Baldur's Gate Background & History

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Baldur’s Gate began its life as a hidden harbor where traders would meet with pirates and “ghost lighters,” folk along the Sword Coast who used lights to lure fogbound ships toward shore, where they would run aground and have their goods scavenged. After hitting their targets, plunderers would journey leagues upriver to the future site of Baldur’s Gate, at a turn of the Chionthar that gave good harbor and relatively easy access to the Trade Way, and then sell their booty to traders without fear of meeting the goods’ original owners.
In time, industrious traders and herders decided that the excellent, albeit illicit, commerce outweighed the bluffs’ poor soil, and they put down roots. Due in part to its frequent mists and surely its residents’ reputations, the settlement became known as Gray Harbor—a name Baldurians still use for the bay today.
The city gained its current name centuries ago when the great explorer Balduran returned from his journey to the other side of Evermeet, the homeland of the elves, where he searched for the fabled isles of Anchorome. He spread around wild stories of his adventures as well as huge amounts of wealth, some of which he spent to have a wall constructed around his oft-raided hometown. Balduran left again for Anchorome and never returned.
Balduran’s gate-dotted wall encircled the homes at the top of the bluff but left the harbor arid the climb up the bluffs unprotected. This design allowed residents to tax goods coming to market. Balduran’s colleagues, sea captains to whom the harbor was home, angrily insisted the gate by which southern trade and the harbor traffic entered the city was “Baldur’s Gate,” and they refused to pay. They fought, overthrew the enriched traders and herders, and seized control of the city.
The four oldest captains, their days at sea drawing to a close, turned over their ships to younger sailors, who in turn supported the captains’ installation as the fledgling city’s rulers. The aging skippers jokingly called themselves “dukes,” but the title proved useful in intercity negotiations. Following Amn’s founding, trade boomed in the Gate’s relaxed climate, and the city grew.
It burst its original bounds, consuming Gray Harbor as it grew up and down thebluffs. The Upper and Lower cities’ fates were so entwined the dukes ruled the Lower City couldn’t be left exposed to raiders. Thus, Baldur’s Gate erected two new wall segments along the bluffs that attached to the Old Wall, which was improved, and also kissed the River Chionthar twice, on the city’s western and eastern sides.
Today, Baldur’s Gate still refuses to he constrained. People and businesses blocked from residing within the walls huddle against them or sprawl along outlying roads. What once was two communities now feels like three: the privileged Upper City, the hardworking Lower City and the lawless Outer City.

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Coat of Arms

The ship in the Baldur’s Gate coat of arms represents both the city’s role as a hub for river and ocean trade and its namesake, Balduran, an explorer who sailed west into the unknown and returned with great wealth. The calm sea symbolizes the Gate’s intent to be a peaceful power, and the clear, blue sky denotes optimism about its future.
The frequent fogs and drizzling rains put the city’s coat of arms at the center of various jokes and sayings, such as uWhen the arms show true,” meaning never or rarely, and “Don’t forget your coat,” indicating clear and sunny weather. Meanwhile, sayings such as “The seas do roil” and “The ship is tipping” reference present danger or trouble on the way.

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Modern day Baldur's Gate...

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Common Knowledge of Baldur's Gate & Environs

Baldur's Gate, Year 1491 DR, The Year of the Scarlet Witch

Even the most hardened adventurers watch their steps in Baldur's Gate, where lives hold prices in copper and greed proves deadlier than dragon fire. Baldur's Gate has a reputation for being a rough place, where crime and opportunity walk hand in hand, and where anything can be bought, sold, or seized at swordpoint. If something can be given a price, it's for sale somewhere in Baldur's Gate. Drugs and poisons sit on shelves alongside tinctures and remedies. Trade goods from Chult, mechanical wonders from Neverwinter, tomes of magic from Calimshan, and the most believable counterfeits of each can all be found in the city's stalls.
The Flaming Fist, a mercenary company paid for by the city, protects residents without the barest hint of civil delicacy. The Watch, the guardian force of the wealthy Upper City, exists only to serve the patriars - the city's detached upper class. Meanwhile, crime flourishes under the control of the Guild, which oversees almost every organized criminal act, from dockside gambling rings to blackmail at patriar garden parties. Either under the Guild's auspices or in defiance of them, those who cut purses or throats make a decent living in the city, their talents traded as briskly - and often as openly - as those of any other professional.
For all it's shadows and dark dealings, Baldur's Gate is not without its lights. Some residents earnestly seek to make the city a safer place by banding together to make their own sort of imperfect but effective justice.

