, promising a stiff
Buildings and merchant challenge to anyone foolhardy enough to assauh the
stalls, ranging from ram structure from the water. The fortress occupies most
shackle to elaborate, pile of the islet, leaving only the narrowest shelf between
atop each other along the its sheer walls and a plunge into the river below. The
entire length of Wyrms areas near-constant rain and river currents have worn
Crossing, making it impos smooth the islets sides, which are almost always slick
sible to see the water from with algae. Attempting to scale the small island while
the narrow, congested under attack from the forts archers would be a sui
roadway that cuts between cidal endeavor.
the structures. Precariously When the drawbridges are raised, the only way
perched establishments to enter Wyrms Rock is by climbing up a steep set of
that hang over the bridges exposed stairs to a staunchly barred sally port. And
sides occasionally become unbalanced and tumble into
the river. Such a structure sometimes pulls its neigh
bors down with it. Anyone trapped inside a falling
building cannot expect any aid.
The Fist requires that all buildings on the bridge
be constructed from light timber or wattle and
daub, lest one of the spans collapses under the
weight of the structures it holds. However, the
trade-off is that fire is a constant concern.
The bridges two spans extend from
shore directly to Wyrms Rock. The riv
ers depth and the bridges high arches
allow most ships to pass unhindered.
However, the largest sailing vessels
must pass on the northern side of
Wyrms Rock, where the water is at
its deepest. The best time to make
this passage is at night, when both vi
i
drawbridges are raised, but ship
captains in a hurry can request
daytime passage. This special ser
vice requires paying a fee to the
Flaming Fist, which the mercenary
company splits with the city. For
captains seeking to meet a deadline
for a high-capacity trade mission,
the inconvenience is often worth it. 4

j
 spotting its tiny jetty, which is set below a long, steep, way to the second floor are warned to watch their step,
and exposed set of stairs, is a challenge at a distance. lest they break an ankle stepping into a murder hole.
No roadway around the fort exists; all traffic look (This warning is just entertainment for bored guards;
ing to cross to the other side of the bridge must pass all the murder holes are kept covered under normal
through the fortresss guarded tunnel. A painted board circumstances to prevent such accidents and to keep
featuring the emblem of the Flaming Fist hangs above travelers from dropping trash through them.)
the tunnels entrance. The tunnel dominates the forts Above the armory are the officers and enlisted
first floor and is one long gauntlet of murder holes and mercenaries quarters. A shooting gallery encircles
arrow-slits. Several offices and chambers that support each level of barracks. In a pinch, XVvrms Rock could
toll collecting and provide some comfort to the guards uncomfortably garrison about a hundred soldiers. Typ
complete the towers first floor. ically, between twenty-five and fifty mercenaries are
The second floor of Wyrms Rock is an armory well present here.
stocked with oil, rocks, javelins, arrows, and other Below bridge level in Wyrms Rock, a high-
implements designed to kill invaders. Guests on their ceilinged dungeon is used as a storeroom. It holds

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provisions and a dozen canoes, in case soldiers need to

launch a quick maneuver or counterattack along the
river. The dungeons have a holding area for prison
ers that use wall-attached manacles. The only reason
someone might be held in this location would be in the
case of a riot or fire making travel across the bridge
/
too dangerous. This situation most recently occurred
in the aftermath of Duke Valarkens failed coup. Dis
guised patriar sympathizers were captured as they
tried to leave the city. Since the mob on Wyrms Cross
I ing was out for blood, the prisoners were held in the
dungeon until they could be spirited out the sally port
and sailed to the Seatower of Balduran.
A DAY IN BALDURS GATE
A typical day in Baldurs Gate dawns chill and damp, its wan gray light filtering through the night fog. The mist
lingers until the sun rises high, keeping the Lower City shrouded long after the Upper City has cleared.

First light finds the Upper City almost in silence. the choicest products and freshest food. These servants
Only a few black-clad Watch patrols sidle along the shop in the Wide throughout the morning. Their mas
streets, moving as soundlessly as drifting ghosts. As ters rise late and rarely emerge out of doors before
the foredawn tints the darkness, fires are built up, highsun, when their working days beginif they work,
lanterns are allowed to gutter out, delicious cook that is.
ing smells strengthen and drift through the streets, Most Upper City patniars linger over their morn
and livened servants emerge to run urgent errands ing feasts and contemplate the coming evenings
for their masters or head to the Wide to await mer social engagements. Entrepreneurs among them wake
chants arrivals. early and dine on sideboard meals of hot, smoked
Kitchens in the grand homes have been bustling flaked fish or eels and fresh-baked nut buns slathered
through the night. Servants use hand pumps to draw in flavored butter. Then they set out to see to their
water from cisterns in cellars and on roofs, heat it investments and make deals, often in Lower City trad
using coal or wood hauled in the previous day, and ing houses or small upscale taverns, where outsiders
then pump the heated water into bath and kitchen come to negotiate. In the afternoon, the late-rising
basins. Downspouts and underground drainpipes, patriars leave their homes to shop, make business
rarely large enough to be thought of as sewers, drain deals, and inspect new wares or hear proposals. The
away used water. rounds of dining and revelry that dominate the lives
On the other side of Baldurs Gatethe great dark of the Gates wealthy and powerful start in early eve
arch in the old city wall for which the city is named ning and often continue late into the night.
merchants and their assistants stamp their feet and The leisurely lives of the wealthy take place in the
mutter in the cold gloom, trying to keep warm as they eye of a storm. Around the patriars, servants bustle
wait for the gate to be opened so they can start selling continually. By dawn, kitchen fires have been burning
in the Wide. They hold their carts, covered trays, and for hours. The daily flurry of cooking, cleaning, fetch
cloak-bundled warm foods, and they wear carry sacks ing, and organizing of affairs begins before first light
and folding stools slung on harnesses. as well and continues throughout the day, out of sight
These merchants and assistants have been awake of the servants masters.
for hours, preparing and loading their wares in the In the Lower City, shops and cafes open their doors
Lower City. If they sell out before highsun, or noon, for business while other Baldurians begin their daily
theyll have earned a little leisure and sleepafter routines. The city clogs with people climbing and
they buy or fetch from storage the ingredients and descending the steep streets. In the harbor, the docks
other raw materials theyll need to make the next days never sleep, but daylight brings with it increased ship
wares. Afterward, theyll seek early beds so they can traffic and movement of goods between ships, ware
rise in the middle of the night, sup on long-simmered houses, shops, and the Wide.
tea and stew, and prepare their wares all over again. Just as merchants wait for dawn to enter the Wide,
When the gates to the Upper City open to mer peddlers, travelers, and day laborers pack the north
chants and travelers, the Lower Citys steep streets ern road outside Black Dragon Gate, awaiting entry
remain shrouded in shadow. They stay gloomy until into the Upper City. The Upper City acts as a toll stop
the sun climbs high enough to lance over the bluff on Trade Way traffic, halting southbound travelers in
and shine down into the steep-sided crescent of Blackgate while those who journey north can enjoy the
crammed-together, motley buildings that descend to Lower Citys hospitality all night, unless they did not
the tall and narrow dockside warehouses, which the make it through Wyrms Rock before nightfall. The
mists surrender last of all. fortress raises its drawbridges at dusk and lowers them
As merchants set up their stalls in the Wide, ser again when the mornings light first strikes the top of
vants of the wealthy mingle among them to purchase its towers.
 Most merchants traveling the Trade Way or the darkness descends and the wrong sort emerges, lar
Coast Way use the city as the end point of their jour ders are hastily inventoried, and runners are sent to
neys, unloading goods and picking up new cargo for make last-minute purchases or place orders for goods
their return treks. Caravans that pass through the to be delivered on the morrow.
city use Baldurs Gate as an opportunity to exchange Bakers who first threw open their shutters to sell
beasts of burden. They leave their horses or mules in steaming pork buns or dusky rolls (the latter are filled
Blackgate or the Outer City, have their goods hauled with chicken, turkey, or game bird, such as pigeon) to
through town, and pick up new animals on the other fellow Lower City folk in the foredawn are preparing
side. Indeed, the) must do so, since animals larger to close up shop. Their runners bring the last deliveries
than a peacock are banned within the citys walls. of rolls and loaves to cafes, inns, and taverns as bakers
By the time the land routes into the city are opened wrap up leftover merchandise to sell at discounted
at dawn, business in the port has been roaring for rates the next day.
hours. Never truly at rest, work in Gray Harbor picks Patriars dine again near dusk. Then they either go
up in the misty predawn shadows as the previous out to feasts or revels or engage in leisure pursuits,
days fishing fleet returns and cargo vessels awaiting such as reading, acting, listening to music, gaming,
morning entry jockey for the best available dock. Soon and wooing. Quiet evenings are enjoyed at home or
the sounds of rumbling carts on quay rails, creaking anothers manor. If the latter, Watch soldiers later
worker-powered crane wheels, rattling and snapping escort sober visitors home while drunken ones typi
ships rigging, and squawking gulls and harborhands cally sleep over. Meanwhile, patriar revelers dance,
mingle in the unmistakable hubbub of the citys port. drink, nosh, chatter, and engage in sport, such as put
As an) day unfolds, Baldurs Gate becomes steadily ting on plays and solving in-house, arranged mysteries.
noisier and more bustling. The bulk of business is Drunkenness and debauchery, considered scandalous
conducted in the middle of the day, so sit-down high- at other times and occasions, are perfectly acceptable
sun meals arent common in the city. Patriars living at such fetes. In contrast, strict etiquette prevails at
their lives of leisure, however, do dine at midday, patriar feasts, which involve political conversations,
drinking cordials, or watered-down wine or fruit business proposals, metaphysical discussions, and
brandy, and nibbling on handtarts. These small pas entertainments featuring bards, musicians, or actors.
tries have either sweet or savory fillings. By tradition, Sunset sees the closing of most shops. But trading
the savory hors doeuvre are diamond-shaped and the appointments that often involve complicated patterns
sweet are round. of knocks or pass-phrases ensue, and Lower City and
Most everyone else spends the day in hard work, Outer City folk who have the desire, energy, and coin
buying and carrying food with them to eat at random head to taverns, such as Elfsong Tavern and Jopalins,
times on the hob, a common saying that refers to and other entertainment locales. During the winding
the hobnailed boots most Lower City residents wear down, as most locals call this time of day, hired musi
to lessen their chances of falling on the slick, cobbled cians give brief street performances to hook the ears
streets. Baldurians who have time to spare typically of passing folk and entice them inside the taverns, inn
frequent cafes and relax with a cup of tea or coffee and lounges, and clubs. Stiff drinks, large bowls of hearty
a bit of sweet bread. stew, bread and apples, and fried fish are staples in
City happenings reach a frantic peak just before such establishments.
dusk. The last deliveries to Upper City mansions are Afterward, the Gates workers return home to fall
hastily made, the Watch begins clearing the Wide, the asleepsometimes on the floors of their own shops
most fearful citizens work to finish their chores before and do it all again the next day.
 A NIGHT IN BALDURS GATE
Thick fog swirls in the damp, chill night. Echoes of soft footfalls and the sharper, heavier sounds ofbarrels and
crates being unloaded or doors slammed rebound eerily in the night. They seem to come from everywhere,

L including the barely seen night sky above, where a few bright stars wink through the mist. And always, the soft
scurrying of countless rats can be heard.

1
1 GI

Though its hard to see past the end of a quarter- a signatory to any contract, and unworthy of receiv
staffor even a bargepole, of which there are hundreds ing hurl in the future. So, those who violate this code
in use down on the docksthe city is alive by night. must leave no survivors and be seen by no one who
Except for the Upper City, which sleeps largely by can identify them. And in the crowded city, sounds
moving all activities inside its tall, grand structures of fighting always cause someones shutters to creak
from which only feasting smells and the rare blasts open. Anyone seen wearing a mask who is not patron
of fireworks escape into the quiet streets. Otherwise, izing a festhall or attending an Upper City revel
Baldurs Gate is a city that doesnt shut down. It gets arouses instant suspicion.
quieter than by day and a trifle more private, in part On a typical night, when the Lower City is shrouded
because the bustle of shipping and shopping in the in fog, the mists are lighter in the Outer City and
streets dies down, but primarily due to the fog. lighter still in the Upper City, where moonlight makes
Unless a storm is raging or new weather is blowing the thin fog glow milky white, outlining the figures of
in (local parlance for a front of warmer or colder air moving or standing people within 140 feet or more.
moving through), the winds around the city tend to die Watch-escorted apprentice wizards make rounds to
down at night, which causes the river mists to coalesce recast any failed or dispelled light spells. ensuring that
into a soup of fog. In the Lower City, visibility drops the Upper City is always well lit and Watch patrols can
sharply to about 60 feet in lantern light or the length of see anyone they encounter out of doors.
a sailors arm in full darkness. Unless accompanied by The one place where hand lanterns arent needed
intense heat that is warm enough to evaporate the fog, in the Lower City is down on the docks and amid
such as that generated by a burning ship or building, the surrounding warehouses, where large, perma
all smoke is trapped, thickening the fog and making nent oil lamps burn to aid in the ongoing loading and
it smell strongly of whatevers burning. In damp, chill unloading of ship cargo. These lamps are affixed to log
Baldurs Gate, a lot of hearths, stoves, and ovens are in booms, or cranes and mounted on an axle between
use, sending smoke out into the roiling atmosphere. two upright posts, either at dockside amid building
Through this damp world of muffled smells and fronts or actually rising up among wharf-edge pilings.
hampered vision, Baldurians move cautiously, often Usually, locked chains control the angle of the booni.
resorting to lanterns and traveling in groups. The so the lamp can be lowered for refilling and raised to
Watch and the Flaming Fist patrol heavily, and many various heights to light specific spots. Most of the oil
folk are out on the streets, some engaging in legitimate used in such lamps comes from fish or whales and is
business and others in illicit pursuits. both smoky and reeking.
Any Lower City citizen who hears three sharp, swift The waters of the harbor and the river are apt to
raps on his or her door or shutter, followed by a fourth be as busy as the docks by night. Large shipping ves
and heavier blow, knows that someone outside is will sels rarely arrive to moor in the hours after sunset, but
ing to pay 2 cp or more for burl, or swift, temporary rowboats take sailors to and from ships anchored in
shelter from either the Flaming Fist or someone they open water, and fishing vessels set out downriver in
fear. Some residents of strategically located buildings, hopes of reaching the sea before dawn to make a good
such as those on sharp bends along the steepest Lower catch and return by dawn the following day. The poor
City streets, along narrow alleys, or near city gates, est city youths use the night hours to gaff fish and the
make a living from such fees. occasional seal attracted to lamp light, to net gulls as
Anyone who requests burl and then attacks or steals they sleep atop pilings, and to go bobbing for eels,
from the citizen giving shelter is marked citywide as usually using as bait a cluster of dead rats tied together
a drowner, someone no better than a rat that should by their tails or the severed head of a beast too rotten
he drowned. The betrayer instantly becomes ineli for a stewpot.
gible for guild or coster membership, unacceptable as
 Many of those who arent working seek out the and then barred on the inside in the same way as the
citys night life during the dark hours. A green-glassed doors. In the most dangerous areas of the Outer City,
lamp above an establishments door signals that the grates of welded bars are then affixed into place inside
placeperhaps below street level but more often just the windows. Bars and grates are often chained to
indoorsis open for business. It could be a tavern, an handles, railings, stout furniture, or dogs, which are
eatery, or a festhall. Such establishments range from metal pins slid into holes in walls, floors, or ceilings, to
the highcloak, or socially important, Elfsong Tavern keep them from being forced aside.
down to dingy rooms in which small, established Baldurs Gate is famous for its shopkeepers setting
groups of Baldurians meet for their evening gossip and up interior crossbows on trip cords to ventilate the
games. Such groups often engage in low-stakes gam unwanted. Some establishments deal with security
bling over cards or dice. A lot of informal face-to-face in quite another manner: They never close and hire
business, whether outside the law or legal, goes on in toughs to provide armed security.
these places. By evening, the Upper City is at its social height
Day laborers dominate the traffic of the first half of indoors. The streets are deserted except for frequent
any night when they visit such places to get their main Watch patrols and the occasional patriar entourage trav
meal of the day, indulge in gossip or flirtations, and eling from house to house with livened servants and a
look for someone to hire them for the day to follow. As respectful Watch escort. Anyone who shouts while out
the night wears on, lowlier Baldurians who rise in the in the Upper City at night is likely to be clubbed silent
evening to work the dark hours arrive for their break by the Watch for failing to pipe down when ordered to
fast. The din of their indoor work can be heard for the do so. (Of course, if the boisterous one is a patriar, that
latter half of every night in the Outer City, but laws worthy will be hustled indoors instead.)
limit noisy dark-hours labor in the Lower City and vVhen the time comes to sleep, patriars retreat to
ban it altogether in the Upper City. Other individuals their homes or enjoy the hospitality ola friend. Many
gather for meetings and meals throughout the night of Baldurs Gates shopkeepers, laborers, and craft-
hard drinkers, criminals of all sorts, the dejected, and workers grow accustomed to napping in odd moments
anyone looking for a dry spot on a wet or cold night by day (which is the real reason why most city shops
end up being the last patrons of any place of business have a bell or a chime that sounds when the front door
still open in the hours between midnight and dawn. opens) and sleeping when theres noise and bustle all
So busy are the Gates less honest residents by around. This ability affords them the opportunity to
night that the Flaming Fist-controlled drawbridges rest for only a few hours at night and still get up in the
of Wyrms Rock are raised at sunset to cut off bridge predawn darkness to prepare for the next day. Many
access through the fortress until dawn. Timid shop harborhands simply lie down atop cargo that wont
keepers and those who have the most valuable and soon be disturbed in warehouse lofts and sleep until
vulnerable waresnotably jewelry, perishables, and they are roused for their next shift. Others retreat to
weaponsclose at sunset, typically clearing their shops their homes and apartments, often sleeping in crowded
aided by loaded crossbows or Flaming Fist assistance, rooms occupied by an extended family, multiple fami
if suspicious individuals seem unwilling to leave. They lies, or multiple renters. Those who have no bed for the
lock their doors, chain the handles of any double doors night will seek out any dry spot where Flaming Fist
together, shoot bolts, and drop stout wooden or metal patrols are unlikely to notice them.
bars into place inside cradles, thus barring cross hinges As the night wears on, different Baldiirians rise in
and door frames as well as doors. their separate but linked cycles of waking, working,
Windows, which rarely contain glass except in the playing, and resting, and the whole machine of a living
Upper City, are covered with stout, swinging shutters city runs on for another day.
 The conflict played out in the court of war. Sailors,
HISTORY OF THE CITY pirates, and hardy Heapsiders battled farmers and
The Sembians have a saying: Whoever holds the Gate merchants. The latter group would have crumpled
holds the goods. Baldurs Gate sits midway between immediately if not for the wall, a fact that later led
Waterdeep, known as the Jewel of the North, and the to the formation of the Watch. When the rabble and
merchant kingdom ofAmn. It controls the mouth of their rousers finally broke through Baldurs Gate, the
the River Chionthar, which the heartland kingdoms fighters intended to attack the High Hall, where the
of Cormyr and Sembia depend on to quickly and reli defenders and their families had taken refugebut the
ably reach Waterdeep and Amn. Baldurians have done four eldest sea captains argued for clemency. A vote
very well hosteling. resupplying, and taxing such trav was taken, the result of which showed that the cap
elers and traders. tains stirring words had inspired a truce.
Despite these attractive qualities, Baldurs Gate was This moment lies at the root of how Baldurs Gate
an unremarkable dot for most of history, an insignifi is governed today. The whole citizenry elected the sea
cant hamlet among dozens along the savage Sword captains to be the citys governing body. The four were
Coast. Had any histories been written, they would respectfully dubbed dukes, though they were not
have told of dastardly pirates, daring smugglers, and true nobility, and the appellation stuck. The first dukes
heroic farmers struggling to survive while fending off became known as the Council of Four and served life
barbaric orcs and raiders. The great city that the Gate time terms in which they discussed city affairs and
has become was made possible through the philan made decisions jointly. When one died, a citywide vote
thropy of its namesake, Balduran. elected a new duke.
When Balduran returned from Anchorome, he Although the issue of taxation was put to rest for a
freely and equitably gave away his wealth, request while, the dukes came to see its necessity, especially
ing only that a portion of it be used to construct when raids on the growing Heapside community
a great wall to protect his hometown, then called necessitated the construction of additional protec
Gray Harbor. the great explorer was not one to drop tive walls. Thereafter, residents stopped referring
anchor for long, and he set sail on a second voyage to to the two districts as Old Town and Heapside
Anchorome from which he never returned. Regard and instead adopted the monikers Upper City and
less, Baldurans entreaty far a wall was respected, and Lower City. By then sailors had taken news of the
a magnificent and strong granite bulwark was built citys struggle to other lands, and the city became
around the hilltop settlement overlooking the harbor. known to most of Faerfln as Baldurs Gate.
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
Flaming Fists Founding
The Lower City struggled as a lawless area until a
the North. South, and central Heartlands. Wealth
warrior named Eltan, a native son of Baldurs Gate,
flowed in with the people. New buildings were erected
founded the Flaming Fist mercenary company in the
until the city spilled over its wall and spread down the
cityand in so doing unified the many small mer
steep, crescent-shaped hill toward the harbor below.
cenary organizations throughout the Sword Coast
Residents began calling the original city Old Town
region. Fighters eagerly enlisted, expanding the fledg
and the area outside it Heapside, after the way its
ling group to almost two thousand members.
buildings were piled atop each other. The descendants
The power and political leverage that the Flaming
of Gray Harbors original inhabitants and residents
Fist gave to Eltan earned him a position as one of the
who were wealthy enough to buy property within the
councils four members. In one ofhis first acts as duke,
walls became todays patriar families. Those left out
Eltan quickly put Flaming Fist soldiers on police duty,
side the wall, including sailors, peasants, and crafters,
making the unpatrolled Lower City his top priority. He
supported the growing city.
used a portion of the taxes the dukes collected to pay the
mercenaries. The establishment of the Flaming Fist gave
Tax Revolt Baldurs Gate considerable standing as a military power
As the influx of outsiders grew, Old Town began taxing on the Sword Coast, expanded the citys tax revenue, and
all the goods and people that passed between the brought badly needed law and order to the Lower City.
harbor and the town. The sea captains who had sailed Other than tripling in size to its current member
alongside Balduran protested the tax and organized ship of nearly six thousand, the mercenary company
the Heapside residents opposition. Leaders among the has not changed much since its early years. It still
commoners asserted that the wall was a gift from Bal forms the core of the citys military strength.
duran to all area residents, so the use of Baldurs Gate to
pass into Old Town should be free to all.
 1

