Upper City

Neighborhoods

  Citadel Streets
The northern stretch of the Upper City named after the Watch Citadel where the guards of the Watch conduct training and maintain their headquarters. Beyond the looming keep, the neighborhood is filled with shops and grand manors that are comparably modest to the other portions of the Upper City.   Manorborn
The most opulent residences are found in the Manorborn neighborhood. Most of the Parliament of Peers members reside here as do the old, proud families who trace their lineages back to the city's founding. Climbing gardens, fountained courtyards, and private orchards adorn many of the elegant homes.   Temples
Centrally located in the Upper City, this neighborhood's skyline is dominated by the various temple and shrines that represent the swathe of gods worshipped by residents and the many travelers who visit Baldur's Gate. The gate tolls of the Upper City keep the area largely free of humble petitioners or beggars.   The Wide
Named after the massive market and civic space that serves as a center of commerce in the city, this neighborhood extends beyond the Wide and contains many of the other manors and shops surrounding the open space tucked into the northern reaches of the city.  

Notable Locations

   

Government

  High Hall
The center of government activity in Baldur's Gate. Both the Council of Four and Parliment of Peers meet here. It also plays home to a number of private meeting rooms and the council member's luxurious offices. Criminal and civil trials, tax collection, and professional guild meetings also take place here. The High Hall also contains expansive libraries of all local laws, ordinances, judicial rulings, deed records, guild charters, patriar family genealogy, and other civil documents. On the ground floor, a museum to the history of Baldur's Gate is open to the public along with a mausoleum for the city's former dukes and heroes.   Watch Citadel
Training grounds, barracks, and offices for the Upper Cirty's guard forces. Also contains stables for their warhorses and a few jail cells for those awaiting trial in the High Hall. The Citadel is overseen by High Constable and Master of Walls Osmurl Havanack who is known as deeply loyal to his guards and largely indifferent to city politics.  

Merchants & Business

  The Wide
The city's most prominent civic space and public market. Each morning, waves of vendors set up stalls and take deliveries from porters before carting their unsold wares back out or paying fees for warehouse storage of their goods. In the operating hours, the Wide hosts a vibrant, buslting market for nearly every mundane or luxury good or service imaginable. Among these vendors are other con artists, fortune tellers, and quiet performers such as puppeteers. Bailiff of the Wide, Jedren Hiller, assigns stall placements to merchants each morning and his corruption in accepting bribes or favors for preferable locations is legendary and well known across the city. The Wide also hosts one of the most city's most cherished landmarks - the Beloved Ranger, a statue of Minsc and his hamster companion, Boo.   Harbreeze Bakery
This cherished neighborhood institution is most famous for its whimsically painted cinnamon cookies and sugarbread loaves. It also maintains a wide selection of exotic teas and features rare spices in many of its products. A cornerstone of the social scene in Baldur's Gate, it is a beloved place for partiars looking to chat and gossip. Proprietor Ellyn Harbreeze is often well aware of the ongoings of the Upper City as a result.   Distant Shores
Owned and operated by Tendai and Khennen Shore, the store imports dried meats, spices, cookware, and traditional recipes from Port Nyanzaru, where the rest of Tendai's family still lives. In recent weeks, they have suffered several incidents of vandalism.  

Temples and Shrines

  Hall of Wonders
A quasi-religious museum for displaying the magnificent inventions wrought in Gond's name. While the House House of Wonders serves as both temple and workshop full of prototypes, this hall is for showcasing only the perfected results of Gond's inspiration. Some of these products include lockboxes designed to appear as ordinary furniture, a steam-operated mechanical orchestra, a steam "dragon" powering an engine that can move immense weights, and other elaborate tools and nautical devices.   High House of Wonders
The vast workshop dedicated to Gond. Led by High Artificer Andar Beech. Masters of all disciplines work alongside priests and acolytes, developing new inventions, producing new prototypes, and conducting new experiments. In contrast to the Hall of Wonder, much of the High House is inaccessible to the public. While the clerics of Gond obstensibly offer healing and offer services similar to other temples, they tend to specialize in novel or rare conditions where traditional magic or ailments would not suffice.   True Temple
The temple to Torm in Baldur's Gate. Comparatively unadorned against the other houses of worship, the temple is designed pragmatically to maximize space for both gathering and training grounds. The temple's main chamber is filled with numerous small alcoves and chapels for individuals or small groups to confer with Torm and reflect upon their own sense of duty and loyalty, while the courtyards are separated into distinct training grounds for Tormites to test their resolve against one another.   Lady's Hall
Tymora's temple in Baldur's Gate. The church is made from the local yellow granite seen in many local structures, blending into the neighborhood inconspiculously. Recently added mosaics depict Baldurians prevailing against ill fortune while at sea. The primary purpose of the temple is to accept requests and donations from petitioners seeking the Lady Luck's intercession in their affairs. With many city residents slow to trust the Flaming Fist or Watch, it is not uncommon for individuals to seek justice or aid at the Lady's Hall. It is not unheard of for the Lady's Hall to sponsor adventurers to help solve these sorts of cases.   Unrolling Scroll
The temple dedicated to Oghma stands in sharp contrast to the surrounded structures with its radiant white marble walls and stairs and an arched roof of bright red edged in gold leaf. Under the roof is a wide reflecting pool resting in a deep basin. Designed for excellent acoustics, any speaker can be heard clearly while speaking effortlessly across an assembled audience. The shrine has become a popular location for weddings and other ceremonies as a result. Legend holds that any who study their own reflection in the basin for half a day will behold a vision from Oghma that inspires their next creation.   Watchful Shield
Helm's shrine in the Upper City consists of a small chapel flanked by wings at its door and a vigilant eye inspired in silver above it. Chapel services are regularly attended by both Flaming Fists and members of the Watch as well as private bodyguards and traveling soldiers. Helm clergy of the chapel has served alongside the other martial forces when needed, leading to many in the Outer City seeing them as extensions of the social class divisions in Baldur's Gate. Helm's clerics provide healing for modest fees, waiving them in the case of those who were injured in the protection of another.  

