Baldur's Gate

City Overview

Baldur's Gate is one of the most influential and iconic cities in Faerûn, often described as the "City of Blood." Built atop wealth generated from trade and mercantile enterprise, it is a sprawling urban hub of contradictions—wealth and squalor, nobility and criminality, opportunity and danger. The city is divided into three key districts:

The Upper City: Home to the city’s elite, featuring grand estates, immaculate streets, and locations like the Manorborn District. The Watch keeps tight control here.
The Lower City: The heart of trade and commerce. Bustling docks, crowded streets, and raucous markets dominate this chaotic, thriving district, where wealth flows through honest merchants and cutthroat smugglers alike.
The Outer City: Beyond the walls lies a sprawling shantytown and farmland, where refugees, outcasts, and laborers make their homes in improvised conditions.

Baldur's Gate thrives on a "no questions asked" policy—gold is gold, regardless of its source. However, crime and corruption often simmer beneath its surface, as the Guild, the city's shadowy crime syndicate, exerts influence in every corner. In contrast, the Flaming Fist, a powerful mercenary force, and the city’s rulers—known as the Dukes of Baldur's Gate—attempt to maintain order, often with iron-fisted tactics.

The city’s Wyrm’s Crossing bridge spans the Chionthar River, linking Baldur’s Gate to vital trade routes, while Balduran’s Sea Tower stands watch in the bay as a symbol of the city's seafaring prowess.

Whether one seeks fortune, danger, or simply anonymity, Baldur's Gate welcomes all—so long as they can survive its treacherous streets.

The Upper City

The wealthiest and most heavily patrolled district, the Upper City houses Baldur’s Gate’s elite families and most influential institutions. Clean streets, opulent estates, and the ever-present Watch define this area.

Key Locations:
High Hall: Seat of the Dukes of Baldur’s Gate (Council of Four) and the city’s governing body.
The Wide: A vast open marketplace, hosting traders, performances, and grand gatherings.
The Drakon: A notable tavern and meeting place for discreet dealings.
Watch Citadel: Headquarters of the Watch, the elite constabulary maintaining order in the Upper City.
Major Factions:
The Watch: The Upper City’s guards, who answer only to the Dukes. They enforce strict laws and keep outsiders at bay.
The Patriar Families: The old-money elite who wield power through wealth, influence, and lineage.
Notable Neighborhoods:
Manorborn District: A collection of grand estates and manors belonging to the Patriar families.

The Lower City

The bustling and chaotic heart of Baldur’s Gate, the Lower City is where merchants, dockworkers, and rogues cross paths. Trade flourishes amidst a maze of streets filled with markets, taverns, and warehouses.

Key Locations:
Basilisk Gate: A heavily trafficked gate separating the Lower City from the Outer City.
Blushing Mermaid: An infamous tavern and haven for mercenaries, pirates, and cutthroats.
Counting House: A powerful banking guild where vast fortunes are stored and exchanged.
Elfsong Tavern: A legendary inn, known for its haunting elven song and for hosting adventurers.
The Docks: A sprawling waterfront where cargo ships unload goods and smugglers ply their trade.
Shrine of the Suffering: A temple to Ilmater, offering aid to the sick and poor.
Major Factions:
The Flaming Fist: A mercenary company and de facto law enforcement, led by Grand Duke Ulder Ravengard (one of the Council of Four).
The Guild: A secretive criminal syndicate that controls smuggling, theft, and illicit trade.
Notable Neighborhoods:
The Steeps: A sloping, crowded area full of cramped buildings and shops, leading down to the Docks.
Heapside: The trade center of the Lower City, filled with markets and workshops.

The Outer City

Beyond the city walls lies the sprawling, chaotic Outer City. Shantytowns, refugee camps, and farmland stretch along the Chionthar River, housing those too poor or unwelcome to live inside the city proper.

Neighbourhoods & Maps:
Outer City:
Rivington
Twin Songs
Sow's Foot
Whitkeep
Norchapel & Calimshan
Stonyeyes
Tumbledown
Blackgate
Lower City:
Brampton
Eastway
Heapside
The Steeps
Bloomridge
Seatower
Upper City:
Manorborn
Temples
The Wide
Key Locations:
Wyrm’s Crossing: The massive bridge spanning the Chionthar River, lined with shops, inns, and homes.
Little Calimshan: A bustling neighbourhood filled with Calishite immigrants, merchants, and their unique culture.
The Stonyeyes Quarry: A source of stone for the city’s construction efforts.
Major Factions:
The Guild (Outer City Division): Thieves, smugglers, and petty criminals operate freely here.
Refugee Camps: Temporary settlements for those displaced by war and disaster.
Notable Neighborhoods:
Stonyeyes District: A rough neighborhood surrounding the quarry, home to laborers and paupers.

For more detailed information and lore: See The Forty-First Lamina's Baldur's Gate Articles

Maps

Baldur's Gate, Lower City, Bloomridge

A colourful, lively neighbourhood known for its gardens, inns, and shops. It caters to artisans, travellers, and those who enjoy leisure, creating a mix of business and pleasure.

Article: Baldur's Gate

Part of: The Chaos Bringer Series
Baldur's Gate, Outer City, Tumbledown

The cemetery district outside the city walls, where crypts, mausoleums, and burial grounds sprawl over uneven terrain. It is eerie but also a place of reverence for Baldur’s departed.

