murder in baulder's gate adventure

8/11/2019 Murder in Baulder's Gate Adventure

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TALE OFTHREE CITIESBaldur's Gate is a city on the verge of war a simmeringstew pot of social tensions where eve n the smallest dropof un r est mi ght cause it to boil over and turn the cityagainst itself. Walls cut Baldur's Gate into three cities.The rich live atop bluffs protected from the bourgeoisie.Their homes cling to the slopes that literally preventmember of the middle class from rising above the irstations. Beyo n d the protection of he walls, the city'smany outcasts live with no lav.•aside from that enforce dby the daggers of thieves.

l n this powder keg, a n old threat flickers to newli fe. T he plot of a murdered deity finally comes to fr ui ·tion, resurrecting th e god of assassi ns. Bhaal wi ll liveagain. And in the city that once t hwarted hi s rebirth,three prominent figures unwittingly compete to heraldhi s return.

As the bodies clog the streets. can the heroes keepth e c ity from tearing itse lf apart? Can they preventBhaal from claiming the mind and soul of one of thecity's most powerfu l citizens? Or, as th ey battle theirway to the top of he heap, wi ll Bhaal's favo r fall up onone of them?

Only one thing is ce r tai n: Th e re will be blood.

OR THE OMMurder in Baldur s Gate™ is an adventure designed forfive 1st-level c haracters. It doesn't work lik e a typicaladve ntur e in wh ich the heroes stop the vi llains andsave the day. Instead, the adven t ure is about t he expe rience the players c reate as the drama of events unfolds.As the adventure plays out, it pushes those events out ofth e PCs' control. However, not being in control doesn'tmean not having something to do. The players shouldincreasingly feel pulled in different directions, with tooma n y fires to put ou t and too little time. I f you or theyget stuc k for what to do, cons ider using a neutral partysuch as Coran (Campaign Guide, page 38) to give theplayers a hint or an idea of what to do next.

You will need to impr ovise details as you run va rious even ts and enco un t ers. You might nee d to producetactical m aps on the spu r of the moment, create minornonplayer c ha r acters on the fly. or decide what happenswhen the cha r acte rs try something unexpected.

Murder in Baldur s ate turns the heroes loose in oneoffae ru n s great cities and pu t s few limitations on whatthe characters can do so be ready for anything. Whenplayers try outrageo us act ions, don't stifle their attemptsbecause they complica te your pla ns. Instead, use theopportunity to complicate their plans right back.

Game Rules and StatisticsYou can use the rules for 3rd Edition (v.3.5). 4th Edition, or D D Next when playing this adventu re. Fe\\game rules and no monster statistics are included inthi s book. You can find that material online at Du ngeonsandDragons.com/Sunderi ng. You can print outthe statistics or copy them into a file for your perso naluse. Throu ghout the adve ntur e, a monster name inbold indicates a monster that is available in the stat istics packet.

In addition. the adventure usually does not spec ifythe number of adversarie s the heroes might face. Thisabsence is intended to give you the flexibility to adjustencounters based on what edition you're running, andwhat is a suitable c hallenge based on the circumstancesan d the condition of he pa r ty.

T hi s adventure ca lls for ab ility c hecks rather thanskill checks. Dependi ng on w hich editi on's rules you'reusing, replace the ab ili ty checks with skill checks thata rc appropriate for the task being attempted.

THE SUNDERINGMurder in Baldur s Gate is set during the time of he Sunde ring,a period of yea rs after 1479 when many of he gods designatem orta ls to be their Chosen. These ind ividual s are gra nt ed fragm e nt s of their deities' power In orde r to ac hie ve certa in aim sbefore the overgod, Ao, recreate s the Tablets of Fate. Duringthe Sundering, gods that wer e thought lost or dead ret urn ,and age-old alliances and hierar chies of he deities are throwninto upheaval. Murder in Baldur s Gate tells just one of these

stories. Others play out in the leBacy o the Crystal Shard™

adventure and the Sundering nove l series, starting with R. A.Salvatore's The Companions.

B CKGROUNDDuring the Time ofTroubles, the gods walked the worldafter being force d from the heavens by Ao. the overgod.in pu n ishment for their arrogance. Bhaal. the Lord ofMurder and god of assassins , was hi mself murderedduring this time. Yet he had foreseen his dem ise. Inpreparation, Bhaal took mortal form an d coupled withmany mortal creat ur es, spreading hi s divine essenceever thinner as eac h chil d was born. After his death,the c hildr en ofBhaa l- the so -called Bhaalspawn grewup haunted by dr eams of death and found themselvesimbued with st range powers. Age had little effect uponthem once they had grown to maturity, but as eachBhaalspawn was killed - often by a si bling the d ivinityof B haal became more and more concentrated in hisst ill -living sons and daughters.

One Bhaal spawn na m ed Abdel Adr ian res isted themurderou s nature impart ed to hjm by his father. When



he grew to adulthood, he set out to right the wrongs committed by his si blin gs and those who so ught to cont rol therebirth ofBhaal or tap th at powe r. Many of his battles tookplace in or near Baldur s Gate, and so the city becameAdrian s home of sorts, and its citi zen s looked to him astheir hero . Adrian eventually settled down in the city,was inducted as a leader among its mercenary military,the Flaming Fist, and was elected a duke for Life. Thanksto his divine heritage, Adrian has lived a long time, butso has his one rema ining half-sibling , Viekang. He andAdrian met briefly many years ago w hen Viekang was afretful ne er -do-well. Decades of dodging assassinationsand battling enterprising Bhaalspawn honed Viekang smurderous impulses to a razor s edge. Now he has come toBaldur s Gate to end it all, one way or another.

Abdel believes that since he is the last Bhaalspawnalive (to the best of his knowledge) and Bhaal has notarisen , the god of murder is we ll an d truly dead. He sabout to find out just how wrong he is.

STRU TUREThis adventure starts when Viekang and Ad r ianface off. Afterward, three prominent locals (one ofwhom might become the Chosen ofBhaal) separate lyapproach the characters. Each seeks the heroes aid tofur ther hi s o r her personal objectives . Sad ly there is nogoo d guy among them. Whichever faction the characters associate with is just as vio lent and corrupt as anyother one , as t he players w ill l earn in time.

The party s initial decision to ally with one or moreof h ese factions kicks off a series of stages wherein oneor more of he events instigated by eac h of he principalagents takes place.

Asthe D un geon Master, you determine how the eventsof a stage play out and whether it makes sense for tl1e

heroes to get involved. To keep tl1e tension high , you mighthave the characters hear about two events of a stage inquick succession, so they have to run from one location toanother w ithout rest. Alternatively, you might have twoor more of a stage s events happen simultaneously, so theplayers have to choose which problem to solve or whetherto sp lit the party to tackle more tl1an one issue. If he storyarcs become unwieldy, you coul d space out events overthe course of a day or more, or have the heroes hear aboutcertain events after they have occurred. preventing thecharacters from getting involved. In addition, you could

reorder or skip events to account for players choices.The players likely will realize before the final stage

that all three agents a r e pushing Baldur s Gate towardruin. At that point, the characters might attempt tokill one or mo r e of the age nt s to so lve the pr ob lem. Butthat c hoi ce puts them in Hne for Bhaal s favor-they vechosen mttrder as the so lu tion to their problems, aftera ll. If the ch aracte rs kill a ll three antagonists, one ofthem becomes the C ho sen of Bhaal.

GETTING ROUND0z;:

The Gate is a crowde d , bustling city, so m oving withi n it 0is time-consuming. Wa lking is the only practical option :::

for getting around, s in ce riding animals a nd draft animals aren t allowed in the Lower and Upper cities.

The inset map on the DM screen identifies the city sd istricts and neighborhoods. Walking across a di strictto the next takes 15 minutes under norma l circumstances or 10 minutes i f characte rs push. Thus, if thecharac ters need to carry a message from the Harbormaster s Office in Eastway to the H igh Hall in Temples,the walk through Heapside and the Steeps to Te mpl eswou ld take 3 to 45 minutes.

T hi s is a s low pace, about one mile per hour. But Baldur s Gate packs a lot of people into a small space . Onany given day, thick crowds are full of street p erforme rs sticky -fingered urchins, Flaming Fist and Watchpatrols, sailors, and travelers and traders. Stacks ofca rgo clog up intersections, traffic jams halt passage,an d steep and drizzle-slick roads put unlucky passersbyon their backsides. At night, when the Upp er City s

streets are clear and the Lower City s crowds havethinned somewhat, the heroes could move faster. Butdarkness, fog and patrols might still s low them.

Because of he crowds, t he peddlers, the bureaucrats,the toll collectors, and the a ir of ension over the cityevery action and t ransact ion takes lon ger than it wouldin a less congested and perilous place. f he charactersare at Wyrm s Crossing w hen the High Hall goes upin a fiery blast, they are at least an hour away from theaction. Capitalize on your op p ortunities to describethe tightly packed stalls of the Wide; the steep, narrowstreets ofB ioomrid ge; the teeming alleys of Blackgate;and th e maze -like, wa lled environs of Lit tle Calimshan.

OFFSTAGE EVENTSs you run the adventure , many of he events described in this

book will happen without the characters involvement. Don tthink of his as the heroes missing out on something. The elements that characters do not take part in are as important tothe story as the intrigues in which they become entangled.

The adventurers should hear news about all events thathappen in the city, even those in which they do not take anactive hand. Attacks from razor -wielding maniacs and otherunexpected sources make for exciting, unsettling news , regardless of heir targets.

Also keep in mind that word of mouth Is rarely wholly accurate. Have some fun with the news as It circles the city. Justensure that players understand that whatever Is happening Is

occurring citywide and that their characters aren t the centerof it. The upheaval in Baldur s Gate Isn t about the adventurers,and it wo n t walt for them. But if hey act , they might preventa catastrophe and save lives.

I-I-LIJ



BHAAL S FAVOR TRACKThe climact ic scene of Murder in Baldur's Ga te willun fold in a ce r tain way, depending on which of thethree cent r al characters succeeds in gaining BhaaJ'sfavor. To represent Bhaal s Favo r Track, jot down thenames of he three antagomsts-Rilsa Rael, a kingpinin the Gu ild; Ulder Ravengard, the marshal of theFlaming Fist; and Torlin S ilvershield, a duke on theCounc il of Four on a piece of note paper. Each eventin the adventu re is connected to at least one of heseindividuals; a small portrait in the text of an event indica tes which one is direc tly associated with that event.If an eve nt occurs m ore or less as described becausethe adventurers fai led to prevent it or helped it happen,the figure associated w ith that event rises one rank onBhaaJ's Favor Track.

Keep track of he characters' ranks behind yourscreen, but do not reveal them to the players. The finaleof th e adventure is tied to whoever has the highest rank.

IT BEGINS WIT BLOODO n the day the characters arrive in Bal dur's Gate, thecity's favorite citizen, Duke Abde l Adrian, is leading thepubli c ce lebration of Returning Day, the anniversary ofBald uran's h istoric return to Gray Harbor. In moments ,Viekang will attempt to murder Adrian to releaseth e spark of B haaJ's essence that is contained withinAdrian . Th is ini tial event takes place in the Wide.

When th e pl aye rs a re rea d y, re a d :The liBht drizzle isn't dampeninB the festive mood emanat

inBfrom the 8awkers and the hawkers o wares in the Wide , amarketplace packed with peoplefrom all strata o society andsta lls sellin8 exotic Faertm 8oods. Cheerful citizens tiBhtlywreath a platform erected alon8 the Wide's eastern ed8e.Someone wearin8 an official -lookin8 sash is speakin8, but thecrowd's noise drowns his words.

Moments later, the th rona erupts in wild cheers as anolder, surprisinBlYmuscular man takes center staBe. Theovation continues for minutes unabated. A nearby wizenedfemale eyesyou with amusement before hollerin8, Thishere's Duke Abde l Adrian," as i hat explains everythina.

The duke, smilin8 broadly, bows to the crowd and then 8es·tures for quiet. The crowd obeys, exceptfor one person, whoshouts, We loveyou, Abdel "

The duke responds, I loveyou, too, Baldur's Gate, andthe assembla8e explodes in deafenin8 hurrahs.

Another wave o he speaker's hand silences the crowd. Forseveral minutes, the duke heaps civic praise on Balduran, thefounder o Baldur's Gate; expounds on the virtues o sharedopportunity; and waxes poetic about the future.

s he talks,you notice a disturbance to you r riBht. Some-one is pushin8 rouBhly toward the platform. A cloaked and

hooded fiBure emeraes from the crowd, scrambles onto thepodium, and strides toward Adrian, short sword in hand.

The other officials scatter, leaving Adrian alone onthe podium with Viekang , the only other living BhaaJspawn. Watch guards move toward the stage, but thepanicking crowd impedes their progress and preventsthem from using their crossbows effectively. The heroesare closer to the stage, and it's up to them to intervene.

As mentioned earlier, the statistics for nonp layercharacters and monsters in this adventure can befound onli ne at DungeonsandDragons.com /S undering.But you need not use the rules to play out Adrian andViekang's fight if you would prefer to describe it to theplayers. You can have some ofViekang's thugs confrontthe characters if hey try to intervene.