Those who believe that fable are fools. The Lord of

Bhaalspawn and Murder is in darkness, but he waits only for two vic
the Iron Throne timsthe last victimsto reclaim his throne of blood.
During the Time of Troubles, when Ao the overgod
forced the gods to walk among their mortal fol
lowers, Bhaal foresaw his own death. So the god of
Failed Coup
After Adrians heroics, life in Baldurs Gate settled into
assassins enacted a plan to escape his doom. After a relatively peaceful bustle. Wars and other cataclys
adopting mortal form, Bhaal mated with many
mic events left the city unscathed, and its reputation
females throughout Toni. These unions conceived as a safe harbor in the storm of the times drew many
the Bhaalspawn, beings imbued with a spark of to it.
their sires divine essence. The offspring were gifted This situation changed a few decades ago when
with unusual powers and unnaturally long lives
Grand Duke Valarken and his Band of the Red Moon
and were behaviorally inclined toward violence lycanthrope supporters led a coup to establish Valarken
and murder. Such feelings xvere particularly strong
as the citys sole leader. They succeeding in kill
when the spawn were around each other, as ing two dukes and nearly slew Grand Duke
Bhaal had envisioned. From the outset,
Dillard Portyr. But the Flaming Fist
the Lord of Murder had intended and the Watch banded together to
for his spawn to kill one another, save the young duke and drive
with each surviving offspring Valarken and the surviving
absorbing more and more of
lycanthropes out of the city.
Bhaals divine essence. They disappeared into the
Bhaals most fanati Wood of Sharp Teeth, which
cal worshipers hunted the
many now avoid and justly
Bhaalspawn, trying either to
call the Werewoods.
kill them or to reveal their Vith the unprec
nature so others would slay
edented simultaneous
them. Their actions aligned
election of three dukes in
with Bhaals plans, which
the offing and the knowledge
required Faerflns righteous that many Valarken loyalists
mortals to persecute, cast out,
were still at large in the city,
and murder his children, and
the patriars pressed Duke Portyr
thus unwittingly free his essence
to form a parliament of trusted
and bring about his rebirth.
people to pick the next rulers. Of
Nearly a century ago, it seemed the course, until the new dukes were elected,
plan of the Lord of Murder might come to frui
the new Parliament of Peers would help carry the
tion in Baldurs Gate. At the time, the Iron Throne,
burden of decision-making and maintaining the rule
a merchants consortium, contrived to cause an iron of law. The patriars also suggested to the young leader
shortage throughout the area in order to enrich its that he should serve in the role of grand duke, in effect
members. Sarevok, the adopted son of an Iron Throne
relegating the other three dukes to advisory roles
leader and one of the Bhaalspawn, took over the
unless all of them united to oppose him. New dukes
organization and sought to assassinate the dukes. His
were chosen to once more fill out the Council of Four,
ultimate aim was to provoke a war with Amn and use
but the Parliament of Peers has yet to relinquish its
the bloodshed to ascend to his true fathers throne. extraordinary powers.
The Bhaalspawn Abdel Adrian and his handful of
comrades averted the war and brought Sarevoks vil
lainy to an end. After many more years of adventuring
and a period of reflection, Adrian retired to Baldurs
Gate and served as both the Flaming Fists marshal
and a duke, ultimately becoming the citys most
beloved citizen.
Few know of Bhaals plan in these events. Among .
those who do, many believe that the plot collapsed for
ever when Adrian slew Bhaals last high priestess and
denied acceptance of the accumulated power of Bhaal,
instead choosing for himself a mortal life.
. -

.
 Thus, the Outer Citys grim refugees who brought
BALDURS GATE TODAY along their grimmer gods grow poorer, and their
Today, Baldurs Gate is one of the most poptiioiis cities resentment toward the Upper and Lower cities rich
in Faerfln. The last census indicated a staggering pop patriars and fat merchants festers. Meanwhile, tax
ulation, even without accounting for the people living and toll collectors harry the Lower Citys industrious
in the outlying villages and miles of farmland that crafters and traders, who are looked down upon by the
spread beyond the city. Baldurs Gate claims the region patriars and envied by the Outer Citys teeming poor.
within twenty miles of its walls as lands of entitle The rich are tempted to sin, and the righteous dare not
ment over which it asserts economic eminence, a leave their homes for fear of robbery and harm.
term that gives the city numerous privileges but does Its only a matter of time before something snaps.
not saddle it with many extra responsibilities. In actu
ality, Baldurs Gate is now the de facto authority along
the Sword Coast for more than one hundred miles in GOVERNMENT
any direction. Prior to Valarkens coup, Baldurs Gate ran surpris
The Gates position as a nexus for sea trade colors its ingly well on the strength of gold-greased consensus.
people and culture. Many Baldurians make their liv When a grand duke died, anyonecitizen or not
ings as sailors; shipwrights; harborhands, who unload could stand for election, adopting a color or a set of
river boats and stow goods in sea galleons; merchants, colors as his or her campaigns identifier. After no
who outfit trade vessels and their crews; bankers, who more than a tenday, during which candidates would
ftind trade missions; and accessory servicers, who make speeches on city streets and at various guildballs
supply the suppliers, including the farmers, woodcarv and manors, votes were tallied in polling stations. To
ers, coopers, brewers, millers, and smiths that are part vote, each citizen would place 1 cp in the preferred
of urban life. candidates colored box.
The influx of immigrants to the Gate has greatly Of course, patriars used their influence to sway
augmented the traditional Baldurian lifestyle. Visitors voters and elect dukes, but so did anyone else who
can now hear traditional Halruaan drinking songs in wanted to capture the citizens attention. The four
the taverns, taste spicy Calimshan food at a fullbucket dukes, holding lifetime posts, would then debate
eatery, and purchase a water clock as good as any proposed new laws, vote on them, and issue, or not,
crafted in Neverwinter. decrees based on majority opinion.
At the same time, the rush of exciting, enjoy Today, the government looks much different. Those
able new ideas has also brought with it cultures and in the Parliament of Peers would say it is more effec
practices that many Baldurians find distasteful or tive and efficient. Composed of the heirs of the first
frightening. This reaction led to the founding of Little peers, Parliament meets most afternoons in the High
Calimshan, a neighborhood literally walled off from Hall to oversee the business of governance and justice.
its neighbors. The Outer City also hosts the district Even though the peers discussions are often conten
of Twin Songs, a sprawl of tiny temples and shrines, tious, loud affairs, majority opinion eventually rules on
where sites dedicated to dark entities such as Loviatar, any matter. The peers decisions are then put before
Hoar, and Beshaba stand unchallenged. the Council of Four, now composed of three dukes and
The Gates population has stabilized following the one grand duke.
recent migrations, but no consensus has been reached Each member of the Council of Four has one vote.
on how to incorporate the Outer City slums into the In the case of a tie, the grand dukes vote counts as two.
walled Upper and Lower cities. Meanwhile, the huge In theory, the councils vote then determines a decrees
sprawl that is the Outer City, which includes the long final outcome. In practice, though, most of the dukes
string of settlements running north and south on the votes have already been purchased. The Parliament
Trade Way, goes tinpoliced since the Parliament of of Peers has chosen three of the four sitting dukes
Peers and the Council of Four will not provide the and Grand Duke Portyr, who has been in power
funds to expand either the Flaming Fist or the Watch. since before the Parliament of Peers was formed, has
The Outer Citys lack of authority and its infusion remained a malleable tool in the peers and city guilds
of desperate refugees have greatly strengthened the hands. He is content to wield little real influence as
shadowy organization of thieves and thugs known long as he retains his luxuries and the peoples admi
simply as the Guild. Bolstered by new tactics, ideas, ration. Duke Abdel Adrian, on the other hand, is a
and victims on which to prey, the Guild now reaches frequent dissenter. Even so, the peers dont go out of
its tendrils into every Gate enterprise, lowly and their way to cross him on serious issues, fearful of his
vaunted alike. influence over the Flaming Fist and the citizenry.
 STRICT LAWS, SWIFT JUSTICE THE COUNCIL OF FOUR
Baldurs Gate keeps an extensive legal code in triplicate in When the events of Murder in Baldurs Gate take
three separate High Hall libraries, in case of fire. Various place, the Council of Four consists of the people
patriars and Upper City barristers also retain backup copies. described below.
A complex web of regulations, decrees, contracts, and trea
ties comprises the code, but most citizens never see it and
wouldnt understand it if they did. Duke Torlin Silvershield
In practice, the legal code gives the most rights and Leader of the citys greatest patriar house, duke on
protections to the patriars and Watch. All other citizens the Council of Four, and head priest of its grandest
receive far less deference. Outer City residents are classi temple, Torlin Silvershield is one of the most power
fied as visiting economic interests, which affords them ful people in Baldurs
some rights. However, with a word from a duke or a peer, Gate. Decades ago,
that classification could change to visiting diplomat, Silvershield helped
which offers numerous perks, or invader, which is essen defend the city during
tially a death sentence. Valarkens coup and
Flaming Fist mercenaries are subject to the companys assisted in founding the
military law, but the organization is beholden to the Council Parliament of Peers. He
of Four. Thus, any Fist soldier can be charged and arrested is a descendant of the
for civil crimes, such as breach of contract. great Entar Silvershield,
Meanwhile, the code grants Watch and Flaming Fist sol a grand duke at the time
diers the authority to mete out immediate punishment, up when Ahdel Adrian _.

to and including execution, to criminals caught in the act. defeated Sarevok.

