Baldur’s Mouth

Baldur’s Mouth, the city’s news carrier, provides a great service to people at every level of society. Town criers and printed broadsheets are its two methods of spreading news.

The city has used Baldur’s Mouth many times to spread word of new laws that the Council of Four passes, to broadcast holidays, and to communicate election results. Criers announce news of the affairs of kingdoms and nations throughout Faerûn, opening every declaration by shouting, “Harken, people of Baldur’s Gate, to Baldur’s 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 watching Upper City citizens compel his father to bend and grovel, Needle decided to give power to the people in the form of information. So he began paying lamp lads and lamp lasses to shout his stories of various injustices during the day. Since many of his employees were illiterate and had to memorize his news articles, Needle decided to teach them to read so he could give them written copies. As his expenses mounted, Needle sought out sponsors, which led to his attracting advertising and diversifying his criers’ stories.

Baldur’s Mouth now earns its keep through advertising and is a functioning business. Formerly, to publicize his sponsors, criers would hand out wooden chits that afforded the recipient a discount when redeemed at a particular shop or merchant stall. Now, Needle uses several mechanical scribes that he purchased from the Hall of Wonders to rapidly produce pamphlets and broadsheets that have advertisements in them.

Type

Shop, Generic

Parent Location

Lower City