Baldur's Gate
One of the two great cities of the Sword Coast, Baldur's Gate sits on the north bank of the River Chionthar, twenty miles from where the river flows into the Sea of Swords. Situated halfway between Amn and Waterdeep, the city thrives on trade.
Baldur's Gate began as a harbor town where traders would meet with "ghost lighters" - folk along the Sword Coast who used lights to lure fogbound ships to shore. When those ship ran aground, the ghost lighters would scavenge the wrecks and haul their plundered goods to Baldur's Gate.
Trade knows no alignment, so tolerance is a virtue in Baldur's Gate, unless that behavior runs afoul of the city's ruling elite or their property. Even the most hardened adventurers watch their steps in Baldur's Gate, where lives hold prices in copper and greed proves deadlier than dragon fire.
Baldur's Gate has a reputation for being a rough place, where crime and opportunity walk hand in hand, and where anything can be bought, sold, or seized at sword point. If something can be given a price, it's for sale somewhere in Baldur's Gate. Drugs and poisons sit on shelves alongside tinctures and remedies. Trade goods from Chult, mechanical wonders from Everwinter, tomes of magic from Calimshan, and the most believable counterfeits of each can all be found in the city's stalls.
Government
The city is governed by a Plutocracy, helmed by the Council of Four, currently:
and the Parliament of Peers
The Parliament of Peers, a group mainly composed of nearly fifty Patriar members makes recommendations on issues of law and governance. Once the parliament comes to a majority decision on a matter, usually after much heated debate, it presents its position to the Council of Four . Three dukes and one grand duke make up this ruling council. The council also votes on matters, and in the case of a tie, the grand duke's vote counts as two.
Common belief holds that many parliament members, and possibly one or more of the dukes, can be bribed for their votes. Corrupt parliament members don't wish to be caught taking payments, usually not out of fear of legal reprisal, but of being perceived as incompetent among their peers. The perception is that one who can't be trusted to receive something as simple as a bribe likely can't be trusted to manipulate the city's intricate social web. Such leads to the common farce of officials buying cheap jewelry or fake art objects with their bribe money (usually in the form of platinum coins or jewels) hidden inside.
Defences
Industry & Trade
Dyes, fish , imports from Chult, mercenaries ,nautical supplies
Districts
The original wall ringing the Upper City still stands, and a second defensive wall now rings the Lower City. The Outer City, a collection of hastily made structures and shantytowns, runs along the River Chionthar.
While the Outer City might seem he most lawless, every district of Baldur's Gate has it own threats. In the Upper City patriar families and government officials jostle to secure their positions. Many are not above using private agents to acquire blackmail material sabotage public appearances, or even frame innocents to secure power. The victims of these plots, and officials who want a fair and honest legal system, must resort to hiring their own agents to unearth conspiracies, break out unfairly imprisoned citizens, and obtain evidence the Flaming Fist cannot.
The Upper City's political intrigues and the Outer City's violence spills over into the Lower City, the city's middle ground. Rampant crime, class grudges, foreign threats, and economic pressures leave many Baldurians feeling trapped within their own homes. Flaming Fist patrols react to threats with indiscriminate violence, doing little to make citizens feel safer. As a result, in recent years many citizens have started banding together in crews. These counter-gangs align along professional or neighborhood affiliations, doing their best to protect their territories. While this has given some of the city's people a way of feeling more in control of their lives, it's also increased the number of armed citizens on the streets. Whether the Lower City is actually safer after the formation of crews remains an open question.
In the Outer City, all the world washes against the city's gates. Here crime and poverty are contrasted by wonders from afar and the riches of cultures across FaerO_n. The mix of wanderers and refugees remains in constant flux, with communities forming and disbanding on a monthly basis. None can possibly keep track of all the foreign traditions or the dangerous- sometimes outright evil- religious practices observed in the Outer City. As a result, Baldur's Gate has widely adopted a "do no harm" policy when it comes to faiths and organizations operating in the city. Any group is welcome to operate openly so long as the city's important citizens aren't harmed.
Beyond all its dangers, Baldur's Gate is an adventurer's city, a place where a sword-for-hire can find a rich patron, join a secret guild, stalk killers for a bounty, or come to the aid of desperate citizens. Good-hearted champions fight against corruption and bring murderers to justice, while less moral mercenaries find a good price for their services. The city offers opportunities as well as the most reliable and ruthless market on the Sword Coast. Information, treasures, secrets, and souls can be bought or sold for the right price.
As a great hero of Baldur's Gate once said, "Watch your step in the shadows. Watch your back in the light. Win a prize beyond your wildest dreams or disappear into forgotten history. Every day your life is on the line. Every day you could become a legend. Welcome to Baldur's Gate."
History
Centuries ago the hero Balduran spent years questing in lands across the Sea of Swords and beyond. When finally he returned to his village of Gray Harbor, he brought fantastic wealth with him much of which he gifted to friends and family. These boons greatly improved Gray Harbor's fortunes, launching businesses, expanding its docks, and seeing the creation of a defensive wall around the town. In honor of their heroic patron, the citizens came to call one of their new wall's passages Baldur' Gate. Within a generation, though, the gate became synonymous with the community, and the settlement known as Baldur's Gate began appearing on maps of the Sword Coast.
The city's surprising growth attracted all manner of people. Peasants affected by raiding and war, farmers rendered penniless by famine and drought, pirates seeking a neutral port-all types saw a chance to put their mark on the rapidly growing community.
Founders
Alternative Name(s)
City of Blood
Type
City
Population
125000
Inhabitant Demonym
Baldurians
Location under
Additional Rulers/Owners
Owning Organization
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