Silvershield sees him- Torlin Silvershield
However, soldiers avoid doing so when patriars or politically
connected individuals are the ones nabbed. Anyone caught self as the embodiment
in the commission ofa lesser crime can expect swift punish of the best of Baldurs Gate. As such, he takes great
ment without a trial. Thievery or violence typically earns a pains with his appearance to present a proud example
public maiming, such as a whipping or the loss of a finger. for others to follow. The duke fasts for long stretches
Disrupting the peace or wantonness earns public embar and exercises daily, giving him a gaunt but fit phy
rassment, such as being locked in stocks overnight or being sique. His black hair has grayed at the temples, and he
marched through the streets with ones hands chained to wears a well-trimmed salt-and-pepper beard.
a iron mask. Breach of contract earns forced labor, such as The high artificer resides in the traditional
working as a rower or for a guild. Silvershield estate in the southwestern corner of the
If guilt is unclear, if a public outcry ensues, if a patriar Manorborn district with Evelyn, his wife; their two
complains, or if the soldier involved doesnt feel confident daughters, Skie 11 and Alana; arid their son, Entar III.
meting out punishment, the accused criminals case goes The other members of the family keep low social pro
to trial, which a duke, or a proxy from among the peers, files so as to stay out of the dukes way. Silvershield is
judges. Which duke or peer depends on the clout of the considering quietly sending his children to Waterdeep,
accused and his or her enemies. The accused can speak in Selgaunt, and Athkatla, where they can be educated in
his or her own defense or have someone else do so. The any field they choose before being married in arrange
amount of time given to present ones defense is up to the ments that benefit Baldurs Gate.
judging duke. Torlin Silvershield believes that his nobility and birth
Although professional barristers operate in the city, only right give him a divine obligation to rule with justice.
the wealthiest citizens can afford to hire them. Thus, the best Like many worshipers of Gond, the god of innovation
commoners can hope for if theyre brought to trial is that the and technology, the high artificer sees wealth as proof
Flaming Fists duke takes an interest in their case. Otherwise, ofthe gods favor and fIrmly believes in fair rewards for
trials are brief affairs that usually serve the judges interests. labor. So Silvershield never appears in public without
displaying excellently crafted High House ofWonders
items and jewelry. Additionally, the Silvershield estate is
adorned in fine art and technological marvels.
The best interests of Baldurs Gate are foremost in
Silvershields plans, even trumping the concerns of
Gonds temple. The duke didnt seek power within
the temple hierarchy for its own sake, his sake, or
Gonds sake. Rather, he viewed his religious service
as the best way he could serve Baldurs Gate. He sees
no hypocrisy in this outlook. To Silvershield, the ends The duke is conservative and unimaginative in
always justify the means. all matters except for trade strategies and financial
Thanks to a noblemans education and masterful maneuvers. She has made few pronouncements or
control over his voice and demeanor from a lifetime controversial court judgments since her illness. Due to
of sermonizing, Silvershield is a natural diplomat and her wealth and business connections, most Gate power
a consummate actor. The patriar is neither vain nor players consider her a valuable ally or a pawn rather
greedy, but he has an all-consuming drive to realize than a target.
his visions for the Gates future, no matter the cost. He She is indeed a pawn. A mind flayer provoked the
is fearless and clear-headed in a crisis, and he is always dukes seizure when it took mental possession of
thinking at least three steps ahead. her, and the illithid kept Stelmane comatose for many
The duke detests patriars who abdicate their duties days as it stood invisibly at her bedside to psychically
as rulers and abet the Guild, and he truly despises interrogate her. Duke Stelmanes will remains strong,
Lower City denizens who subvert the gods divine however. Since she awakened, her mind has been a
intent and aspire to rise above their station to meddle constant battleground between her own psyche and
in the citys governance. the illithidexcept when she conducts business on
In recent months, Silvershield has grown increas behalf of the Knights of the Shield. At these times,
ingly grim and unscrupulous in his scheming. He the illithids interests and her own converge, and she
believes that the Outer Citys unchecked growth is regains much of her normal vigor.
dragging Baldurs Gate down into violence and a Stelmane does not know what the illithids ultimate
lower standard of living. He sees all-out war against aims are. Nor has she found a way to break its grip
the Guild as inevitable and the Guilds extermination on her sufficiently to signal for aid. She has learned
as the citys paramount task. He knows the Guild has that the more she attempts to exercise her will, the
wormed its way into every aspect of city life, arranging less capable she appears to others, a perception that
matters for its profit and daily convenience. ultimately threaten her status. So, behind her distant
Silvershield appreciates the Watch but resists expression and stuttering words, the duke is ever
turning its full force against the Guild, because he watchful for something that might break the stalemate
believes that doing so would only drive the Guild to with the evil entity inside her.
strike at innocent civilians in retaliation. Instead, he
believes it is time to fight fire with fire. He is on the
lookout for suitable adventurers to hire to battle the
Grand Duke Dillard Portyr
Dillard Portyr is a short, portly man in his sixties. His
Guild. Such a group, provided with covert aid from
once black hair is now gray and sparse, and he wears
the dukes and an understanding that, if necessary, the
a shabby wig out of habit rather than vanity. A vet
courts would find in their favor, could accomplish far
eran investor, shipping-fleet owner, and trader, Portyr
more than the Watch or the Flaming Fist.
recently pulled back from the business world follow
ing a string of sour deals. Now he is using his time to
Duke Belynne Stelmane enjoy the comforts that his wealth and title have pro
Once a vigorous and formidable politician, Belynne vided him. Having outlived two wives and three sons,
Stelmane recently suffered a seizure and a long period Duke Portyr now lives quietly in a relatively unassum
of unconsciousness, after which she awoke a changed ing manor in the Temples district that a handful of
woman. Half of her handsome face is paralyzed now, devoted servants maintain.
and an uncertain gait and a constant tremor in her Portyr doesnt like conflict and avoids stress. In
left arm have replaced her once legendary grace. Stel social situations, the grand duke is likable and enter
manes mind also suffered. Even though she continues taining, spending much of his energy to make sure
to perform her ducal duties and jealously guards her others feel good and are having fun. As a leader, Grand
privileges, her thinking seems slow, and her words Duke Portyr is a weathercock, turning whichever way
come even more slowly. the wind blows. Even though his Council of Four vote
Duke Stelmane leads the Baldurs Gate branch of breaks ties, hes never had to use that authority.
the Knights of the Shield, a secret society of Sword Anyone who attempts to appeal to Grand Duke
Coast nobles, merchants, and traders that uses infor Portyr to solve a problem might come to realize that
mation passed among its members for their mutual the citys leader is putty in the hands of the powerful.
enrichment. She has managed to hold onto that posi He is known for listening with concern, showing an
tion because, in the privacy of her home, she remains earnest desire to help, making promises to look into
a skilled negotiator when it comes to commerce and thingsand then doing nothing, if doing something
continues to effectively influence city businesses and would mean facing conflict.
acquire more wealth and property.
 Duke Abdel Adrian OFFICERS OF THE CITY
Among Baldurians, Duke Abdel Adrian is universally
The Council of Four appoints deputies to oversee
considered to be the citys greatest hero, second only to
important city functions. These five officers in turn
Balduran the Brave.
employ all the civic bureaucrats, negotiate with the
The wizard Gorion raised
guilds for labor, and oversee the needs of the city. The
Adrian in Candlekeep, but
current titles of these deputies, which speak to their
Adrian, a child of Bhaal,
responsibilities, are Harbormaster; High Constable
was swept up in a series of
and Master of Walls; Master of Drains and Under-
deadly events orchestrated
ways; Master of Cobbles; and Purse Master.
by his half-siblings, the
Bhaalspawn. Adrians life as
an adventurer became noto Harbormaster
rious when he saved Baldurs
Gate from the Iron Thrones --
En Namorran
machinations and killed his Duke Abdel Adrian The Harbormaster of Baldurs Gate is Erl Namorran, a
half-brother Sarevok to avert stern, no-nonsense, by-the-book guy who served with
a war with Amn. distinction in the Flaming Fist before retiring. As the
Afterward, Adrian fought countless battles against befitting jest about him states, Only once did he ever
people seeking to use his Bhaalspawn blood for make a joke, and that unknowingly. At that time, it
nefarious purposes. Baldurians know little of these is said, Namorran unwittingly whispered an inappro
adventures, and few people alive today comprehend priate comment about Evelyn Silvershields corset to
the meaning of Adrians status as a Bhaalspawn. Most Duke Adrian during Duke Torlin Silvershields speech
people believe the God of Murder is long dead and, at a state event. Adrians ensuing uproarious laugh
if they know anything of Adrians story, that their ter brought the patriars speech to a halt, but Adrian
beloved duke made certain Bhaal remained dead. never disclosed what triggered the outburst. Shortly
Following his adventuring days, Adrian lived for a thereafter, at the next Council of Four meeting, Adrian
time in contemplation in Candlekeep. He eventually recommended Namorran to fill the open position of
decided to settle in Baldurs Gate, which had become harbormaster.
his second home. Namorran is highly intelligent and a capable
Adrian joined the Flaming Fist as a private and accountant, which makes him well suited for the post.
quickly ascended through the mercenary companys At the same time, he lacks social polish and willingly
ranks. Lower City citizens respected his courage and sacrifices common sense when it contradicts the rules.
dashing ways, and Outer City residents loved him for his
charitable works. After Valarken killed the Flaming Fists
marshal, who was also a duke, Adrian replaced him in
High Constable and Master
both positions. He originally tried to turn down his ducal of Walls Osmurl Havanack
nomination, but public acclaim was too strong, and the The high constable and master of walls functions as
military leader reluctantly accepted the post. the Watch Citadels castellan. \Vhile the Watchs two
Adrian is more than a century old, and his divine oversars oversee patrols, the escorting of patriars,
heritage has kept him well preserved. He appears to and parade duties, the dwarf Osmurl Havanack man
be in his sixties, and his body retains the strength of ages the Citadel and makes certain the Flaming Fist
youth. At nearly 7 feet in height, Adrian towers over upholds its contract to maintain the Lower Citys wall
most Baldurians. Black hair frames his unrelenting eyes additions, \)Vyrms Rock, and the Seatower of Bal
and slightly wizened face. Unlike other dukes, he wears duran. He also ensures that the Citadel is provisioned,
comfortable, plain garments and shuns jewelry. The that pay from the purse master is distributed correctly,
only time he dresses as a state official is for parades. and that Citadel and Old Wall maintenance needs are
Adrian rarely speaks at council meetings. But when assigned and completed.
he does, his voice for moderation carries tremendous In addition, High Constable Havanack acts as
weight. Most days, Duke Adrian walks the citys streets, warden for the few cells in the Watch Citadel that are
talking with citizens; helping them in their daily labors; used to temporarily hold those awaiting trial in the
and offering charity, an encouraging word, or a stern High Hall or the occasional Watch soldier or patriar
reprimand as needed. He sometimes seems grim and servant who needs to be quietly disciplined. Havanack
lost in thoughts, perhaps of days past, but the Flaming is stolid, wary, and always prepared.
Fist marshal and Council of Four duke is also known to
break out in great guffaws when the occasion arises.
Master of Drains PARLIAMENT OF PEERS
and Underways The Parliament of Peers consists of about fifty
Baldurians, most of whom are patriars. A dozen or
Thalamra Vanthampur so powerful Lower City representatives, including
Master Thalamra Vanthampur is an acid-tongued,
guild leaders and other wealthy individuals, are also
shrewd, aggressive old woman, the matriarch of the
peers. Only the least successful patriar families do
Vanthampur family. Her office oversees all sewer,
not have at least one member among the peers. So far,
water pump, pipe, and cellar maintenance in the city.
parliamentary seats have been mostly hereditary. By
Vanthampurs post is at the same time one of the least
unanimous decree, the peers have created and filled a
and most desirable positions in Baldurs Gate. The tech
few additional seats. City law does not address how to
nical nature of the offices responsibilities place them
fill these seats, so the peers do as they like.
beyond the understanding or inclination of most aris
Parliament officially meets every day. Attendance
tocrats. The master of drains and underways, however,
is not mandatory, though, so only about twenty or
typically does very little work other than appointing
thirty peers show up unless a session is scheduled on
knowledgeable underlings from the ranks ofher family
important political or monetary concerns. Although
to keep things running. Of course, if those subordinates
the Council of Four officially controls the city, the Par
fail in their duties, the repercussions could be disastrous.
liament of Peers first discusses and then recommends
a course of action for virtually every city decision. In
Master of Cobbles other words, every topic from toll rates to Flaming
Esgurl Nurthammas Fist contracts is argued on the floor of the parliament
chamber in the High Hall.
The master of cobbles attends to road and bridge con
Two important members of parliament who are not
struction and the maintenance of all public stonework
from patriar families are described here.
that is not a city wall, a drain, or an underways The
post can be a lucrative one, since crafters sniffing after
city building contracts are always willing to spend gold Coran
to catch the masters attention. The elf-adventurer-turned-upstanding-citizen known
Esgurl Nurthammas is young, nervous, and eager to as Coran, formerly a bold fighter and thief, currently
please. He belongs to one of the poorest patriar fami occupies himself as a merchant and an information
lies and hopes to parlay a good record as master of broker, and is well known as an infamous celebrity at
cobbles into a Parliament of Peers seat. patriar revels. Coran relishes being in the know and
playing the sardonic, world-wise observer.
Purse Master The many debts the
patriars owed Coran
Haxilion Trood bought him a seat on the
Haxilion Trood is a world-weary, jaded, cynical, Parliament of Peers long
sarcastic-to-the-point-of-cruelty, sour-faced, and sour- ago, and such deferred
thinking man. He never forgets a face or a detail, and favors continue to
his reputation for rudeness is born from his blunt, hon earn him invitations
est-to-the-core observations. to many patriar feasts
The dukes unanimously appointed Trood as purse and revels. He appears
master. It is the hardest position to earn in Baldurs at all the choicest fetes
Gate, because everyone in this merchant city has to with wineglass in hand
trust the purse master with all the gold. The offices and a dazzling young
record-keeping and bureaucracy are the most exten - companion on his arm.
sive in the city. Purse Master Trood manages tax and Even though elves do not
toll collection and records; investment of city funds; become obese, Corans sumptuous lifestyle has pro
and distribution of pay to all city offices and officials, duced what some would call pudginess, especially
including the Watch. The purse master is also respon around his face. He typically wears bright and gaudy
sible for ensuring that the Flaming Fist takes no more garments, elegant jewelry, and exotic costumes.
than its proper share of the taxes it collects. Coran is now too oldor, more to the point, too
Unsurprisingly, the purse master wields incred closely monitored by the Watch and Fistto take part
ible power, is hated by many, and is under constant in daring robberies, but he still craves excitement. So
scrutiny for signs of graft and Guild influence. Troods the lively socialite sponsors, manipulates, and goads
nonpartisan politics and integrity were the biggest fac others into attempting incredible feats of burglary and
tors leading to his appointment.
infiltration and into furthering the elfs age-old rivalries
with other retired thieves. Coran makes and takes bets PATRIARS
on the outcomes of lawless activities, and he covertly Although heroics or wealth could once propel some
invests in goods that he knows will experience near- one into the nobilitys ranks, nowadays ancestry and
term shortages. These wagers and schemes provide him tradition define who is or is not a patriar. Todays lords
with the income to support his pampered lifestyle. and ladies of Baldurs Gate are the descendants of the
The former adventurer enjoys playing puppet citys earliest inhabitants.
master just as much as, if not more than, he delighted Most reside in grand Upper City manors that
in executing his own escapades. Now he serves as the their families have lived in for generations. All such
witty voice of experience, dispensing advice and point homes have beautifully maintained facades, even if
ing the clueless toward clues, the stumped toward a floundering family must strip its insides bare. No
solutions, and the in-over-their-heads toward local one among the gossipy patriars is fooled, but they all
experts. Coran always knows where someone can believe that keeping up appearances is a civic duty.
obtain a sleep poison, a love potion, an impersonator, The upper crusts social activities include gossiping;
or a kidnapper. What some call manipulation, he calls small contests of skill, such as board games or darts;
guidance. Everything he does is geared toward his an endless cycle of dances and revels; enthusiasms,
own amusement and profit. such as creating collections or attending learned talks
He befriends and shamelessly manipulates adven on various subjects; and gambling. Virtually all patri
turers, which is not necessarily a bad thing for them, ars are compulsive bettors. They wager on races, such
since Coran provides tremendous aid to friends who as those featuring snakes or weasels; fighting, includ
find themselves in trouble in Baldurs Gate. ing arm wrestling, full-body wrestling, and matches
between animals; and duels.
Imbralym Skoond Two types of duels are legal, buff-pole and blunt-
sword contests. In the former, youths joust without
This greedy, amoral, young wizard is graceful, charm
saddles or reins, using blunted and padded buff-poles.
ing, and darkly handsome. He was a dancing master
In the latter, adults use blunted swords to score hits
in Athkatla until he
against their opponents while dueling in a small,
discovered his aptitude
bare room or enclosure. The victor is the opponent
for the magical arts and
who scores the most hits. The duel begins when an
began dreaming about
unlit lantern filled with fireflies is opened and ends
the immense wealth
when the last firefly exits the lantern. whether that is
that a successful wizard
seconds or hours later. Because of the duels random
could amass. He left his
length, contestants have occasionally been beaten to
home to seek out a well-
death when their strength flagged and they collapsed
heeled sponsor among
during a long match against a ruthless opponent.
the upper crust of Bal
Below are descriptions of two patriar families from
durs Gate. Thanks to
opposite ends of the Upper City social spectrum.
his charm, a talent for
magic, and no apparent
scruples, Skoond quickly attracted Duke Silvershields Diusker Family
attention as a threat and then, when Skoond proved Lord Norold Diusker is caught in the middle of the
amenable, as a subordinate. Silvershield used his influ growing tension in Baldurs Gate. He has ties to
ence to have Skoond made a peer (parliaments most the peers, the Flaming Fist, and the Guild, but has
recent appointment), and the wizard has been the the respect of none of them. Most patriars snub the
dukes lapdog ever since. Dlusker family because they were prominent support
With the first earnings he received from Silver ers of Duke Valarken before the attempted coup.
shield, Imbralym bought the leaky, drafty Seskergates That history only primed the pump for Norold
mansion in the Bloomridge district. The place was Dluskers real troubles, however. After his older sister
on sale for a song, since its adjacent to Mandorcais died mysteriously from mummy rot and her hus
Mansion. Since he moved in, Skoond has heard a few band, along with the familys fortune, disappeared
strange sounds from Mandorcais but nothing to indi in Waterdeep, Dlusker suddenly found himself the
cate any danger to him. As an added bonus, fear of patriarch of an impoverished, disgraced family. He is
Mandorcais Mansion has helped keep snoops away deeply in debt; his meager income derives from sheep
from his own residence. folds beyond the city, a Lower City textile mill, and a
handful of Outer City slaughterhouses.
 Norolds younger sister, Guinever, is the lords only OTHER PATRIAR FAMILIES
heir. She is married to one of Wyllyck Caldwells Sons Below are the names of and a few details about many of the
in an apparently happy union. other patriar families in the city.
Belt owns horses for sale and exchange to travelers on the
Caldwell Family Trade Way.
Lord Wyllyck Caidwell is the patriarch of one of the Bormul is related to the Bormul nobility in Amn and has
citys oldest and richest families; of course, their great interests in southern silver mines and vineyards.
wealth still cannot rival the Silvershields. Durinbold is related to Waterdeep nobility and owns large
Vast apple and pear orchards south of the city were sheep herds.
the Caidwells source of income. But about fifty years Eltan has an ancestral link to the grand duke who formed
ago, a rotting disease struck the trees. Wvllyck, then the Flaming Fist but sold its interests in the mercenary company
a young, talented alchemist, searched for a cure. He to pay debts.
never found it, but the disease ran its course, and the Eomane owns the most elite perfumery in Baldurs Gate as
orchards recovered. Fortuitously, during his research, well as fish- and whale-oil processors that make lamp oil.
Wyllyck discovered a wood-treatment method that Gist owns much of the citys dye production.
safeguards timber from water better than any paint Guthmere owns butchery and tannery facilities.
or polish. Hhune has ties to Tethyr nobility and the Knights of the
Wyllycks wife, Lady Abelea, recognized and Shield (see Gargauth on page 51).
exploited Wyllycks discovery, and the Caldwell family Hlath owns several cafes and is awash in gambling debts.
now owes the bulk of its financial success to her. Hullhollyn owns a merchant fleet and has a trade truce with
Abelea has since managed the expansion of the fam the Irlentree family.
ilys operations. Now, in addition to business from their Irlentree owns a merchant fleet, has a trade truce with the
orchards, the Caldwells import raw timber and supply Hullhollyn family, and has membership in the Merchants League.
cut lumber to most of the areas carpenters, coopers, Jannath owns tin and copper mines.
wheelwrights, shipbuilders, and builders, as well as Jhasso is part owner of the struggling Seven Suns Trading
