Baldur's Gate - City Information

Baldur's Gate - 

A.K.A. the Gate

Baldur's Gate, also called simply the Gate, is a metropolis and city-state on the Sword Coast and Western Heartlands border, on the north bank of the River Chionthar about 20 miles (32 km) east from its mouth on the Sea of Swords. It is located to the south of the great city-state of Waterdeep and to the north of the country of Amn, and is located along the well-traveled Coast Way road.

This wealthy port metropolis (added Strategic Location settlement quality), whose population, according to many accounts, exceeds that of Waterdeep, is an important merchant city on the Sword Coast. Its strong watch and the presence of the powerful Flaming Fists mercenary company keeps the city generally peaceful and safe. 

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- Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting- 

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.

Trade knows no alignment, so tolerance is a virtue in Baldur's Gate, but not to the extent that visitors are allowed to conduct themselves in ways injurious to other persons or property. Guards in distinctive black helms with red stripes on either side police the city. They pay more attention to the upper half of the city, the part within the original walls, than to the newer, lower half by the river, enclosed by lower walls.

As is often the way in Faerun, the great number of guards in Baldur's Gate is a clue to the presence of a well-run thieves' guild, Guildmaster Ravcnscar maintains amiable though distant relations with Baldur's Gate's four grand dukes, including Eltan, the commander of the Flaming Fist mercenary company. The Flaming Fist serves as Baldur's Gate's unofficial army, providing cheap rates in return for a subsidized base of operations. 

Most major cities have a few major temples, but Baldur's Gate's three major halls of worship are noteworthy. Gond's High House of Wonders houses an astonishing collection of one-of-a-kind inventions. Gnomes, inventors, and craftsfolk make the pilgrimage to Baldur's Gate for both inspiration and devotion. Tymora's temple, the Lady's Hall, is remarkable for its size and wealth. The temple to Umberlee, euphemistically known as the "Water Queen's House," is one of the few actual temples to this deity in all of Faerun. 

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-Volo's Guide to the Sword Coast - 

This port city is both shelter and lifeline for the folk of the Coast. It is the only place to buy many luxury goods and offers the discerning shopper the widest selection of goods anywhere in the Sword Coast region though usually at prices higher than those in Waterdeep or coastal Amn. (added Legendary Marketplace, Prosperous, and Trading Post settlement qualities.)

Baldur's Gate is a tolerant but well-policed city of merchants, and quiet business as usual is the general order of each day. Baldur's Gate, Berdusk, Neverwinter, and Silverymoon are probably the safest settlements in all western Faerun. In Baldur's Gate, the watch wears distinctive black helms with a vertical red stripe on either side, if you have problems. Not only are the members of the watch vigilant, enthusiastic, wise, and observant, but the Flaming Fist Mercenary Company, over a thousand strong, is based in the city. Every tenth person or so is a member or a watch agent (well, spy) of the Fist, skilled in battle and within a breath or two of numerous armed allies.

The visitor can freely stroll and shop. If you can't carry all you buy, or need help to find your way, guides and porters can be hired at most street corners. These husky youths are known as lamp boys or lamp lasses because they carry lanterns at night to light the way for their patrons. 

(see Landmarks, below)

Alignment and Type - N Metropollis (+4 Modifier)(a truly neutral city gains an increase of 2 to its lore modifier)

Date/Time - 1356 DR/Time is regulated in the city by the sun and usual means.

Corruption +7 (+4 Metropolis, +1 Guilds, +2 Wealth Disparity) 

Corruption measures how open a settlement’s officials are to bribes, how honest its citizens are, and how likely anyone in town is to report a crime. Low corruption indicates a high level of civic honesty. A settlement’s corruption modifies all Bluff checks made against city officials or guards and all Stealth checks made outside (but not inside buildings or underground).

Crime +6 ( +4 Metropolis, +2 Legendary Marketplace)

Crime is a measure of a settlement’s lawlessness. A settlement with a low crime modifier is relatively safe, with violent crimes being rare or even unknown, while a settlement with a high crime modifier is likely to have A powerful thieves’ guild and a significant problem with violence. The atmosphere generated by a settlement’s crime level applies as a modifier on Sense Motive checks to avoid being bluffed and to Sleight of Hand checks made to pick pockets.

