A metropolis of 120,000 - 140,000 people, Baldur's Gate is ruled by four grand dukes, the Council of Four, served by the legislative body known as the Parliament of Peers. The city is respected as a neutral power in relation to the Sword Coast, a reputation it earned in part through its open door policy towards refugees during the fallout of the Spellplague. Baldur's Gate is so well-defended by its massive walls and well-trained Flaming Fists protectors that few would ever seriously consider invading and occupying the city.
Government
Baldur’s Gate is ruled by the Council of Four, dukes who vote among themselves on matters of law and policy for the city. A single grand duke is chosen from among the four, and is empowered to break ties when the council is deadlocked. The current Grand Duke is Ulder Ravengard, who is joined by Dukes Thalamra Vanthampur, Belynne Stelmane, and Dillard Portyr
Below the council sits the Parliament of Peers, a group of about fifty Baldurians who meet daily (though almost never in full number) to discuss the future of the city and recommend actions for the dukes to take on all matters, great and small.
Defense of the Upper City is handled by the Watch, the official constabulary of the city’s elite. Their duty is to defend the patriars and enforce their laws, and little else. For the rest of Baldur’s Gate, security is enforced and order maintained by the Flaming Fist mercenary company, a supposedly neutral force which is free to fight in external conflicts, so long as it doesn’t side against Baldur’s Gate.
Society
Baldurians take great pride in the inclusiveness of their city. It is a place anyone could call home, or start a new life within, regardless of race, creed or personal history. Despite its dense population and crowded streets it is remarkably clean and safe for citizens and visitors alike. This outlook led to a radical shift in Baldur's social structure when the Spellplague rendered an unimaginable number of beings homeless, exiled, and ripped from their lands.
Baldur's Gate stood firm on their inclusive stance, even as thousands of refugees flooded the city and expanded its jurisdiction far beyond the established walls. Baldur's Gate found itself with a unique problem, a city now filled with beings who favored the day hours, versus those rare beings who had until now favored the night and stayed far from cities and what was considered civilized society. The final solution gave birth to the modern nickname, the Twinned City.
Found nowhere else, Baldur's Gate is the city that never sleeps, the denizens of night taking over the city when they are most comfortable. Providing a means of economic survival, many beings seen no where else have come to call Baldur's Gate home, and abide by the new rules of the land. Tensions still exist though, as the High City considers itself full, locking upward mobility to the Lower City at best.
As a whole, citizens of Baldur's Gate do not tolerate drunk and debaucherous behavior. Unlike other cosmopolitan cities, Baldur's Gate is home to few formal festivals and gatherings. Even so, Baldur's Gate has many places of worship scattered across its districts. For instance, Twin Songs accepts all faiths and hosts a great diversity of temples and shrines dedicated to nearly every deity, even evil.
Despite the city's inclusiveness, three deities predominate worship for Baldurian citizens: Umberlee for the favor of the sea, Tymora for wealth and prosperity, and Gond for technological advances.
Commerce
The Gray Harbor of Baldur's Gate is one of the largest trade ports on the entire coast, handling a massive variety of trades, goods, and peoples. In the spirit of commerce, Baldur's Gate professes an openess to all non-harmful trade, helping it secure its position as the greatest center of trade, even out-competing Waterdeep.
Baldur's Gate sponsors nearly 90 professional guilds from the Upper City, ranging from loremasters, brewmasters, and metalworkers to nearly every skilled tradesperson in between.
Notable Locations
Baldur's Gate is divided into three main sections. The Upper City is the walled region to the north, home to the wealthiest. The Lower City is the portion between the Old Wall and the River Chionthar, home to the mostly middle and merchant classes. The Outer City is the shantytown that rose up along the roads to the city and around Dusthawk Hill, mostly home to refugees and the lower class.
Upper City
The Upper City of Baldur’s Gate exudes wealth. Its buildings’ shutters and doors bear vibrant colors and arc smartly maintained. Its streets are wide and its terrain is nearly flat. At night the magic lamps that hang from ornate arms extending streetward from most buildings keep its avenues well lit. Rain runs of raised roads into drains, rather than pooling or flowing down streets, and sewers carry away waste. Flowering plants that hang from windows and climbing walls- and a ban on smelly businesses – help to sweeten the Upper City’s air.