Government > The Council of Four
The Parliament of Peers, a group mainly composed of nearly 50 patriar members, makes recommendations on issues of law and governance. Once the parliament comes to a decision on a matter, it presents its decision to the Council of Four. Three dukes and one grand duke make up this ruling council. Though the Parliament of Peers and the patriars hold a great deal of power, the Council of Four is the ultimate authority.
Grand Duke Ulder Ravengard > the most powerful figure in the city since he is also the Supreme Marshal of the Flaming Fist.
Duke Belynne Stelmane > once a vigorous and formidable politician, she recently suffered a seizure that has left her with a partially paralyzed face and slowed speech.
Duke Dillard Portyr > once a respected businessman, the duke has pulled back from his investments and now spends his time living the good life that his wealth can provide him. His niece, Liara Portyr, commands a Flaming Fist outpost on Chult known as Fort Belaurian.
Duke Thalamra Vanthampur > the newest on the council, she is the matriarch of the Vanthampur family.

Military
The Flaming Fist > funded by the Council of Four, it is the city's army; Grand Duke Ravengard is its undisputed leader. The Fist largely patrols the Lower City, holding nominal authority in the Outer City as well. Thousands of soldiers currently serve in the city, at the fortress of Wyrm's Rock on the Chionthar River, and at remote outposts. The Flaming Fist offers employment and a sense of belonging to any who can lift a sword and follow orders. Native Baldurians, immigrants, former criminals, and retired adventurers can all be found within the company's ranks.
The Watch > Bankrolled by the patriars, the Watch has a reputation as glorified bodyguards for the city's elite. Orderly and regimented, the Watch maintains precise, predictable patrols. At dusk, the Watch clears the Upper City of everyone but residents, their household staffs, and guests bearing written invitations. Many Watch officers, born and raised in the city, pride themselves on recognizing every Upper City resident on sight.

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Here are the Outer City neighborhoods one is most familiar with in order of how most travelers from the south would go.

1/ Rivington > a village of anglers and river-powered mills. It is dominated by a local gang called the Rivington Rats, and it's also a haven for smuggling due to easy river access. The Old Mill is a nice little tavern/inn right on the river, specializing in a thin fish soup and amazing breads. The innkeeper is "Footsie" Fields.

2/ Wyrm's Crossing > this neighborhood is actually two enormous bridges, each spanning half the Chionthar River and meeting at Wyrm's Rock, a tall, rocky islet in the center. Wyrm's Rock is a fortress for the Flaming Fist mercenary company, taxing travelers and controlling city access in times of trouble. Ramshackle wooden tenements, taverns, and shops crowd both sides of the arched stone spans; more cling to the sides of the bridges, anchored to each other or cantilevered over the water. The residents have the reputation of rakes and riffraff, but at the same time there is a large and tight-knit strongheart Halfling community. Residents stick together and a local crew called the Crossers are known to pilfer travelers coming and going.
Danthelon's Dancing Axe is a two-story shop selling everything an adventurer might need; Entharl Danthelon is the owner.

In the center is Wyrm's Rock, built by the Flaming Fist and said to have once housed a bronze dragon...hence its name. This is the checkpoint at which Baldur's Gate taxes northbound travelers. There is a 5 copper piece toll for anyone crossing the bridge; after dark, the drawbridges on either side are raised, halting all traffic. Between 25-50 Flaming Fist soldiers staff the checkpoint.

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3/ Twin Songs > standing ready to welcome visitors as they cross the river, Twin Songs is renowned for its diversity of shrines and places of worship, from roadside altars and idols to home-based temples. No god is too foreign or obscure to be worshipped here, where even non-criminal worship of fiends and the Dead Three goes unchallenged.
The Church of Last Hope is a combined chapel and asylum for the depressed and mentally ill. Mother Aramina is the overseeing priestess. The chapel is not universally loved by the residents of Twin Songs; in fact, a gang called the Faithless sees it as a haven for wealthy city-dwellers ripe for the picking.

4/ Sow's Foot > expatriates from dozens of far-flung nations mingle with races ranging from lizardfolk to svirfneblin among the scents of exotic food and calls of strange animals, banding together against a city that views them as outsiders.