the priests of Gond. Additionally, the Caldwells are Coster, a long-standing trade organization.
expanding into general river shipping and have pur Linnacker collects income from gem mines in Tethyr.
chased two caravels, Sweetseed and Abelea, the latter Miyar controls much of the citys businesses that supply and
named after Wyllycks wife. repair caravans and individual wagons and has membership in
The Caldwells are well regarded citywide. Wyllyck the Merchants League.
and Abelea are proud of their charitable works and Nurthammas invests in businesses involved in supplying
Lower City business investments. They donate gener ships for long voyages.
ously to the High House of Wonders, the Watchful Oathoon imports wine and spirits.
Shield, the Shrine of the Suffering, and the Church of Oberon owns most of the ports dry docks.
Last Hope. Provoss is nearly destitute after losses to its cattle herds.
CaIdwell is a modest man who recognizes that his Ravenshade trades in gems and jewelry.
alchemical research would not have been possible Redlocks has secretly financed piracy and smuggling for a
without his familys legacy, and that his business suc long time.
cess is due to Abeleas management sense. He ignores Rillyn invests shrewdly and frequently hires Guild legbreak
invitations to patriars galas, because he believes his ers to collect debts.
peers are too concerned with their own pleasure Sashenstar owns shipping, mining, and textile operations;
and too removed from the troubles of the Lower and has membership in the Merchants League; and has a famous
Outer cities. In leisure times, he prefers to read in his ancestor who discovered Sossal.
study or discuss alchemy with colleagues at tables in Shattershield is the only nonhuman family among the
the Wide. patriars, was instrumental in building the Gates original walls,
and is distantly related to the dwarves who built Sarbreen (now
Ravens Bluff).
Tillerturn is related to one of the first four grand dukes and
owns and leases out many buildings in the city.
Vammas controls the majority of trade from Chult.
Vannath are newly arrived nobles who fled Neverwinters
disaster and married into the patriars to elevate their status.
Vanthampur specializes in civic engineering under the pur
view of family matriarch Thalamra Vanthampur, the master of
drains and underways.
Whitburn owns the slate quarry east of the city.
 Black Dragon Gateevery Watch member is required
THE WATCH to rally at the Citadel or along the Upper Citys walls.
The Watch is the official constabulary of Baldurs The bells are rung only in emergencies that threaten
Gate. Although the Watch is technically the Gates the entire Upper City, such as an invading army, a city
only civil authority, its soldiers rarely leave the Upper wide fire, or any scenario that threatens to overwhelm
City. Most of the police work in the Lower City is con the soldiers on duty.
ducted by the Flaming Fist, and the Outer City is left The Citadel, the Watchs headquarters, is a massive
to fend for itself. The Watch is limited to civil police keep built at an angle into the Upper Citys walls. The
work, which means it has no jurisdiction outside the Citadel has its own water supply and is amply provi
city. In wartime, its soldiers are prohibited from fight sioned to withstand a months-long siege.
ing outside the city and its immediate environs. Such Long ago, the Citadels dungeons were the only
foreign duty is in the purview of the Flaming Fist. prison in Baldurs Gate. They are seldom used now,
The Watch continuallypatrols the Upper Citys and only for the purpose of housing suspects awaiting
walls. Its said in Bloomridge that you can tell the trial in the High Hall or sequestering patriars or their
passing of a quarter hour, day or night, by timing servants when such imprisonment must remain quiet.
the interval between Watch patrols marching past a All other prisoners are locked up in the Seatower of
certain point. Balduran.
At dusk, the Watch evicts everyone from the Upper
City except its residents and their invitation-carrying
guests and livened servants. Watch soldiers, many of
Vigilar Lenta Moore
Lenta Moore serves as a Watch vigilar. She wanted to
whom are lifelong Upper City residents, pride them
join the Flaming Fist, but her elderly father, a wealthy
selves on recognizing every Upper City citizen on
Upper City merchant and a Parliament of Peers
sight. They also know every detail of how true patriars
member, protested, worrying she would be sent away
talk and behave, so they can often identify nighttime
to die in some desert battle in Calimshan.
interlopers by watching suspects for a few minutes,
Moore commands a troop of thirty shields and
getting a good look at their faces and garb, and asking
three sarmars. She has a reputation as a deadly
a few questions.
swordswoman who has killed in the line of duty.
The Watch is the only organization allowed to keep
On her shift, she oversees the inspection of all
warhorses within the citys walls. The Watchs stables
handcarts and cargoes that pass into the city through
are in the Citadel. Its small, elite corps of knights
the Black Dragon Gate. Utterly incorruptible, she
responds quickly in times ofcrisis.
arrests anyone, regardless of social status, who
The Watch has nine military ranks. In ascending
offers or accepts a bribe within her earshot. Duke
authority, they are shield (private), sarniar (sergeant),
Silvershield demoted her from the rank of sword after
vigilar (lieutenant), sword (captain), havilar (major),
her harsh treatment of a young patriar in this regard.
commandal (colonel), highsword (major general), and
(All four dukes can dismiss, recruit, promote, or
oversar (general). Six officers hold the rank of high-
demote Watch members.)
sword, and two hold the rank of oversar. An oversar is
Nine-Fingers, the leader of the Guild, has on
always on duty and reports directly to the grand duke
numerous occasions considered eliminating Vigilar
or the rest of the Council of Four if the grand duke is
Moore to make the Black Dragon Gate a friend
unavailable.
lier place for Guild operations. She resists doing so
The Watch employs around a thousand members,
because the vigilars father, Reavus Moore, is solidly in
and a duty shift lasts for eight hours, so one-third of
the Guilds pocketand his support would certainly be
the forces total strength, roughly three hundred sol
lost if something tragic happened to his daughter and
diers and officers, is on active duty at any moment.
the Guild was implicated. Nine-Fingers is now leaning
Most patrol the Upper Citys streets while their
toward pulling a few strings to get Lenta reassigned to
remaining comrades-in-arms stand sentry on the
a less bothersome post or promoted to a position where
walls, train in the Citadel, or perform the hundreds
she cant interfere so directly with Guild interests.
of mundane tasks involved in keeping a police force
functioning. A street patrol is composed of four to eight
soldiers. Every Watch member carries a brass whistle
with which to call for help if needed .. . and the near
est guard detachment is never very far away.
In times ofcrisis, bells at the High Hall and the
Citadel are rung simultaneously. If the pealing contin
ues for more than fifteen minutesthe time it should
take a force to assemble at the Citadel and march to
 Seatower of Balduran and Wyrms Rock. The great
FLAMING FIST granite edifice of the Seatower stands atop a rocky islet
The Flaming Fist was founded in Baldurs Gate and in the harbor, and a causeway links it to the western
has ever since been headquartered in the city. Since shore. The Flaming Fist uses the Seatower as a bar
its inception under Grand Duke Eltan, the merce racks, a naval base, a prison, and a fortress. The Fists
nary company has been tightly entwined with the headquarters also boasts a full armory and tower-top
citys rulers, a connection that has become stronger in trebuchets with which to battle hostile ships. A mas
recent years. sive chain that stretches from the Seatower to pilings
The Flaming Fist has prospered as the guardians under the easternmost wharf in Brampton can be
of the city. The Council of Four pays the group, and pulled taut at the water line to block invaders access to
the Fist also receives a share of the taxes collected the harbor or prevent a ship from sailing out.
on goods and ships that enter the harbor and from The Flaming Fist also controls Wv rms Rock, a
people who use the Basilisk Gate or travel along fortress that perches atop a towering stone jutting up
Wyrms Crossing. midstream in the Chionthar River a short distance
While the Watch polices the Upper City. the Flam upriver from the citys harbor. The structure occupies
ing Fist watches over the Lower City. The Fist has the entire island, leaving nowhere for an enemy to
nominal authority over the Outer City, too, but its gain a foothold on the rock. The two spans of Wyrms
patrols are already hard-pressed to fulfill their duties Crossing connect Wyrms Rock to the rivers southern
in the Lower City and on Wyrms Rock, much less and northern shores.
regulate the sprawl beyond the walls. Even though Being in charge of both fortifications means that
the organization hasnt grown as swiftly as the citys the Flaming Fist can control river traffic beading in
population, the number of Fist mercenaries has tripled either direction. Thus far, the company has not used its
to six thousand since the companys founding. Of that position to tax ships on the Chionthar that bypass the
number, fewer than half are in the city at any time. city. Since virtually all ships make a stop in the city,
The rest are stationed in fortifications elsewhere or are such measures have been unnecessary.
out on active campaign.
Even though the Flaming Fist acts as the citys army
and Lower City police force, Baldurs Gate remains
Members
Most Flaming Fist soldiers were raised in the Lower
stolidly neutral in external conflicts in which the Fist
and Outer cities and were invited by a ranking offi
participates as one sides hired muscle. Many people
cer to join the mercenary company. Others were once
believe this stance is a ridiculous fiction, pointing
prisoners of war. The Flaming Fist holds no grudges,
out that the highest-ranking Flaming Fist officer is
and defeated soldiers whose vanquished masters are
usually also a duke on the Council of Four, and that
unlikely to pay ransom for them often see the ben
patriars earn profits from their mercenary-contract
efit ofjoining the mercenaries. Some Fist recruits are
investments. But most Baldurian commoners view the
adventurers who were passing through Baldurs Gate
separation of army and government with pride, and
but hungered for a stretch of stable pay and steady
much ceremony is made when the city renews its con
work. Typically. adventurers varied experiences and
tract with the Flaming Fist.
skill with arms lead to quick promotions. Such heroes
form the nexus of the Fists officer corps, but only
Fortifications those who have extensive battlefield experience reach
The Flaming Fist builds or acquires fortifications in its highest stations.
the theaters of war in which its soldiers operate. After Beyond basic qualities of competence and physi
a conflict, unless long-term economic or political rea cal hardiness, prospective Flaming Fist members must
Sons exist to maintain such outposts, the Flaming Fist show a capacity for strong loyalty and stronger morals.
abandons them to local control once its mercenaries Discipline is important in a field soldier, but training can
have fulfilled their contracts. instill that. Otherwise, race, gender, and age matter little.
Currently, Fort Beluarian is the only location the The Flaming Fists hierarchy is relatively simple.
Flaming Fist permanently occupies outside Baldurs Only six ranks are recognized, including fist (private),
Gate. This trading outpost in Chult has fallen twice to gauntlet (corporal), manip (sergeant), flame (lieuten
Chultan attacks, claiming numerous lives and loss of ant), blaze (major), and marshal (general). Ranks often
capital each time. Regardless, money-hungry patriars have an attached title that describes a duty, such as fist
are unwilling to abandon the settlement, thereby relin sapper. a private who has expertise in siege demolition;
quishing the areas trade opportunities. blaze captain, a major who is also a ships captain; and
In Baldurs Gate. the Flaming Fist occupies the flame jailer. a lieutenant who serves as captain of the
Lower Citys eastern and western walls as well as the guard in the Seatowers dungeons.
 The Fist does not house most of its soldiers. The What Ravengard doesnt realize, however, is that he
Seatower of Balduran and Wyrms Rock have bar has a subconscious blind spot: He excuses all actions
racks large enough to accommodate members of their taken for the public good while simultaneously deplor
permanent garrisons as well as new recruits who are ing identical deeds that others carry out for less
undergoing training, but most Fist soldiers live in their altruistic reasons.
own Lower City apartments. The Seatower district has
many inns that cater to the large number of Flaming
Fist soldiers residing in the area.
Exchequer Favil Blanthe
It would shock many Baldurians to learn that Favil
Blanthe is a member of the Flaming Fist, mainly
Blaze Ulder Ravengard because he lacks the disciplined, law-and-order aura
Blaze Ulder Ravengard is the incarnation of milita that defines most of the mercenaries. BlaHthe is a
rism. The only beauty he appreciates is precision, and pudgy man in his sixties who is widely believed to be
the only quality he values is utility. He believes that too fond of dwarven brews. He manages the Flaming
personal ornamentation other than military insignia Fists finances and can usually be found at the Count
is a waste. A meticulous man, he forgets nothing and ing House or the Blade and Stars.
forgives less. Ravengard Much about Blanthe remains secret. A few of the
has never married and has Fists officers are aware that the exchequer used to be
no interest in domestic a Fist spymaster. But Blanthe alone knows that he is a
matters. Everything abotit Rivington-born cx- Guild member who formerly went
him is geared toward prac by the name Gold Lahar.
ticality. Someone might Forty years ago, Gold Lahar was an outstanding
consider him handsome, if Guild burglar and bookmaker. Then a disagreement
not for his constant scowl put Lahar on the outs. Desperate to avoid a knife in the
and many scars. dark, he disappeared. Lahars associates assumed he
Blaze Ravengard is had fled or been cornered and gone to see the river, a
Marshal Abdel Adrians Baldurian phrase that refers to being bound and tossed
right-hand man. He is from Tumbledowns bluffs into the Chionthar. No one
both the second-highest- suspected that Lahar had adopted a disguise, changed
ranking officer in the Flaming Fist and the warden of his name, and signed on with the Flaming Fist.
Wyrms Rock. Ravengards soldiers do not love him. Within six months of Lahars disappearance, any
They do respect his leadership, however, and pay for it Guild members who had known him had either been
with their obedience, which is exactly how Ravengard arrested and executed, been cut down in an apparent
prefers things. gang murder, or disappeared. No one in the Fist con
Ravengard is the fourth son of a lowborn Lower nected the murders and disappearances to Blanthe,
City smith. Since he had no hope of inheriting his and at the end of this time no one in the Guild who
fathers property, he decided to join the Flaming Fist. had known Lahar remained alive.
His discipline and meticulous nature helped Raven In the following months, Blanthes inside knowl
gard prove himself in battle and when handling edge of the Guild proved invaluable and led to raids on
day-to-day details for Adrian. several Lower City operations. His acts of service and
Naturally stolid and terse, Ravengard is slow to his uncanny instinct for uncovering secrets hastened
speak and make decisions in any arena except the Blanthes steady advancement through the ranks.
battlefield. Once he decides on a course of action, Blanthe sees his escape from the Guild to a new
Ravengard is relentless in its pursuit. He believes the life with the Fist as a sign. He worships Torm now
Flaming Fist is the Gates backbone and the key to the and regrets having lived the life he left behind. But he
citys strength and superiority over its competitors. has never lost the conviction that the Guild exists as
Even though his rigorous self-control masks the a reaction to the citys many social injustices that sup
depth of his feelings, the mercenary soldier seethes port the patriars while shackling the less fortunate.
over the eagerness of ill-doers to control others, steal He understands the frustration that drove him to the
the fruits of honest folks labor, and otherwise misuse Guild and realizes that feeling is probably what sends
hardworking people. Therefore, he is determined to many young folk into its grip today. Thus, he is one
ground the Guild into dust. Ravengard believes that of only a few Fist officers who have any sympathy for
the criminal organization is waging a war against Guild operatives.
Baldurians, and he is determined to win it for them.
He knows as well as anyone else, though, that wars
arent won without casualties or collateral damage.
F THE GUILD
Cutpurses, loan sharks, killers, thugs, con artists, grave
In the Upper and Lower cities, clients are typi
cally folk whom the Guild is blackmailing or who
owe money or favors to Guild members. In contrast,
robbers, cat burglarsthe Guild unites virtually every the entire Outer City depends heavily on the Guild
crime and criminal under one organizations rule. For as a governing force, since the area lacks formal law
more than a century, the greedy, violent, and desper enforcement. An Outer City resident who has a com
ate in Baldurs Gate have come together to form a fluid plaint against a neighbora charge of theft, fraud,
hierarchy of loose associations overseen by the Guilds or assault, for examplemust confront that neighbor
mysterious leaders. directly, because no police or courts are available to
The Guild keeps the gutters clean is a phrase aid him or her. In that situation, if the accused is stron
underworld denizens use to refer to the contract killings ger than the victim, the accused wins. And no one
of wayward Guild members. The metaphor is true in a can prevent that neighbor from robbing, beating. or
larger sense as well. The Guild monitors and controls defrauding others at will.
crime in Baldurs Gate and its environs. Thus, it serves But instead of simply putting up with things, a
the densely populated city by keeping illicit activities victim can approach the local Guild kingpin and ask
quiet. Much credit is given to the Watch and Flaming for assistance. If the kingpin chooses to intervene, the
Fist for keeping the citys cobbled streets free of open victim might receive some sort of compensation from
crime. But bold, daylight robberies and slaughter in the the Guild to offset losses. More likely, the accused will
streets would invite too much attention from the author be beaten, have fingers broken, or wake up chained to
ities, so the Guild has outlawed such action unless a millstoneall of which are designed to encourage the
Guildmaster Nine-Fingers sanctions it. accused to make his or her own reparations.
In exchange for this favor, the original victimthe
clientnow owes a favor to the kingpin, which the area
Governing the Guild crime boss can call in at any time. The client might be
The Guild is a syndicate of loose-knit groups under
required to cater a party, hide contraband or house a
the authority of local kingpins. Nine-Fingers and her
wanted criminal, give up part ownership of his or her
Ladys Court head the criminal organization. A web
business, or arrange for a family member to be wed to
of favors, duties, debts, intimidation, patronage, and
a Guild enforcer. People who have little to offer, such
gratitude hold the network together.
as gamblers or sable moonflower addicts, might be
Each of the citys districts roughly correlates to one
asked to undertake some dangerous action, such as
kingpins territory. The different gangs and kingpins
distracting a Flaming Fist patrol or taking the fall for
compete, usually bloodlessly, for influence and terri
someone elses crime. Becoming indebted to the Guild
tory. Nine-Fingers discourages arson, flagrant murder,
is a risky move, but the cabals interventions have
and other indiscriminate actions that would anger or
saved many lives, kept businesses operating, and pun
kill bystanders or upset the general populace. The most
ished innumerable villains who would otherwise have
prominent gangs include Shars Serpents in Blackgate;
gotten away with their crimes.
the Bloody Hands in Stonyeyes; Ganthalls Gallants in
This same structure of favors operates within the
Whitkeep, dubbed Gallant for never stealing from
Guild, too. Members seldom work for pay. Instead,
females; and the Rivington Rats in Rivington. they perform favors for each other and pay them off
Even though the Guild has only a few players in its
by doing clients favorswhen they arent actively com
tipper echelons, operations in each district have a strict
mitting crimes for their own enrichment.
hierarchy. In ascending order of status, the ranks of the
Assets: Anyone the Guild compensates who isnt a
Guild include clients, assets, footpads, enforcers, opera
member becomes an asset. Most assets are informants,
tors, and kingpins. A foul-up at any level can lead to
such as harborhands, beggars, festhall workers, and
or death for the responsible party.
laborers, who are paid to keep their eyes and ears open
Clients: People indebted to the Guild are termed
and report anything that might interest their handlers.
clients. These include shopkeepers who havent paid
disgrace Assets also include people who are powerful in their
their protection fees, gamblers who are in too deep, and
own right and are paid to keep the Guilds best interests
everyone for whom the Guild has performed a favor.
in mind while doing their jobs. This group includes cor
Clients are not Guild members per Se, but the organi
rupt city officials, Parliament of Peers members, and
zation often protects them: Clients are investments, Of
Flaming Fist and Watch soldiers.
course, the Guild does occasionally have to cut its losses,
Assets are indispensable to the Guild, but they get
sometimes literally, but its best for everyone if a client
little respect from inside the organization. They arent
sees the relationship as beneficial in some fashion. To
members, have no authority within the Guild, and
understand the Guild, one must first comprehend the
are told nothing they dont need to know. The bailiff
cabals relationships with its clients.
of the Wide, for example, knows which merchants
 stalls should not be inspected too closely, but not why. Guildmaster: The guildmaster heads the cabal. He
The Guild prefers for outsiders to remain in the dark, or she ties the kingpins together and addresses city
because bulging purses easily sway their loyalty. wide problems. Many Baldurians, including low-level
Footpads: Cutpurses, con artists, alley thugs, book Guild members, are not convinced that a guildmaster
ies, and the like rank as footpads. Most want to move really exists. The kingpins know the truth, however.
up the chain because they know theyre only slightly The guildmasters position and power derive from
less expendable than clients. Footpads dont pay regu the same system of favors that fuel the rest of the
lar dues, but most provide tokens of esteem to their organization. The figure known as Nine-Fingers is
local kingpins to curry favor, secure protection, and currently guildmaster because through favors per
demonstrate their usefulness. formed and owed, debts, and blackmail, she has
Footpads represent the part of the Guild that most personally broken and tamed most of the Parliament
resembles a traditional thieves guild. Their work isnt of Peers members, scores of Watch and Fist officers,
particularly profitable, and their association with the and more merchants than all the kingpins combined.
Guild makes the organization less popular among the When a kingpin needs a law amended, a valued
commoners who are often the footpads victims. But operator released from the Seatower of Balduran, or a
footpads serve an important purpose. Their constant ship offloaded without anyone noticing whats inside