A number of gates divide the Upper City from the Lower City, but the one to note is the famous Baldur’s Gate, from which the city takes its name. Trade passes only through this gate, and is taxed by the city — despite the fact that it was just such taxes that led to the city’s being overthrown by its first dukes and the Lower City enclosed by its ring wall. The other gates exist solely for the convenience of the patriars and their retinues. Any who aren’t in the presence of a patriar, wearing a patriar’s livery, or bearing a letter of proof of employment by a patriar must use Baldur’s Gate to pass between the Upper and Lower Cities. Bear this in mind when trying to sneak from one part of the city to the next.
- High Hall - Originally a fortress, the building known as High Hall was once the city’s last bastion against invasion, but it has since been heavily modified to allow for more comfort and light. The High Hall is used for professional guild meetings, civic events, court trials, tax counting, real-estate and law record-keeping, and anything to do with governance, including meetings of the Parliament of Peers and the Council of Four.
- The Wide - The Wide is the city’s only large civic space and serves as its market. By law, all buying and selling in the city not completed in a licensed and taxed establishment must be done in the Wide. Sellers at the daily market set up their tables, accoutrements, and wares just after dawn. At dusk, the Watch clears the streets of visitors and vendors.
- House of Wonders - The center of Gond’s worship on the Sword Coast lies in Baldur’s Gate, where the faithful have erected two huge structures in honor of the Wonderbringer: a temple called the High House of Wonders and a museum of craft and design called the Hall of Wonders.
- Watch Citadel - The Upper City’s police force uses the Watch Citadel as a barracks and for training, storage, and organizational needs. The citadel has only a few jail cells, which the Watch uses to temporarily hold those awaiting a trial in the High Hall or a transfer to the prison in the Seatower of Balduran.
- Temples District - Most of the city’s longest-standing and most influential temples are located in the Temples district. Several shrines and small temples dot the Upper City’s other districts, and an oft-frequented temple to Umberlee is located in Gray Harbor. Baldurians of all sorts give honor to Gond, and the temple complex to the god of labor and inventions is the grandest of them all.
- Taverns & Inns
- Three Old Kegs:
- Highly comfortable but only slightly expensive, the Three Old Kegs was perhaps the most highly rated establishment in Baldur's Gate.
- Castien (male elf) Clean in appearance. He is bald with no facial hair at all. He is generally optimistic, but also courteous.
- Purple Wyrm Inn and Tavern:
- A tavern much compared to the Elfsong, but it was more commonly used by merchants and those seeking adventure.
- Wideman(male human) Old and ragged in appearance. He has short, brown hair. He is generally trusting, friendly, proud.
- Helm and Cloak:
- An expensive but well-rated feasting hall popular with both locals and travelers alike. Its upper floor was also rented out to the vast majority of the Knights of the Unicorn.
- Fugu (female gnome) Clean in appearance. She has long, red hair. Well-spoken, cheerful, and forgiving by nature.
Lower City
Hard against the harbor lies the Lower City, where stone, slate-roofed houses stand (sometimes unsteadily), and the merchant folk who have long performed the real work of the city reside. Baldur’s Gate depends on trade, and that trade flows in and out of the Gray Harbor.
The Lower City was long ago walled in to benefit from the protection of the city, but the divide between the two wards is as stark as it has ever been. The Flaming Fist is responsible for keeping order in the Lower City, and do so with brutal efficiency, deterring most from engaging in bold, public acts of theft, vandalism, or violence.
- Seatower
of Balduran: The Seatower serves the Flaming Fist as headquarters, barracks, naval base, prison, and fortress. The marshal and most of the officers responsible for day-today Fist operations typicaJly work from the Seatower.
- Gray Harbor: Baldur’s Gate has one of the largest, busiest harbors on Faerûn’s western coast. The city’s independent status and tolerant nature appeal to many sea captains, who settle their families in Lower City homes. As a result, the Gate handles a wide variety of cargoes. Many pirates looking to fence their latest prizes also regularly tie up in the Gate. Hundreds of rail carts and seventy-six worker-powered, wheeled cranes aid movement of goods in the port, and dry docks outfitted with hoists and pumps of Gond dot the quays.
