Baldur's Gate

Baldur's Gate is a metropolis and city-state on the Sword Coast and Western Heartlands blend, on the north bank of the river Chionthar about twenty miles east from its mouth on the Sea of Swords. It is 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. A person from Baldur's Gate is known as a Baldurian.

This wealthy port metropolis, which according to many accounts its population has superseded that of Waterdeep, is an important merchant city on the Sword Coast.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 keep the city generally peaceful and safe.

History
In ancient times, the seafaring human hero Balduran would return from Anchrome with great wealth. Balduran would use this wealth to build a wall amongst the end of the Chionthar river. Balduran would later vanish, never to return. After Balduran vanished, local farmers would take control of the wall and begin to tax sailors who would come in. The sailors would overthrow the ruthless farmers and the four eldest would take control, calling themselves "dukes".

Eventually, the city would be called Baldur's Gate and would be led by the Council of Four, the Four Grand Dukes of the City. The inner portions of the city would be divided into Bloomridge, where the wealthy lived, and the Twin Songs, the homes of the sailors and the clerics. The city would become the most powerful force in the Western Heartlands and would join the Lords' Alliance. The city would only be recorded to be called upon by the Alliance once, in 1235 DR when the Black Horde would attempt to invade. They would send their top military general, Eldrith the Betrayer to drive them off. While she would experience victory at first, she would eventually betray Baldur's Gate and be killed, but later resurrected, in the Marsh of Chelimber by Baldurian forces.

The Flaming Fists would begin operating in Baldur's Gate early in the century started by 1300 DR. Midway through the century, in 1356 DR, the adventurers Drizzt Do'Urden and Wulfgar would come to the city seeking their friend Regis. Then, in 1368 DR, the Bhaalspawn Sarevok Anchev orchestrated a major conspiracy to send the city to war with Amn. The plan failed and within two years all Bhaalspawn were killed due to the actions of Baldurian Abdel Adrian.

A Guild of Thieves, Xantam's Guild, would move into Baldur's Gate early in later 1374 DR. Three adventurers, Vahn, Kromlech and Adrianna would arrive and defeat the Thieve's Guild. Joined by the Harpers, they would discover the thieve's guild to be only part of a larger plan involving Eldrith the Betrayer. After defeating Eldrith the Betrayer, they would discover the plan to have gotten more complex with the evil alchemist Mordoc SeLanmere getting involved. However, Mordoc too would be defeated.

In the year 1384 DR, the Grand Duke Valarken, along with General Ikhal, would attempt to usurp the leadership of Baldur's Gate. The failure of his attack would lead to the dissolution of the Baldurian Police and the Council of Four. In its place, the Flaming Fists and the Baldurian Parliament would rule. In the following year, the realms would experience the Spellplague, a situation which would double Baldur's Gate's population and area.

Baldur's Gate would be able to adapt to the change and would experience relative peace until the year 1437 DR when the elfsong would return to the Elfsong Tavern with an undead crisis, as well as a tensing of relations with Elturgard and the stealing of a Tome of Cyric. All of these crisis would be considered minor when General Ikhal would return with a lycanthrope army far greater than the army of Baldur's Gate. The Flaming Fists would resolve the conflict.

As of 1479 DR, Baldur's Gate not only became Faerun's most powerful and important city, but it also once again become stable. No more is it bothered by Valarken and Amn. It maintained a positive relationship with the nation of Elturgard and the other regions in the Western Heartlands.

Geography
Since it's creation, the city of Baldur's Gate has grown immensely. It has come from being a couple of shanty huts aside a walled fortress to a sprawling city stretching across its neighbouring regions. The most remarkable feature of the city is the Black Dragon Gate, the original feature of the city, built by Balduran and withstanding time, albeit reinforcements and renovations. The main of the city, comprising of the old "city core" is commonly referred to as Bloomridge. The center of Baldur's Gate's prominent aristocracy, it is one of the regions confined inside the Black Dragon Gate. Bloomridge is home to many buildings of wealth, inclduing Manors and a few temples, though most are in the Twin Songs. Bloomridge also houses various taverns for adventurers to drink in and inns to accompany them in a motel fashion. The Temple of Ilmater and the Temple of Helm were two of the well known temple's within Bloomridge, though the latter hosted the deadly Crypts of Ilmater and the former likely dissolved following the fall of Helm.