Adrian and h is assailant are almost perfectlymatched in skill, but Viekang's weapon gives him theadvantage. To resolve matters quickly , roll a d6 forAdrian and a dlO for Vieka ng each round. When oneof them ro lls or more higher than his opponent, thewinner has struck a kill ing blow. If the characters intervene, assume Viekang and Abd e l Adrian have halftheir hit points remaining.

When either Viekang or Adrian dies, the survivormakes an involuntary , bone-crackling , flesh -tear ingtransformation as Bhaal's essence concentrates intoone being. The victor morphs into the hu lking, blood·soaked, corpse-like form of he Bh aa lspawn Slayer.

The silent onlookers stand transfixed as the Bhaalspawn momentarily exults over its foe's corpse beforeleaping into the crowd and rending skulls from torsos.Pandemonium and panic reign in the Wide as theadventurers fight the Bhaa lspawn Slayer. The BhaaJspawn Slayer fights to the death. After the fiend hasfallen, the Watch swiftly sets out to restore order.

The heroes can't know it at this point , but theBhaalspawn Slayer's death resurrects BhaaJ. The god'slong slumber and the many years Adrian's good soulencased him has left the Lord of Murder weak. Thus, hecannot yet do more than subtly influence people whoharbor murde rous intentions. Bhaal swiftly fixates onthe three antagonists and begins calculating ways touse them to whip the tendrils of fear drifting throughthe Gate into a tempest . Already, some Baldurians whoremember Ad rian's origin are whispering the Lord of

Murder 's name.If the adventurers ask about the transformation ,

most folk are ignorant. But the three antagonists , anysages of city lore, the heroes might meet and long -lived individuals such as Coran (Murder in Ba ldur'sGate Campa ian Guide, page 38) can outline the histo r yof the Bhaalspawn. None of them suspect that B haalhas returned. They assume that a ritual or someth inggrander t han the fight i n the Wide would be necessary.lf he is asked, Duke Silvershie ld does link the assassin



to the myste r ious c ul ts he is co ncerned abou t and suggests th at the attacker might have been a derangedfollowe r of th e dead god B h aaL

INTRODUCTORY STAGEImme d iate ly followi ng the Bhaa lspawn S laye r s deat h,the antagonists se p arately a pproach the he roes to askfor aid. T hey see the adve n tur ers as amb itious go -getterswho could be useful to their p lans for Baldur s Gate. Allthree set out to recru it the c haracters.

The first to reach out is Duke Torlin Silve rshield.

Silvershield s InvitationA few hear ty folk step from t he stunned crow d to congrat ulate an d th ank the characters for thei r q uickaction. Among them is a young ma n , darkly han dsome a n d gracef ul , who is dresse d in a s um p tuo usrobe. Im bra lym Skoond , Si lvershi e ld s trusted w izar d,smoothly clasps one of the character s hands , leans into whi sper a message , in clines h is head , an d sli ps backin to the crowd.

W hen Skoond w hi sp e rs to the char acter , rea d :My name is Imbralym Skoond. Mymaster bids me to

discover who tookAbdel Adrian's life. f ou wish to saveBaldur 's Gate from the rot festerinB inside it, meet me at theThree Old Ke8s. I will be there until four bells.

Ravengard s InvitationAfter a few more Watc h mem bers and citize ns speakwit h the characters, a powe rfully bui lt man stridestoward them. The c rowd pa r ts as he app roaches.Emb lazone d on his tabar d is a clenc hed gaun tletwreat hed i n fire - the symbo l of the Flam in g F is t.

W h e n he sp eak s t o the h e ro e s , r ea d:GreetinBs· I am Ulder Raven8ard, commander ofWyrm's

Rock and - as of riBht now- marsha l of he Flamin8 Fist mercena ry company. Duke Adrian had been our marshal. TheWatch was responsible for his safety here and should haveprotected him. We are indebted to you.

Please meet me at Wyrm s Rock, where we can have aproper introduction . You cou ld be of Breat service to our city

I hope you do not disprove my Bood appraisal of ou. You'llfind I can be a valuable friend.

s Raven8ard walks away, a dozen ha rd-bitten , plainclothesfiBu res melt awayfrom their positions, shadowinB themarsha l, their eyes prowl inB the crowd, stalls, and eaves.

Rael s InvitationAs the heroes ex it the W ide, a bea rded youn g manwearing a deep hoo d catc hes one c haracter s eye andbec kons h im or her to step near. Select a c haracterwho is a th ief or a rog ue, if poss ible, a n d men tion th at

the o th er p ers on i s usi ng h and signal s common amon gun de rwo rld types. T he figure is hel ping to straig hten atoppled fru it stal l.

When the adventurer draws near , read :The cloakedfiBure mutters breathily, You are newcomershere, so you don t know the sit u ation . Don't trus t either ofthose men who spoke to you. f ou want to know what is

really happeninB in Baldur's Gate, meet me a t the Bateway toLittle Ca limsha n at dusk.

The fiBure steps into the crowd and is swift ly ou t of siBht.

ecisio n T imeTh e req uests from t he antago ni sts ove rlap in ti me du eto the pr inci p als d istance fro m one another , so th echa rac ters can t accept all t hr ee invitatio ns unless th eysp lit up. T he w hole party co uld m eet two of th e in dividuals, b ut they wou ld have t o c ut one m ee tin g short orkeep one of their hosts wai tin g for an hour o r m ore.

Futu re op por turtiti es to sit dow n w ith th e age ntscan occ u r as t he s tory unfo lds. Cha racters rrtight tr y toarra nge a m eeti ng on their ow n ini tiat ive, or you mi ghtdecide the tim in g is rig ht for an an tago ni st to ex tendanother invita tion . Those invi tations won t tri gge r a utomat ica lly, though, as th ese o nes did. Yo u or th e pl ayersmust set th em in mo tion.

No matter whom th e c haracters m ee t, they ll nee d tolearn t he basic facts abou t th e politica l struct ur e of Baldur s Ga te.

Th e c haracte rs already kn ow th at D uk e Ad rianwas a wi ldly po p ular fig ur e . As a d uke o n the C ouncilof Four , he d rew a lot o f water in th e U pp er City. H e

occ up ied the F lam i ng Fist s tra d itiona l co un cil sea t,which made h im the midd le-class repr ese nt ative of thepeop le. An d hi s lowly beg inni ngs and many ch ar itableworks ea r ned him devot ion am ong Ou ter City dwellers and won him Guild s upp ort. Few rec a ll th at Adri anwas a B h aalspawn, a nd mos t who reme mb er th at factwro ngly believed t hat Adr ian was t he last o f hi s kind .

The next day , Duke A d r ian will rece ive a so mb erstate funeral. Th e fun eral itself w ill be ca use for so medissension, beca use t he F lami n g Fist and the p eo ple ofthe Lower City and the O ute r City cl aim Abd el as th eirown. T hey wa nt his b ur ia l an d mo nu m ent to be in th eOute r City , where a ll can a tte nd an d thereafter vis it.But beca use he was a duke, he is en ti tle d t o be p lace d inthe mauso leu m of the H igh Hal L Fo lk from th e Lowe rCity a nd officers of he F larrting F ist gr umbl e, b ut in th een d, Ab del wi ll r epose i n the Hi gh H all.

MEETING SILVERSHIELDIf the h eroes meet I mb ra lym Skoo nd a t the T hr eeOld Kegs, t h e w iza rd buys th e m severa l r ound s ofdr i nks a nd a d elic ious m ea l. Over di n ne r, he e xplainsthe politi cs of Ba ldur s Gate, i n cludin g th e du k es, the

l. . Jw



Parl iament of Peers, and the \Vatch and the Flam-ing Fist. He also discusses the criminals of the Guild.Skoond offers a glowing assessment of Duke TorlinS il vershield's vision and leadership in both the counciland the temple ofGond. Skoond answers questionsfully. In his answers , he always comme nd s Silvershieldand the patriars, vilifies the Gui ld, and guards hi s ownsecrets. Finally, he announces. ''My lord waits. Pleasefollow me."

Skoond leads the heroes a sh o rt distance throughthe Upper City's well-lit streets to the marble-and-glassst ru ct u re of he High Hall. Significantly. he nods to theguards as he walks past them unchallenged.

Silve rshield awaits the heroes in a meeting chamber.

W h e n th e c haract e rs ar ri ve, r ead:A human noble wearina a wooden coa, the holy symboloGond, stands in areetina -His black hair has a rayed at thetemples, and he keeps a weU-trimmed salt-and -pepper beard.

~ W e l c o m e "he says_ am sure Imbralym showedyou apleasant time thus far . Would you care for a beveraae?

Afte r the characters are made co m f orta bl e, read:~ w ll be orward with you, Silvershieldcontinues_"Our cityrots at its core. Who would dare to strike at such a veneratedhero as AbdelAdrian but those whoswearfealty to dark,evilforces? Many have come to our city seekina refuae. andwe havearaciously opened our doors . But they brouaht withthem a rotten seed- unholy belieft andfoulaods. I intend tosweep theirfilth from our city and restore Baldur's Gate to itsproper place o esteem.

The people o whom I speak are in leaaue with a cabal othievesand ruffians known as the Guild, as i hey deserve

such a name . Their cancerous finaers reach from theauttersa the way to our most vaunted institutions. They manipulate our markets and shippina, worship unsavory deities, andhave powerful cronies in the courts and even the Flamina Fist.

uTo root them out, I must know who they are. I needsomeone who can trace the Guild's networkand identify itsleaders. Will you aid me?

If the characte rs decl ine to help. Si lvershield thanksthem for co m ing , and Skoond shows them out. If theheroes agree to help. the ··search and Seizure'' event instage should be their next step.

If th e h eroes s ign on with S il v ers h i e ld , read:The duke offersyou a win nina smileand says, Mysourceshave identified three probable aaents - a wool trader namedNorold Dlusker; the sorceress Yssra Brackrel; and the LowLantern's proprietress, Laraelra Thundreth. To moveaaainstthem, I need proof. I can provideyou a writ o earch and seizure as Hiah HaU aaents.

"I am a aenerous patron. I can reward you weU with aold.i you desire, or positions o prominencewithin the city.

Working for SilvershieldCharacters who align with Sil\'ershieldgain prestige in the Uppe r City. Inreturn. Silvershield ex p ects comple teloyalty. His concern is the bettermentofBaldur's Gate, which equates toserving the patriars' best interestsand rooting out the disease that is the

Guild. Any missions Silvershield assigns the charactersare likely to be directed against the Guild.

If he characters are in his service, Silvershield offersto pay their room and board at an inn of heir choosing.He recommends the I lelm and Cloak. He also offersthem 10 gp apiece as a daily stipe nd. What he pays perjob depends on the characters' results.

Silver shie ld has many closely guarded secrets. If thecharacte rs learn se nsitive information about his plansa nd then stop working for him. Silvershie ld wants toknow why, at the least. If h e hears that the cha r acte rshave ag reed to work for U ld er Ravengard or Rilsa Rael,

Silvershield tries to buy them back into his fold. f hatdoesn't work, he suggests strongly that they leave thecity a nd pursue their ca reers elsewhere.

MEETING RILS R ELBefore the characters can meet Rilsa Rae , they encoun·ter Nant Thangol, a toll co ll ec tor.

Thango l is a male dwarf. I li s face is uncommonlygaunt for one of his race, g iving him an unsettling,deathlike visage. Thangol operates the tax concession atthe eastern gate between the Lower City and the Outer

City, commonly called the Basilisk Gate because of thepreponderance of statues erected around it. A tremendous amount of goods p asses through this gate everyday. making t one of he most lu crative posts in Bal ·dur's Gate.

When the characters leave the city for their rendezvous with Rae], they must pass through the Basi l iskGate. It's the end of the working day, and hundreds oflaborers are trudging uphill from the harbor towardtheir Outer City homes. All that foot traffic is jammingin a knot at the gate. Characters can hear a generalhubbub of ra ised voices there.

Mareak, a blond-bearded dwarf waiting to exitthrough the gate, recogniz es the characters from thee ncounter in the Wide and gri ps an adventurer's arm.I Ie exp lains that "a city shi eld or something" has disappeared from the Harbormaster's Office. 1 ow, theBasilisk is O\'erseeing an impromptu search for it.~ a r e a kisn't happy about the delay. but he explains.Them as has nothin' to hide has nothin' to fear, I su p

pose. But maybe a word from the lik es of you couldspeed things along and hasten these tired, poor folkhome to thei r dinners."



To reach the gate, the heroes m ust elbow throug h thecrowd . There, they see six Flaming Fist soldiers search·ing pedestrians . Some pawed-over people are senton their way, but anyone carrying a bag or a margin ·ally interesting item is led to a table beneath a stripe dcanopy . More Flaming Fist mercenaries (a li eu t e na n tand several pri vate s) stand guard around the table , andNa n t T h a n go l sits behind it. He examines the meagergoods the guards place on the table when people arebrought forward , scribbles notes in his ledge r book, anddeclares fees ranging from a few copper pieces to a fewsilver pieces.