thrum of low-level activity keeps the Flaming Fist and the crates, Nine-Fingers can make it happen. When
the Watch focused on petty street crime instead of on she does, that kingpin owes her a favor, and the
racketeering and smuggling, which are how the Guild system continues.
makes its real profits. Fist and Watch crackdowns
cause high turnover among footpads, which serves to
weed out the careless and the stupid.
Day-to-Day Operations
The Guilds daily operations revolve around running
Enforcers: Guild enforcers are the groups muscle
its rackets in protection, gambling, and smuggling.
and backbone. They arent trusted with high-profile
Protection: Groups of two or three armed enforc
jobs or delicate assignments, but theyre reliable
ers make once-a-tenday calls on all Outer City shops
workhorses for daily chores. Enforcers handle the
to collect a share of the establishments profits.
Guilds essential rackets in smuggling, protection,
Shopkeepers who fork over this fee also purchase
and gambling. They work as bouncers at gambling
Guild-guaranteed protection. The amount each mer
halls, go door-to-door through the Outer City collect
chant pays is modest, but when multiplied by the
ing Guild fees, and make a fuss when a client doesnt
number of shops, merchants, and bookmakers being
pay those fees.
skimmed, the total amount of cash flowing into the
Operators: The Guild calls on its operators when
Guilds coffers quickly becomes impressive.
it needs mastery or finesse. For example, an operator
When someone claims to have had a bad tenday of
steps in when a hard-to-frighten shopkeeper or public
profit, enforcers check in with their informants to con
official defies the Guild and needs reminding of his
firm how many customers entered the place ofbusiness
or her place, hen a burglary requires a master thief.
since their last visit. Enforcers rarely make allowances for
or when the Guild needs to negotiate with a shrewd
anyone. A proprietor who falls behind on payments can
merchant. Because of their intelligence and skills,
seek a loan, legally or from a neighborhood loan shark;
operators usually fill vacancies caused by retiring (or
accept the Guild as a full business partner; or visit his or
expired) kingpins. More often than not, ambitious
her districts kingpin to ask for more time. Holding out on
operators use assassinations or bloodless coups to
the Guild might not cost in the short term, but it almost
hurry those above them into retirement.
always turns out badly in the long run.
Kingpins: Kingpins function as the organizations
When enforcers finish their days collections at
crime bosses. Each controls crime in one of the Gates
five to ten businesses, they return to whatever shop,
districts. Kingpins compete with each other for prey
office, or home is their current front; pool their coin
and territory in subtle ways, avoiding bloodshed when
with other enforcers takes; pocket their cuts; and then
possible. They work hard to always be in the know in
spend the evening gambling, drinking, and making
their districts, and they succeed most of the time.
small talk. Most Guild offices are in client-owned
Kingpins who claim territory in the Upper and
businesses. Restaurants, taverns, barbershops, bath
Lower cities dont rule in the same ways that Outer
houses, pawnshops, moneychangers establishments,
City kingpins do, because the Flaming Fist and the
and funeral parlors are favorite locations.
Watch reduce those populations reliance on the
Groups of three to six operators move the enforcers
Guild. Without an army of clients to manipulate and
hauls from neighborhood headquarters to safe houses
milk for favors, kingpins inside the walls must create
each night. One days haul from one collection point
specialized systems, such as the Fetchers army of spies
might bring in as much as 100 gp. The Outer City
and runners (see page 59).
alone has nine districts, and each has a dozen or so finger of her left hand, and sent the digit to her parents
collection points. Protection is a lucrative racket. along with an exorbitant ransom demand. Little Asteles
Gambling: Contests and games of chance are ram parents borrowed the money
pant in the Outer City, but making a decent profit off from family and friends and
gambling in those districts requires grinding through bought back their daugh
thousands of low-coin bets. The real money in gam ter, but Nine-Fingers never
bling is made in the Upper City, where patriars bet forgave the elfand never
ridiculous sums on formalized games and anything forgot his coppery hair and
else that catches their fancy, such as which captains single eye.
ship will return from sea first or whose glass of wine Years later, when she
a fly will settle on. Races and boxing or wrestling was a rising Guild operator,
matches are hugely popular, as are dice games, spin she found her kidnap
ning wheels, stick drops, card games, and guessing or per in a pipe den, where
bluffing games between professional teams. The Guild he was feeding his sable Nine-Fingers Keene
rigs these contests whenever it can, both to maximize moonflower addiction.
its profit and to reward clients with payoffs that dont Nine-Fingers blinded his
need to he concealed. remaining eye and cut off all but the little fingers on
Smuggling: One of the busiest smuggling routes in both of his hands. She then bought the pipe den and
Baldurs Gate runs between Rivington and Brampton. instructed its proprietor to make sure the elf always
Anything moving by land to or from Rivington gets has enough food, drink, and smoke to stay alive and
taxed at Wyrms Crossing and again at the Basilisk maintain his addiction. The addicts sable moonflower
Gate. To avoid paying that double fee, smugglers haul is laced with the dried yolk of cockatrice eggs, which
goods by night along the river between Rivingtons Nine-Fingers procures at great expense, to transform
and Bramptons quays, hiding them in weighted nets his smoke dreams into nightmares. Because hes an elf,
dragged behind boats. Near the pier, underwater ropes Nine-Fingers expects her kidnapper to outlive her, so
are hooked to the nets. Other Guild members wait in she has made advance payments to ensure that his tor
a waterlogged tunnel that connects to a nearby build ture endures throughout his natural life.
ings cellar to pull those caches under the pier, through Nine-Fingers is now patient and calculating; the
the tunnel, and into the building. passion of her youth has faded. She seeks revenge for
From Brampton, the smuggled cargoes mingle with offenses against the Guild only when doing so will
honest ones and make their way through Baldurs increase the cabals profits. A meticulous planner,
Gate to the Wide. The Guilds river smugglers charge Nine-Fingers anticipates treachery. She pits trouble
less than the toll collectors and the porters combined, some Guild members against each other to blunt any
making the smuggling route highly desirable for those internal threats while simultaneously discouraging
bringing goods into Baldurs Gate from the south. open bloodshed.
The guildmaster never goes anywhere without her
Nine-Fingers Keene personal bodyguards, whom the kingpins call the
Ladys Court. The six womentwo wizards and four
The current master of the Guild disdains flashy garb
accomplished warrior-roguesare utterly devoted to
and appearance-improving magic, so the world sees
Nine-Fingers, and she lavishly rewards their loyalty.
her as she truly isan unassuming, brunette woman of
She prefers anonymity, so her bodyguards accompany
middling height and build. Neither plain nor beautiful,
her invisibly, sometimes in disguise and sometimes at
Nine-Fingers is completely indistinctive. Her forgettable
a distance. When Nine-Fingers speaks with a kingpin,
looks, far from being a drawback, were a great asset
a patriar, or an underworld figure, she often appears to
during her years as a thief Nine-Fingers has a knack
be alone, but she almost never is.
for avoiding attention. She drifts into and out of rooms,
Under her guidance, the Guild has become an inte
unregarded until she speaks. The guildmaster never
gral part of the citys businesses and politics. It polices
forgets a face or a name, and she is a shrewd judge of
its own activities to minimize interference from the
people. Within minutes of meeting someone, she can
Flaming Fist and the Watch, and Guild enforcers keep
correctly assess the persons motives, ambitions, and
unsanctioned crime to a minimum. Nine-Fingers has
fears and how far that individual can be trusted.
invested her substantial wealth (or the portion of it left
Few people know her given name. To the Gate, she
over every month after she pays off politicians, patriars,
is simply the notorious Nine-Fingers. The story of her
judges, and officers) in numerous legitimate businesses.
nickname and her rise would be a popular tavern tale if
In a city full of spies and informants, her intelligence
it were widely known. When Astele Keene was five years
network is unequaled. Nine-Fingers can guarantee
old, a one-eyed elfkidnapped her, sliced offthe little
a majority of votes in the Parliament of Peers on any
subject, including the selection of a new duke. Her tools and blames the Fist and the patriars for the terrible
against the patriars include coercion, manipulation, conditions thereand the fact that, in her words, The
graft, and the threat of exposing their secrets, both true people need the Guild to protect them from the city
and false. The last thing Nine-Fingers wants is open and from themselves.
confrontation with the Fist or the patriars, which would
mean blood in the streets. Blood is hard to control and
bad for everyones profit margins.
Fruward the Nail
Few members of the Guild know Fruward except by
reputation. They know only that the Nail works for
Rilsa Rael the Guild, and that youll know him when you see him
When Rilsa Rael joined the Guild, she had nowhere because of the nail driven right into his forehead. The
else to turn. The Flaming Fist had hanged her father three-inch-long spike has a wide, square head, the
for harboring her uncle when the mercenaries were gleam of which Fruward keeps hidden under a hand
after him. So her beautiful mother had become a kerchief he wears beneath his battered hat.
patriars courtesan to support Rael. When the mans Fruward came by his strange injury due to a dis
wife discovered the trysts, she demanded that RaeIs agreement with members of the Builders Guild. What
mother be imprisoned in the Seatower of Balduran, Fruward was told would be a late-night negotiation
where the woman wasted away and died while her over work contracts in the dry dock where he worked
lover went unpunished. Left on her own, Rael joined turned out to be an ambush. He was held down, ham
the gang in Norchapel, where her mixed Tethyrian mered in the head, splashed with ale, and then laid
and Calishite parentage and language skills gave her on his face among his tools so that his death could be
a natural advantage in bringing Little Calimshan fully called an accident.
under the Guilds influence. Later that night, the young Nine-Fingers entered the
Raels talent at going unnoticed and her skill with a dry dock to hide from a pursuing Flaming Fist patrol that
knife earned her a position on the Ladys Court as one of had spotted her climbing out of a window. She happened
Nine-Fingers bodyguardsthe guildmasters favorite, in upon Fruward lying facedown and heard him struggling
fact. Her loyalty, ruthlessness, and inventiveness in dis to breathe. She turned him over to find him miraculously
creetly solving problems alive despite the nail in his headand then Fruward
fueled her rise. Acknowl awoke while his head was cradled in her hands. lhats
edging Raels potential, when the doors of the dry dock rattled open, and the Fist
Nine-Fin ers removed patrol entered along with Fruwards would-be murder
her bodyguard from the ers. Disoriented but enraged, Fruward leaped forward,
court and installed her as incoherently screaming accusations. A battle ensued, and
Little Calimshans kingpin. Fruward escaped with his life only due to the aid of the
Raels status as Nine- one who would later become master of the Guild.
Fingers favorite hasnt Returning to a normal life wasnt an optionnot
changed, making her heir after killing some of the Flaming Fist and his enemies
presumptive to the Guild in the Builders Guildand the despondent Fruward
leadershin. began to wish the nail had killed him. But Nine-Fin
Rilsa RaeI
Rael learned how gers helped him again. She set him up with a place to
to exploit others from live and provided him what he needed to keep going
Nine-Fingers, but she does not use intermediaries and until he came to terms with his new lifeas a secret
scapegoats to insulate herself from her affairs as Nine- member of the Guild.
Fingers does. Instead, she takes a personal hand in most The Nail is unflinchingly loyal to Nine-Fingers and
matters. She moves openly through the Outer Cit) alter carries out her commands without comment. He acts
nating between helping the poor, slinging insults at any as a buffer for Nine-Fingers, arranging things when
Fist patrols moving between Wyrms Rock and the Lower she would prefer that her name or the Guild not be
City, and occasionally breaking the nose of a reluctant directly involved. Few in the Guild recognize Fruward
shopkeeper. She even holds a public audience at her after meeting him unless he reveals the nail in his
headquarters in the Calim Jewel Emporium to hear the forehead to them. His face is otherwise unremarkable,
complaints of Outer City residents. and the nail tends to attract the eye, so that the rest of
Raels opinions of the Gates leaders and institutions Fruwards features fall away from memory.
were formed during her rough childhood. She thinks Despite their close association for several years,
the Flaming Fist is cruel and uncaring, and the patri Fruward and Nine-Fingers now rarely meet. The Nail
ars are hypocritical and self-serving. She sympathizes receives most of his orders by way of message spells
and identifies wholly with the poor in the Outer City cast by a member of the Ladys Court.
 people of Baldurs Gate know her as a motheran
THE GATES DEITIES imperious and fickle one, but a mother nonetheless.
Baldurs Gate is the site of a large number of temples The Water Queens House stands atop an enormous
and dozens of shrines. Some of those shrines, such pier. The Queens Favor, a huge fountain that rises out
as the Watchful Shield, have stood for centuries, and of a 6-foot-deep pool, splashes above the harbor near
others have arrived on the backs of refugees in recent the piers far end. Its central marble statuary depicts
years. Individuals looking for magical services, such the stern of a life-sized sailing ship, sculpted to appear
as cures or potions, must visit one of the three power as if the vessel is sinking. Water spews from holes in
ful temple houses within the city. But for those who its hull, and other streams regularly lash its deck. To
can pay only with prayer, the Twin Songs district hosts power the fountain, Gondar engineers installed pipes
many priests who aspire to increase their followings so between it and the bluffs reservoirs, such that the
they might ascend to grander places of worship. downhill descent pressurizes the stream. In public
Most worship in Baldurs Gate centers on three dei ceremonies, the ships deck serves as the temples altar.
tiesUmberlee, Tymora, and Gond,vho have held Beyond the fountain, the
primacy over the citys prayers for generations. As a temple crouches on the edge
port for river and sea traffic, Baldurs Gate has long of the pier. The structures
maintained a temple to Umberlee. The myriad issues southern portion disappears
that can affect a merchants fortunes, and the patri into the water in a cascade
ars gambling traditions, made Tymoras worship an of steps that waveservants
important part of city culture. Finally, Gonds priests (the temples priestesses)
established themselves as a key cog in city life more descend when they bring
than a century ago when they equipped the Gate offerings to Umberlee. The
with the cranes, rail carts, and dry dock facilities that Water Queens House is the
turned this former smugglers haven into one of the citys oldest temple, and seg
busiest ports on the Sword Coast. ments of itdeep in sodden
halls beneath the harbors ivater levelboast the oldest
stonework still standing in Baldurs Gate. Only the
Gond waveservants have seen these ancient tunnels. Indeed,
Duke Torlin Silvershield is high artificer of the High
few Baldurians have even stepped inside the Water
House of Wonders and leader of the Gondar. Even
Queens House. When someone rings the temple door
though Silvershield has his hand in everything, the
bell, two waveservants answer. One takes any offering
temple verger, Andar Beech, manages its day-to-day
inside, while the other delivers a short prayer beside
affairs. Beech has misgivings about Silvershields
the supplicant. Then the remaining priestess goes
involvement in politics, but the greatest sacrament to
inside and shuts the doors once again.
Gond is industrious labor, and Silvershield could never
Sailors, anglers, harborhands, merchants, seafar
be accused of laziness. When civil unrest disrupts
ers relatives, and everyone else who depends on the
work, Beech, Silvershield, and the rest of the Gondar
river or the sea offer up whatever they can spare, such
step up.
as food, a few coppers, or an old ring. People who can
Beech is a devout servant of Gond who thinks that
give more usually do so, hoping their lavish gifts meet
many Outer City residents reject the joyful yoke of
with Umberlees favor. The priestesses seemingly must
labor in favor of sinful sloth. He is art outspoken critic
receive a portion of this wealth, hut these mournful
of the Guild, who he says steals the labors of others.
specters have never been spotted buying extravagant
He isnt sympathetic to the Upper Citys citizens,
items when theyre out shopping. Most Baldurians
either. The slender verger believes that many patriars
believe that Umberlee takes away what they give to the
are every bit as parasitic as the Guild, since they con
temple, and that its bad luck to look at the water when
tribute nothing while resting on the laurels of their
waveservants descend into it with an offering.
assiduous ancestors. In Beechs opinion, the chief dif
Allandra Grey holds the title of Flood Tide in the
ference betxveen the patriars and the Guild is that the
temple, leading roughly a score of priestesses and
patriars worsen the citys problems while the Guilds
following in the traditions of her mother and grand
members cause them.
mother. The temple gains most of its clergy from
among widowed females whose husbands were lost
Umberlee at sea or young girls orphaned by water-related trag
Umberlees following in Baldurs Gate was established edies. This practice strikes some observers as odd,
among the pirates and smugglers who first used the but the priestesses (who can sympathize from simi
bay as a harbor. While many think of Umberlee as lar experience) are glad to take in, feed, and clothe
an evil goddess who delights in drowning sailors, the individuals who are suddenly rendered homeless.
Some waveservants believe that working in the Water accepting requests, and large donations, to broker solu
Queens House brings them closer to their lost family, tions. Its clergy recognize the danger of stepping on
and some worshipers descend the temples steps to join the Guilds toes, but the priests are firm believers in
their drowned loved ones. Grey does not promote this the mantra Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
traditional practice; nor does she seek to prevent it. Gunnar Thrune, a transplant from Gundarlun
When civil disorder or enemy attacks endanger Island in the cold northern sea, is the loud-voiced and
Gray Harbor, Flood Tide Grey and her waveservants ever-smiling temple patriarch. Boisterous to a fault,
side with whichever faction promises to best protect Thrune can be found wherever betting is fast and
sailors and anglers. Then they mobilize to save the furious, egging on gamblers with shouts and hearty
lives of those folk, ignoring threats to ships and cargo. backslapping. In times of crisis in the Gate, Thrune
immediately encourages and presides over bets
Tymora regarding the involved parties, his actions effectively
Since it was seafaring traders who founded Baldurs proclaiming the temples neutrality.
Gate, clergy of the goddess of good fortune and risk-
taking found fertile ground for establishing a temple to Major Shrines
Tymora in the citys early days. The Ladys Hall, made The Upper and Lower cities both contain shrines to
of local granite, roofed with slate shingles, and featur particular deities. Unlike the temples, the shrines
ing a modest spire, rises only slightly above the Upper are single-room buildings or open structures with
Citys already tall buildings. Unlike the High House out doors. When a deitys worship is popular, a priest
of Wonders and the Water Queens House, this unas at the favored shrine typically gains the service of
suming building blends nicely with the citys other numerous acolytes and caretakers, all of whom live
architecture. near the holy site. But when enthusiasm fades or a
Within the Ladys Hall, statuary and artwork depict priest dies or travels elsewhere, the shrines upkeep
scenes that tell tales of pluck and luck winning the day falls to faithful from elsewhere in the city.
at sea. The temples art has been accused of catering to Ilmater: The shrine to Ilmater, the god of mar
the passions of seafaring Baldurians. In actuality, the tyrs and patient endurance, stands in a small, quiet
Tymorans inherited both the artwork and the build square in Heapside. The Shrine of the Suffering is
ing, which had served as Valkurs temple in the citys an unremarkable stone structure. Here, the poorest
earliest years. After Valkurs priests, or wavetamers, Baldurians can receive free meals and enough coppers
established the temple, a series of infamous sailing to pay their way through the citys gates.
disasters sparked a riot in which residents demanded The structure stands on the entrance to a series
that the wavetarners protect ships from Umberlees of crypts. For a small donation, anyone can have a
wrath. When another ship sank, killing all aboard dead friend or loved one interred in the vaults, where
it, rioters captured Valkurs priests and threw them corpses fester in the dark and feed the hundreds of
bound and weighteddown the steps of the Water sewer rats that enter through wall chinks. When a
Queens House. The site of Valkurs temple was con persons bones are clean, a worshiper of Ilmater takes
sidered cursed after that episode, but the Tymorans them into the attached ossuary chambers, where they
recognized a great opportunity to challenge the are stored by type. It might seem an ignoble end, but
rumors of haunting spirits in the place, and Tymora for many impoverished residents, the shrine offers the
rewarded their gamble. only kind of holy-ground burial they can afford.
Tymoras temple might seem underwhelming, but Kindhearted citizens from all ranks of society
the building is used only for religious ceremonies, donate small amounts to pay for the shrines upkeep,
which her devoted care little about. To do Tvmoras supplies for its ministries, and the livelihood of its
bidding, her priests, or luckbringers, preside over priest and his two acolytes, who are also his children.
much of the citys gambling. Rather than participate, Even after ten years, Brother Hodges acutely feels the
they impartially judge races, wrestling matches, cock loss of his beloved wife, but he bears it well with the
fights, and other contests of chance and skill. aid of his younglings, Hansen and Sissa, who are not
The priests work in various gambling halls and yet old enough to marry. The community treasures all
gaming establishments and run contests at city festi three. The Gates poorest residents especially enjoy
vals. Tymoras luckbringers also act as talent agents for chatting with Brother Hodges or his offspring, even
people who have exotic or exceptional abilities, and when the priest has no food or coppers left to give.
they help supplicants who need anonymous problem Whenever discord takes over the streets, Brother
solvers. For various reasons, many Baldurians wont Hodges does his best to help anyone in need. If cir
confide in or work with the Guild, the Watch, or the cumstances in the Outer City worsen, the priest
Flaming Fist. So the temple fills that niche for them,