Also within the Black Dragon Gate are the Twin Song's temple district. Although some temples are in Bloomridge, most are in the Twin Songs. The Twin Songs hosts temples to virtually any god, even evil gods like Bhaal and Bane. Baldur’s Gate has many places of worship. Before the Spellplague, in 1369 DR, there were 3 major temples, (devoted to Gond, Umberlee and Tymora ) and many shrines. Following the mass expansion of the city, though, the three religions, although still prominent, are no longer the dominant chuches, with smaller, and some malign, religions gaining more and and more influence. The Twin Songs is the only place inside the Black Dragon Gate that unifies the cultures of all of Faerûn. These are all found in the Twin Songs District.

The final district within the Black Dragon Gate is the Wide, which, mixing in with the city Outskirts, proves to extend outside of the gate as well. Giving a horrible stench due to the various cultures coming together in it's blend with the Outskirts, only part of the Wide is hospitable to those who prefer a finer way of life. This area is that of the marketplace with signifies the Wide, here produce is purchased alongside other objects. The Outskirts, however, are often regarded as the slums of the city and are largely populated with the poor and few middle class.

Economy


Baldur's Gate is the greatest center of trade along the entire Sword Coast, having out-competed both Waterdeep and Amn in recent years.

In 1368 DR, stone was usually imported from Mirabar via Luskan for use in construction, having been magically transported. This is an expensive process. By 1479 DR, with Luskan in disarray and with no functional port, along with the destruction caused by the Spellplague across the lands, it is unclear if this trade still occurs.

Baldur's Gate contains a very effective thieves' guild, as well as a powerful and honest mercantile guild, the Merchant's League. Additionally, the Knights of the Shield and the Knights of the Unicorn are both active in the city. Various thieves guilds have risen and fallen in Baldur’s Gate including Xantam’s Guild and the Hands of Glory. Since the fall of both, the new thieves' guild has arisen.

Government
Ruled by Grand Duke Portyr at the behest of the Baldurian Parliament, Baldur's Gate underwent a major revision after an attempted coup by former Grand Duke Valarken. Baldur's Gate was once ruled by four grand dukes, the Council of Four. Shortly before the Spellplague, the rulers included Duke Eltan, the then leader of the Flaming Fists, Belt, a powerful warrior and divine spellcaster, Liia Jannath, a mage and Entar Silvershield, the richest man in Baldur’s Gate at the time, but also a strong warrior in his own right. The Council is also part of the Lords' Alliance, which includes Waterdeep and Silverymoon, among others.

Foreign relations
At present, Grand Duke Portyr and the Baldurian Parliament are uninterested in involving Baldur's Gate in the affairs of others. For the most part, the city is respected as a neutral power in relation to the other states of the Sword Coast and the Western Heartlands, a reputation it earned in part through its open door policy towards refugees during the fallout of the Spellplague. Perhaps more importantly, Baldur's Gate, while undoubtedly a rich prize, 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.

Historically, Baldur's Gate has had a long enmity with its southern neighbor, Amn, which nearly resulted in war during the Iron crisis of 1368 DR. Recently, however, the only major threats to Baldur's Gate are the pirates operating out of the ruins of Luskan or the merchants of Waterdeep, who resent the city's growing wealth and power. Baldur's Gate has allies in the Lords' Alliance and the nation of Elturgard.

Landmarks
Bloomridge houses many taverns often used by adventurers or nobles:
 * Blade and Stars
 * A quiet inn known for its high qualities foodstuffs.


 * Blushing Mermaid
 * Located in the northeastern section of Baldur's Gate, the Blushing Mermaid is an establishment known for its status as a hub of illicit business.


 * Elfsong Tavern
 * A tavern in the southeast known best for its strange haunting, a ghostly elven voice of unidentified origin that can be heard singing quietly at night. However, the voice has since faded.