The dwarf s arrogant and contemptuous toward thecrowd. He 's also flagrantly exceeding his authority as atoll collector. Several grumblers defame him, point ingout that he isn 't a customs agent. And a few of the Flaming Fist soldiers appear uncomfortable about this detail.

Use this scene to introduce the characters to classinjustice in Baldur's Gate. The heroes don't have a goodreason to start a brawl with the Flamin g Fist, but thatdoesn 't mean they won't.

Thangol is happy to wave "t he he r oes of the Wide"through the gate without searching them once heknows who they are. But he throws in plenty of comments about "the sewn behind you" in the process. Thecharacters can persuade Thangol to lift the roadblockpeacefully if hey appeal to his arrogance or offer topay everyone's tolls (at least 25 gp). If hey antagonizethe dwarf, he might call for the guards to search thecharacters and levy a fine against them for "going aboutexcessively armed or some similar trumped -up excuse.

n Little alimshan

If the characters reach Little Calimshan's main gatenear dusk, the hooded agent they met earlier is loite r·ing outside the wall. The guide uses furtive signals toinstruct the heroes to follow , but not too closely . A rogueunderstands immediately. Any other adventurer mustmake a DC 10 Wisdom check to sense his intent.

The hooded figure leads them through the gate andup a set of stai rs to the wa Ikway bu ilt atop the wallsthat enclose Little Calimshan and divide it into smallercompo u nds. After slinking through the wall-top passage s twisting obstacle course, the guide drops intoa darkened, enclosed yard. The agent produces a key,opens a door that spills warm lig h t into the cool night,and motions the characters to enter first.

W h e n th e h er oes e nter , read :Threeflickerin8 oil lamps han8 on copper chains. A centralfire pit embraces a heap o coals. Multicolored ruBs and cush-ions blanket thefloor, surroundin8 thefire in the Calishitestyle . Heavy drapes obscure the walls and the ceilin8, creatin8the impression ofbein8 inside a tent.

A seamedface peers at you from beneath a turban. Theman, wrapped in an ornate, brocaded robe, sits beside a low

table alon8side thefire pit. He motions for you to sit andbe8ins pourin8 tea.

When the door clicks shut, your BUide stepsforward, pullsaway a alse beard, and throws back a deep hood, revealin8 awoman's ace.

Thank you for comin8,'' she says as she sits cross-le88edon a pillow next to the old man . "I wasn't sure you would, butwe had8reat hope.

The woman introduces herself as llilsa Rael. She ope rates Calim Jewel Emporium, a pawnshop, in the frontroom of he building they now occupy, she explains . Ttruth, the shop is a front for Guild business. She intro·duces the man as "Musayed." He says little but watches,scowls, or nods sage ly when appropriate and refills teacups as needed. He is, in fact, Rael's employee, but shewon't talk about him during this meeting.

Convey the following facts in your own words duringthe meeting, answering the characters' questions asthey arise:

Rae works with the Guild. The Guild has been

declared a crim inal organ ization because t takesmoney from the wealthy to help and protect thepoor. For example, the Calim Jewel Emporium red is·tributes wealth to the needy by overpaying for thetr inkets and trash the poor bring in to sell, nearlygoing broke several times as a result.The Guild is the people's only protector in the Oute rCity. The Flaming Fist and the city do nothing forthem but take the ir money in taxes and tolls. TheOuter City citizens are even locked out of the city intimes of danger and must fend for themselves.Baldur 's Gate is a merchants' town, and gold greasesits wheels. You have to pay to get in, and you oftenhave to pay to get out. In addition , to ll and tax agentsfrequently demand bribes or confiscate alleged contraband, targeting folk from the Outer City becausethey know no one listens to their complaints. Thepoo r of the Outer City are being kept poor.The whole system is unjust, but one toll collector inparticular has grown ri ch from stealing from OuterCity citizens: Nant Thangol. Being stationed at thehighly trafficked Basilisk Gate and having a menacing stare earned him the nickname "the Basilisk."

Rael wants the characters to rob Thangol, so she can use

her shop to redistribute the dwarfs gold to the OuterCity's poorest residents. She won't directly ask t he adven·turers to comm it robbery , though. She dances around thesubject, stressing the people's suffering and assessing thecharacters' reactions to her tales ofinjustice. She refer·ences Abdel Adrian's charitable work, which ear n ed hin

the adoration of he Outer City. The GuHd kingpin ofLittleCalimshan d iscusses how the late duke and the Gu ildcooperated, desp ite the wishes of he Council of Four, toease peasants' lives. She hopes to carry on his wor k.

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If a characte r mentions the party's recent encounter wi th Thangol, Rae] treats them to far worse storiesabout the Basilisk. She implies that no action wilJ betaken against the dwarf lmless they do something. (Thisis untrue, though.)

If a hero asks Rae] about her connection to the Guild,she replies, "The patriars and the Fist blame the Guildfor everything that goes wrong , and yet they sit on theirhands in chairs of gold. You've seen the Outer City. Nolaw's out here but for the Guild. I help the Guild givepeople hope." I f he heroes press her on exactly whatthe Guild does, she admits that the group takes moneyfrom the wealthy through various schemes , such asblackmailing patria rs with dirty secrets and conningmerchants who mistreat thei r workers.

If he heroes decline Rael's proposal, she thanksthem for coming and offers her assistance in the OuterCity if hey ever need it.

f he characters agree to participate, the "TaxRebates" event in stage should be their next step.

Working for Ril s R e lCharacters who sign on with Rael, thekingpin ofLittle Calimshan and thelieutenant of he Guild 's leader,Nine-Fingers, should not immediatelyrealize how highly placed she iswithin the Guild. Rael has contactsthroughout Baldur's Gate, not just inthe Outer City. People show her a level of deference thatfar exceeds her station as a shop owner.

The block ofbuildings housing the Calim JewelEmporium includes a two-room suite , accessiblethrough Rael's back room and a secret door in an

adjoining alley. The rooms are clean, and the characterscan use them for as long as t hey work for Rae .I f any characters observe the kingpin's shop, they

see Rae and an endless string of visitors sharing teaand talking within a screened-in booth while Musayedwatches the counter. They notice that the Calim JewelEmporium does little pawnshop business. In truth, Raelis conducting Guild business, including meeting withpeople who seek the Guild's help, doling out favors, andensuring that no one forgets to whom they're indebted.

As the Guild becomes more violent, characters whohave cooperated with Rae] might decide they wouldrather work for someone else or might balk at beinginvolved in the unsavory activities the organizationsponsors. If Rae] believes she can reel the charactersback in, she asserts that th e ends justify the means,stressing that she doesn't like the situation either. TheGuild kingpin argues that measured, judicious violencenow could avert an open revolt by Outer City residents.

If he characters don't buy her line of reasoning,Rae has a problem. By now the heroes either knowtoo much about her operation and the Guild, o r Rae

suspects they do. Either way, she can' t risk the adventurer s reporting her to the Flaming Fist. Rae ] does herbest to part on good terms. She wishes the charactershappy, prosperous lives wherever their roads take them.As soon as the adventurers are ou t of earshot, she orderstheir assassination th rough whatever means you devise.

MEETING R VENG RDIf he characters have not gone to meet Rae , use theNant Thangol encoun ter (see the previous page) as aprecursor to their meeting with Ravengard , since theywould have to leave the city through the same gate.

After the long trek through the noisy and colorfulOuter City slums - passing reeking slaughterhouses ,tanneries, and overcrowded pack-animal corrals - thecharacters reach Wyrm's Crossing. Tall buildings shadethe crossing 's narrow street, which leads to a woodendrawbridge. Once there, white-clad mercenaries hai lthe adventurers and lead them through a granite tunnelinto the fortress, where they see Wyrm's Rock and itsgreat , skyscraping slabs of granite up close. Their Flam

ing Fist escorts lead them to Wyrm's Mouth, the highestchamber in the tower.

When th e charac t e r s a r r ive, re a d:The marshal who approached you in the Wide stands at awindow, lookina out toward the harbor of Baldur's Gate. Hemotions you over.

Look at Baldur's Gate, he says. See how it arowsunchecked beyond the walls? Those slums and ahettos arebreed ina arounds for a criminal cabal called the Guild. TheFlamina Fist is charaed with defendina the Gate. Riaht now,the Guild, not someforeian enemy, is the city's area test threat.It owns the Outer City.

The Guild has us encircled like a besieaina army. Itsaaents and rot are worm na into every nook of Baldur 's Gate.These monsters find victims wherever the Fist is not. Theyarow bolder daily. They infest our politics and businesses.

'1\bdel Adrian was the Gate's area test citizen since Bal -duran. Yet a Guild assassin attacked him in broad dayliaht. I

will crush them for it."I need people such as you to help me. I can offer a old, of

course, but I also offer positions of ank in the Flamina Fistand the honor the company's tabard affords. hat say you?

If the characters accept this offer , proceed to the "Clos

ing the Vice Dens" event in stage 1. f hey decline ,Ravengard offers them quarters in the barracks for thenight. In fact, he hopes to keep them in Wyrm's Rockuntil morning to keep any hint of his plan (detailed in"Closing the Vice Dens") from leaking out. e won'tprevent the heroes from leav i ng if they want to, butFlaming Fist agents secretly follow them. f heir nextstop is Little Calimshan, Ravengard assumes they have



be tr a ye d hi s c onfid en ce and won t tr u s t th em aga inun less th ey pr ove t he ms elves throu gh d ee d s.

I f he m eeting e nd s o n fri end l y te r m s, rega rd l ess o fth e h e roes de cision , Rave nga rd giv es eac h of them asilver b roo c h rese mbH ng a flamin g fist . I f the c h ar acterswa n t to s p ea k wit h R aveng a rd , th ey n ee d onl y s h ow theb rooch to a gate gu a rd at t h e Se ato wer ofBa ldur a n orW y rm s Roc k to gai n admit ta nce .

Working for Ravengardave nga rd is not a ze ot o r a rasc ist . = .

not yet, a n yway. B ut th e dai ly see pageof Gui l d-wr ought co rrup tion andhuman d amage creep in g f rom tJ1eOute r City into th e Lower an d Upp erc ities fes ters in Rave nga r d s h eart. T heFlam in g Fist m ar s h al views t he G ui ldas the Ga te s mos t p ress in g pro blem an d th e pa tr iars corru ption an d deca dence as a close secon d , especia Jlygive n the latte r s ab so lu te co n tr o l ove r th e Watc h.

Initi ally, eac h task t hat Ra ve ngard or hi s He ut en a n tsasks of he c ha r ac ters fee ds th e Fi st s go al of res t or ing

law and ord e r. Th e ad ventur ers s hould kn ow th at th eyar e exte ndin g th e law s protec tion to p eopl e wh o n ee d itand handin g puni shm en t o n th ose w ho d eserve it. Th eiraction s m a ke t he m h eroes to t h e m emb ers of h e Lowe rCity s bo ur geois ie, most o f w hom sh are Ravengar d sconce rn s a bout w h at they see as a hord e o f im migrantsand in di ge n ts acc umula ting o ut sid e t he c ity s w alls. Asth e he roes re pu ta t ion grows, s tr a nge rs along t he Lowe rC ity s w h a rfs and steep streets hearti ly g reet th e c h ar acters; revelers an d pa tr ons treat th em to d inners, d rink s,

an d tireso me ex p lan a tio ns o f w hat s w rong in Bal du r sGate a nd h ow to rep a ir it; an d p rop r ie tors o ffer di sco un tswheneve r t hey try to s p en d the ir ow n mo ney.

Rave ngard rese n ts t he c h a rac ters onl y if th ey leavehi s serv ice on p oor ter m s or h ave access to very se n sitive inform a tion . He releases th em from th e ir F lamin gFist d u ties, p rov id ed they plan to leave tow n . But if t h eh eroes h ave sec r e t know led ge, t h e m a rsh a l jail s th em inthe Sea owe r s du n geons . I f he c h aracters fig ht o r killF lam i ng F ist m em ber s, t h ey lose t h e peo pl e s g ood w illa nd a re hunt ed thr ou gh th e st ree ts.

UPSETTING THE APPLE CARTThe beauty of scenarios such as the one in urder in Baldur s

Gate is that players can push events in any direction. Thedifficulty for the OM is that players can push events in anydirection. As the situation in Baldur s Gate worsens , someplayers might look for ways to shut down all three antagonists and their intrigues.

In such a case , the most likely courses of action aredescribed below , along with advice on how to handle them.

Set Antagonists Against One Another: Once the adventurers are privy to one agent s plans, they might pass thatinformation to a ri lal, either for a sack of gold or as an expedient way to thwart one or both antagonists plans . The firsttime the heroes try this, it might work. The second or thirdtime, though , the characters should learn that each of thethree agents has informants in the others camp s. Thesesnitches might not be in an enemy s inner circle , but theirpositions do a ow them to report on who visits headquartersand who has private conferences with the enemy commander.And any of the three antagonists would jump to the obviousconclusion if new allies were seen consorting with the enemy.