5/ Whitkeep > taking its name for the white manor house at its center, this neighborhood houses the city's largest enclave of Gnomes. Free-spirited and home to hordes of artists, the neighborhood would likely attract trendy city folk and price out the resident radicals if not for its odoriferous tanneries.
Whitkeep Hostel is a white-walled manor house community of artisan Gnomes. While catering primarily to their own race, the Gnomes invite all Baldurians to socialize at the place's infamous surrealist parties or attend its concerts and offbeat art happenings. The hostel has become the central gathering point for the city's radicals and revolutionaries, as well as many artists and dreamers.
Pernilla "Prole" Cabrenock is one of the most outspoken critics of the city's government. Her partner, Ardryn Deagle, is an oddball inventor and arcanist. Rumors say the pair have almost completed a magical invention that will "finally strip away the bonds of capital and free the people to flourish."

6/ Little Calimshan > this walled community of Calishite refugees from generations past, fiercely guard their home from the Guild and the rest of Baldur's Gate. Little Calimshan opens its gates to outsiders for just a few hours each day. Inside its warren of bazaars, local merchants have a near-monopoly on many southern imports, from silks and fine blades of Calishite steel to tomes of rare magical lore; guests are shuffled back out by mid-afternoon; not even the Flaming Fist is able to force its way into the neighborhood-turned-fortress after hours. Places you've heard about include the Calim Jewel Emporium, the Garden of Whispers, and the Lamp of Learning school, along with the Verdashir Academy; the famous Oasis Theater is visited by every patriar in the city.

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7/ Norchapel > the quietest of the Outer City neighborhoods, Norchapel caters to those residents willing to pay more than the usual protection money to the Guild, in exchange for having their safety and security.

8/ Stonyeyes > just outside the Basilisk Gate, this neighborhood is full of stables and stockyards. Many Outer City residents who work within the city live here; among them is a significant community of Half-Orc porters.
Garynmor Stables and Menagerie is the largest hostlers and stables in the Outer City; it has two locations: here and in Blackgate on the opposite side of the city. This provides those passing through the option of leaving their beasts on one side of the city and picking them up on the other. They also rent mounts to city residents, but the true gem setting Garynmor Stables apart is its menagerie. Ran by Ubis Garynmor, the menagerie contains a variety of rare creatures both mundane and magical.
Hamhocks Slaughterhouse is a huge complex of pens, barns and abattoirs making it the largest slaughterhouse and knackery in Baldur's Gate. This place has a generally adversarial relationship with neighboring establishments, as other hostlers and herders claim the omnipresent smell of blood makes their animals nervous.

There are two other Outer City neighborhoods which are accessible through gates in the Lower City.
Blackgate serves those traveling to and from Waterdeep on the Trade Way. Huge stables cater to traveler's mounts, while a community of shield dwarf ironsmiths draws even residents from the Upper City with their skill.
Tumbledown is off by itself overlooking the river; it is perpetually foggy and hosts the Cliffside Cemetery.

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Balduran Looks Out to Sea
Shortly after Balduran disappeared for the final time, this statue appeared on the cliffs of Tumbledown. Twice the size of the actual man, the statue bears an uncanny likeness to Balduran, squinting west over city and river. While its sudden arrival created something of a stir, most assumed it was simply a tribute to the great man — until one morning several months later when passersby noticed that one of the statue’s hands had risen to shade its eyes. Scholars immediately began studying the statue, learning that at sunrise on the first day of each new year, the statue flickers, changing its position in an eyeblink. Though it always looks west, the precise line of its gaze can change by up to thirty degrees, and it may peer through a spyglass, stand with hands on hips, point with an open hand, and so on.

For centuries, the predominant theory was that Balduran still lived somewhere far to the west, and the statue tracked his movements. Yet a generation ago, a knight of Oghma vowed to follow the line of the statue’s gaze as far as necessary to learn the truth. His journey was shorter than expected. In a wood just a few miles west of the city, he came upon a cylindrical stone building, its open doorway revealing stairs leading down into the forest floor. Atop the building, a smaller statue of Balduran stared back the way he had come. Prevented from entering by a pattern of magical lights he couldn’t identify, the knight raced back to the city to gather additional scholars — yet when he returned, the structure was gone. Since then, the forested structure — which popular stories now refer to as Balduran’s Tomb — has been discovered three more times in the same fashion, each time in a different location, yet so far no one has been able to enter.