- Bloomridge: Lower City citizens generally lead a working-class existence, but successful merchants, ship captains, landlords, and others who have access to wealth try to live as much like patriars as they can. This gave birth to the Bloomridge district. Here, rich folk sometimes purchase several Lower City buildings or even small blocks, and either raze the structures or modify and connect them to form a palatial home. Slightly less prosperous folk typically rent expensive, upper-floor apartments, preferring locations that feature rooftop terraces or balconies that offer fine views.
- Water Queen's House: This temple is a solitary structure standing in Gray Harbor. It dominates the end of a pier and descends on one side into the harbor. Waves have lapped against this temple of Umberlee for generations. Sailors and their families make frequent small offerings at it to buy the Queen’s favour. Its priestesses can often be seen descending the temple’s outside staircase to walk offerings into the river, where they disappear beneath the waves and climb back up empty-handed. What happens to the offerings is a mystery no one in Baldur’s Gate has ever dared to investigate, and the wrath of the whole city would surely fall upon anyone who did.
- Merchants
- Armor/Weapons
- Fiery Wyvern Archery Shoppe (1,860gp)
Fletcher: Sidhgaladnel: (HGT: 7ft, 2in; WGT: 235 lbs)
She is a middle-aged female elf that is immaculate in appearance. She has curly, black hair. She is generally moody, but is compassionate and forgiving by nature. She can be perceived as amoral when it comes to her morality. She has a great interest in hunting. Dressed In: dark-red fur boots, dark-gray kilt, and a brown formal shirt.
Wares: Seller of ranged weapons
- The Armored Sprite Anvil (711gp)
Blacksmith: Narod: (HGT: 6ft, 1in; WGT: 250 lbs)
He is a young male orc that is ragged in appearance. He has short, black hair with a long beard and moustache. He is generally opinionated and abrasive but compassionate by nature. He is quite brave in the face of danger. He has a great interest in history. Dressed In: dark-red sandals, blue-green long pants, and a green formal shirt.
Wares: Blacksmith of heavy armor/martial weapons.
- Copper Tree Hammer (321gp)
Blacksmith: Ugago: (HGT: 4ft, 11in; WGT: 310 lbs)
She is an old female satyr that is clean in appearance. She has short, auburn hair. She is generally perceptive and diplomatic. Her disposition is unforgiving by nature. she comes off as being quite motivated. She has a great interest in religion. Dressed In: blue feathered hat, and a light-gray fancy dress. Possessions: glass eye, feather, metal file, concealed pouch with 2cp.
Wares: Simple weapons and medium armor.
- General Goods
- Savage Ranger Writings (425gp)
Librarian: Ratsu (4'3'', 250lbs)
He is a young male dwarf that is rough in appearance. He has long, brown hair. He is generally curious and inquisitive, but also modest. His disposition is insensitive. He has a great interest in herbalism. Dressed in: brown fur boots, a tan belt with a gold buckle, light-gray long pants, blue cap, blue robe, and a blue fancy shirt.
Wares Parchments and books from simple to magical. Also a Pixie in a Crystal for 200gp
- The Humming Demon Crafters (787gp)
Musician: Wutgarek (HGT: 7ft; WGT: 313 lbs)
He is a mature male minotaur that is rough in appearance. He is generally precise and exacting, but also forceful. He has a great interest in history. Dressed In: a dark-brown belt, blue long pants, dark-red bandana, and a dark-green formal shirt.
Wares All manner of musical instruments
- Twin Mule Animal Trainer (241gp)
Animal Trainer: Peder: (HGT: 5ft, 5in; WGT: 150 lbs)
He is a young male human that is immaculate in appearance. He has long, auburn hair with a long moustache. He is generally loquacious. Dressed In: gray thigh boots, light-red short pants, and a tan fancy shirt.
Wares All manner of animals for sale.
- The Copper Wisp Pawn (2,773gp)
Merchant: Bulgan: (HGT: 7ft, 1in; WGT: 270 lbs)
He is an old male human that is imposing in appearance. He is generally suspicious and cautious. His disposition is even tempered but he is deceitful by nature. Dressed In: light-purple long pants, and a light-red tunic. Possessions: mouse.