Kill One of Them: Once the characters identify an agentas a villa in, the urge to kill that antagonist could be strong.But Baldur s Gate is not some wi ld frontier town. Despitethe rampant corruption in the city, the Flaming Fist and theWatch are effective police forces whe n they choose to be.Both have extensive networks of spies.

The characters might become convinced that TorlinSilversh ield and Ulder Ravengard are involved in dirty deal -

ings. But they are two of the most powerful people in thecity, and killing ei t her of the m would unleash a flrestorm ofoutrage among the thousands of their supporters among theWatch, the patriars, worshipers of Gond, the Flaming Fist,and the professional guilds, as well as t he regular citizenry.Escaping from the city after committing such an act wouldbe nearly impossible-if the killing cou ld be carried out atall. Silvershield and Ravengard don t encase themselves inarmed guards , but devoted bodyguards are seldom morethan one door away. The characters should realize that factwhen they privately meet with either leader.

Similarly, Rilsa Rael is a beloved figure in the Outer City,and thousands would mourn her passing. Given he r occupation , though , most would assume that Guild rivals had killedher. But Nine-Fingers , the Guild s leader, would know thatwas not the case, and she would go to extremes to trackdown her favorite lieutenant s killers. In this regard, NineFingers s power surpasses that of even the Watch and theFlaming Fist.

Kill Them All: llf the heroes assassinate one or two of

the antagonists , they push the survivor or survivo rs closerto Bhaal. If the adventurers assassinate all three , they demonstrate great skill at murder-the exact qualification forbecoming the Chosen of Bhaal. In that event, whichevercharacte r was the most prolific or effective killer becomesthe Chosen of Bhaal. The transformation doesn t need tohappen all at once but should be complete in time for theadventure s finale.

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ST GEIn each stage. the antagon ist assoc iated wit h an even tis indi cated by the portrait under the event 's title. U

events play out regardless of he c haracters' involvement, exce pt in the final stage . I f h e adven tu r ers a ren?t the actors in an event's plot , the sponsoring a n tagontst has others do the di rt y work.

S e r c h a nd eiz u rDuke Silvershie ld's investigations intodark cults and secret societies in thecity target th ree Ba ldurian s.

Target is the fema le half-elfYssra Brackre l , who lives aboveDanthelon 's Da ncing Axe. Wyrm'sCross ing folk report , That 'sa queerone, and She's ski nn y as a starvi n' eel and has ha ir aswild as river gra ss in an eddy. She is known to mutterendlessly to herself, an d late -night strollers often seelight s on in her att ic. Her landlord , Entha rl Danthelon ,assures ne ighbo rs Brackrel is a harmless alchemist , andhe s t icks to that story if he characte rs ask.

The young, dark -haired wizard has bee n known tospeak out against the patriars from time to time. C haracters interviewing Brackrel notice pigment stains onher hands and face and that s he sme lls of charcoal andesse nti a l saJts, a ll signs pointing to alchemy . If the characters demand to search her room, B rackre l r efusesto let them in witho ut a writ. Nothing in her apa r t·ment link s her to the Guild or a nything evil. That said ,s tran ge a lch emy items do fill her she lves.

If the c haracters take Brackrel int o custody , she is

released again in a few days. Regardless of whethe rshe's a r rested, this incident cements her opposition tothe patriars and the adventurers.

The ch a ra cters might meet the hal f -e lf wizard aga inwhen she is performing alchemy for Ravengard (seeRavenga rd for Duke in stage 4) or the Gu ild (seeP riso n Br eak in stage 10).

Target 2 is a middle -aged hal f-elf named LaraelraT hu ndret h . She operates the Low Lantern, a listing,leakin g three -master permanently moored aJong the

a y on the harbor 's eastern s ide. The mothballed sh ipIS a festhall, tavern, an d ga mbling h ouse, but its chief

se rvice is providing a cove rt meeting spot for those whohave illicit pl ans to discuss. Thundreth, who keeps herblack hair in an intricate braid, is ca reful to observe theletter of the law, and s he free ly p asses money under thetabl e to ens ur e a smooth ope ration.

If the characte rs flash their writ and demand tosearc h the Low Lantern, the ship 's crew in t erve nes,say ing . Pawin' about in a lady's room s ain't polite.Thundreth's ex-pirate staffers won't tolerate di sres pectt?ward th e '·Lady Captai n , and they resent any s ugges·han that Thundreth works for the Guild, even though

most of them suspect it's true. Thundreth a llows asea rch if a c haracter presents the writ and ma kes a DC10 Charisma check to persuade or intimid ate him - asearc h that produces nothing incriminating.

The Low Lantern 's roug h -a nd -tumble patrons (h a l fling rogues and t h ug s ) are arm ed, and they back th ecrew members if any t roub le develops. They all knowthe ru l es, too; no one pulls a weapo n unless a characterdr aws first.

While the charac ters are eithe r negotiating withThundreth or brawling with patrons, seve ral Flam -ing Fist mercena ries (priva tes) burst down the ladderan d start turning the deck upside down. They pour outpitchers of a le, knoc k over games of chance, and try toherd patrons toward the exit, a ll while declaring theL?w a n ~ e r nis being closed by order of he FlamingF1st and tts proprietor, Thundre th, is under ar rest. Ifthe s itu ation was not al rea dy a n a ll-out, ch a ir -throwingbrawl, it becomes one now.

Thu n dreth uses the chaos to flee. If characters moveimmediately, they can follow the proprietress to her

cab in and see her lowering a rope lad de r out the casement to a dinghy. T hey can attempt to catch her orescape with her.

I f co nf ronted with Silve rsh ie ld 's acc usa tion s, theLady Captain decla res she h as no idea w hat the c haracters are talking about. She continues , The only evilgods' in the Gate a rc the swi ne who run it - the Fist,patriars, and Guild . They're all dirty. At least the G uildis trutJ1ful abo ut how it opera tes.

I f he ch a racters insist on arresting her, Thundrethoffers them a jeweled necklace wor th 250 gp to let hergo. I f hey persist, she jumps out the window to thedin

ghy and triesto

escape.Target 3 is the pat riar Norold D lusker (CampaignGu ide, page 39) . He has a s tall in the Wide near theBeloved Ranger, a place hi s stat us secures for himdespite his downturn in fortune. If the characte rs question him, he sweats rivers offear. But a sea rch of hisstall , his Lower C it y textile mill , an d his U pp e r Cityhom e turns up nothing exce pt a meager suppl y ofbulkclo th. If a characte r thinks to ask Bailiff of he WideJedren Hiller for information, Hiller suggests theycheck t he reg istry, a ledger h e is responsib le for thatdetails all offic ial transactions in the Wide. I Ie offersto let the characters peruse it for a monitoring fee of 10gp. He waives t he fee if characte rs flash the i r searchand -seizure writ. The paper doesn't impress the bailiff,but Silvershield's s ignat ur e on it does.

Charac ters who in vest igate the registry discover thatsomeone named Lady Keene has paid Dlusker's sta llfees for the past forty -th r ee months. Jfthe ch a ractersask D lusker about Keene, he says only that she is hi saccountant. (I n truth , Lady Keene'' is non e othe r thanNine-Fingers, leader of he Guild - a fact that Dluskerdoes not reveal.)



Kee pin g th e WritIf he characters are active ly participating in this event,they have the writ that Duke Silvershield gave them.It grants them permission to search for and seize evidenc e against only Yssra Brackrel, Laraelra Thundreth,or Norold Dlusker, but someone who doesn't read itcarefully could easily miss that limitation.

The heroes can hold onto the writ after this event.Clever characters might wring a lot of use from thedocument, and some shadowy figures would payhandsomely for Silvershield's authentic signature onanything bearing the ducal seal. f he characters arecaught abusing the document or can't produce it whenasked , Silvershield is displeased.

K PING TR CK

Silvershield gains one rank on Bhaal 's Favor Track if the

characters Investigate Yssra Brackrel, laraelra Thundreth,

and Norold Dlusker , or if hey fall to prevent Sllvershield 'sgoons from snooping on those individuals.

Tax RebatesRae) is targeting toll collectors. Baldur 'sGate runs on its taxes and tolls, so d is-rupting that revenue flow most hurtsthe Flaming Fist and patriars. TheGuild expects a 20 percent cut of hespoils, and Rael plans to take another15 percent to cover her risk. The robbers' percentage i s negotiable , and the remaining coinsare to be redistributed to the poor through Rael 's LittleCalirnshan pawnshop , the Calim]ewel Emporium.

The enterprising thief plans to hi t Nant Thangol first,unless the characters choose a different target. Thangolhabitually stays at his post until shortly before midnight. Then Flaming Fist soldie rs and lamp lads escorthim to his Lower City apartment next to the BlushingMermaid. His route never varies. Rael knows it well,including the best place along it for an ambush.

On Boa rd : If he "heroes of h e Wide" accept thejo b , Rael insists they don dark cloaks to conceal theirclothes and scarves or reve lr y masks to hide their faces.She cautions them not to kill anyone, explaining thatmany Lower City folk would delight in the Basiliskbeing robbed but would resort to mob justice if a Flam·ing Fist soldier were killed.

If he players propose a different way to carry outthis mission, suc h as breaking into Thangol's home orsnatching the cash box while it's still at the BasiliskGate , Rae goes with it. So be ready to improvise.

Otherwise, the ambush occurs along a steep, narrowLower City street. Rae ) recomme nds that the characterssp li t into two groups: one to halt the procession , andone to cut off ts retreat. The 10 - to I S-foot-wide streetcan easily be choked off.

T he caravan consists ofNa nt T h a n g ol , two hum a nb ys ta nd e r s ca r rying the locked cash box , two lamplads (also b ysta nd e r s), and several Flaming Fist soldiers (p rivates and li eu tenant s).

Once the ambush is apparent, the panicked lamplads d rop their lanterns and scramble to safety, leavingthe area in darkness. Only the mercenaries fight. Thango and the cash-box carriers cower. When only twoFlaming Fist member s remain on their feet , they lay

down their weapons.One minute (10 rounds) after the fight starts, theheroes hear a lamp lad and a patrol consisting of aF lamin g F ist li e u tenant and several pri va tes ch a r g·ing up the hill toward the fracas. They arrive 2 roundslater , and a new fight breaks out if he characters arestill around. Iftl1e adventu rers swipe the cash box anddash away, they escape easily. f you want to play up thechase, use opposing ability checks. In the end, though,the soldiers have little chance of catching the characters in the dark, narrow , fog-shrouded streets .

Back in Little Calimshan, Rae) takes charge of thecash box. She thanks the characters and assures them

their action will relieve much suffering and send theBasilisk a message to re in in his greed. If the heroesseem up for it, the Guild kingpin asks them to rob othertoll and tax collectors in scenarios you devise.

Not on Boa rd: If he characters don't commit thi srobbery, uild agents do. The next day, the city is a buzzabout it. The bandits strike repeatedly in the followingdays and quickly gain reputations as heroes among thepoor. Ravenga rd or Silversh ield might ask the character s to catch the group of hieves h um an rogu es andh a lflin g r ogues ). In such a scenario, once half the gangis bested , the other half ries to escape.

K PING TR CK

Rael gains one rank on Bhaal 's Favor Track If the charactersrob Nant Thangol , or if they fail to prevent Rael 's goons fromrobbing him.

Closing the Vice DensRavengard wants two gambling densshut down , the Oasis and the Low Lantern. He requires the establishments beemptied and boarded up , writs of closure be posted outside their entrances,and their owne rs be brought to theSeatower ofBalduran for questioning .He offers a handful of mercenaries as backup .

V ic e D e n 1 : The Oasis is a dingy bungalow in LittleCalimshan. Its proprietor , Ibiz , slathers his blotchy facein heavy, pale make up. The effect is disturbing ratherth an pleasing to th e eye.

The heavy Calishite human greets ch a racters fromthe establis h ment's veranda and grandly motionsth em ins ide, whe re he offers cushion seats and tea an d

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cas uall y probes the newcome rs interest in gambling,poppy dreams, a nd tende r liaisons. When lbiz realizesthat th e c harac ters ar e n't patrons, he smi les nervously,draws a bulging purse from his rob e, and extends it,saying, A h. I forgot my te nday fees. If you would pleasedeliver this to you r superior, I wo uld be most grateful.The purse contains mixed coins and gems worth 75 gp.

Typica lly, Gui ld guards pro tect the pr emises. At thistim e, however, because Ibiz recently insulted N ine-Fin·

gers, the muscle a nd many regulars are staying away.Only a half -dozen old patrons puff istless ly at pipes asthey spraw l on cush ions beneath dingy curtai ns drapedto hide the ce iling. W hen the ch a racte rs reveal thatthey've come to close the Oas is, Ibiz as ks for a momentto co llect my li fe before you throw me onto the street.T he he roes can sea l the premises w ith out a fight.