 * Helm and Cloak
 * An expensive but well-rated feasting hall popular with both locals and travelers alike. Its upper floor is also rented out to the vast majority of the Knights of the Unicorn.


 * Purple Wyrm Inn and Tavern
 * A Tavern much compared to the Elfsong, but it is more commonly used by merchants and those seeking adventure.


 * Splurging Sturgeon
 * Located a bit south from the Blushing Mermaid, the Splurging Sturgeon is a small but well-known establishment


 * Three Old Kegs
 * Highly comfortable but only slightly expensive, the Three Old Kegs is perhaps the most highly rated establishment in Baldur's Gate.

There are many manors in Bloomridge as well, these manors are owned by the richest of Bloomridge's nobles and house many servants:
 * Bloodmire Manor
 * A spacious, gothic mansion that was overrun by monstrous experiments in the 1370s.


 * Firewind Manor (formerly House Felldane)
 * Mandorcai's Mansion
 * A beautiful manor located in Bloomridge and owned by the tiefling Mandorcai.


 * Omduil's Manor
 * A stately manor owned by the aged Harper sage Omduil.

Places of Worship
Like most cities, Baldur's Gate has many places of worship. Untouched by the Spellplague, Baldur's Gate swelled in size and diversity. An impact was the formation of Twin Songs. Here temples and shrines to a great diversity of gods exist. All temples and shrines are accepted. Even shrines devoted to the worship of evil are ignored by the Flaming Fists. Although home to many temples, the city's most renowned and well known are:


 * High House of Wonders : Temple of Gond
 * Water Queen's House : Temple of Umberlee
 * Lady's Hall : Temple of Tymora

The city is also home to several shrines, the most renowned and famed are:


 * The Watchful Shield : Shrine of Helm
 * Shrine of the Suffering : Shine of Ilmater
 * The Rose Portal : Shrine of Lathander
 * The Unrolling Scroll : Shrine of Oghma

Notable locations
Though Baldur's Gate is a self-contained city-state it holds a limited influence over neighboring regions and settlements due to its wealth and power.


 * Candlekeep
 * This fortress of scholars and books is the single greatest center of knowledge in all of Faerûn and was also the home of the fabled hero Abdel Adrian.


 * Cloak Wood
 * Located south of Baldur's Gate, this aged forest is home to many terrible monsters - though its calm waters make it a tempting mooring spot for sailors in spite of this.


 * The Cimarine Isles
 * The Isles lie between the southern Sword Coast and the Moonshae Isles, and they are settled by genasi and Amn trade colonies.


 * Trollbark Forest
 * A large forest just North of Baldur's Gate that is inhabited by all sorts of monsters, it is also home to many bandits and thieves.


 * Troll Hills
 * The mountains just south of Trollbark Forest and North of Baldur's Gate. They are inhabited by many Trolls.


 * Warlock's Crypt
 * A city located in between Trollbark Forest and the Troll Hills, although it is primarily located on the Hills it does extend somewhat into the forest. It is the home to the Lich-Lord Larloch.


 * Wayfork Village
 * A growing village just North of Trollbark Forest, while it too was unaffected by the Spellplague, due to it not being a very large city, most of the Spellplague runners went to Baldur's Gate.


 * The Werewoods
 * A very large forest that homes many lycanthropes, after his defeat Duke (Lord) Valarken retreated here and began to rebuild its ancient ruins. The villain Ikhal (he served under Valarken) was in charge of the lycanthrope army here and he was going to invade Baldur's Gate with them for Duke (Lord) Valarken. This plan was later thwarted and the lycanthrope civilization of the forest was badly damaged.

Appearances

 * ''The Halfling's Gem
 * Baldur's Gate
 * The Silent Blade
 * Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance computer game
 * Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II computer game

Non-canon
'' Games are superseded by the higher-ranking novels in continuity. Games, where they contradict sourcebooks or novels, are considered non-canon. ''


 * Baldur's Gate computer game
 * Baldurs Gate: the Sword Coast Chronicles Online,  A persistent world in the Neverwinter Nights 2 computer game