Baldur's Gate/The Wide

The Wide was a district in the Upper City of Baldur's Gate that served as a vast open-air marketplace and plaza. It was a place where Baldurians and outsiders alike could gather together to gossip, trade, debate politics and discuss issues of the day, or otherwise conduct their business within the city. Its reputation as a market and public forum was well-known across Faerûn, as far away as the nation of Thay.

Geography
The Wide was one location in Baldur's Gate that housed a passageway leading down to the Undercellar.

Description
The main attraction of the Wide were the vast number of temporary stalls and booths that were operated by merchants, artists, artisans, fortune-tellers, hedge wizards, sages—or whomever had a service or good to sell within Baldur's Gate. A great variety of commodities were offered within, from textiles and spices from the Shining South to locally-made tools or silk from foreign lands. These stalls often featured brightly-hued awnings that caught the eye, and their purveyors offered prices that were lower than anywhere else it the city.

Tables were set up between the stalls, upon which folks could sit and take a brief reprieve from the bustle of the crowds.

The typically musky smell that permeated the Gate was masked by the scent of spices, tobacco and roasted meats that were prepared nearby.

Governance
Management of the Wide was left to its Bailiff, a thankless job that was bestowed upon any individual capable enough and willing to coordinate the needs of the marketplace. They had establish which market stalls could be placed in which location, settle disputes, and keep record of each and every partition of sanctioned market space within the Wide.

Regulation of the Wide was reinforced by members of the Watch.

Activities
Before dawn, the Bailiff and their assistants met at the Beloved Ranger to discuss which vendors were allowed what space in the Wide, a process that included a complex algorithm dependent on vendors' history in the city, the goods they offered, the demand of the city's crowds, and previous history as a merchant. While bribes of gold were typically turned down by most bailiffs, but not all of them, donating extra goods during "routine inspection" often led to preferential placement.

At first light, many servants and liveries lined up outside the Wide to await arrival of the merchants. The finest and freshest goods were purchased by those working for the city's wealthiest residents. The market was absolutely packed during the day, with shoulder-to-shoulder visitors conducting most of their business during that time.

To manage deliveries through the crowds of the Wide, young couriers wore tall poles strapped to their torsos, atop which were strapped their parcels. These "pole-carters" were offered significant protection from thieves while in the market. Bulk goods that could not be transported in this manner were often sold on supposition and delivered later on by other means.

Just before dusk, as the last of the merchants' goods were transported to their destinations, the Watch began to clear the wide of bystanders. As the entire Upper City had a strictly-enforced curfew, the Wide was generally devoid of activity during the night-time hours.

Notable Locations

 * Businesses:
 * Amberdune Books: A group of jackalweres selling common books.
 * Distant Shores, a business importing goods from Port Nyanzaru.
 * Harbreeze Bakery
 * Haspur the seer, the Baldurian diviner operated a small fortune-telling tent during the 14 century DR.


 * Landmarks:
 * The Beloved Ranger, The only permanent structure within the marketplace proper was a statue of the heroic Rashemi adventurer Minsc. The statue was "destroyed" by a surge of wild magic in the early 1480's, but a replacement was commissioned soon after.


 * Residences:
 * Dlusker estate, home to the Dlusker patriar family.
 * Guthmere estate, home to the Guthmere family.
 * Tillerturn estate, home to the Tillerturn family.
 * Jhasso estate, home to the Jhasso family.


 * Taverns and Inns:
 * Entrance to the Undercellar: At the southern rim of The Wide lies a clearly marked entrance to this disreputable underground tavern and festhall.


 * Temples:
 * Rose Portal, this rose-colored stone archway served as a shrine to Lathander.
 * Unrolling Scroll, the major shrine of Oghma featured a podium from which Baldurians could disseminate knowledge and wisdom to their fellow citizens.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * Murder in Baldur's Gate • Candlekeep Mysteries
 * Comics
 * Legends of Baldur's Gate (#1)
 * Video Games
 * Baldur's Gate