Economy +13 (+4 Metropolis, +1 Prosperous, +2 Financial Center, +2 Good Roads, +1 Guilds, +2 Legendary Marketplace, +1 Strategic Location)

A settlement’s economy modifier indicates the health of its trade and the wealth of its successful citizens. A low economy modifier doesn’t automatically mean the town is beset with poverty—it could merely indicate A town with little trade or one that is relatively self-sufficient. Towns with high economy modifiers always have large markets and many shops. A settlement’s economy helps its citizens make money, and thus it applies as a modifier on all Craft, Perform, and Profession checks made to generate income.

Law +3 (+4 Metropolis, -2 Council, Financial Center +1) 

Law measures how strict a settlement’s laws and edicts are. A settlement with a low law modifier isn’t necessarily crime-ridden—in fact, A low law modifier usually indicates that the town simply has little need for protection since crime is so rare. A high law modifier means the settlement’s guards are particularly alert, vigilant, and well-organized. The more lawful A town is, the more timidly its citizens tend to respond to shows of force. A settlement’s law modifier applies on Intimidate checks made to force an opponent to act friendly, Diplomacy checks against government officials, or Diplomacy checks made to call on the city guard.

Lore +6 [+8 High Wealth, +4 Low Wealth] (+4 Metropolis, +2 Neutral, -2 Council, +1 Academic, -1 Guilds, +1 Religious Tolerance) (Various +2 [High Wealth] to -2 [Low Wealth] - Wealth Disparity, +1 Broad Minded)

A settlement’s lore modifier measures not only how willing the citizens are to chat and talk with visitors, but also how available and accessible its libraries and sages are. A low lore modifier doesn’t mean the settlement’s citizens are idiots, just that they’re close-mouthed or simply lack knowledge resources. A settlement’s lore modifier applies on Diplomacy checks made to gather information and Knowledge checks made using the city’s resources to do research when using a library.

Society +10 [+12 Low Wealth, +8 High Wealth] (+4 Metropolis, +4 Council, +1 Religious Tolerance) (Various +2 [Low Wealth] to -2 [High Wealth] - Wealth Disparity, +1 Broad Minded) 

Society measures how open-minded and civilized A settlement’s citizens are. A low society modifier might mean many of the citizens harbor prejudices or are overly suspicious of out-of-towners. A high society modifier means that citizens are used to diversity and unusual visitors and that they respond better to well-spoken attempts at conversation. A settlement’s society modifier applies on all Disguise checks, as well as on Diplomacy checks made to alter the attitude of any non-government official.

Danger - 20 (10 - Metropolis, 10 Notorious) 

Base Value -  28,880 gp  (16,000 gp metropolis, Increase by 30% - Prosperous,  Increase +40% - Financial Center, Double - Legendary Marketplace, +10% - Strategic Location)

Purchase Limit -  570,000 gp (100,000 gp - Metropolis, Double -Trading Post , Increase by 50% - Prosperous, Increase +40% - Financial Center, Double - Legendary Marketplace )

Spellcasting - 9th level (+2 Divine - Religious Tolerance , +1 Academic)

Minor Items/Medium Items/Major Items -  All / 4D4 / 3D4 

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Qualities - 6 (Metropolis) (added several more for fluff)

Trading Post - 

The settlement’s primary purpose is trade. Merchants and buyers from all over the world can be found within the settlement. Double the Purchase Limit for the settlement.

Prosperous - 

The settlement is a popular hub for trade. Merchants are wealthy and the citizens live well. Increase Economy +1; Increase Base Value by 30%; Increase Purchase Limit by 50%.

Financial Center - 

(Special Restriction Non-chaotic communities only) This settlement is home to powerful banks, mints, trading houses, currency exchanges and other powerful financial and mercantile organizations. Increase Economy +2, Law +1. Increase Base Value and Purchase Limit by +40%.

Wealth Disparity-


The wealthy and poor of this settlement are segregated. High wealth districts gain +2 lore but -2 society. Low wealth areas gain +2 society but -2 lore. Some ares may be unchanged. The entire settlement gains +2 corruption.