=
petitions the dukes, the peers, and the Flaming Fist to Minor Shrines
be merciful in their judgments and actions.
A well on Windcobble Street has Eldaths face carved
Lathander: The citys shrine to Lathander, called
upon it, and folk touch it before drawing water in
the Rose Portal, is a sculpture located in the V7ide. An
the morning to bring peace throughout the day. In a
arch of rose-hued stone, it stands on a plinth several
graffiti-scrawled dead end that never sees full sun, the
steps above the street. By long tradition, no structures
destitute take solace in the shadow of a wall on which
are built east of the shrine, so nothing but the city wall
the black disc of Shar is inscribed. A small oak, one
and the fog stands between the Rose Portal and the
of only a handful of trees in the Lower City, struggles
first rays of the rising sun.
skyward from a crack in a low wall; on Greengrass and
A handful of priests of Lathander once presided
Highharvestide, folk string it with bread and fruit for
over the sun gods shrine, which virtually all travelers
birds in honor of Silvanus. The gauntlets of Torm and
and entrepreneurs visited, Many folk exchanged mar
Helm are carved above each door in the towers of the
riage vows at the arch as well, passing through it to
city walls. These images flank the citys heraldry and
signif a new beginning in their lives. Since the priests
serve as an ever-present reminder of a soldiers duty to
departure. the Rose Portal has fallen from favorbut
protect the city.
Baldurians still believe that climbing the shrines steps
Hundreds of these modest, makeshift shrines exist
and passing through its arch bring good luck.
in streets, on buildings, and within homes throughout
Oghma: The Unrolling Scroll, Oghm&s shrine,
the Upper, Lower, and Outer citiesas they do in many
stands in stark contrast to the surrounding buildings
other Faern localesbut a few objects of reverence
ofyeLlow stone and slate roofs. Like the High House of
warrant special mention.
Wonders and the Hall of Wonders, its pavilion is made
Siamorphe: The title and incarnation of Siamor
of white marble, but its arched roof is a vibrant red
phe, the exarch of nobility and the hereditary right
outlined in gold leaf. A wide reflecting pool rests in a
to rule, has passed from one worthy noble to another
deep basin under its roof, and a podium for speeches
throughout the history of the entitys worship. Long
projects slightly into the water. The shrines unusual
ago, the patriars of the Gate worshiped Siamorphes
construction efficiently projects the words of a person
last male incarnation. But the patriars shift in attitude,
who speaks from the podium throughout the area.
wherein the; began to believe that their right to rule
Loremaster Most High Brevek Faenor, a man in his
gave them the right to profit from others rather than
late forties, officially oversees the shrine. For some
the responsibility to lead well, caused a decline in the
time now, he has been lax in his duties, allowing use of
worship of Siamorphe, whose dogma has as much to
the shrine to secular performers and anyone who has
do with responsibility as it does with entitlement. 1-lun-
news to spread. Oghma is the god of knowledge, inspi
dreds of years ago, at a time when little real worship of
ration, and ideas, and the shrine was built to be a place
Siamorphe occurred in Baldurs Gate, the exarch rein
to share such things. However, the loremaster has had
carnated, becoming a female Waterdeep noble.
his eye oii the High House of Wonders since he moved
Yet even today shrines of Siamorphe remain in
to Baldurs Gate. Thwarted in his recent attempt to gain
many patriar estates. Statues of Siamorphe as a regal,
control of Gonds temple, Faenor can now be found
richly dressed man who has a sharp beard and bald
studying books in Gonds library or near the Unroll
ing pate reside in neglected corners, dust; attics, and
ing Scroll glumly listening to Baldurians complain
statuary rooms crowded with capering satyrs, nobly
about the shrines posted speaking schedule. Mean
fallen warriors, and ships in the grips of krakens. At
while, Faenor keeps his ear to the ground as he awaits
the Silvershield estate, a statue of Siamorphe gazes
another chance to gain the highest seat in the High
out of a cloak of clinging clematis Flowers, decorous
House of Wonders.
but forgotten.
Helm: In the past, Watch members, Flaming Fist
Lurue: The Knights of the Unicorn began as a lark
soldiers, bodyguards, caravan guards, and anyone who
of romantically minded sons and daughters ofpatriar
felt the weight of a duty to protect people or things often
families. They took the goddess Lurue as their mascot
frequented the Watchful Shield, a shrine to Helm.
and went on various adventures for fun. The reality of
Since the death of the God of Guardians, however, the
the dangers they faced eventually sank in, as did Lurues
small chapel and its porch-like, watch-post wings have
tenets, including that life is to be relished and lived with
stood empty as a form of monument to a god who died
laughter; quests should be taken on a dare; impossible
doing his duty. Rumors persist that ghosts guard the
dreams should be pursued for the sheer wonder of their
shrine at night, but the Upper City youths who visit the
completion; and everyone should be praised for their
Watchful Shield in search of adventure typically find an
strengths and comforted in their weaknesses.
angry Watch soldier instead.
Since the days of its formation, before the member
ship of the Knights of the Unicorn spread far beyond
 Baldurs Gate, the Helm and Cloak has been the
groups de facto headquarters. The establishments MERCHANTS AND TRADE
common room still displays a marble carving of a uni Many outlanders think of Baldurs Gate as a noisy,
corn head with a bronze horn. Many patrons touch crowded, bustling, stinking, and often fogbound port
or kiss the horn for good luck, and their attention has city that never sleeps. They say it is a place where
kept it gleaming for much of its length. everyone works hard at trade and craftwork, coins are
Gargauth: The mysterious Knights of the Shield king, and theres no shortage of muscle and gumption.
has long counted many patriars and Gate merchants And theyre right. The Gate is a city of traders
as members. One long-ago leader of this secret soci through and through, and most Baldurians take to
ety, Duke Inseim Hhune ofTethyr, married one of his heart the motto Claw hard, or fail and be forgotten.
nephews into a patriar family. The duke then bought Its one of the busiest Sword Coast ports. It processes
the familys estate and turned it into a palatial man streams of nigh countless goods that constantly flow
sion for the local chapter of the Knights. His actions through it in all but the coldest winters, when the
also established the Hhune family as a patriar line. Chionthar ices over and Trade Way travel trickles to
What few in the Knights of the Shield knew then, a stop.
or know now, is that Hhune had been consulting Most days, though, trade is in full swing. Merchants
with the Hidden Lord of the Shield, a magic shield and couriers in the Wide carry goods in baskets
that would speak to Hhune when he touched it. atop tall poles, which they harness to their backs
This shield was not the long-lost shield of Silvrnn from and shoulders, to keep their wares out of the way of
which the group takes its name. Nonetheless, one of bustling crowds. Bulk goods that cant be carried in
Hhunes ancestors proclaimed it as the new totem of this fashion, such as coal, firewood, potatoes, and
the Knights of the Shield, unaware that it was a reposi casks of drinkables, are often sold sight unseen from
tory for the spirit of Gargauth, a devil who sought to be shops in the Wide or the Lower City and delivered in
worshiped as a god. handcarts.
As Gargauth began exerting control over Hhune, As a way to pinch coppers. some Upper City citi
the duke was compelled to build secret chambers zens send servants with carts to fetch items rather
of worship, and sewer entrances to them, beneath than have tradesfolk make deliveries to their doors.
his mansion. After Inselm Hhunes death, the Pit Nevertheless, when the gates to the Upper City open
became an item of dark family lore that most Hhunes at dawn every morning, porters flood in, hastening to
preferred to forget about. Its current state is unknown Upper City addresses to make the days first deliveries.
to todays family members. The moment the flood of deliveries passes, a reverse
flow of Upper City servants converges on the Old Wall
Twin Songs gates to run errands in the Lower City.
Citizens of the Gate see themselves as vital to com
This Outer City neighborhood holds shrines to more
merce, prosperity, and fulfilling the needs of the wider
gods than most people know ofat least until they
Realms. New ideas, new technologies, and new wares
pass through the place. Refugees from foreign wars or
flow through Baldurs Gate. It is where fashions begin
disasters who come to Baldurs Gate by way of Wyrms
or are anointed and where dreams are dashed or
Crossing often leave tokens of thanks to their gods
forged into real wealth. Baldurians are proud of being
upon their safe arrival. Tokens became displays, which
at the heart of it all, and they loudly assert their supe
then gained signposts, and awnings over the signposts
riority over their rivals in Waterdeep and Athkatla.
to shelter the contents. In time, it became a Baldurs
Locals sneer at the so-called City of Splendors, calling
Gate custom to make certain that ones favored gods
it a place of leisurely trade, where decadents play at
are represented among the riot of shrines, booths,
being merchants rather than really working at it. And
idols, altars, and temples that sprawls over the Chion
they deride folk in Athkatla as being too wealthy to
thars northern bank.
know enough about the world, real work, or how to be
Church of Last Hope: This modest Twin Songs
good traders.
chapel professes allegiance to no deity, but it offers the
suicidal a reverent end to life through a ritual of rev
erie. Those who suffer from depression as well as the
horribly ill or maimed receive invitations from temple
staff, who ascribe their knowledge of those in pain
to divine inspiration. The fate of the souls that pass
through their hands remains unknown.
Professional Guilds Baldurans Honorable
Baldurs Gate is home to almost ninety professional Company of.
guilds. Most guildhalls are located in the Lower City,
Brewmasters (vintners and brewers)
even when their members keep shop and live elsewhere.
Publicans (innkeepers and tavernkeepers)
Since the troubles involving the Iron Throne, the Council
Builders (bricklayers, plasterers, joiners, and
of Four has required all guilds to acquire and maintain
roofers)
official charters, and it has outlawed unofficial associa
Leatherworkers (tanners, saddlers, and curriers)
tions. Such charters must be renewed every year.
Artisans (painters, sculptors, poets, jewelers, and
The three classificatioHs of charters and the divisions
mosaic ists)
within them create a structure among the professional
Vesselmakers (potters and coopers)
guilds based on their wealth, traditions, and members
Tinkers (tinkers, toolmakers, locksmiths, braziers,
social status. Those that provide goods and services to
glassblowers, and smelters)
the Upper City have the Councils Eminent Fellow
Woodworkers (shipwrights, carpenters, wain
ship honorific, those belonging to the Lower City use
wrights, and woodcarvers)
the Parliaments Distinguished Union honorific, and
Loremasters (mathematicians, philosophers,
those belonging to the Outer City have the Baldurans
astrologers, astronomers, and seers)
Honorable Company designation. For example, the
Outfitters (ropemakers, sailmakers, wagoners, and
bakers, millers, and salters were granted their char
wheelwrights)
ter in the Outer City, so they are known collectively
Provenderers (salters, bakers, and millers)
as Baldurans Honorable Company of Provenderers.
Harborhands (porters, sailors, harborhands, and
Membership in a professional guild is mandatory in the
couriers)
Lower City, strong in the Upper City, and considered
entirely optional in the Outer City.
The citys official professional guilds are organized
in the structure outlined below. Each guild is grouped
according to the classification of its honorific, and the
guilds within a united group are arranged in hierar SECRET GUILDS
chical order from the top down within each category. The establishment of laws for professional guilds officially
ended the public presence of the Iron Throne in Baldurs
Councils Eminent Gate, but it didnt spell the end for the organization. Simi
larly, the Merchants League was originally based in Baldurs
Fellowship of. Gate, and even though prominent patriar families such as
Seafarers (includes ship captains, pilots, naviga the Irlentrees, Miyars, and Sashenstars disavowed the group,
tors, and cartographers) its influence remains.
Traders (caravaneers and guides) Iron Throne: The Iron Throne has always focused on con
Financiers (bankers, moneychangers, and minters) trol of weapons, armor, and trade in iron. After the trouble
Healers (alchemists, surgeons, apothecaries, bota in Baldurs Gate many decades ago, a crisis in its leadership
nists, and herbalists) led to its decline for a time. But it now secretly maintains a
Furriers (furriers and skinners) controlling interest in arms and armor made for the Watch
Sages (sages and wizards) and the Flaming Fist.
Merchants League: The Merchants League was once
Parliaments Distinguished fully backed by the Council of Four, but its growing control
over trade in the city and its failure to effectively counteract
Union of. the Iron Throne caused the dukes to ban the organization.
Clerks (barristers, accountants, scribes, bookbind Although officially dissolved, the Merchants League con
ers, and printers) tinues to do business through its member families, which
Handlers (butchers, woolers, chandlers. fishmon control the Seafarers, Traders, and Woodworkers guilds.
gers, and beekeepers) Knights of the Shield: The Knights of the Shield is a vast
Metalworkers (blacksmiths, goldsmiths, silver secret society to which nobles, traders, and shopkeepers
smiths, armorers, and weaponsmiths) belong. Members pass information that seems like it might
Shoemakers (cobblers and cordwainers) be economically useful to other members and up the chain
Master Builders (architects, engineers, stonema of command so all can profit. Its members have kept a low
sons, glaziers, and plumbers) profile throughout the groups existence, and they intend to
Clothiers (tailors, milliners, weavers, dyers, and keep things that way.
perfumers)
SHOPS AND USING BALDURS MOUTH
You can use the Gates news service to give your players a
sense that city happenings are continuing in their absence
OTHER BUSINESSES while their characters are engaged elsewhere. You can also
The Upper City boasts decorous storefronts, chic arti use Baldurs Mouth to express how the heroes actions
san studios, and the Wide marketplace. Meanwhile, make news. For instance, if the characters are successful in
the Lower City is chock-full of shops and workshops, aiding or thwarting one of the factions in a public incident,
and the areas rapid growth has pushed many other they could hear about the situation when they pass a crier
businesses into the Outer City. The first floors of most in the streets.
Lower City buildings contain businesses of some kind From time to time, the broadsheets of Baldurs Mouth
or at least maintain street-frontage shops. have included caricatures of important citizens, such as
Describing the vast variety of Gate establishments dukes or parliament members. As the adventure progresses,
could fill its own book, so we encourage you to consult this practice of satirizing important people happens more
the Murder in Baldurs Gate Dungeon Masters Screen often as the city veers out of control. Characters might even
when you need to generate a shop name and describe find flattering or unflattering images of themselves in the
its services or wares. The entries below describe a paper, depending on what theyve been up to lately.
handful of notable businesses in Baldurs Gate. Baldurs Mouth also has a darker element to it. Even
though Needle dislikes the Guild almost as much as he
Baldurs Mouth loathes the patriars, he is a good friend and an admirer of
Baldurs Mouth, the citys news carrier, provides a Rilsa Rael. Her commitment to the Outer Citys residents
great service to people at every level of society. Town impresses him, and the newshound hopes to persuade
criers and printed broadsheets are its two methods of the Guild kingpin to help transform the Guild from a
spreading news. predatory criminal organization into a mercenary citizens
The city has used Baldurs Mouth many times to watch not unlike the Flaming Fist. He continues to support
spread word of new laws that the Council of Four Rael through Baldurs Mouth unless someone persuades
passes, to broadcast holidays, and to communicate him that she is causing more harm than good. That task
election results. Criers announce news of the affairs wouldnt be easy to accomplish, since Needle chooses
of kingdoms and nations throughout Faern, opening not to acknowledge the Guilds role in the citys growing
every declaration by shouting. Harken, people of Bal instability.
durs Gate, to Baldurs Mouth! The land changes, and
Baldur would have his people know!
Ettvard Needle, the son of a wealthy Lower City
tailor, founded the Mouth. After growing up watch Candlekeep Chandlery
ing Upper City citizens compel his father to bend and On the signboard hanging above its door, the Can
grovel, Needle decided to give power to the people dlekeep Chandlery proudly advertises the Longest
in the form of information. So he began paying lamp Lasting Lamps and Magically Made Missives in the
lads and lamp lasses to shout his stories of various Lower City. Marcela Idhra, the proprietor of the place
injustices during the day. Since many of his employees and a wizard of some talent, came to Baldurs Gate
were illiterate and had to memorize his news articles, from Candlekeep when her magical research and
Needle decided to teach them to read so he could give experiments became too disruptive for the other schol
them written copies. As his expenses mounted, Needle ars there.
sought out sponsors, which led to his attracting adver Her shop sells candles, soaps, and cosmetics to well-
tising and diversifying his criers stories. heeled customers in the Upper City. Her claim to fame
Baldurs Mouth now earns its keep through adver is her whispering candle. Each such item has a fire
tising and is a functioning business. Formerly, to mephit magically trapped in its tallow. As the candle
publicize his sponsors, criers would hand out wooden burns, the mephit continually voices back whatever
chits that afforded the recipient a discount when sounds it heard while the tallow was being prepared,
redeemed at a particular shop or merchant stall. Now, in the voice of the speaker. Different voices can be
Needle uses several mechanical scribes that he pur recorded in different candles, so that when they are all
chased from the Hall of Wonders to rapidly produce burned they can make the sound of a conversation or
pamphlets and broadsheets that have advertisements musicians playing together.
in them. Many people find this feature both charming and
useful. Whispering candles are popular at patriars
galas; one candle burning at the entrance can welcome
guests as they arrive, and many can be placed around
the wings of a ballroom to whisper pleasant reassur the axe to him while he was on a daring adventure.
ances or create an air of mystery. The Watch uses The truth is a lot less romantic. The dancing axe is
whispering candles with imbedded commands to time an illusion-cloaked, tamed stirge. Danthelon looses
its shift changes. It has long been a fashion among the creature when he closes the shop. Appearing as a
patriars to record their wills in whispering candles. double-bladed axe, the stirge can be glimpsed through
The candles are also appreciated by those who need the cluttered windows of the shop as it flits around the
c The Guild, the Flaming
to communicate discreetl
3 darkened interior.
Fist, and the patriars use whispering candles to com The two crammed floors of Danthelons shop con
municate with agents, spies, and secret lovers. The tain items that an adventurer might need, including
chandlery has a secure room where messages can empty barrels and cages of all sizes,just-for-show
be whispered through a speaking tube into the boil armor, peddlers carts, folding boats with oars, and
ing tallow. Once a candle is formed, the only way to large lanterns fitted with candles the shopkeeper guar
release the message (and return the mephit to its home antees will burn for an entire day and night.
plane) is by burning the candle normall) If the candle Danthelons has a third floor and an attic, both of
is destroyedsmashed underfoot, for example, or which are occupied by a tenant, Yssra Brackrel. The
tossed into a firethe message cant be recovered, even half-elf is small and gaunt, and looks as if she might be
if the tallow is re-formed into a new candle. starving. She has glittering eyes, disheveled black hair,
Candles that contain vocal performances by noted and a habit of humming to herself Fierce Yes! and
bards or readings of epic poems are popular items No! whispers punctuate her wordless tunes.
in the shop. Idhra also carries a small line of novelty Brackrel advertises herself as a makeup artist and
candles that unexpectedly utter the roar of an owlbear, hairstylist; a sign dangling from the stairs that run up
for example, or some embarrassing sound. The price of the front of Danthelons building says as much. Brack
a whispering candle depends on its size, the circum rel has those skills and often uses them to maintain
stances of its recording, and the beauty of the candle her charade, but she makes her real living as a wizard
itself The smallest and plainest whispering candles, for hire, and is often in the Guilds employ.
which burn for only a minute, cost 25 gp. Grand and
complex arrangements of candles, such as the operatic
chandelier employed at the cotillion ball of Duke Sil
Felogyrs Fireworks
Avery Sonshal sells pyrotechnics out of the four-story
vershields daughter, cost several thousand gold pieces.
workshop in the Steeps known as Felogyrs Fireworks.
The business has been in his family since Felogyr
Counting House Sonshal founded it and gave it an alliterative name
The Counting House has stood as a center of trade and more than a century ago. Customers often call Son
business in the city for centuries. A thick-walled and shal by his ancestors name, and lie never bothers to
heavily guarded edifice on the waterfront, it serves correct them, believing theres no sense in changing
as the primary location for exchange of currency and a recipe that worksespecially when dealing with
valuation of gems and jewelry. smokepowder.
Its owner, a stern and aloof dwarf named Rakath Sonshal has a plump, young-looking countenance
Glitterbeard, holds the key positions of treasurer for and shaves his head. If not for his thick, mutton-
the Councils Eminent Fello.vship of Financiers and chop sideburns, he might be considered baby-faced.
is also the kingpin in the Steeps for the lawless Guild. A wizard and an alchemist who is a member of the
Loans and other debt markers, both legal and other Councils Eminent Fellowship of Healers, Sonshal
wise, that he holds make certain no one in the city detests the presence ofnonmagical hangers-on in the
dares to challenge Rakaths positions or attempts to guild, such as botanists and surgeons.
rob the Counting House. Felogyrs Fireworks has retained a monopoly on
smokepowder production in the city since the busi
Danthelons Dancing Axe nesss inception. Even the priests of Gond come to
Felogyrs to fill their needs. In exchange, Sonshal has
This new but widely known business on Wyrms
never sold smokepowder to anyone not of the temple
Crossing is named for its owner, the jovial seller-of-
of Gond or the Council of Four, except in the form of
sundries Entharl Danthelon. The blond-bearded dwarf
fireworks. The shop does sell other items to a broad cli
deals in assorted quality secondhand goods, ranging
entele, specializing in torches and candle wicks whose
from pots and pans to rope, armor, and weaponry.
flames burn in various hues; smoke and flash effects
A flying, animated, double-bladed axe that obeys
for stage productions; and various flashfire rubs,
only Danthelon is said to guard the shop at night. The
which are spread on meats before theyre set alight to
proprietor tells anyone willing to listen that a grate
add distinctive smoky flavors.
ful elf princess w-ho was also a peerless sorcerer gifted
 Torches that burn a rosy red are Sonshals top- a mound of gold to break the rules. Even if one were
selling item. Baldurians use them to illuminate a persuaded to do so, the attendant still wouldnt allow
traditional cobble party, or outdoor storytelling ses inside anything that might be used violently, since
sion. When passersby see a rose torch lighting a street each acts as the sole custodian over his or her desig
corner, an alley, or a courtyard, they recognize that nated chambers and would be instantly implicated in
the symbol signifies an opportunity to hear and tell any incident.
tales of all kinds. The stories can be true or fiction. By
custom, cobble parties are quiet and polite affairs that
do not involve drinking or music.
Sorcerous Sundries
The tall, round building currently known as Sorcer
ous Sundries has the most magnificent roof in the city,
Hissing Stones Bathhouse a vast dome seemingly made entirely of stained glass.
In Seatower squats a low, stone structure built in the Inside, arched stonework that supports the roof above
classic Chessentan style. When the High House of the uppermost floor compromises the illusion, but its
Wonders and the Hall of Wonders were erected, an effect is impressive nonetheless.
enterprising Baldurian decided to capitalize on the Over the years, the structure has been employed
popularity of all things Chessentan and built a bath as a residence, a clothiers shop, a restaurant, a green
house, complete with hypocaust floors, mosaic tiling, house, and a flower shop. Its current owner has
and artfully painted walls. The bathhouse was hugely returned the building to its original purpose, doing
popular for a time. After changing fortunes and hands business as a magic shop.
over the years, its now enjoying a renaissance due to The ground floor, the
Duke Abdel Adrians practice of visiting the location. only area into which
The Hissing Stones Bathhouse is built around a patrons are permitted,
central cloister that encloses its cold baths, which is awash in silk curtains,
are beautifully decorated. An impressive mosaic in thick rugs, and luxurious
the center of the cold baths dominates the scene. It furniture. Magical symbols
shows an arresting image of a wizard grappling with a liberally adorn the Sorcer
dragon as the two fall through the clouds. The dragon ous Sundries decor, and
is wrapped around the wizards body, and the wizards a sign inside the entrance
free arm is pointing a wand into the dragons roar assures customers that
ing mouth. Refracted light and rippling water seem to the symbols are protective
animate the figures, as though wind were ruffling the in nature. The ceiling is
wizards robe and the dragons wings were moving. made of multicolored glass, as are the outer rims of the
The Hissing Stones offers a number of amenities in structures upper floors. When light filters through the
addition to its cold baths. Steam rooms are available in stories of the building, moving rays and splotches of
its western gallery and hot baths in its eastern gallery. A multicolored light dance in the shop. Minor enchant
day at the baths costs 5 sp. For 1 gp, a customer can pur ments enhance the effect, making for captivating
chase time with a sinew soother, who relieves knotted skygazing as patrons wait for the proprietor to fetch
muscles. For 2 gp, a patron can soak in a curative salt ritual components or consult otherworldly entities.
bath, which is said to help ward off or remove illnesses. The wizard in residence, an aged human who calls
The Hissing Stones has a special niche in city poli himself Rivalen Blackhand, claims to have come
tics as a neutral and safe meeting place. Its proprietor, from Halruaa. Blackhand says he was once capable of
a moon elf named Merilyn Allaryr, doesnt allow mighty magic before a battle with a demon blackened
patrons to bring anything inside the baths other than and withered his right hand, forcing him to end his
the cotton and silk bathrobes she provides, which lack adventuring ways.
pockets and folds. All patrons must entrust Allaryr Now Blackhand earns a large, steady income
with all the belongings they bring with them, includ from the import and sale of components for rituals
ing garments, jewelry, arms, armor, potions, tools, and spellcasting, dubious fortune-telling, and even-
magic items, and anything else they happen to be more-dubious spells of good luck or greater skill.
toting around. Blackhand flatly refuses to sell spells, and he denies
Allaryr wont be bribed, and she makes absolutely having magic items for sale. However, to keeps the
no exceptions to this policy. She arranges a lot of rumors alive and his prices high, the wizard sends
important business meetings and knows that the suc his apprentice, a gnome named Gilligunn, to contact
cess of the Hissing Stones depends on its reputation as seekers of such items and make transactions away
a safe place. Allaryr also pays her stewards and aides from the masters eye.
well enough that they are unlikely to accept less than
 has at least four levels of cellars. Its rooms are low-
CAFES, INNS, AND ceilinged, dingy, and furnished with mismatched,
secondhand items. Its windows have iron bars on the
TAVERNS outside and heavy wooden shutters with wooden bars
The Gates economy relies on and caters to traders and on the inside. Patrons are told, The boards are there
travelers who journey to the city by land and sea. Thus, to use. Management is not responsible for losses of any
the city has an expansive array of cafes, inns, and tav kind, including life and limb. Not many people actu
erns from which to choose. Most such establishments ally sleep in the Blushing Mermaid, since raucous bar
are both inn and tavern, asthe tavernkeepers and inn fights are liable to erupt at any hour.
keepers guilds dictate. Cafes remain outside the guild The lobby is the only high-ceilinged room in the
system and sell only alcohol-free beverages, snacks, place. A life-sized, crudely carved, wooden mermaid
and other light fare. hangs above the reception desk. A score or more shriv
eled, blackened hands are nailed to the mermaids
5 According to the staff, Folk who forgot their
The Blade and Stars bod
coin purses donated em.
This inn is named for its unusual signboard, an
Most of the Mermaids patrons are old, scarred
enchanted shield that was looted from a ruined village
sea dogs who whittle away the day and night nurs
in Amn following an old trade war. A circular piece of
ing drinks and swapping tales. Each one is a contact
wood painted black, its front displays a curved silver
for this or that cabal, thieving brotherhood, smuggler,
saber and a females pale, slender arm whose long
bandit group, fence, panderer, or some other shady
fingers grip the hilt of the blade. The enchantment on
dealer. Some work for the Guild. Negotiations with
the shield, still strong after decades of hanging out in
such contacts begin with a palmful of silver to loosen
all weather, causes glimmering motes of light to wink
ones memory. If such a contact pushes a tankard
on and off as they travel across the saber. Many local toward a visitor during an interview, the sea dog is
legends have sprung up about the shields power and looking for a refill, but not of ale.
the saber depicted on it, but the inns proprietor insists The fare prepared at the Mermaid is simple and
that the illusion of stars is the shields only magic.
filling. Its all decent except for a vile stew based on
Meanwhile, the shield still does what the inns founder
pickled fish. Many sailors order crusty nutbread rolls
intended it to do when she brought it back and hung it with thick gravy ladled over them or handwheels of
above the door: It draws business.
cheese. The Mermaid also serves raw fish on woodei
The interior of the Blade and Stars is an unre
platters, a tradition its chef (born in Kara-Tur) brought
markable yet comfortable inn. Lacking a tavern and a
to the tavern. Its house beer is a thick sea ale thats
dining room, the long, tall building is filled with bed more bitter than most tongues find enjoyable. The
rooms and small apartments in which travelers can
establishment also serves stout, a Mintarn lager, and
stay for fair prices and have food and drink sent up to
whiskey strong enough to strip paint from wood.
them. Many of the rooms have private balconies over
hanging the street, providing visitors with a great place
to stay while watching the city in full swing. Elfsong Tavern
Because eating requires renting a room, locals avoid One of the most well-known establishments in Bal
the Blade and Stars unless they need space for a pri durs Gate is located a few blocks from the Basilisk