Article: Baldur's Gate

Part of: The Chaos Bringer Series
Baldur's Gate, Outer City, Stonyeyes

A rough, working-class neighbourhood surrounding the city’s stone quarry. Dirty streets and hardworking laborers, predominantly half-orcs, are a common sight in this industrial area. Caravans off load their products for transport here.

Parent Map: Baldur's Gate

Part of: The Chaos Bringer Series
Baldur's Gate, Lower City, The Steeps

A wealthier neighbourhood perched on the elevated area of the Lower City. Known for its ornate homes, sweeping views, and powerful merchant families who live close to the Upper City.

Article: Baldur's Gate

Part of: The Chaos Bringer Series
Baldur's Gate, Outer City, Twin Songs

A district of shrines, chapels, and holy sites dedicated to many deities. A haven for pilgrims and the faithful seeking guidance. Legal worship of all deities is allowed here.

Article: Baldur's Gate

Part of: The Chaos Bringer Series
Baldur's Gate, Upper City, Manorborn

Home to Baldur's Gate's nobility and affluent merchants, this district boasts opulent mansions, manicured gardens, and private guards. It represents the pinnacle of wealth and privilege in the city.

Article: Baldur's Gate

Part of: The Chaos Bringer Series
Baldur's Gate, Lower City, Heapside

It is the heart of the Lower City's working class known for its workshops, entertainment and affordable housing. Although gritty and crowded it is generally clean and well kept.

Article: Baldur's Gate

Part of: The Chaos Bringer Series
Baldur's Gate, Outer City, Blackgate

A working class neighbourhood outside of Black Dragon Gate surrounding the Trade Way en route to Waterdeep. Another area for merchants and caravans to store their wares and stable their animals prior to transfer of products into the city. Renowned for their dwarven smiths and craftsman

Article: Baldur's Gate

Part of: The Chaos Bringer Series
Baldur's Gate, Lower City, Brampton

A dockside neighborhood filled with sailors, laborers, and fishmongers. Known for its chaotic streets, constant noise, and the strong smell of salt and fish. It’s rough but vital to the city's maritime trade.

Article: Baldur's Gate

Part of: The Chaos Bringer Series
Baldur's Gate, Outer City, Sow's Foot

A muddy, overcrowded slum near the Outer City gates, known for ramshackle huts, foul odours, and black-market dealings. Many laborers and drifters call this rough area home, including those races and species outcast from the rest of the city.

Parent Map: Baldur's Gate

Part of: The Chaos Bringer Series
Baldur's Gate, Lower City, Seatower

Named for the imposing Seatower of Balduran, this fortified naval district houses the Flaming Fist headquarters and protects the harbour. Heavily patrolled and militarized, it stands as a symbol of the city’s power.

Article: Baldur's Gate

Part of: The Chaos Bringer Series
Baldur's Gate, Upper City, Temples

A serene district where the city's most prominent temples and shrines are located, offering worship to major deities like Gond, Tymora, and Helm. The area is quieter, with well-kept streets and reverent atmosphere.

Article: Baldur's Gate

Part of: The Chaos Bringer Series
Baldur's Gate, Outer City, Rivington

A sprawling Outer City settlement south of Baldur's Gate, filled with refugee camps, fisheries, river-powered mills, and makeshift homes of the city’s poorest. Smugglers, known as the Rivington Rats operate in the area. Markers only.

Created by here_be_dragons_and_cats using Inkarnate

Parent Map: Baldur's Gate

Part of: The Chaos Bringer Series
Baldur's Gate, Outer City, Norchapel

A quiet, impoverished Outer City neighbourhood filled with makeshift homes and small chapels. It is home to labourers, working class and outlaws alike.

A colourful enclave where Calishite immigrants have created a a refuge for themselves from the rest of the outer city, complete with bazaars, mosques, and spice-filled air.

Article: Baldur's Gate

Part of: The Chaos Bringer Series
Baldur's Gate, Outer City, Whitkeep

Tanneries dominate the area. It is home to a community of artisans, including tinsmiths from the large representation of gnomes. It is also known for attracting radical minded individuals.

Parent Map: Baldur's Gate

Part of: The Chaos Bringer Series
Baldur's Gate

A bustling, fortified city perched on the edge of the Chionthar River, serving as a gateway to trade, opportunity, and intrigue along the Sword Coast. Detailed interactive markers includes neighbourhoods, stores, temples and various other points of interest with full descriptions.

Article: Baldur's Gate

Part of: The Chaos Bringer Series
Baldur's Gate, Upper City, The Wide

The grand open market square of Baldur's Gate, bustling with vendors selling luxury goods, exotic wares, and fine foods. It serves as the heart of commerce for the wealthy and is carefully monitored by the Watch.

Article: Baldur's Gate

Part of: The Chaos Bringer Series
Baldur's Gate, Lower City, Eastway

This is the main hub of activity upon entering the Lower city. Markets, warehouses, and inns line its streets, catering to merchants and travellers alike. Large crowds also attract pickpockets and other petty crime.

Article: Baldur's Gate

Part of: The Chaos Bringer Series