Taverns & Inns

  Helm and Cloak
A rare melting pot of social classes in the Upper City, this unfussy but quality inn hosts a mix of unpretentious patriars, traveling nobles, famed bards, and ambitious Lower City residents. The kitchen of the inn prides itself in flawless service and sourcing only the freshest and finest ingredients. The establishment is actually two conjoined enterprises, the Helm serving as a rooming house while the Cloak serving as the alehouse and restaurant. Both are decorated with the trophies of adventuring parties including a bronze-horned marble unicorn bust in the Helm's common room. It is tradition for patrons to rub the horn for good luck.   The Helm and Cloak has long served as a gathering space for the more idealistic sons and daughters of patriars who envision a brighter future for Baldur's Gate and eventually led to the founding of the Knights of the Unicorn, which maintain the inn as their informal headquarters to this day. The establishment is overseen by two retired knights, Vedren and Halesta.   Three Old Kegs
Named for its signage of three barrels lashed together hanging from a pole overhead, this tavern is most popular among retired and current members of the Flaming Fist. It serves simple, hearty meals and keeps a variety of good-quality, but inexpensive beer and wine and tolerates no rowdiness among customers. Rooms are available for both short term and long term rentals and the Three Old Kegs even offers amenities such as laundry, mending and repairing equipment, and sharpening services. Several retired Flaming Fist maintain permanent residence here, making it one of the safest places to stay in the city.   The Undercellar
A maze of storage chambers, ale cellars, and cobwebbed tunnels beneath the Wide. At least two dozen ways in and out of the Undercellar exist, whether they ben tunnels through basements of buildings or sewer grates. Only a few are widely known and many are deliberately kept secret. It is commonly known that the Undercellar hosts a speakeasy and brothel as well as other "indulgence rooms" for other vices of all sorts. Rumors abound of even more nefarious ongoings in the dark corners of the Undercellar where the Guild operates. The Undercellar is ruled by Heltur "Ribbons" Ribbond.  

Prominent Residences

  Vanthampur Villa
Home to the Duke Vanthampur, the ducal villa resides in the Temples neighborhood, far away from the other partiars while still being visible to them.   Ramazith's Tower
Built of a weathered red brick in a tiered, cylindircal shape, this six-floor tower in considered a unique landmark by some and an eyesore by others. It was built by an eccentric wizard, Ramazith, nearly a century ago, who died shortly after its completion under mysterious circumstances. It stood empty for decades, but was recently acquired by Lorrokan, a young short-tempered mage, who currently resides in the lower floors of the towers that have already been explored and cleaned out.   Bormul House
An elegant three-story townhouse of yellow granite and slate with cream-colored roses climbings its garden walls thati s located in the Manorborn neighborhood. The Bormuls were the subject of some rumors last Spring when their entire house fell ill and began acting strangely, citing a bout of shellfish poisoning afflicting the household.   Rillyn House
Though the Rillyn family is one of the most honorable patriar families in the city, they had fallen into poverty a few generations ago and only saw their fortunes turn around recently with the arrival of Yvandre Rillyn of the Flaming Fist. Yvandre opened The Rillyn School in the guest house adjacent to the family estate where she teaches swordsmanship to Upper City youth she deems worthy enough, spurning many of the Upper City's pandered youth. The school is about to graduate their first class.   Eomane House
Home to the four Eomane siblings who are notorious throughout the Upper City for the scandalous masked revels hosted at their manor. Nysene Eomane often invites hopeful social climbers to these events as part of the evening's festivities.   Hhune House
A somewhat smaller manor that is home to the Hhune family, who maintain powerful connections along the Sword Coast. Lutecia Hhune, the elderly matriarch of the family, lives here alone save for her valet and assistant, Kaddrus.