Vice Den 2: The Low Lantern is another matt er. Ifthe heroes were the ac tors in Searc h and Seizu re, thiseve nt docs not occu r since the Flaming Fist has alreadyshut the pla ce down. If he heroes are working for bothSilvershield and Rave nga rd , Si lvershie ld sends Wa tc h

soldi ers to assist them in the task-but the so ldie rs starta tave rn brawl instead of waiting for the heroes.The Watch so ld i ers, led by a Watch sergeant ,

battl e Larae lra Thu nd r et h 's devoted crew membersand some of he Low La nte rn 's rough -an d -tu m blepatron s (haUling rogues and thugs ) who throw inwith the crew. Th ree intoxicated revelers swing ateve rything, and three othe rs continue eating andgaming despite the pandemonium.

Th un drcth's crew is pummeling Silvershield's agentswhen t he a dvent ur ers ar rive. The heroes shou ld betem pt ed to inte rvene w hen t hey see com mon ruffi ansbeating on Watch officers. At least one Watc h soldierrecognizes the chara cters from their heroics in theWide a nd impl ores them for he lp. Each of he Wa tchso ldie rs has taken 5 da mage.

Earlier in th e day, Gu ild inform ants had describedthe adve ntur ers a nd the ir ac tions in the Wide to Thundreth. They a lso had reported seeing the charactersspeak w ith Ravcngard. T hat they and the Watch s houl dshow up on the same night te lls the proprietress thatthis crac kdown is more serious than usual and nowwould be a good time to disappear for a while. Thundreth sl ips away as soon as she sees the characters,leaving them to ineffectually jostle throug h the fray asshe escapes down a rope ladder dangling from her cabin's open casement to a dinghy in the harbor below.

K PING TR CK

Ravengard gains one rank on Bhaal 's Favor Track If the

characters shut down the Oasis and the Low Lantern, or Ifthey fall to stop Watch soldiers from doing so.

ST GE

Sumptuary LawsBaldur's Gate is a pros perous city. Manymerchants in the Lower City are aswell off as the Upper City's aristo ·crats. But no amount of money can

change one's station in Baldur's Gate,where nobility is a birthr ight.Wearing one's wea lth i s a common

way to show off in the Gate. On any given day in theW ide, a person can see rich merchants dressed in furs,colorful s ilks, a nd jewels t hat rival those oflesser kin gs.The di splays of wea lth ll Silve rshield and othe r patriars wi th je a lousy, so they resolve to bring th e lesserclasses to heel.

Pub lic notices go up swiftly, in formi ng Balduriansthat t he city's old su m ptu ary laws are again in effect.

The notice s s t a te:By decree o he Council and with concurrence o Parliament:

To preserve the decency o citizens and promote the aen ·era weal, all cit izens o Baldur s Gate must attire themse lvesin a manner befittina their station. Furs, silks, damask, velvet,samite, and satin are forbidden to all but those numberedamona the patriars, as isjewe lry incorporatin8 inlaid aems OT

maaical properties. Those who violate these terms are subjecttofines or imprisonment.

USING CORAN AS A RESOURCEWhen the characters need to know about the city's historyor current power st r ucture , Coran (Campaian Guide, page 38 )is an excellent advisor. If they are arrested and get word tohim, he ca n probably arrange their release. He is as good ashis word. He helps the chara cters in any way he can, as longas doing so doesn ' t endanger him beyond his comfort level.And the e lf likes a little danger.

Coran might be most useful as a way to move the storyforward if the players get stuck. He can appear out of he fogwith a companion on his arm and a bottle of wine in hand,stand up suddenly from a cafe's street-side table , or beckonthe adventurers from a curtained palanquin. Coran knows

much of what happens in the city and wants to know whatthe heroes are doing so he can help.

Politically, he is most closely aligned with the patriars. Asan old adventurer, he empath izes with and has many con ·tacts among the Flaming Fist. He has almost no influenceon or informers within the Guild. In his youth, Coran was afreelance thief in the city, and he has never wanted to alertthe Guild to his activities.



As civil servants nail up and read aloud the notices,passersby heart ily rid icu le their message and the Coun-cil of Four's decision to act before a new duke has beenelected. Defiant citizens tear down or deface the dec-larations within an hour of their posting. That sameday, however, the characters see Watch patrols rippingjewels from dresses, cutting lace collars, and slashingfine clothing merchants are wearing. These incidentsbegin in the Wide and spread outward. For the timebeing, they are confined to the Upper City, where theFlamin g Fist lacks authority.

It's likely that one or more of he adventurers isin violat ion of he decree. If so, a Wa tc h serge a n tand several Wa t ch so ld iers confront the heroes anddemand proof that the characte rs' social status befitstheir attire. The guards order characters who can'tprovide proof to remove the forbidden items. If headventurers comply quickly and politely, the soldiersmove on. If the heroes res ist, the soldiers match pushfor shove and blade for blade. If the adventurers kill aWatch member, they arc labeled mu rderers and treatedaccordingly. If the soldiers win a fight, they confiscateany offending items, tic the characters' hands. and lockthe group up for the night in the Watch Citade l.

A change is quickly appa rent across the city. The nor -mally vibrant attire ofBaldurians turns as somber asthe weather. Although the Watch strictly enforces theordinance only in the Upper City, nearly everyone doesbusiness there in the course of a day. Upper City residents.in their rich, colorful clothing and glitteringjewelry, standout like never before. Outer City dwellers take on the colorof mud and shiver wit bout their heavy fur cloaks.

The heroes can't prevent this event from occurring.If they appeal to Duke Silve rshield. he pretends to sym -

pathize with thei r argument but cla ims the will ofParliament is tying his hands.

The su mptuary laws remain in effect until the endof he adventure. As the city nears its boiling point infuture stages, W a tc h so ld i e rs brutally tea r from theirowners and instantly destroy any illegal items they see.

KEEPING TR A K

Thi s e vent cannot be st opped , so Sllvershleld automaticallygain s one rank on Bh<la l' s Favor Tra ck.

VandalismNews about tax collectors being robbedstirs up the Outer City, and a rise inpetty vanda lism hints at the growingagitation of he poor. As the Gui ldfurther fans the commoners' d iscon-tent, vandalism becomes increasinglyvisible and dest ructive. At first. angryslogans-such as Down with the Pat riars, Extinguishthe Flam ing Fist, and Tear down t h is wall. Free Bal-dur's Ga tc "-appear on fen ces, Outer City bu ildings.

and the walls enclosing the Upper and Lower cities.Gradually, the destructive activity spreads inside thewalls and escalates as vandals smash windows, breakstreetl ights. set trash afire, and perform similar acts.

This is largely a backgro u nd event, but the characterscould counter its impact by succeeding in apprehendinga few groups of he vandals (t h ugs and to ugh thu gs).

KEEPIN G TR A K

Rael gains one rank on Bhaal 's Favor Track If the ch<lractersdo not curb th e vandalism .

Flaming Fist ThuggeryMany of he city's shipping houses havewarehouses near the Brampton andEast way docks. and large numbers ofharbo rhands who live in t he Oute r Cityare employed there. These rough ,mostly fore ign workers congregate attaverns and eateries after work. Raven-gard. suspecting them ofbeing beh ind the vandalism and

robbery of oll collectors. se nds extra Flaming Fist patrolsinto the d istricts to encourage workers to move alonghome. That encouragement comes chiefly from the busi·ness end of a club or the flat of a sword.

Characters who spend much time in Brampton orEastway are bound to witness incidents of Flaming Fistmercenaries (F la min g F is t pri vates, Flam in g F istse rge a nt s, c r ew m em b e rs, hu m a n b yst and er s,th u gs, or to u g h thu gs) roughing up Outer City resi-dents. Returnin g Day and the ch a racte rs· heroics aresti ll fresh in everyone's memories. So if the advent u rersstep in to break u p a violent encounter, the Flaming Fistsoldiers back down as a show of respect. If he charac -te rs instead join in the harassment, t he mercenaries letthem strike most of the blows.

Su m mon e d : l fthe characters take action, their par-ticipation is reported to Ravenga rd, a nd he su m monsthe heroes to an interv iew. They a ren't compelled to go,but the soldier who delive rs the su mmons-Nordir Sam-ulkin, a human who commands three others-makes itclear they'd be foo ls not to. He admires their courageand tells the heroes they have no thing to lose and muchto gain by impressing the Flaming Fist s new marshal.

The tone of the meeting depends on what the char ·acters did. Ultimately. Ravengard wants the heroes on

PULLING RANKIf the c hara cters join th e Aaming Fist, they can pull rank withsubordinat es to e ffective ly qua sh many of Ravengard 's plan s.Such a situation ca n't last, thou gh. If the adventurers count er-mand Ravengard 's ord ers more than once , the marshal sendshigh·ranking members of th e Flaming Fist (lieutenants or ser ·geants ) to strip them of th e ir rank and , if possible, arrest them.



his side.llc offers them the rank of flame, or lieutenant,in the Flaming Fist. They would have a ll the autho ri tyof that rank but none of its usual administrative duties.Instead, the heroes would report directly to Ravengardand carry out missions he assigns.

I f he meeting ends on friendly terms, regardless ofthe heroes' decision, and the characte rs did not receiveFlaming Fist tokens in stage 1. Ravengard gives each ofthem a siher brooch resembling a flaming fist. If hecharacters want to speak with Ravengard, they needonly show the brooch to a Seatower ofBalduran orWyrm's Rock gate guard to gain admittance.

K P N G TR C K

Rav e nga rd ga ins o ne ra nk o n Bh aa l's Favor Trac k If th eheroes d o no t Inte rve ne to he lp th e w orkers.

STAGEThis stage features only one event, and which of heantagonists rises in Bhaal's favor depends on what thecharacters do.

Hand s Of fDuring a sin gle night, five statues' hands are stolen. Thesculptures include Seaserpent Tamed by Umberlee,near the \Vater Queen's House; Fury of he Fist, outsidethe Seatower; Balduran Looks Out to Sea, overlook·ing the river from cast of the city; Six Wise Machinists,near the High I louse ofWonders; and Faithful Shopkeeper Meets the llonest Trader, at the foot of heCounting I louse pier. Merchant s and civic leaders are

furious. Upper City and Lower City residents are angry,and Outer City dwelle rs are largely amused.The followin g day, Flaming Fist pat rols search gang

hid eouts and businesses known to be purchasers ofstolen goods, including Rael's shop. None of the rrtissing hands a rc found. That night, the Beloved Ranger inthe Wide is hit- it loses Minsc's hands as well as Boo theham ster, whose scupltu re is cupped in Minsc's palms.All Baldurians cherish Minsc and Boo, and the defacement of this statue upsets the whole city.

The vandals who struck the Beloved Ranger are notthe ones who damaged the other statues. ExperiencedGuild thieves acting on Rael's orders lifted the handson the first night, while a half-dozen bored, rebelliouspatriar youths damaged the Beloved Ranger.

\Vhen the young miscreants realize the outrage theyhave caused. they panic. They take Minsc's hand s (andBoo to the shop ofHo rgold I Iadru, a potter who worksnear the sou th ern end ofWyrm s Crossi ng , where theyseek refuge. lladru takes in the adolescents to repay afavor to one of heir families, hiding them in the hanging ce llar b eneath his shop. Iladru , who knows theyouths mu st be guilty of so mething and suspects thetruth, is growing in c rea singly panicked.

Invo lving the Heroes: For th e characters tointervene, at least one of four persons would need toapproach them, in cluding Silvershield. Ravengard,Rael. and Esgurl Nu rthamma s, the master of cobbles.

The master of cobbles is responsible for roads,bridges, and other public stonework. Nurthammas is anup -an d -coming sc ion of a patriar family who is eager todemonstrate that he is ready for bigger duties. He offers150 gp for the characters to track down and capturethe vandals. telling the heroes to make these devils paywith their souls and save the city the expense of a trial.

This is a reckless statement. Nurthammas doesn'thave the lega l aut horit y to sanction lethal force or thepolitical clout to back t up. The adventurers mightfind themselves in deep trouble if hey take his wordsto heart. If the charac te rs kill the noble vandals, bothRavengard and Silvcrshiel d are incensed.

Ravengard and Nurthammas want the same thing,but the marsha l has the force oflaw behind his instructions. Ravengard wants the cu lprits brought n alivefor a public trial and punishment. This outcome wouldanger Silvershicld and wrongly implicate the nobles inthe defacement of he other statues rath er than fingeran an g ry populace, which is what Rael wants.

Silvershicld's interest is the opposite. \Vhen he heardabout vandalism to the Beloved Ranger and about amissing group of yout hs from var iou s patriar families,he pu t two and two together. Silvershie ld wants the vandals quietly brought back to safety before an angry mobfinds and lynches them. Because they are local heroes.Silvershie ld calculates, the characters can likely movea round the city without interference from the W atch orthe Flaming Fist, which a re conducting their own wide

spread, impa ssioned searc hes and in ter rogation s.Rael, likc Silvcrshield, knows the c ulprit s' identities,

having pieced together repor ts from her spies in patriarhouseholds. She doesn't want the youths protected. Shewants them expose d and their families humili ated.