Strategic Location -


The settlement sits at an important crossroads or alongside a deepwater port, or it serves as a barrier to a pass or bridge. (Economy +1; increase base value by 10%)

Religious Tolerance -

The settlement is known for its widespread religious tolerance, and many faiths have temples, cathedrals or monasteries here. Religious debates in the public square are common. Increase Lore +1, Society +1. Increase divine spellcasting by +2 levels.

Notorious-

The settlement has a reputation (deserved or not) for being a den of iniquity. Thieves, rogues, and cutthroats are much more common here. Increase Crime +1 and Danger +10; Decrease Law –1; Increase Base Value by 30% and Purchase Limit by 50%)

Legendary Marketplace -

The settlement is justly famed for its markets: almost anything may be for sale here! In the case of a Metropolis with the Legendary Marketplace quality, double the settlement’s Base Value and Purchase Limit. Increase Economy +2, Crime +2.

Guilds-

A variety of trade and mercantile guilds control the town’s industry and trade. These guilds are highly specialized (a printer’s guild, an eggler’s guild, a swordsmith’s guild, a diamond cutter’s guild,ect), and usually semi-hereditary, with children following their parents into the guild.  Increase Corruption +1, Economy +1. Decrease Lore -1.

Good Roads- 

The settlement has an extensive road network. These roads are well-maintained and allow for quick movement of troops and merchandise. Increase Economy +2.

Academic-

The settlement possesses a school, training facility, or university of great renown. Increase Lore +1. Increase spell-casting by 1 level.

Broad Minded-

The citizens are open, friendly, and tolerant, and react positively towards visitors. Increase Lore +1, Society +1.

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Disadvantages- 

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Government - Council - see Notable NPCs, Council of Four aka Grand Dukes, below

A group of councilors, often composed of guild masters or members of the aristocracy, leads the settlement. Increase Society +4; Decrease Law and Lore –2.

Population - 

Metropolis - 42,000

Citizens - Human (plentiful)

Notable NPCs - 

Council of Four aka Grand Dukes - The Council of Four is the governing body of the city of Baldur's Gate consisting of four powerful individuals elected for life. The council was part of the Lords' Alliance, which includes Waterdeep, Neverwinter and Silverymoon, among others.

Eltan - leader of the Flaming Fist

Belt- a powerful warrior and adventurer

Liia Jannath- a mage

Entar Silvershield- the richest man in the city, but also a strong warrior in his own right

Places of Interest - 

Taverns

The Blushing Mermaid: Located in the Northeast corner of the Upper City. The Mermaid is renowned up and down the Sword Coast as a meeting place for those who wish to conduct illicit business. It is a noisy place frequently beset by brawls, and patrons either go in heavily armed groups or do not survive for long. Architecturally, the Mermaid is long, low, and gives every appearance of imminent collapse. It is surrounded on three sides by a tangle of stables, outbuildings, and enclosures. It is known to have at least four levels of cellars, and innumerable stories abound of hidden passages and connections to the city's sewer system. The tavern's rooms are low of ceiling and dim of lighting, furnished with mismatched and much-abused furniture. A representative of virtually any illegal group operating in Baldur's Gate can usually be found somewhere on the premises. The establishment serves sea-ale, stout, light lager, and whisky. The Mermaid operates around the clock.

Elfsong Tavern: Located just inside the gate to Wyrm's Crossing, in the Lower City. An establishment similar to the Blushing Mermaid, but more popular with adventurers and independent operators than with the established organizations of the underworld. Patrons are expected to go armed and are responsible for their own safety. The building itself is two stories, large, and elegantly built, albeit somewhat dilapidated. The name derives from an unusual haunting: a ghostly female elven voice heard periodically throughout the establishment. The singing is quiet, but can be heard quite clearly. It is most often described as both beautiful and mournful. The identity of the singer is unknown, but it is clear that her song is a lament for a lover lost in a war. No other music is permitted inside the Elfsong. The establishment serves virtually every kind of alcohol known, and is also known for its sandwiches, pickles, and fish.

Splurging Sturgeon: Located just south of the Blushing Mermaid in the Upper City. A small, two-story establishment.