vate gathering. The inns current proprietor, a Turmian Gate in Eastway. The name
female named Aurayaun, is happy to rent rooms for a of this tavern comes from
few hours, provided that the renters also place a large its unearthly tenanta
order of food and drinks. disembodied elven voice
whose song occasionally
fills the tavern. The singing
The Blushing Mermaid isnt loud enough to disrupt
The Blushing Mermaid is a noisy establishment whose conversation, but it is clear,
clientele is known to break into brawls over a spilled beautiful, and lamenting.
mug, a funny look, or an ugly face. Its infamous The ballads lyrics make
throughout the Sword Coast as a place to do illicit clear that the ghostly lady is
business. Baldurians often warn travelers against visit lamenting a lover lost at sea,
ing the Blushing Mermaid unless theyre well armed,
but no one is sure how she came to haunt the tavern.
know how to use their weapons, and bring plenty of
The song often moves folk to tears, even when they
like-minded, trusted friends.
cant understand the archaic dialect. Many customers
The Blushing Mermaid consists of a confusing frequent the tavern just to hear the melancholy ballad.
maze of wings and oddly interconnected floors. It
During the songs infrequent occurrences, a customary house and had lurid pictures painted on its ceilings.
hush overtakes the crowd, and any noisy patrons find The original cloak was hers, but many mantles of dif
dangerous looks leveled at themselves. Customers are ferent colors and fabrics have been displayed above the
expected to be armed, and the known custom is that Cloaks door since then.
all patrons need to watch their backs except when the The Helms common room holds a marble unicorn
sad ladys singing. bust whose bronze horn is touched for luck. The statu
Elves hearing her song for the first time often ary is a symbol of the Knights of the Unicorn (see
appear stunned. By tradition, the bartender silently page 50), a group of chic-younglings-turned-adven
serves a first-time elf customer a free tallglass of elver turers who used the Helm and Cloak as an informal
quisst. First-time customers of any race who weep headquarters.
upon hearing the song usually find regular patrons A Cormvrean husband-and-wife team runs the inn
putting comforting arms around them. By tradition, and its large staff with smooth efficiency. Unknown to
music of an sort is not sung or played in the tavern. most. Vedren and Halesta are retired members of the
The ghostly lady has the audience to herself. Knights of the Unicorn. The organization has grown
The Elfsong Taverns ground floor is a taproom far beyond its humble beginnings and now boasts
that serves hearty, salty meals and saltier snacksto members across Faern. After \ edren and Halestas
T
encourage drinking, of course. Blue-glassed lanterns adventuring party fractured, the two humans came to
with blue flames (a Felogyrs Fireworks product) light Baldurs Gate to share a less dangerous life together.
the dark interior. Several cramped, twisting stairways The unicorn bust is a reminder of what brought them
lead from the taproom to upstairs meeting rooms that together. Still, old habits die hard, and the innkeepers
can be rented by the hour. Staffers politely arn occu keep their ears to the street and their swords sharp.
pants when time is running short.
Alan Alvth, the taverns handsome, graying pro
prietor, has run the establishment for decades. His
Jopalins
Once a seedy dockside tavern catering to sailors with
half-elf mothers elven blood has kept him living
thin purses, Jopalins transitioned into a cafe when
longer and looking better than full-blooded humans
coffee and tea drinking became fashionableand as
his age. Myth continues his mothers tradition of offer
membership fees increased for the tavernkeepers
ing patrons an informal, secret banking service. He
guild. The low-ceilinged eatery and its dockside seat
provides an extension of sorts on bar tabs, enabling
ing is now an establishment that sailors largely spurn.
customers to deposit money or take out loans, ifAlyth
Merchants and traders frequent Jopalins when they
trusts them enough.
want to appear fashionable and sophisticated but are
too busy to leave the port to take meals elsewhere.
The Helm and Cloak Jopalin, the cafes owner, is the half-elf son of the tav
Located at the heart of the Upper City, just steps from erns founder, after whom he was named.
the High House of Wonders and the High Hall, the
Helm and Cloak serves the upper crust and has prices
to match. Its food is excellent, and its accommodations
The Low Lantern
An aging, three-masted merchant ship rocks gently in
are sumptuous. The Helm is a fashionable place to
the water alongside the Stormshore Street dock on the
dine and chat. Patriars and Lower City residents who
harbors east side. Ostensibly a festhall, a tavern, and a
have lofty social ambitions favor it.
gambling house, the Low Lantern also serves as a place
Unlike other high-priced establishments, the Helm
for covert meetings in which sensitive and illicit plans
and Cloak doesnt follow the latest fashions. Its propri
can be discussed without fear of eavesdroppers.
etors devote themselves to providing patrons with a
The open upper deck is a place of hanging lamps,
warm and comfortable environment in which to stay,
genteel repartee, smoking, and drinking. All the wilder
conduct business, or have a quiet meal or drink. Tradi
goings-on at the place normally happen belowdecks, but
tional good taste, plush ftirnishings, a quiet atmosphere,
special parties can be arranged to take place in the rig
and attentive service keep the Helm and Cloak busy.
ging and sail booms for those who are willing to brave
The upscale inn and tavern consists of two con
the heights and able to pay the high fee.
nected buildings. The Helm is an old rooming house
Most patrons arrive armed, and rowdiness is
that faces Gonds High House of Wonders. A massive
common, but the Low Lanterns ex-pirate crew
iron helmet once worn by a titan (according to the
moves quickly to quell large brawls and prevent fires.
wait staff) shadows its entry. The smaller Cloak, an
The Lady Captain Laraelra Thundretha gambler,
old house that fronts a courtyard off Windspell Street,
a sorcerer, and a secret Guild memberowns the oft
faces the High Hall. A cloak hangs over its porch. As
leaking and hastily repaired vessel.
the story goes, a priestess of Sune once owned the
 Roisterers are warned that Three Old Kegs has a
The Splurging Sturgeon resident population of more than a dozen full-season
The Splurging Sturgeon struggled as a threadbare renters who are retired from the Flaming Fist. These
tavern for decades until its most recent owner, Hennut weather eyes wont set foot outside the Kegs on any
Griot, took its humorous name seriously. Originally thing called an adventure, but they do defend the inn
from Ormpur, Griot discovered that her traditional staff, keep order, and dispense advice and useful con
fish dishes were too spicy for the local palate, so she tact information to guests who seem in need of it. They
hired Baldurian cooks to teach her Sword Coast reci make their coin as recruiters and watchers for the
pes. After she mastered those and earned a stellar Flaming Fist, message holders, and occasional armed
reputation, she expanded her menu to include dishes escorts for merchants who are transporting goods.
of her own for locals to try out. That success led Griot Alstan, Brunkhurn, and Klalbrot Wintersides,
to hire a series of cooks from many lands, and from known collectively as the Old Toads, own the Kegs.
them she learned to prepare exotic fish fare. Kindly but gruff, the three wart-covered brothers work
Now the Splurging Sturgeon cooks just about any tirelessly and watch over the two-score world-wise
thing thats pulled out of the river or sea, and in dozens widows and middle-aged females who work for the
of ways. The Splurging Sturgeon rotates its dishes Kegs as maids, cooks, and servers.
based on popularity and availability. It also offers spe Unknovn to most patrons, the Old Toads are not
cials for the adventurous eater. wholly strait-laced. Deep inside one of their locked
keg cellars is the Big Hollow, a huge empty barrel that
Three Old Kegs sports a concealed door and vent holes. The Winter-
One of the most cozy, sides rent it as a hidey-hole for brief periods. Anyone
welcoming, and tolerant who uses the Big Hollow to imprison or mistreat some
establishments in Baldurs one is reported to the authorities.
Gate, Three Old Kegs is
named for its sign, featuring The Smilin Boar
three lashed-together bar The Smilin Boar was once a failing tavern, until its
rels hanging from a pole. new owner, Jentha Allinamuck, took advantage of its
The place is immensely pop Bloomridge locale to convert it into a trendy cafe. The
ular, so much so that regular enterprising halfling knocked down a wall to create
wavfarers donations have harbor-view seating. She bought and demolished an
rebuilt the business after adjacent street-front shop and installed a veranda
lire gutted it on three sepa whose comfortable and colorful dinette sets are almost
rate occasions. always filled.
The current Three Old Kegs features a large, central Allinamuck kept the old taverns name and its rude
feasting hall whose entrance faces the bar and opens sign of a grinning boar mounting a sow. To play up the
directly into the main common room. The Kegs serves silly sign, the proprietor has stocked her cafe with tea
hearty, simple food and good brews and wine. The and coffee mugs in the shape of pigs heads and crafted
establishment also rents out two private dining rooms, a menu whose light appetizers have names such as sows
which are flanked by the kitchen and the pantries. delight, three pigs in a blanket, and corkscrew sausage.
Three of the Kegs floors are open to patrons, and its
small, spartan guest rooms boast individual chimneys.
The Kegs is known for the welcome it gives to travel The Undercellar
ers, and it offers mending, laundering, and weapon A cluster of chambers in a warren of storage cellars
and tool repair and sharpening services to guests. The beneath the city has been used as a seedy tavern and
buildings two levels of cellars and its attic serve as festhall for most of the Gates history. Archways, some
housing for the staff and as storage and work areas. with iron-barred, lockable gates, link the cobbled,
The first of the fires toasted the Kegs original thick vaulted chambers of the Undercellar. At least two
rugs and wall hangings, which have for the most part dozen ways in and out of the popular establishment
not been replaced, but the beloved inn and tavern exist. About half of them connect to other buildings.
offers just as many crowded bookshelves as its prede Not all are widely known, and a few are purposely
cessors did. The Kegs remains a quiet establishment kept secret.
that patrons seek out as a refuge from revelry and the The affable Heltur Ribbons Ribbond, a gaunt,
bustle of the streets. A popular spot for reading, nap bearded man, runs the Undercellar. Ribbons is always
ping, and idle gambling, the Kegs prohibits rowdiness. smiling, has never publicly lost his temper or shown
Patrons may wear weapons only in their rooms and in fear, and throws daggers and bottles with deadly
the arming lobby adjacent to the structures entrance.
 accuracy. His cadre of toughs, which everyone calls THE FETCHER
the Cellarers, guard the festhall.
Its rumored that Ribbons is actually a front, the
AND THE TUNNEL
The Fetcher is an unflappable, obese, middle-aged man
fall guy in case something untoward should happen.
named Osgur Hallorn. This walrus-mustached puppetmaster
According to gossip, a shadowy owner known only as
runs gangs ofstreet urchins as spies and couriers. The latter
Tallhat employs Ribbons. Some whisper that Tallhat
fetch and deliver items for the Fetchers high-paying clients.
is really Duke Silvershield, while others say Tallhat
The Fetcher is a man whose big head, hands, and shoul
is the wizard Iorroakan (see page 63), or is actually
ders make his bulging belly not seem so protuberant. He has
Guildmaster Nine-Fingers.
a large, beaky nose. Half his scalp is covered in messy, dark
The Watch and the Fist never police the Under-
curls; the other half is naked except for a gnarled, old burn
cellar. Thus, the underground locale serves many
scar. He rarely shows fear or anger, preferring to be jovial;
unsavory characters, functioning as a meeting place
he drawls calmly in the face of danger. The choreographer
for the Gates underbelly professionals and bottom
feeders. Visitors are routine in the festhalls popular of urchins spends most hours each day in the Undercellar,
where he has a back-corner office. Gangs of waifs and ras
areas, but anyone who wanders farther afield quickly
cals drift about the city doing his bidding, which includes
runs afoul of the Cellarers. If Ribbons doesnt recog
spying on figures both prim and feral and delivering items
nize someone, he pointedly questions the patron about
that range from flowers to rubies.
his or her business in the Gates belly.
The Fetcher is always armed and protected. His walking
Several notorious characters, such as the Fetcher,
stick fires darts from one end when he triggers certain studs.
have put down professional roots in the Undercellar
Shadowing their provider, the man who has kept them fed
and have created Guild-approved corner offices for
and clothed when no one else would, are a score of acrobati
themselves. The Fetcher is almost always in. Ribbons
cally vicious street youths who carry knives fashioned from
directs many patrons to the Fetchers private cham
glass shards. While the Fetcher is in his office, a dozen or so
ber. Its rumored that hes a Guild agent whose hands
devoted cats perch on an unlit lamp wheel above his head
dance as he attends to numerous dirty strings, which
and pounce on anyone who menaces him.
happen to be attached to Baldurians in the highest and
The Fetcher is genuinely kind unless he is forced to be
lowest of places.
ruthless. Usually rumpled and sweating, he drinks a prodi
The Undercellar is also a place of business for
gious amount of wine daily without becoming inebriated.
Alfrus Manyblades, a fly-ridden, scarred, rasping old
Some folk believe that the Undercellar serves him rosewater
dwarf who sells weapons to anyone; Vug Gorkul, a
in wine bottles, so hes actually sober.
sophisticated, effete yet monstrously large half-orc
The Fetcher is a Guild kingpin in the Upper City. He main
herbalist ho purveys potent rnedicaments, exotic
tains his status by squatting on the Guilds best resource for
liqueurs, and vitiating toxins; and Nasparl Nintan
its actions in the swanky portion of Baldurs Gatea secret
ter, a sardonic male half-elfwho wears an eye patch
tunnel beneath the Old Wall, which spans the dividing
and sells disguises ranging from the simple to the
line between the Lower and Upper cities. The exact path
elaborate.
through the cellars and sewers of the passageway is known
As a festhall, the Undercellar isnt riotous or obvi
only to the Fetcher, a handful of his most trusted operators,
ously bawdy. Its public areas function mostly as
Nine-Fingers, and (unknown to the Fetcher) Rilsa Rael. The
guarded gambling dens and dining areas in which
Fetcher or one of his operators brings other Guild members
sociable friends lounge, chat, and sip drinks that
through the tunnel blindfolded and deliberately takes false
their suitors buy them. For private liaisons, compan
turns to confuse them.
ions sashay their suitors over to the Cellarers, who
The Fetcher has no ambition to rise higher in the Guild.
escort the participants to secluded quarters. Mis
He measures his wealth in terms of influence, not coin. Hes
treatment of a sociable friend results in a Cellarer
addicted to information and needs to be thought of as in
immediately whisking the victim away and deserting
the know, someone folk listen to and respect. He often
the offender in the perilous maze of darkness that is
orders his gangs to aid a promising prospect on a short-term
the Undercellars undercellar.
or long-term basis as an investment in the persons future
and to gain the individuals good favor. He lives in the cel
lars of more than a dozen city buildings he owns, rotating
between them as he sees fit, and none of his tenants have
any idea their landlord has secret rooms beneath their own.
 looks much as it did when the Old Wall was first built,
CITY GATES although the tread of millions over the centuries have
The commercial blood of Baldurs Gate is channeled worn smooth the cobbles running under it.
through its guarded gates. Eight gates allow traffic Public vehemence against taxation at this gate
through the city walls. Three face outward from the sparked the popular revolution that led to the instal
city, five face inward toward the harbor, and one pro lation of the first dukes centuries ago. Yet now the
tects the Watch Citadel. Only the Citadel Gate houses gate is a collection point for taxes that help fund the
no tax or toll collectors, because its use is restricted to city government, because the original Council of Four
the Watch. The gate toll is a trivial amount for anyone instituted taxation at the gate soon after the rebellion.
of even modest meansa few coppers at mostbut it The irony of this situation is not lost on the citizens,
does curtail the comings and goings of beggars and but it provokes little bitterness; as the saying goes, The
the very poor. Merchants who pass through a gate pay insult to history is history.
taxes on the goods they bring to market. All these fees Old Wall Gates: Four smaller gates pierce the Old
are low individually, but so much commerce moves Wall within the city. From west to east, they are the
through Baldurs Gate that transit fees fund much of Sea Gate, Manor Gate. Gond Gate, and Heap Gate.
the citys needs. During the daytime, small Watch detachments guard
Citadel Gate: Citadel Gate is the only entrance to these gates to ensure that only those under a patriars
the Watchs fortress and barracks, which nestles in order use them, and to protect the ubiquitous tax and
a salient of the Upper Citys landward wall. The gate toll collectors. These gates are guarded more closely at
has Watch soldiers on duty day and night. The Citadel night, because no one is allowed into the Upper City
is one of the few places inside the city walls that has after dark unless in a patriars company or livery or in
stables. The Watch maintains a small cavalry force, possession of a patriars invitation or Watch token.
nominally for defense and crowd control, but its chief Basilisk Gate: Piercing the citys eastern wall, this
function is riding in parades and providing honor gate connects the Lower City to the road that stretches
escorts for aristocrats and visiting dignitaries. through the Outer City slums and southeast to Wyrms
Black Dragon Gate: Facing the Outer City neigh Crossing. The route eventually reaches the great Coast
borhood of Blackgate, Black Dragon Gate is also called Way that leads south to Amn, Tethyr, and Calimshan.
the Landward Gate and the Wrist of Baldurs Gate, the The many statues inset in the walls and looming
latter being a poetic reference to the citys shape curs from the battlements above earned the gateway its
ing around the harbor like that of a hand grasping for moniker. After an effigy of the first Duke Silvershield
gold. The great Trade Way to Waterdeep and the north was installed near the gate following his death, it
passes through Black Dragon Gate. Outside the Upper became popular among the patriars to place statues
City, the road extends through miles of sprawling of family members at the gate or to fund carvings of
slums, paddocks, cut-rate inns, and stockyards. heroic historical figures. The display became clut
The gate takes its name from the story about a tered, though, and fashion turned against the custom
Knights of the Unicorn adventurer who triumphantly decades ago.
displayed a black dragons head above the structure. Cliffgate: This minor gate gives access to the
As the tale goes, a dragon had threatened the city to Tumbledown district and the cliffs overlooking the
gain food and gold. A knight hid among the offered Chionthar River upstream from the harbor. Long ago,
tribute, supposedly covering his scent with pig dung, the Szarr family, whose members were merchants and
and ambushed the dragon as it slept. After birds farmers, owned an expansive holding that sprawled
picked clean the creatures head and souvenir hunt over the area. But on a frosty, mist-shrouded night,
ers snatched most of its teeth, the Council of Four a rival family crept inside and slew them all, looting
elected to have a sculpted stone black dragon head and burning as they abandoned the scene. Now tales
installed over the gates inner entrance. Persistent abound about ghosts of the Szarr family wandering
rumors claim that the head can magically spew acid Tumbledowns streets on murky nights to steal folk
at attackers during a siege, but no one can prove to away. Sheltered from landward winds by the hill,
have seen it do so. Tumbledown is often fogbound, which would seem an
Baldurs Gate: Despite being the citys name environment conducive to ghosts. But a more likely
sake, Baldurs Gate is the oldest and least impressive explanation for those who mysteriously vanish are
of its entryways. The gates that lead out of the city rough handling, followed by tight bonds, a thick gag,
are necessary for its defense and thus have been well and a brief fall into the river.
maintained and bolstered through the years. The Old
Walls other gates were built later, at the behest of
wealthy patriars who could afford to lavish them with
fine doors and carved stone. In contrast, Baldurs Gate
 DEATH AND TAXES Funding the City
Baldurs Gate has become home to vast numbers of Entry into Baldurs Gate comes at a costliterally.
refugees who sought to escape a brutal regime, a dead Everyone pays 2 cp to enter the city through either the
ened economy, war, miserable family politics, or any Basilisk Gate or the Black Dragon Gate. Folk looking
number of other social issues. But just like in the home to cross through Wyrms Rock must pay 2 cp apiece if
they left, death and taxes await them in the Gate. theyre on foot or horse or 1 sp apiece iftheyre haul
ing carts or wagons. Sailors dont pay a landing tax,
but ships do pay 1 gp for any day in which they load or
Cemeteries and Tombs unload cargo.
As in most walled cities, the most valuable commod Everyone who leaves the city with a handcart or
ity inside the walls of Baldurs Gate is space. As such, carrying a litter pays 1 speven if the cargo is night
traditional graveyards are a luxury that the Upper and soil, goldflow, or trash. Or a person can pay 1 cp to exit
Lower cities cant afford. The High House of Wonders unladen with whatever goods can be carried in hand
entombs its greatest leaders and saints in catacombs or on ones back.
beneath that edifice. Most smaller temples and some People exiting with handcarts or litters pay addi
of the large family estates in Manorborn have burial tional taxes based on the amount and the nature of
niches in which patriars enshrine the cremated ashes what they carry or haul. Nightsoil carriers pay the
of their revered dead for posterity. Everyone else who lowest taxes, often amounting only to I cp more than
dies is left in the paupers ossuary in the Shrine of the the usual exit fee. Goldflow is useful for various manu
Suffering (see page 49) or buried outside the city. facturing work, so exiting with it costs an additional 3
Small cemeteries dot the crowded neighborhoods of cp. Trash is judged based on its potential resale value.
the Outer City. Most are disorganized affairs hemmed Those who cant pay are turned back or have some of
in by rough stone walls or encroaching buildings. A what they carry confiscated as payment. Needless to
shared respect for the dead keeps people from living say, many of the Outer Citys poorest residents never
in or building over cemeteries, but it doesnt stop them see inside the citys walls.
from grave robbing. Thus, few Baldurians bury valu Even though tolls apply to the patriars. too, most of
ables along with their dead. them typically give collectors a sizable, one-time bribe
The largest cemetery is on a sprawling plot of land and never pay again, simultaneously gaining the right
near the cliffs in Tumbledown. This resting place has to skip to the head of the queue.
grown up around the tomb of the Szarr family, which Inside the city, anyone bringing goods to sell in the
had claimed the area before the Outer City expanded Wide, through Black Dragon Gate or Baldurs Gate,
over it. A few decades ago. some of the cliffs fell away, must pay half of what the cost would be to take the
dropping portions of the familys plots into the water merchandise outside the city as a fee for a stall space
below and revealing crypts embedded in the cliff that in the Wide. Thus, to avoid doubling up on fees, mer
were apparent to anyone with a vantage from the river. chants try to sell all their goods in the Wide each
Tomb robbers have come and gone, so now only bats day, and the last hours before dusk are a frenzy of
and cliff-dwelling birds haunt these crypts. Even so, deal-making.
eerie red and green lights are sometimes spotted in Twice-Yearly Taxes: The Watch and the dukes
the exposed chambers. provide no law or civic services outside the walls.
Hauling the Dead: For as long as anyone can but that doesnt stop the Council of Four from send
remember, the Candulhallow family has operated the ing tax collectors to all Outer City building owners
citys dead carts. Bodies of the dearly departed are on a biannual schedule. The collectors also circulate
loaded onto these hand-drawn wagons and carted to through the Lower City, but their Flaming Fist guard
the Shrine of the Suffering or outlying cemeteries. contingents are much smaller inside the walls. The
The Candulhallows, meanwhile, have a secret collectors take varies by building size.
smuggling arrangement with Nine-Fingers to con Upper City citizens and businesses pay biannual
ceal goods in the shrouds and funeral wrappings of taxes, too, but they negotiate their levels of taxation,
corpses in transport. Guards and toll assessors never deferment, and tax forgiveness in private meetings.
search the dead, so this scheme has worked flawlessly Patriar families pay the highest taxes in Baldurs Gate.
for years. The discovery of this closely guarded secret As a way of legally buying power and influence in the
would rock the city as well as ruin the Cariduihallows. city, many wealthy families regularly cover the tax bur
dens of their servants and favored businesses as well.
 naturally into the harbor, floats from the harbor to the
DRAINPIPES, CISTERNS, river, and drifts down the river to the sea. Meanwhile,
Lower City citizens catch most of their clean water in
AND SEWERS rain barrels. The area also boasts a few small wells and
Baldurs Gate is blessed with plenty of rainfalltoo fountains, which are replenished by runoff from the
much, according to some. The disadvantages of all Upper City.
that rain are that wooden buildings deteriorate faster Rain barrels are common in the Outer Cit 3 too,
than they would in a drier climate, many buildings feel but the areas topography also allows people to dig
perpetually clammy inside, the Outer Citys unpaved wells. Refuse is another matter entirely. Everything
streets are often rivers of mud, and the Lower Citys ends up tossed into the streets or gutterbrooks,
streets are always slick. Benefits of the abundant rain which are dug haphazardly between buildings to
include the citys beautiful window gardens and the fact drain standing water.
that the Upper City can collect plenty of clean drinking
water in rain-catching reservoirs instead of carrying or
pumping all its water up the hill from the river.
Below Ground
The sewers and aqueducts beneath the Upper City are
much the same in design. Most pipes and channels
Above Ground are small enough to be a tight squeeze for a cat, while
The roofs of the High Hall, the High House of many others are just big enough for a human to crawl
Wonders, and the Hall of Wonders are all efficient through.
rain-catchers, thanks to the engineering skill of In one of the large tunnels, a water channel runs
the priests of Gond. Over many years, the system down the center or along one side, and a narrow
expanded to include most of the Upper Citys large walkway spans one or both sides. The tunnels ceiling
buildings. Clean water runs from hundreds of roofs is arched and about 6 feet high. Such tunnels are
through intricate downspout systems into aqueducts never more than 10 feet wide and often are smaller
coursing beneath the streets to four separate, under than half of that.
ground catch basins. Two are located beneath the Locked iron gates are meant to bar residents from
streets of Manorborn, one beneath the Temples dis entering the sewers. But no one worries much about
trict, and one beneath the Wide. Atop each cistern is people sneaking into the sewers, so the locks of these
a monumental fountain from which residents draw barriers are mostly rusted into uselessness and the
water. Several of the largest estates in Manorborn have gates are sometimes lashed open to prevent them from
their own similar but separate catch systems built rusting shut.
around cisterns fed from slate roofs. The aqueducts are a different story. To safeguard
The plentiful rain also provides natural flushing the public, the master of drains and underways
for the Upper Citys sewage system. The sewage ensures that the aqueducts gates and locks are well
tunnels are much older than those of the drinking- maintained. Every entrance to the aqueduct system is
water system. The two systems are mostly, but not locked, and iron gates close off the tunnels every 400
completely, separate. A few underground sites exist to 500 feet. Only the master of drains and underways
where a person can cross from one set of tunnels to and the highest-ranking High House of Wonders
the other. Ideally, of course, water flowing through the priests have keys to the system.
sewage lines doesnt cross into the aqueducts. The Upper Citys four water-storage cisterns are
Even with plenty of rain and the expert engineering cavernous, brick-lined rooms that house deep, circular,
of Parliaments Distinguished Union of Master artificial lakes at their hearts. As many as eight water
Builders, the Upper Citys sewage system still depends channels enter one of these chambers. Iron gates block
heavily on physical labor for most of its maintenance. the tunnels, and pumps of Gond send cistern water up
It functions remarkably well, provided that the to street-level fountains.
laborersall of whom live in the Outer Citystay on
the job.
The Lower Citys sewage system is comparatively
primitive. Most Lower City residents set their garbage
and sewage in the streets each night and morning.
They depend on, and pay fees to, collectors of nightsoil,
goldflow, and refuse. However, rain washes anything
that isnt disposed of or collected appropriately down
the steep streets. Because the Lower City is built
around a crescents inside arc, everything drains
 Imbralym Skoond, an aspiring young wizard from
MYSTERIOUS LOCATIONS Athkatla, bought Seskergates to use as his home and
Baldurs Gate is home to many strange locations, such magic workshop. Before doing so, Skoond arranged to
as ?vlandorcais Mansion (page 18), Ramaziths Tower, be introduced to Torlin Silvershield. The duke imme
and Seskergates mansion. A few of its more notorious diately saw a use for the mans ambition and amorality
sites, including the Undercellar (page 58) and Wizard and seized the opportunity to gain a completely loyal
Cave, reside under the citys skin. personal wizard.
After Skoond purchased the Seskergates man
Ramaziths Tower sion, popular gossip held that the gaudy manor was
Ramaziths Tower is a six-story, pagoda-style, cylin a perfect match for his outlandish, foreign customs.
Its garishness was only part of its appeal to Skoond,
drical structure of brick. Its numerous roofs jut from
the building every half floor, and a pointed rooftops though, whose real interest lay in the structures his
tory. Entwhistle Sesker, a successful smuggler who
the structure. Whether the tower is a unique Baldurs
made his home a warren of secret passages, hidden
Gate landmark or a deplorable eyesore depends on
rooms, false walls, and concealed entrances and
on&s opinion.
exits, built the mansion in the Gates early years. By
The tower is named after Rarnazith, the sailor-
Skoonds time, all but a few of the houses more whim
turned-wizard who designed and erected it. During
sical secrets had been generally forgotten. Skoond,
his days as a mariner, Ramazith acquired vast knowl
however, sought out the manor after reading about it
edge of the sea. He became a full-fledged wizard to
in an old history of Baldurs Gate.
further his interest in
Skoonds tall, narrow mansion is barely furnished.
what lay beneath the
The wizard uses it only for sleeping and storage; he
waves. He must have
eats his meals out and spends every waking moment
discovered something of
running Silvershields errands and furthering his
great value in the watery
own plots. The young peer also secretly houses several
depths, because he had
alchemists and guards in Seskergates, using an alley
never been known as a
F behind his home to cover their comings and goings.
wealthy person before

