Descent into Avernus

SAILOR

Baldur's Gate was founded by sailors, and its harbor

is still the city's beating heart. Several patriars are

descended from captains of yore, the commerce of the
Lower City is built on the port, and even the Outer City's

rhythms are dominated by the ebb and flow of river

trade. Because sailors are as fundamental and ubiqui-

tous to Baidu r's Gate as the cobbles on its streets, char-

acters with this background are common.

BALDUR'S GATE FEATURE: SMUGGLER'S SENSE

You're familiar with the docks of Baidu r's Gate, the

movement of inspectors and tax collectors, the way

cargo and coin flows. As a result, it's easy for you to hus-

tle a load of cargo ashore or see such a cargo onto a co-

operative ship without attracting suspicion or taxation.

You also know the movements of the Gray Wavers-the

Flaming Fist harbor guards- and have a sense of how to

operate the city's mechanized cranes.

SOLDIER

Mercenaries, private guards, Watch soldiers, and mem-

bers of the Flaming Fist number among just a few of the

many soldiers on the streets of Baidu r's Gate.

BALDUR'S GATE FEATURE: CITY GUARD

You may choose to currently serve in either the Flaming

Fist or the Watch. If you do, you have responsibilities

related to your post. For as long as you perform these

responsibilities, you gain benefits. If you stop perform-

ing your responsibilities, though, you lose access to the

benefits and might suffer further fallout. Should you

lose these benefits, you may regain them by having an

unpleasant conversation with your commanding officer

and fulfilling your responsibilities for a month.

Flaming Fist. If you serve in the Flaming Fist, once

ever y ten days, you must report to the Seatower of

Balduran for training, and you're required to take a reg-

ular shift patrolling either the Lower City or the Outer

City. In return, you have access to the F laming Fist's

fortresses and a direct line of communication with

Flaming Fist officers and other soldiers. You can also

pass through the city's gates without question-although

you can't bring guests into the Upper City as a member

of the Watch might. Additionally, you're always welcome

at the Three Old Kegs, where the Three Old Toads are

glad to greet you with a smile and a mug of ale.

Th e Watch. If you serve in the Watch, you're required

to conduct a regular patrol in the Upper City or take a

regular shift at its gates, and must report for training

in the Watch Citadel once every te n days. In return, you

have access to the Citadel and a direct line of commu-

nication with Watch officers and officials. Your word

carries considerable weight in the High Hall, and most

establishments in the Citadel Streets neighborhood are

happy to give you and your friends free meals. Addition-

ally, you can escort people into the Upper City without

question, regardless of whether they a re patriars or have

Watch tokens. Outside the Upper City, however, most

people regard you with suspicion, and you generally get

a chilly reception while in uniform.

BALDUR'S GATE FEATURE: LOYALTY 'TEST

You've had enough dealings with crooked soldiers that

you can spot the behaviors common to corrupt guards

and military officers a mile away. While awareness of

such corruption doesn't equate to evidence of it, and

your sense certainly isn't foolproof, your instinct proves

a useful starting point when determining who might

take a bribe, who might turn a blind eye to a crime, or

who might have criminal connections. You can also use

this sense to get a feeling about who might fulfill their

duties strictly by the book.

URCHIN

Bands of orphans and runaways band together in the

Outer City, running after passersby in ragged throngs to

plead for scraps. In the Lower City, urchins are often re-

cruited into the lowest echelons of the Guild or pressed

into dirty and dangerous work by unscrupulous masters.

BALDUR's GATE FEATURE:

GATEGUIDE CONNECTION

Even though you might not be a member of the Gate-

guides crew. you've associated with enough of them

that you know their torch-based code. From the light-

ing, placement. and type of torch arranged on or near

a structure, you can gather a great deal of information

about those who live or do business there, particularly

if they deal fairly with strangers, have Guild or govern-

ment connections, or have either helped or denied the

Gateguides in the past.

BAL.DUR'S CATE GAZETTEER