SESSION 1: Welcome to Baldur's Gate

General Summary

CHAPTER 1: Aethelflaed

The story begins with a memory of Aethelflaed's past:
Nellie the Florist practices her stop drop and roll as Aethelflaed resorts to a tried and trued method for de-weeding her garden: a fireball spell. As Aethelflaed marches off, blowing the smoke off her fingers, she quips, "The soil aerated enough for ya?".
An orphaned street urchin, a girl in yellow rags delivers a letter from the City Watch. She receives heartbreaking news about the death of her son Olanthius. The letter is penned by Grand Duke Abdel Adrian.
Years later... Aethelflaed, now significantly older, with gray hair, lies asleep inside Celestial Realm, her small business that specializes in the divination arts, using tarot cards to infer her clients future. She tosses and turns, takes in a slow, deep breath, and exhales sharply, before awaking to the sound of shouting and arguing. She groans and sits up slowly - age has not been kind to her joints. She awakens to see two dwarves, Alric and Heimdal, who judging from their clothes, are newcomers to the Gate. They are currently moving in to the abandoned building next door. Its previous occupant, Nellie the Florist, fled to the District of Heapside after a mysterious fireball ruined her favorite rosebush.
A very stubborn mule by the name of Pony Horse is refusing to cooperate and drag the cart with their belongings any closer to the door. As Alric and Heimdal continue to pull on Pony Horse's reigns, a shady man with bulging fish-like eyes and a pockmarked face appears from a nearby alley and introduces himself as Barry the Barracuda, son of Nellie the Florist. He makes some very lightly veiled threats and reminds the dwarf brothers to pay their Guild 'security tax'. Aethelflaed informs the brothers that the Guild is the largest crime syndicate in all of Baldurs Gate. Alric and Heimdal refuse the 'deal', and Barry scampers off into the alley after offering a mentions that they will reconsider the offer once the Guild comes to see them soon.
Approaching from the shadows like a monster, they see an absolute mountain of a man - his hand on the hilt of an even more monstrous longsword. Carved into the base of the blade is the face of a lost soul - its face contorts into a silent scream as the mountain moves towards them at a slwoing trot, with almost impossible balance and grace for a man his size. The man introduces himself as Voldine, and warns them about all of the troubles in Baldur's Gate:
"I'm afraid you've come to Baldur's Gate at a bad time strangers. I mean, the city has always been plagued by some vermin or the other, but things have only gotten worse in recent years. Ever since the previous Grand Duke perished a decade ago, the city has gone to shit. First it was the Bhaalspawn, then we had an outbreak of the pox several years ago, and now... now we have the Guild to contend with. Crime has always been a problem in the Gate, but it was usually limited to the Outer City districts and Gray Harbor. But the Guild has spread its tendrils far and wide. Now they seem to be around every corner."
"Listen, the few good folk left in this city have to stick together. If you ever need a helping hand, come and find me at Blade and Stars. Its one of the other Inn's in Eastway, just a couple of streets north of here. Just follow the smell of cheap ale and the sound of drunkards being tossed out on their arses." As he walks off he waves farewell, "Stay safe, and welcome to Baldur's Gate."

CHAPTER II: The Tea House & The Elfsong

The Elfsong Tavern:

Several weeks later, after long days spent at the forge, and hours upon hours of unpacking and setting up shop, Alrik and Heimdal find themselves with a bit of free time. They decide to give one of the local hangouts a go. But, being new to Baldur's Gate, they decide to ask Aethelflaed if she knows about any tavern's in the area. Aethelflaed decides to take them to Elfsong Tavern, one of the most popular (and busiest) in Baldur's Gate. The tavern is rumored to be haunted by an ancient elven spirit, who's song is haunting enough to make even the most hardened patrons weep.
As they arrive, Thel, Alric, and Heimdal notice a group of travelling caravan guards has taken interest in a stuffed baby Beholder, known as Lord Jingles, decorating the wall above the fireplace. One guard lurches over to it and laughs as he pours beer down its open gullet. He continues, "I can't make it to the outhouse, boys. I'll have to make do. Grab that thing off the wall!" The local patrons cry out in objection, with many of them visibly miffed by the mercenary's disrespect. A shoving match quickly turns into a scrum of two dozen brawlers, with Alric, Heimdal and Aethelflaed trapped in the middle. Things quickly get out of hand as several of Lord Jingles eyestalks begin to glow and launch volleys of magical bolts that ricochet off the walls and roof of the tavern in every direction. One of the tavern patrons is disintegrated on the spot as he gets struck by a Finger of Death spell.
Aetheflaed, Heimdal, and Alric manage to subdue the mercenaries, and the brawl comes to an abrupt end. Aetheflaed decides to take the brothers to Jopalin's Tea House instead. Afterall, what could possibly go wrong at a tea house?

Jopalin's Tea House:

After inheriting the building from his father, the proprietor, the half-elf thug named Jopalin transitioned the seedy dockside tavern into a thriving, upscale teahouse. Questions have been raised about the exotic nature of the secretive ingredients used to brew what some consider to be the best tea in all of Baldur's Gate, and perhaps even the Sword Coast.
As the party enters the tavern, their senses are bombarded by a cacophany of aromatic herbs and vapors emitted by dozens of hookah pipes. The group takes a seat at one of the cushioned pits and order a round of tea. Aethelfaed realizes that the clouds of incence smell of the sable moonflower, a powerful opioid used by healers to reduce pain. They look on perpplexed as a skeleton dressed in adventurer's garb enters the tavern and slaps a coin purse on the bar and orders a pint of Baldurian Ale. The entire tavern falls silent as the patrons notice whats happening. Panic breaks out as someone yells out that "the Undead are among us!". Yet another brawl breaks out as the drug-addled patrons succumb to paranoia.

CHAPTER III: The Guild Leaves a Message

Hammer & Hearth:

After a late night drinking, the party stumbles back home through the streets. They do their best to avoid the seedier looking parts of Eastway, and arrive unmolested back at Hammer & Hearth. But up ahead, near the stables, Heimdal spots a dark shape.
As Heimdal strains his eyes on the shadows cast by the stable, the dark shape appears to be a heap of some kind. But with the distance, and without better lighting, Heimdal is forced to step closer. He realizes that the shape is too big to be a man. The heap moves slightly. He hears a whimper, and then a hee-haw.
Moving closer, and with better lighting, the party discovers their beloved mule, Pony Horse, lying on its side before the stables, with half a dozen cross-bow bolts protruding from its ribs and neck. Someone clearly used the mule as target practice. The poor pathetic animal is still alive. It gives a soft hee-haw as it sees the brothers approach.
Aethelfled notices that the doors to the barn are open, the lock smashed. Alric realizes that their cart, with a month's worth of craftwork, is gone. In its place, nailed to one of the wooden columns supporting the roof, is a small iron trinket, hewn in the shape of a barracuda...

Rewards Granted

• The best tea in the Sword Coast
• A stolen wagon
• A dead horse

Missions/Quests Completed

A Night out in Baldur's Gate.

Character(s) interacted with

• Nellie the Florist
• Orphan in Yellow
• Barry the Barracuda
• Voldine
• Alan Alyth, owner and proprietor of the Elfsong Tavern
• Lord Jingles
• Jopalin
• Rory the Skeleton Bard

Report Date

06 Aug 2022

Primary Location

Baldur's Gate

Secondary Location

Granite Hearth

Related Characters

• Alric Vadderung
• Æthelflæd
• Harriet Hassleback