Council of Four

The Council of Four was 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. The council is now replaced by a parliament.

History
The history of the council dates back to the earliest days of Baldur's Gate and the conflict between the rich farmers of the walled city and the sea-captains of the harbor who refused to pay for entering the gate that had been financed by their colleague Balduran. The captains overthrew the farmers and the four eldest among them was installed as rulers, jokingly calling themselves "dukes". Sometime before 1479 DR Grand Duke Valarken tried to seize power using lycanthropic mercenaries but failed. After that, surviving Grand Duke Portyr dissolved the council and now rules the city together with a parliament.

Grand Dukes
In 1357 DR the dukes were:
 * 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.