Wyrm's Rock
This formidable fortress rises from the center of the River Chionthar on an algae-slick islet, its sheer walls nearly impossible to scale. Built by the Flaming Fist on a rock once said to have housed a bronze dragon, the fortress is the first checkpoint at which Baldur’s Gate taxes northbound travelers. Anyone seeking to cross the river via the fortress’s two massive bridges must pay the 5 cp toll and pass through the fortress via a long central tunnel riddled with arrow slits and murder holes. Between twenty-five and fifty Flaming Fist soldiers staff the checkpoint, which operates only during the day. After dark, the drawbridges on either side of the keep are raised, halting all traffic and forcing latecomers to take shelter at one of the many bridge-top inns in Wyrm’s Crossing until morning.
The fortress has four levels: the bridge level, taken up by the gauntlet tunnel and offices devoted to traffic management; a second-story armory full of oil, javelins, and everything the soldiers need to withstand a siege; a third story for soldier’s quarters; and a high-ceilinged dungeon level below the bridges to hold temporary prisoners and the fortress’s supply of small boats (should the garrison need to sally through heavily fortified river-level gates). Soldiers stationed in the fortress tend to fall into two categories: those disappointed at being stuck on toll-collection duty so far from the city, and those overjoyed at easy work and a chance to carouse in Wyrm’s Crossing, with the latter ensuring that the Fist doesn’t patrol their neighboring bridges too heavily.
The current commander of the fortress is Mage Defender Gardak Horn.
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