F inding t h e Cu lprits: The characters can trackth e vanda ls of he Beloved Ranger, beginning at theWide. A ca refu l search of he area turns up a broochand a broken dagger. The yout hs used the dagger asa hammer and a pry bar to break the statue. Marbleflakes are stuck to its pommel, and its blade is severelygouged. The brooch fell from the cloak in which the

cu lprits wrapped the hands. The brooch bea rs theRavenshade family crest, and the dagger carries themark of the Oberon family; both are well -placed patriarhouseholds. If the heroes interview those families. theyfind that each one has young members who have gonemissing and receive descriptio ns of he youths.

From there, the heroes can talk with people whomight have noticed the sus pects: Guards at Heap Gaterecogni7ed the juveniles as patri ars and opened thegate to them in the early-morning hours. A lamp ladwho waits around Ileap Gate for customers took themto Brampto n and received a hefty ti p. A ferry operator



on the Brampton docks ferried the group to Twin Songsnear dawn an d thought t he ado lescents were headingfor Wyrm's Crossing. A merchant on the bridge's southern side saw them enter Horgo ld Hadru's pottery shop.Hadru is nervous and evasive. He han ds ove r the youthsif he adventurers threaten him or bribe him with 10gp or more. (The potter had agreed to hide the groupbecause he owed the Durin bold family a favor.)

Once the gui lty pa t r iar youth s are tracked to Hadru's shop, the characters must either deliver them to theFlami ng Fist checkpoint at Wynn s Rock or find a wayto move the youths through it. Getting past the soldiersis easy if he characters escort the van dals out unobtr usively. The heroes raise suspicions if hey are discoveredsmuggling the youths in barrels or crates or the like.

THE GRUMPY HALFLINGAfte r the he roes a ppre he nd the gu ty youths, they' ll haveat least a brief encount er with the Flam ing Fist gua rds a tth e chec kpoint . This is your chan ce to introduc e Lotge ir

Shortcl oak, an unha ppy (and ve ry voca l abo ut it) membe rof th e Flam ing Fist. Whil e w ithin e arshot of t he c haracters,he compl ains to his fellow gua rds a bout h av ing to work sohard. jud ging from the oth er guards' reacti ons, Shortcloakcomplain s like t his a lot, a nd they d on t take him serio usly.

Shortcloa k might make a noth er app eara nce in the PrisonBrea k eve nt during stage 10 .

K PING TR CK

One of the three antagonists will benefit from this event ,depending on the characters ' actions.

If the heroes kill the vandals on the order of the master ofcobbles , Rael gains one rank on Bhaal 's Favor Track becauseno official answer to a controversy that embarrasses boththe patrlars and the Flaming Fist Is presented to the public.

If the characters turn the youths over to Rael , her favor inBhaal 's ey es rises one rank when she gives the vandals to amob. The mob beat s the adolescents, chop s off their hand s,

and ties the other statues ' hands, which Guild members

covertly provide to onlookers , around the juvenile s necksbefore dragging them from Norchapel to the Wide , wher ethey are dumped at the Beloved Ranger 's feet.

If the adventurers bring the culprits to Ravengard , he

rises one rank In Bhaal 's favor as the swell of negativeopinion , even among the patrlars, prevents the youths 'parents from Intervening to save them from the ma r shal s

sentence of ten years In the Seatower of Balduran.If the heroes spirit the vandals back to Sllvershield ,

the duke gains one rank In Bhaal 's favor because he ha sevidence planted on some of his personal enemi es Ins tead.

If the heroes don t get Involved , you decide who finds th eculprits and thus determine s the youths ' fate s.

STAGE

Sanitation StrikeThe Guild orchestrates waste-haulingslowdowns in the Upper and Lowercities. Garbage piles up in the UpperCity's avenues, and the Lower City's

streets glisten beneath a film ofsewage that's washing downhill intothe harbor. The Oute r City is lessaffected, because garbage and unpleasant smells fromtanneries, butcheries, and stables are ubiquitous in thatarea . As long as the slowdown and the protests last, theUpper and Lower cities are incredibly unpleasantplaces, making their residents irritable.

The most effective way for the characters to opposeRael s efforts is to bribe the nightsoil and gold flow carriers. One gp ap iece would do it, but the city has about150 such workers. A few might admit to already takingbribes to slow the work, al t hough none gives a rel iable

description of who bribed them.

K PING TR CK

Rael gains one rank on Bhaal 's Favor Track If the charactersdo not find a way to negate the shutdown.

Ravengard for DukeAbdel Adr ian's dea th leaves a vacancyon the Council of Four. Traditionally,someone who has st rong ties to t heLower City in general and the Flaming Fist in particular holds that seat.

As Adrian's second in command,Ulder Ravengard has alreadyassumed control of the Fist , and he is the obviouschoice to take Adrian's place as duke.

But dukes are not appointed; the Parliament of Peerselects them. And, according to rumor, the peers want tostack the council wit h a fourth patriar to keep the Fistout. Ravengard is both angry and concerned about thisdevelopment. The only patriar who has enough LowerCity support to stand a chance against Ravengard isWyllyck Caldwell, an alchemist and lumber baron w hois well into his seventies.

I n vo lvin g t h e Her oes: Ravengard invites the characters to meet him at the Hissing Stones, a Seatowerbathhouse. Ravengard visi ts the bathhquse to re lax orengage in sensitive meetings, as did Adrian. Inside theHissing Stones, patrons can literally hide nothing.

At the meeting, Ravenga rd launches directly intothe matter at hand - Wyllyck Caldwell. Ravengardlikes Ca ldwell, especially because of the patriar'sstrong a nti-Guild views. He doesn't want to discreditthe man, but he won't let those feelings get in the wayofhimselfbecoming a du ke. T he marshal instruc ts t he



adv en tur e rs to p ress ur e Ca ld we ll to tu r n do wn Silvershi e ld 's no m in a tion , bu t w ith out tyi ng Rave nga rd toth e e ffor t.

Rave ngard kn ows an alc hem ist n am e d Yssra Brac krel, w ho has n o love for th e pa tr iars and a fres h gr udgeag ain st Silvers hi e ld; t he du k e recently had h er ja iledfor seve ral d ays. Brack rel is w illing to s ign a s tateme ntswear in g th at Ca ldwe ll 's alc hemicall y t r eated lu mb er,t he com mo di ty res p onsib le for h is for tune, is da n ger

ous. Th ese acc usat ions wo n' t h old up to sc ru tiny, butairin g th e c ha r ges publi cly wou ld n on et heless da m ageCaldw e ll 's reput at ion. R avenga rd b elieves t hat leve lin gth e t hr eat pr ivate ly wou ld be eno ugh t o pers uade t heboo ki sh Cal d we ll to stay o u t of politics .

To fulfill th e tas k, the c harac te rs need to gai n a naudi e nce with Cald we ll, de liver th e m essage fro ma con ce rn ed ci tize n , keep Ravenga rd 's invo lvemen tsec ret, an d ma k e it clea r t hat Cal d we ll mu st decl i neSilve rshie ld 's nomi n ation to e nsur e th at the acc usa tionnever b ecome s p ubli c . Ca ldwe ll is fu r ious a nd pr esseshard to kn ow who is be hin d t he blac k m ai l. Reg ar d less,

he ult im a tely a gr ees to the pr opositi on in o rd e r to avo ida scan d al.

PRELUDE TO DISASTERDuring th e cou rse of any eve nt , as th e c hara cte rs pass yetanoth e r st ink ing t ras h h ea p (prefe rably in Bloom ridge), ahe ro knowledge ab le abou t magic or alchemy sp ots a crackedce ramic bowl stain ed wit h resid ue t hat s me lls of s ulfu r a ndsmoke. A w izard or so meo ne skilled in alche my rea lizes t hesubsta nce is characte rist ic of a batch of smoke powder. Theletters F E l 0 G Y R B G are sc ratched i nto t he bow l'sund e rs ide. The bow l is a n imp orta nt clue leadi ng to Silve rsh ield 's plot to b low up the High Ha ll and t hus w ipe o ut theParliam ent of Pee rs. (On e o f lmb ralym Skoo nd's app renticealchemists t ossed it in the tras h.)

Smo ke powder is we know n but not w ide ly manufactured . The o nly lice nsed smokepowde r prod ucer i n Baldur 'sGate is Afery Sonshal, w ho runs Felogyr's Fireworks on BindleStreet in th e Steeps. If t he c haracters ta lk to Sonshal abo utthe bow l, see Protect ionism in stage 5.

If t he c ha racte rs show t he bow l to Sonsha l, he scratcheshis hea d, scratc hes his nose, an d then ex plains that it 's identi·ca l to t he mixing bowls he uses, r ight dow n to his ancestor's

name be ing scra tched into its base. The powder -make r tellsthe a dventurers t hat a R ivingto n potter makes t he bow ls toSonsha l's exact s pecificatio ns, and he gave t he name of thatpotter, Tacy Sands, as we ll as two others , to a man who p a idhim f or the informat ion a month ago. (He can describe theindividual, who was lmbralym Skoo nd, but S koond was usinga spe ll to d isguise himself at t he t ime.) Sonsha l is quic k toadd t hat he does n't t hrow his ruine d croc kery i n Bloomridget rash heaps , and any a pprentice w ho ruins a bowl in th is waydese rves to be beate n like a re nte d mule.

Performin g th i s job wou ld mar th e c harac ters' reputation s in Sil ver shi eld 's eyes, and th e du k e would n ee dto be c on vin ce d of th eir tru stwort h iness before o fferi ngth em work aga in .

Regar dl ess o f th e o ut com e, D uk e Silvershi eld ism an i pu l ating Gr a nd Duk e Po rtyr and the Parl iame n tofP eers han dily w itho ut any o th er duk e getting in theway. So, for now , no new d uk e is elec ted .

KEEPING TR CKRave nga rd g a ins on e rank on Bhaal 's Favor Track if th echara cters blackmail Wyllyck Caldw e ll without r evealingRave nga rd 's role , or if th ey fail to thwart Rave ngard 's hir edblackm a ile rs.

ST GE

Upper City LockoutT he U pp er City ha s a lways close d tono nr es ide nt s a t du sk. In respo nseto t he g row ing d ist ur b ances, S ilversh ie ld co nvi nces t he o th e r t wod uk es to o r de r the U pp er City'sgates ba r red a t 3 be lls.

Th e ch ief e ffect of thi s rest ric tionis ec on omi c. Lower C ity an d Ou t er Cit y m erch an tsm ust close t h eir stal ls in the W ide hours ea rl ie r th anUpp er City se llers. T he reside nt s of B iac kga te wh o w orkun loadin g s hips in th e h arb or or in m a ny Lowe r C ityshops m ust leave th e ir jobs hour s ea r ly to r eac h th eBlack Drago n G a te before it is se al ed . T he altern a t ivesa re a long, ti ri ng w alk out sid e th e city w all s or a lon g,mi se rable nig ht in a cold C itadel ce ll afte r b eing ca ugh tin th e U pp er City la ter than 3 bells.

As a res ult, ship s sit unl oa ded at th e pie rs w hil eoutgo in g ca rgo p iles up qu ays ide . And m erchants andshipp e rs lose mon ey, a tr a ge dy in Ba ldu r's G a te.

In th e Duk e 's E mplo y: If th e c ha racte rs ar e wo rking for S ilve rshi e ld , he tas ks th em w ith p at rolling th eUppe r City's we ll-lit st reets for pe opl e w ho don 't be longth e re . Mos t are reg ular c it ize ns w ho eithe r don t kn owthe new law o r who were too s low ge tt ing out. S ilvershi e ld p rovides th e c hara c te rs w ith pass po r ts to e nsur et hat t he Wa tch d oes n't a rr es t the m. Such p asspo r ts a re

ex tr e me ly va lu a ble; an ambiti ous m erc h ant or Guil dme mb er would p ay up to 200 g p for one (b ut an ope ning offer wo uld b e close r to 50 gp).

Not W o rkin g fo r th e Du ke: If t he adve ntur e rs a renot wo r kin g for SiJve rshi e ld , th e U pp er City closes toth em , too. T he U nd erce lla r con n e ct s th e U pp er Cityand Lowe r City t h rough sec re t, und e rg round p assages,mak in g it a go od , al beit ill egal , rout e in or ou t-ass uming th e c ha ra cter s hear ab out it. B ec au se th ey a re loca lce lebrit ies, Silv e rshield wo ul d g ive th e m Upper City



passports if hey a sked, as long as they haven't workedopenly for his rivals.

I f he characters are i n the Upper City after the gatesclose and do not have passports, they hav e a coupleof option s. Hi d ing and ou trunning Watch patro ls asth ey go about their business might be the best choice.They could attempt to pass themselves off as legitimatel)pper City residents , but they would have to back uptheir claim with appropriate dress and behavior. Fewpatriars walk the streets armed and armored or insp a ttered t raveling clothes, and Watch members pridethemselves on knowing aJl pat riars by face and name.