The Low Lantern: A three-masted ship moored on the northeast side of the harbor along Stormshore Street. Infamous as a den of drinking, gambling, prostitution, and the occasional murder. Patrons are advised to come armed with plenty of weapons and coin, and to leave their moral scruples on the dock. There are three lower decks currently in use by the establishment.

Inns

The Helm and Cloak: A high-end inn, boarding, and feasting establishment. Located in the Upper City, on Belltoll Street. The establishment is favored by wealthy locals as a fashionable place to dine and chat, and by wealthy travelers for its superb accommodations. An entire floor is devoted to long-term occupancy rooms. The Helm and Cloak is frequented by many powerful individuals, both from the city and afar. The decor is elegant while somehow managing to retain the best of informal good taste. It is rumoured that hidden inside the inn are the helm and cloak of Balduran himself, but nobody has yet been able to find them. Apart from its food the establishment serves mead and cinnamon-spiced milk, but no beer of any sort.

Three Old Kegs: A quiet, high-end establishment, intended for quiet rest rather than revels. Located along the east wall of the Ducal Palace. Three stories tall and of middling size. Most of the walls are crammed with bookshelves, and most of its patrons spend the day in napping, reading, and low-stakes gambling. Most sounds are absorbed by the thick rugs and wall-hangings. Patrons are not permitted to carry weapons, and rowdiness is not permitted. The Three Old Kegs serves many varieties of wine.

The Blade and Stars: Located in the Lower City, on Windspell Street. A middle-grade establishment named for its enchanted signboard, which was looted from a destroyed village in Amn at the end of an old trade war. It depicts a scimitar held by a human female hand, with (enchanted) twinkling stars drifting slowly around the blade on a black background. The inn itself is very long and tall, two stories in height. Decor is simple, clean and fairly new. The Blade and Stars is notable for its security, which is very effective at handling both thieves and disruptive patrons.

Purple Wyrm Inn


Temples

The Hall of Wonders (temple of Gond): Located in the southwest corner of the Upper City. It is hard to miss. Noted as a museum of various technological marvels as well as being a major temple to Gond. Not far from the palace stands the High House of Wonders, consecrated to Gond. It is the largest of the Gate’s three temples. It is a perilous place for the curious; it has been the site of many an explosion and violent self-disassembly of sacred artifacts (which the faithful call apparati). Its spreading eastern wings face the Hall of Wonders, also on Windspell Street, where the more successful of Gond’s inventions are displayed to the public.

The Water-Queen's House (temple of Umberlee): Located along the west side of the harbor. Casual visitation is discouraged.

The Lady's Hall (temple of Tymora): Located just northwest of the Hall of Wonders in the Upper City.

The Watchful Shield (Church of Helm): Located in the northern Upper City, just east of the Black Dragon's Gate.

Temple of Oghma: Located next to the main gates of the Ducal Palace.


Shrine of the Suffering (shrine of Ilmater): Located in the extreme northeast corner of the Upper City.

Landmarks

Baldur's Gate curves like a great hand or crescent moon around its harbor. Crescent moon is the term used by its resident minstrels, who tend to be brassy-voiced tenors and delightfully smoky altos, depending on their gender, but hand describes it better. The fingers of the hand are the many docks and wharves that jut out into the harbor. A bridge from the western shore links the mainland with a rocky islet on which perches the old, massive Seatower of Balduran, which is used as a barracks, naval base, dungeon, and fortress. It has a full armory and catapults to battle hostile ships, and a massive chain can be stretched from it to the outermost wharf on the east side to bar the harbor to invaders.

The harbor boasts no less than four dry-dock slips for boat building and repair, complete with ox-driven pumps. The shipping facilities, I'm told, are among the best in all Faerûn. They feature modern warehouses, movable lamps and cranes, and tight security.

Around the harbor rises a crowded, but clean and prosperous, city. Everything is of stone and is usually wet with either rain, sleet, or fog, depending on the time of day and season. This makes the streets slippery, makes the musk and mushrooms Baldurians grow in their cellars flourish, keeps the flowers and plants that are grown in hanging baskets everywhere green—and makes mildew and mold a constant problem. If it afflicts you, see Halbazzer Drin on Stormshore Street. He's a gruff old wizard who has made his fortune with a spell that banishes mildew (12 gp per casting), and another that drives all moisture from things without harming them (10 gp per glamer). Despite fantastic offers of gold, gems, and magic from Calishite, Amnian, and other interests, he does not sell scrolls of these spells or reveal the incantations to others.