Wares All the miscellaneous items
- Homemade Princess Bakery [1,404gp]
Baker: Isith: (HGT: 5ft WGT: 90lbs)
They are a short Aarakroka, neat and chipper. Easily distracted, but personable and skilled baker capable of easily multi-tasking. Wares: All manner of baked goods.
- The Quiet Scout
Merchant: Kresst: (5'6'', WGT 130lbs) / Joj (6'2", WGT 230lbs)
They are a medium sized Yuan-ti who runs a flower shop. Her brother Joj does the delivery and landscaping. Kresst is bright and personable, where Joj is quiet and contemplative in nature. Kresst is very talkative, a lover of plants. Joj is quiet due to language barriers. Wares: Florist
- Clothing Shops
- Drake Thick Skins (2,842gp)
Leatherworker: Len: (HGT: 2ft, 8in; WGT: 120 lbs)
He is a mature male gnome that is clean in appearance. He has long, white hair. He is generally precise and exacting. His disposition is cheerful but he is jealous by nature. He has a great interest in handicrafts. Dressed In: black shoes, light-red short pants, and a dark-green formal shirt.
Wares: Anything leather
- The Stitched Imp (1,267gp)
Tailor: Lurevred: (HGT: 5ft, 7in; WGT: 135 lbs)
They are a young non-binary elf that is clean in appearance. They have long, red hair. They are generally precise and exacting, but also friendly. Their disposition is cheerful. They have a great interest in herbalism. Dressed In: tan shoes, a brown belt with a bronze buckle, green pants, and a tan fancy shirt.
Wares: Varied clothing/cloaks
- Magical Shops
- The Fiery Idol Supplies (2,709gp)
Merchant: Tic: (HGT: 4ft, 11in; WGT: 90 lbs)
She is a young female tiefling that is unkempt in appearance. She has long, white hair. She is generally studious and humble. She is quite timid in the face of danger. She is a collector of weapons. Dressed In: dark-red sandals, a dark-green belt, purple short pants, and a white formal shirt.
Wares: Magical Components (vials, ingredients etc)
- The Exigent Emporium
A mysterious shop of arcane items, which only appears to those who have particular need of it.
Phelia the human female Phelia is overweight, with long brown hair and light hazel eyes. She wears sapphire robes. She is Hemaphobic (afraid of blood) and truthful. Phelia seeks to prove herself to her peers. Wares: Random magic items
- Taverns
- Blade and Stars
- A quiet inn known for its high-quality foodstuffs.
- Arnethire (male elf) Foppish in appearance. He has curly, black hair. Distant, compassionate, hard-hearted by nature.
- Blushing Mermaid
- Located in the north-eastern section of Baldur's Gate, the Blushing Mermaid was an establishment known for its status as a hub of illicit business.
- Gordon (male human) Ragged in appearance. He has long, black hair with a short moustache. He is generally suspicious and cautious, but also rash.
-
Elfsong Tavern
- A tavern in the southeast near the eastern gate known best for its strange haunting, a ghostly elven voice of unidentified origin that could be heard singing quietly at night.
- Aihe (female gnome) Disshelved in appearance. She has short, black hair. Helpful and friendly but morose
- Splurging Sturgeon
- Located a bit south from the Blushing Mermaid, the Splurging Sturgeon was a small but well-known establishment.
- Christine (female human) Unkempt in appearance. She has curly, red hair. She is generally capricious and mischievous, but also antagonistic.
Outer City
The Outer City sprawls without rhyme or reason, its muddy streets a tangle of shanties, forges, tanneries, dye works, slaughterhouses, stables, stockyards, paddocks, and dung heaps. Its layout and architecture are a mess of unregulated construction and styles. Many buildings are made of wood or wattle. A significant amount of daily trade takes place in this unpoliced, dangerous area, where live “outsiders”.
Outside the walls, there are no laws barring construction or settlement, and so those who are too poor to reside within the city or to purchase property have slowly built up a third ward of the city, living in the shadow of its walls, paying its taxes, and covering both sides of the roads leading into Baldur’s Gate. Here, the poorest of the poor live in the Outer City, but so too do those whose businesses are considered too troublesome, noisy, or foul-smelling to operate within the walls, so tanners, smiths, masons, dyers, and other tradesfolk abound.