If the heroes want to reverse the curfew decision ,they can try appealing to S i l v e r s h i e l ~But marshalingthe wiJl of he other dukes and the patriars is a betteroption. The polic y is costing people at aU levels of society. I f he heroe s somehow muster enough suppo r t forreversing the decision among the other dukes or theParliament of Peers, Silvershield relents.

KEEPING TR CK

Sllvershl e ld gains one rank on Bhaal 's Favor Track If the

charact ers fall to get the curfew overturned.

JAILEDIf the Flaming Fist capt ures th e heroes a t some point in th eadventu re, you have o ptions from w hich t o c hoo se.

Allow e ve nts to pro cee d without t he c ha racte rs un t il"Prison Brea k" in stage 10.If the a dve nture rs a re o n goo d te rms with Rael or Coran ,have on e of those people pull strin gs to sec ure t he c haracte rs' release.If th e heroes ar e o n good te rms with Silvers hie ld, have th eduk e a rrange t heir t rial and exonerati o n.If the heroes ar e wo rking for Rave ngard, he cou ld a rrangefo r thei r release in ret urn f or som e a ddi tiona l serv ice.Allow th e c haract ers to st age t he ir ow n esca pe. Pe rhap st hey tric k the g uards, find a loose floor stone w it h a craw lspace be nea t h it, or offer inc riminat ing ev ide nce to Rave nga rd aga inst Silve rshie ld o r Rae l in exch ang e for th e irfree d om. As a lways, rewa rd playe rs' creat ivity.

ProtectionismThe sumptuary law (stage 2) is a slapin the face to wealthy Lower City citizens w ho aspire to noble station, andthey a re incensed about it. Tho ughRavengard couldn't care less. his office rs are grumbling, and that'sunacceptable. In response, he uses hisfriendship with Harbormaster Er l Namorran to raise tariffs on fine goods sh ipped into the city. The taxes apply to

luxury items popular with the patriars , such as incense,spices, wines, magic supplies, and art objects.

Typically , such taxat ion is the purview of he harbormaster in consultation with the duke associated withthe Flaming Fist. Namorran cooperates even thoughRavengard does not yet have the title of duke , becausehe ully expec ts Ravengard to gajn that post in the nearfuture. So the complaints of patriars aren't enough tomove Namorran on this issue , particularly if he Upper

City Lockout " curfew is stillin

effect. ForHarbormaster

Namorran to change his stance, he would need to firsthea r from Ravengard that the marshal had reversed hisposition. Appointing a new harbormaster wou ld be theonly other way to halt the taxation, but a new harbormaster would immediately make many enemies in theLower City and among the Flarrung Fist. Who woulddare take the job?" Silvershield meaningfu lly asks t heheroes if they consult him.

The day before the new luxury taxes go into effect,the characters receive a lamp lass -delivered invitationto "a privat e soiree" in Bloomridge. If they accept theinvitation and show up at the manor , see "Interlude 1:

Disaster in the Making."

KEEPING TR CK

Rave ngard gains one ra nk on Bhaal' s Favor Tr ack If the

chara c te rs fall to halt the taxing of luxury goods .

Interlude 1:Disaster in the MakingThe "private soiree" a lluded to in the characters'invitation is a hedonist ic revel hosted by the fame dcitizen-adventurer Coran (Camp aiBn Guide, page 38).He invite s his guests to take advantage ofhjs manor ssumptuous delicacies "while they're stil l available. "

In the course of th e evening, Coran corners the characters for a conversation, during whic h he hints thatthey might want to look into who else is stocking up ongoods and what the y' re stockpiling. f he adventurersask for help or advice, Coran suggests they ask Ha r -bor master Namorran for permission to examine theHarbor Manifest. I f he characters take him up on thissuggestion, continue with "Interlude 2: Harbormaster."

Coran is pointing the heroes toward the "Smokepowder Plot " event in stage 10. He knows that someone isimporting large amounts of smokepowde r ingredients.

Before Coran moves on to mingle with other guests,he offers the adventurers one more message.

R ea d :Baldur's Gate is a viper's nest o chemesand schemers. I

wasn t born a rich idler; I started out as a poor adventurer, likeyou. AdjustinB to my new life in this labyrinth o ossip andintriBue was no easyfeat. i ou find yourselvesin trouble orneedinB help sortinB the Gate's heroesfrom its villains, my dooris always open toyou . But do me a avor; use the back door.



Interlude 2: HarbormasterIn addition to looking after the harbor, the harbormaster is responsible for maintai ning the HarborManifest, a record of everything ship ped legally byriver into or out ofBaldur's Gate. I Iarbormaster Namorran is a martinet who refuses to let anyone who isn't acivic officer peek at the manifest.

As a result, the chara cte rs might dec ide to sneak into

the harbo rm aster's office at night. The huge , ancientdoor lock on the place is more ceremo nial than practicaL It's easy to pick by anyone ski lled in thievery.

The manifest is another matter - it is a potent magicitem. When the harbormaster dictates to it , his wordsare magically reco rd ed. Someone who wants to openthe book successf ully must trace a magic patternembedded in its cover. The manifest ha s been openedso ma n y times that the tracing marks are clearly visible,but the pattern is so complex that following it properl yrequires a DC 15 Intelligence c heck. f t is openedbefore the correct pattern is traced, the manifestsc reec hes in a parrot voice, "Thiefl Help Thie£1 Help "If triggered , the book s shouts soo n attract the attentionof nearby Flam ing Fist sol di ers (privates and lieutenants ) who patrol the docks. The loud cry repeatsendlessly until the symbol is traced co rrectl y.

If h e c haracters open the manifest correc tly, theyfind a copy of every bill oflading for eve ry ca rgo thatha s moved legally through th e harbor since the manifest has been in use, whic h is a very long time. With aDC 15 Intelligence check every 30 minutes, a searching character finds something noteworthy. Only onechara cte r can rea d the manifest at a time. But with DC20 In t ell igence chec ks, another coup le ofheroes couldco nce ivably discover in t eresti ng informati on whilereading over the first one's shou lders.

The characters uncover a few irregularities , but onlyone jumps out at them. For many yea rs, Felogyr's Fireworks ha s imported four identical shipments per year ofdragon dung, sal t of yolk, and charcoal. Anyone knowl·edgcable about magic or alchemy recognizes the itemsas key ingredients in th e manufacture of smokepow der.A coup le oftendays ago , less than a month after thearrival of he most recent regular shi pm ent at Felogyr'sFireworks, anot her cons ignment for five times the usualamount was rec eived . Two similar shipm ents preceded

it. The larg er shipments were lab eled "De liver to H.Kope, in ca re ofFelogyr's."

Ave ry Sonshal can be found at Fe logyr's Fireworksin the Stee ps. H e is happ y to discuss his shipments, butswea rs he never made or took possession of the largerorders. Months ago , a man (Im br alym Skoond in di sguise) came to the shop a nd placed a huge order forfireworks. He bought every thin g Sonsha l had in stock,plu s all the raw materials the shopkeeper had on hand.The purchaser even paid a finder' s fee for the namesofSonshal's suppliers. Sonshal says the purchaser was

named "Horus Kope, or some thin g like that. . . . Say, youdon't suppo se that was a joke?"

Furthe r investigation among harborhands re vealsthat the large cargoes were sent to several different ha rbor -a rea warehouses. All have a lr eady been pick ed up .The warehouse managers were paid in cash and hav eno information about where the goods went when theyle ft their care. What they don't know, but Imbral ymSkoo nd does know , is that eac h of the shi pment s took

a roundabout route to one of th r ee secret entrancesinto Seske r gates, Skoo nd s mansion in Bloomridge. Thecharacters have no access to that information yet.

ST GE

Arso nThe state of he city spir als furtherdownward as the Guild launches acampaign of argeted destruction onbehalf of he Outer City againstimportant Lower City and Uppe r Citylocations. The targets are bu sinessesth at draw money away from th e OuterCity, guild halls that excl ude Outer City residents frommembership or compete with Outer City guilds, and thehomes of ndividuals who arc parti cularly disliked.

Because of he frequent rains, near -constant damp·ness, and prevalence of stone construction in the city,st ru cture fires seldom rage out of control. If a blaze doestake off, it can be diffi cult to fight from the Lower City'ssteep streets, and a large fire cou ld readily sp read uphill.When a cry of"Fire " is rai sed, it's customary for citizenswho hear it to drop whatever they're doing and race toth e scene to help , becau se a fire tha t goes un check edth r eatens everyone.

This event's fire s burn out the interiors of the targetedbuildin gs but don 't threaten to consume mor e of he cityunless you c hoo se otherwise.

In the Guild s Employ: If he characters are working for Rae], she might ask them to start some of thefires. She would be more likely to ask the adventurersto sco ut potential loca t ion s, so she could cal l in professiona l a rson ists w hen no one is home. At this stage, Rael

SNEAK ING SKOONDWhen the characters are in the Upper City one evening, theymight spot lmbralym Skoond, Si lvershield's wizard, scuttlingthrough the streets and nervously glancing over his shoulder.The duke 's right-hand man is heading home after shifting casksof smokepowder from a wine shop's back room, through the

sewers, and into the High Hall. His clothing is smeared with mud.For mo re information, see "Smokepowder Plot" in st age 1 0.



is interested in sending a message through propertydamage. not in burning people to death.

If he characters take on Rael's assignment, sheintroduces them to Othial Burl fist. a member of theFlaming Fist who has approached Rael for a favor. Inthe company of th is female half-elf, the characters canmove around the streets of the Lower City easily andaccompl ish whatever they set out to do. The heroesmight come across Burlfist again during the PrisonBreak event in stage 10.

Fig h t ing a F i r e: Characters who respond to a firealarm have three options. They can help fight the fire,passing buckets and pitchers of water for 30 to 60 mi n ·utes until the fire is extinguished. They can enter thebuilding to rescue anyone trapped inside. Or they cantry to spot and catch the arsonists, if the fire-setters arestill in the area.

Fig h t ing th e F i r e-Setters: lfthe heroes try to stopthe arsonists, catching or killing the arsonists from twofire -setting teams is sufficient to do so. The Guild members work in five·person teams. Two arsonists ( to u ght hu gs) set a fire, while three urchins hu man bystan d

ers) watch for patrols or potential witnesses. If hecharacters scan the crowd, tell them. A child is studyingyou from the street corner, failing to be subtle about it.

If the heroes approach the child, two more urchinsmaterialize and beg for spa re coins, or plead for helpfinding their lost little sister, in an attempt to divert theadventurers' attention from the fire and the escapingarsonists. The children will lead the characters awayfrom the scene i hey can.

The fire -setters fight only if they have the benefit ofsurprise or are cornered. Otherwise, they run in separate directions while the urchins do their best to coverthe arsonists' escapes.

A captured arsonist won't crack unde r interrogation.Rae) chose these individuals because they have beentoughened against physical and psychological pressure.A bribe of20 gp, however, loose ns an arsonist's tongue.The fire -setter reveals that a shadowy figure known asFruward the Nail hired the two -person team.

Fruward is not well known outside a small circle ofcriminals. He works directly for , inc-Fingers. arranging jobs and payments •Nith which she does not want tobe directly associated. The characters can ask aroundthe Outer City or talk with a Flaming Fist mercenary toconfirm Fruward's associat ion with the Guild. Track

ing down Fruward, however, is next to impossible. TheNail goes into deep hiding the moment he suspects theadventurers are after hjm.

K PING TRACK

Rael g a ins one rank on Bhaa l 's Favor Tr ack If th e ch a racte rspa rticipate in the arso ns, or If they fall to captur e o r kill th earsonist s re spo ns ible for a t least tw o attacks.

Old-School DuelingIn this stage. Silvershield manipulatesthe Council ofFour into reinstatingthe dueling laws that date back to thecity's rough-and -tumble days as GrayHarbor. According to th e old law, anyperson can demand immediateredress in the form of a one -on -oneduel for any perceived wrong another person comm itsagainst that individual.

The law was based on the notion that the gods wouldbless and preserve duelists who were in the right. Jncontrast to modern dueling rules (see Patriars, page39 in the m p i n Guide), the old decree does notlimit the types of armor and weapons that can be used,because equipment was considered irrelevant whenthe gods intercede on behalf of ustice. In actuality, thelaw heavily tilts the odds in a duel toward people whohave military training or who own mag ic armor andweapons.

Traditionally, duels are fought to first blood, b ut the

combatant who suffers the first wound can choose notto yield. Against a skilled duelist, first blood could meana letha l wound. Additionally, a better fighter couldallow himself or herself to be lightly wounded and thenpress the battle to the death.

It is against the law for anyone to intervene in someone else's duel. If a person intrudes on a duel, he or shecan be arrested or the original duelists' friends canchallenge the intruder.

St ru t t in g Du e li sts: Shortly after the law goes intoeffect , a handful of patriars and Watch soldiers whobelieve the new rules give them an edge take to prowling the Lower and Outer cities looking for opportunitiesto duel with anyone they find a reason to dislike.