Buildings in Baldur's Gate tend to be tall and narrow, with slit windows located high up and covered with shutters to block winter winds and nesting seabirds alike. Tall among them rises the grandly spired ducal palace of the four ruling Grand Dukes, known as the High Hall. A place for feasts, court hearings, and administrative business, it boasts a dozen meeting rooms that all citizens can wander in and use to conduct business—unless someone else is already using them. To discourage the miserly from using these as permanent places of business, there’s a rule forbidding anyone who entered one of the rooms today from using it tomorrow. 

The wrist of the gigantic hand that is Baldur’s Gate is marked by the Black Dragon Gate, or Landward Gate, and its surrounding sprawl of slums, paddocks, cut-rate inns, and stockyards, all of which lie outside the city walls. Not far from the Hall of Wonders, near the Black Dragon Gate, and so near the wrist of Baldur’s Gate, is the Wide. This huge open space is the Gate’s market. It bustles by day and night, and is usually open spacewise only in the sense that there are no buildings. Temporary stalls, bins, sale tables, and the shoppers thronging to them usually crowd shoulder to shoulder. Deliveries here are often made by tall, strong folk striding through the crowds with tall poles strapped to their chests or backs at the top of which, over an adult human’s height aloft, are cribs and crates full of goods Prices are lower here than elsewhere in the Gate, but business is apt to be sharper. Among the more common vendors of silks, scarves, tobacco, and spices from the farthest reaches of the Shining South are masters of tattooing and disguise, and several minor wizards who specialize in spells that temporarily arrange a client’s hair into intricate patterns, cause areas of the body to glow or to adhere to certain scraps of garment or pieces of jewelry, alter skin and hair hue, and even cause scents to wax, wane, or move around the body—sometimes accompanied by radiances. These artisans come and go with the seasons —and, I’m told, the approach of creditors or bounty hunters acting for far-off authorities. Among the more permanent of these artisans are Lonthalin Mintar and Talessyr Tranth.

Outside the Wide, Baldur’s Gate lacks colorful landmarks. The everpresent damp discourages the use of banners, open shops, and the like. Windowboxes support trailing flowers of all sorts. Strolling minstrels, consisting usually of a singer playing a lute or hand harp accompanied by a flutist who also carries a hand drum and occasionally joins in on a chorus, provide another source of color. The Gate has few formal festivals. The largest is the Breaking, commemorating the last passage of ice from the harbor approaches every spring. The Gate does, however, have a custom of holding quiet street chatter sessions known as cobble parties in particular spots. They are named after the cobblestones that surface most of the streets. These parties are always marked by the use of rose-red torches—which can be bought in several city shops, notably Felogyr’s Fireworks (run by Felogyr Sonshal) on Bindle Street— set in wall brackets along the street where the party is held. Baldurians frown on the drunken and debauched. These open-air fests tend to be tale-telling sessions, marked by a clutter of barrels, crates, and stools dragged into the street for folk to sit on while they talk.

Those wishing to overindulge in haven’t tried them. The Undercellar is drink and in the company of the opposite sex are directed to the Undercellar, a little-known, damp, dark warren of linked cellars entered just off the Wide, with exits to 10 alleyways or more, and to the Low Lantern, a ship that cruises the harbor at night while festivities are going on both above and below decks. Daring citizens like to celebrate their marriage nights in the rigging of this vessel while perched precariously aloft or hanging over the night-dark waves from various ropes and sail booms. I’ve haven’t rated the Undercellar or the Lantern because I haven't tried them. The Undercellar is said to be reasonably priced but rather squalid and shady Many folk like to go masked when enjoying themselves there. The Lantern is said to be noisy, fun, and expensive, with drinks dearer than in some of Waterdeep’s haughtiest establishments.


Baldur’s Gate is otherwise a pleasant but unremarkable city to stroll about in. Cats are everywhere— raised to keep down the shipborne vermin—but there’s nary a dog to be seen. Livestock and mounts are kept outside the city in order to ensure maximum cleanliness.