construction began on
the tower that would Wizard Cave
Ramazith s Tower
bear his name and whose Rumor has it that a tower of stone, whose origin is
exotic architecture would unknown, stands on the brink of a vast crevasse some
remind him of his home in faraway Durpar. where deep beneath the Upper City. A wizard who
Eventually, Ramazith disappeared. No one knows used it as his home reportedly spoke of it on his infre
where or how but the most popular rumor is that he met quent trips to the surface. No one has seen the wizard
his doom during an ill-advised dalliance with a nymph. in thirty years. Now his tower stands empty in the
The tower is now home to Lorroakan, a young, dark, awaiting anyone brave enough to search for the
short-tempered, red-haired mage known for having secret sewer-to-cavern path leading to the structure.
expensive taste and being chronically short of funds. Baldurians call the towers location Wizard Cave, and
He is a recent arrival from Athkatla. Some Baldurians the term has become synonymous with a fruitless and
gossip openly that he is the mysterious Tallhat, foolhardy endeavor. For example, So youre going
reputed owner of the Undercellar. Others whisper looking for Wizard Cave? or Steal from the Counting
cautiously that he is an exiled Cowled Wizard and House? Thats a Wizard Cave!
a fugitive from the arcanist cabals founders, House Few believe the rumors. But the tower and cavern
Selemchant in Amn. do exist, and the wizard did die . after a fashion. The
. .

Even though Lorroakan performs almost any magic magic of the towers mysterious builders has trapped
service for pay, he most often enchants clothes to make the wizards spirit in undeath within the structureto
them water- and mildew-repellent, which is quite what purpose, no one knows. Perhaps the tower was
handy, given the Gates constant rain and moisture. originally a conquerors vanguard outpost, or maybe
Lorroakan refuses to sell the ritual to anyone. the structure stands in defense over such a location.

S e skergate S
For more than a century, this tall structure adjacent
to Mandorcais Mansion housed the Sesker merchant
family. The reclusive Osimund Sesker, the last of his
line, died alone in this mansion two winters ago.