- The Guild: The Guild tries to keep a low profile, and much of its effort inside the walls deals with policing crime so that the illicit activities don’t draw too much attention. The criminal organization doesn’t rule the Outer City in anything resembling the same way, but it’s the only group that has any significant control in the area. Many Outer City businesses and residents pay protection money to the Guild. In return, these cooperative establishments and people are marked with a special sign as off-limits to would-be burglars or vandals, and the Guild makes an effort to hunt down anyone who flouts its decrees.
- Wyrm's Rock: No
laws control construction in the Outer City, including on the bridge spans that
comprise Wyrm’s Crossing. Tenements, taverns, and shops heap up on both sides
of these stone spans. Many cantilevered structures extend out over the
Chionthar, and others loom above what has become a shadowy and crowded alley
down the bridge’s center. Wyrm’s Rock stands between the bridge’s lengths, and
land traffic must pass through the Flaming Fist’s fortress to reach the other
side.
- Twin Songs: The Twin Songs hosted temples to virtually any god, even evil gods like Bhaal and Bane. Following the mass expansion of the city, the three religions, although still prominent, were no longer the dominant temples, with smaller (and some malign) religions gaining more and more influence. The Twin Songs was the only place that unified the cultures of all of Faerûn.
- Little Calimshan: A walled Calishite district has grown up to the east of the city proper, known by Baldurians as Little Calimshan. Within the district, neighborhoods are divided by walls, but these walls have walkways atop them so that foot traffic can proceed unimpeded by the gates that slow carts and mounts. Here, refugees from Calimshan have found a home away from that southern nation, and largely depend on themselves for trade, culture, and defense.
- Blackgate District: Blackgate is an Outer City district of Baldur’s Gate, situated apart from most of the Outer City due to its placement at the city’s northwest edge at the base of the Trade Way. It connects to the Upper City via the Black Dragon Gate, one of only three entrances to the city.
Blackgate is a rough and tumble district, as is much of the Outer City, made distinctive by its unusually large population of shield dwarves and ironworkers. As is the same for elsewhere in the Outer City, the area is mostly controlled by The Guild, although the density of trade coming through the district and its proximity to the Upper City ensures the area sees more Flaming Fist activity that most Outer districts.
- The Underground: Hidden from much of the population of Baldur's Gate, the underground is a home away from home for many beings who ran from the Underdark, fleeing their own kind or the Spellplague. Maintained by group of Drow who worship the good Goddess Thal, the place has been painstakingly carved out. The streets and public areas are decorated with bioluminescent fungus and magical glowing gem and minerals, creating an intricate awe-inspiring world beneath. The diverse ecosystem is carefully cared for by the worshippers of Thal, and all are welcome to walk the open streets. Many of the houses in the Outer City have basements that lead to the secondary homes in the Underground, creating a seamless transition to both worlds.
- Merchants
- Pine Nail Wood Shoppe (1,410gp)
Carpenter: Ilkarirthar: (HGT: 6ft, 6in; WGT: 250 lbs)
She is a mature female human that is dandyish in appearance. She has short, brown hair. She is generally trusting and modest but she is hard-hearted by nature. She is a collector of porcelain, china and crystal. Dressed In: dark-green sandals, a black belt with a bronze buckle, tan long pants, dark-brown tricorne hat, and a dark-brown shirt.
Wares All manner of wooden vehicles
- Mighty Magician Foods (2,428gp)
Cook: Fruitimiere: (HGT: 9ft, 9in; WGT: 375 lbs)
She is a mature female centaur that is rugged in appearance. She has long, blonde hair. Her disposition is insensitive but she is truthful by nature. She comes off as being quite driven. She has a great interest in fishing. Dressed In: yellow floppy hat and a light-green plain dress.
Wares Bulk food goods
- Silver Cloak
Emmyth Wood Elf(Female), Physic/Chirurgeon/ Professional Specialties Age 408 Appearance: Tall thick build, with green eyes and well groomed grey hair. They are missing their right eye, a fresh wound.
She believes that everything worth doing is worth doing right. She is a perfectionist. Has a love of innate beauty.
Wares: Physician and medicinal supplies