The characters can witness such an encounte r atany time. In one case, a patriar duelist wearing leathe rarmor and wielding a fine rapier squares off againsta lamp lad human bystander) armed with a dagger.Spectators watch , their expressions revealing disgustor excitement. The noble accuses the lamp lad of disgracing his sister by leading her to vice dens againsther wi ll. The lad objects, saying he guided the girl onlyto places she told him to take her. Unless the heroesintervene, the youth is cut down in the first exchange ofblows and dies in the street.

The city becomes an increasingly tense and bloodyplace. Gate residents, who carry knives for eating orthe odd task, begin bearing daggers, meat cleavers,hatchets, billhooks, and clubs as everyone from Guildmembers to shopkeepers use the law to settle old scores.If the adventurers have made enemies or i hey anger astranger. they could be challenged to duels s well.

O pp osing th e Law: Convincing Parliament of Peersmembers and Grand Duke Dillard Portyr to oppose thelaw is the only way to end the slaug hter. Impassioned

l



speeches cou ld do it. but t h e adventurers might needto defeat mo re than a few p a tr i a r du eli sts to persuadethe rest of hem to back off.

KEEPING TR CK

Sllvershl e ld gains one rank on Bhaal 's Favor Track if th echaracter s fall to turn the Parliament of Peers against the

reinstatem ent of the old dueling law s.

Kangaroo Cou r tsThe criminal justice system in Baldur'sGate calls on independent judgesdukes or their appointed patriarproxies - to hear cases and pass judgments based on law tradition, andcommon sense. For alJ its quirks, thesystem functions reasonably wel l. Atleast, it did, unt il the Gui ld found enough patriars whowere susceptib le to bribe ry or blackmail to take contro lof he system, ensuring that anyone who has an impor ·

tant Guild connection isn't convicted of a crime.The ra r ity of convictions for Guild members infuri ·ates Ravengard. In response, he creates the Court of heFist, an impromptu military tribuna l that can conveneanywhe re hear evidence, and pass judgment. The p residi ng office r mus t be of flame rank or higher.

These tria ls are illegaL Not h ing in the c ity's laws orthe Flaming Fist's charte r gives Ravengard the author ·ity to create such a court. Only the peers and the dukesare in a position to stop the marshal. But Silvershieldwon't object as long as the tribunals stay out of heUpper City, and the patriars are increasingly avoidingtravel outside the Upper C ity or contact with anyonewho isn't in their elite circles. The Guild, meanwhile,doesn't have the structu re or the strength to challengethe Fist on its own terms.

These kangaroo courts begin operat ing immediate lywith Flaming Fist members captur ing suspected G uildmembers and sympath izers and hearing cases involving everything from theft and libel to confidence gamesand murder. Sometimes the verdicts re proper andpractica l, such as when petty thieves are forced to payrestitution or slanderers are forced to publicly recanttheir lies. Some rulings are barbarous, such as whenbreakers of verbal contracts have thei r tongues cut out.And some are fatal, such as when merc hants who se llspoiled goods are hanged in their shops' doorways.

KEEPING TR CK

Ravengard gains one rank on Bhaal 's Favor Track I f he

charact e rs fall to unleash th e Parliam ent of Pee rs on the

Illegal Court of the F s . - - -

ST GE

Closing Baldur 's MouthBaldur's Mouth is a one -page broadsheet, . . . . . . . = ~

printed irregula rly th ree to eig httimes a tenday, based on when it fillsup with articles and adve r tisements.

Ravengard suspects that theGuild is using Baldur's Mouth forcitywide secret communications. Ifthe characters are in his good graces, he tasks themwith investigating his suspicion. If the marshal andthe adventurers are not on friend ly terms, Ravengardsends out Flaming Fist so ldie rs to rip papers out of folks'hands and tear them offwalls.

Indeed, the Guild has been us ing the news outletto coo rdinate actions between its many cells. lnforma ·tion about Guild meetings is coded into some of thebroadsheets. When the sheet is folded in a particu lar

way a person can read the time and place of a gather ·ing. Folded in a different way it serves as a pass to ga inadmittance into the meeting.

Not all copies of an ed ition contain the code. Mostof the papers reveal no secret information, even whenfolded correctly. A few t rained mouthers (lamp lads andlamp lasses who distribute broadsheets during the day)hand out special copies to operatives they know andto peop le who look like Guild recruit s-anyone accoutered like a rogue, thief, assassin, or bard. With a DC 10Wisdom check, a character can spot a paper delivererhandling two separate stacks of papers.

Even with a coded version of he broadsheet in hand,a charac ter still needs to figu re out its puzzle. With aDC 15 Intelligence check, someone who is experiment ·ing with ways to fold the broadsheet hits on the sec ret.Once a character knows the tec h nique, folding thepaper into the meeting -pass configuration is simple.

The broadsheet directs those who decode themessage to Gather at the last bell above the ankle of heSow 's Foot. The last bell' means midnight, and Sow'sFoot refers to that district. With a DC 10 Intelligencecheck, a character recaJJs hearing that HamhocksSlaughterhouse is located in that Outer City districtand knows that a ham hock is the cut of meat above apig's an kle. Othe r wise, the adventurers can wanderaround the streets and alleys of Sow's Foot for 3 to 6minutes and stumble on the answer when they spot theslaughterhouse.

Getting I ns id e: At Hamhocks Slaughterhouse,a tou gh thug guards the door. He demands that theheroes' credentials, or the properly folded broadsheet,

e slid through a slot. He gives everyone a thoroughvisual inspection and is suspicious of anyone who lookslike a wizard or a soldier. A t the first sign that spies orin forma nts have compr omi sed the meet ing the doo r



guard bars the entrance, and everyone inside dashesout a side exit and scatters.

If the heroes are admitted and don't arouse suspicion, they hear discussion ofRa e l 's kidnapp ing plot (seethe next event). The d iscussion relies heavily on slangterms that have meaning to rogues and similar individuals but sound like gibberish to most othe r people. Forexample, the plot to kidnap Omdarsh Nyach for ransomis described as hooking a toddle for rounds.

Ravengard is determined to shut down Baldur 'sMouth to prevent the Guild from using the paper forits own purposes - but he might we ll change his mindif the characters share t heir discoveries with him andpers uade him to let the Guild keep its secret system.Now that Fist soldiers know what to watch for, they havea better chance of dentifying Guild collaborators.

K PING TR CK

Ravengard gains one rank on Bhaal 's Favor Track if he

characters learn the Guild 's sc heme and pass the details on to

Ravengard , or if they fail to prevent Rst soldiers from doing so .

KidnappingsKidnappings for ransom are uncommonbut not unheard of n Baldur's Gate.The victims are not city leade rs orother figures of mportance. Abductors instead target the leaders ' familymembers, snatching t hem as theyvent ure through the city on routineact ivities. Typically, kidnappe rs deman d relatively lowransoms, which a re paid, and the victims are set free.No kidnapping victims in the Gate have been harmed ,beyond the loss of a finger, for at least a generation.

Rael , however, is begi nn ing to feel b loodthirsty. Sheunleashes kidnappers o n a handful of argets , settinghigh ransoms and offering murky payment instructions that seriously limit the length of ime families aregiven to pay. Rael hopes some families fail to meet herdemands so she can order the hostages' deaths.

The adolescent son ofValaith Chadur , a well-knownLower City stonecarver, is the first kidnapping victimto die. Simmur Chadur 's strangled body is found nearthe ha rbormaster's office. The second slain hostage isLa ra Alreven, the wife of Alra ner Alreven, the ownerof an ar t ist ic glassblowing shop. Her b ludgeoned bodyis dumped near Elfsong Tavern. The third murderedvictim is Harali Avir, the daughter of Aurayaun, ownerof the B lade and Stars. Her body is found in an alleybehind Sor cerous Sundries.

Wo rkin g fo r R ave n ga rd: When the son ofDarshNyach, a prominent merchant of sailcloth, is snatched,Ravengard might summon the characters. He is ce rtainto if they work for h im at the time. He wants these murderers brought to jus tice-any justice.

Darsh Nyach is one of the few members of the Parliament of Pee rs who lives outside the Upper City. H is son,Omdarsh , is 15 years old and often goes fishing alongthe docks in Brampton. The lad set out for the docks V

before dawn yesterday and hasn't been seen since. Noone who lives along the most direct route between theNyach home and the harbor admits to hearing an altercatio n that morning.

The characters' best chance for catching the kidnap·

pers is to deliver the ransom. The kidnappers' note toyach, which was delivered to him while he was in a

Parliament ofPe ers session, instructs him to bring 800gp to Blind Darcar yn 's corner in the Lower City justoutside Baldur 's Gate. The instructions say to then drop2 pp into the beggar's coin cup.

W h en the c h aracters d rop t h e pl ati nu m co i n s in t oth e b eggar s c up , re a d :Hearin8 the clink o platinum amon8 his copper pieces, theblind man nods in thanks and hands you a note. It reads,You're the pi8eons now. Let's see who'sfaster, the real pi8eon

or the volunteer pi8eons. BrinB the ransom to the roost. Don tbe late.

As you read, Blind Darcaryn opens the basket next to him.A bird flies out and beBins circlin8 in the air.

The pigeon needs a short time to get its bearings beforeit can head home. The cha racters lose sight of he birdas soon as it passes over the nearby rooftops. W ithin thenext minute or two, one of them has to dash to the topof he wall and watch where the pigeon flies. Any de laymeans losing the bird.

Steep stairs ascend the tower of Baldur's Gate amere dozen steps from where Blind Darca ryn sits. The

Watch guards posted at Baldur 's Gate might recognizethe characters and let t hem pass if it's obvious they 'rein a hurry. But the vigilar on duty will want an explanation when they come back down. If he heroes and theWatch are at odds , the characters m ight need to forcetheir way through the gate and up the tower.

The top of he wall affords a panoramic view of heLower City. From there , an observer can easily watchthe pigeon's flight. It wings its way to a building fourblocks uphill from the harbormaster 's office. By notingdetails about t hat structur e and its surroundings, theheroes should be able to find it from the street.

Blind Darcaryn knows only that someone came tohim earlier and gave him 1 gp, the note , the basket, andverbal instruct ions to hand over the note and open thebasket if he heard 2 pp drop into his cup. He was promised he d be allowed to keep the p latinum.

Rael's orders to the kid nappers are to kill the hostage when the pigeon arrives and then clear out. Buther flunkies are tired ofkilling hostages for wages.They want t he ransom. The abducto rs wait 30 minutesaf ter the b ird returns. lfthe he roes haven't arrived by



then, fear ofRael overcomes thei r greed, and they killOmdarsh and abandon the hideout.

Run for I t To reach the right structure within 30minutes, the characters need to push hard through thecrowded, rain-slick streets. Each adventurer must makea DC 10 Strength check or a DC 10 Dexte rit y checkin each di strict along the route, including the Steeps.ll capside, and Eastway.

With a successful check in th e Steeps, a charac -

ter crosses the remaining portion of the district in 8minutes. On a failure , the crowds, cargo handlers, awedding procession. or Guild agents slow the character,and the trip takes 10 minutes.

With a successful check in ll eapside, a characte rcrosses the whole district in 10 minutes. On a failure,the trip takes 12 minutes.

With a successful check in Eastway, a charac te rcrosses about a quarter of he way into the district,rea ch ing the cor rect neighborhood in 4 minutes. On afailure, the charac ter gets lost and takec; 8 m i n u t ~toreach the right area.

Kidnappers ' Hideout: The kidnappers are in adingy residence under a bat -maker's shop. The smallhome's entrance is located in a narrow, crate -strewnalley and down a short flight of stairs. To enter thest r uctur e, an adventurer could pick the door 's lock witha DC 12 Dexterity check or smash open the door witha DC 15 Strengt h check. If a hero knocks on the doorand the home is still occupied, one of he kidnapperscalls for the visitor to enter.

If he characters enter before the kidnappers leave,they encounter the abductors (halfling rogues andthugs ), as well as a F laming Fist corporal (a friendof one of the thugs who heard about the ransom andswitched a llegiances). The abductors surro und a youthwho is lashed to a chair. The heroes can negotiate orfight their way through the situation. The abductorswant mon ey, and they want to leave.

I f the adventurers ask the kidnappers who hiredthem. they say ''he" didn't offer a name. But theirdescription of their boss reminds the character whospoke with Rae] in the Wide of he Guild kingpin'sappearance that day. After hearing about the botchedjob. Rae goes into hiding long before anyone comeslooking for her.

Renegad e s Fate: IfRavengard hears about his

sold ier turning traitor, he wants to keep the information secret. In contrast, Rael or Silvershield would payhand so mely for that tidbit. The duke would use theinformation as leverage against Ravengard in the counc il, and Rae) would plaster th e news on handbills toturn the city against the Fist.

KEEPING TRACK

Rael gains one rank on Bhaal 's Favor Track If the charactersfall to save the kidnapped youth .

MassacreA small crowd of workers kept awayfrom their jobs by the turmoil in thecity gather in Norchapel. They intendto march to the High Hall anddemand that the Outer City be recognized as pa r t of Baldur's Gate prop er.This is a peaceful assembly con

cerned about the escalation of viole nce against OuterCity residents. If Guild agitators were to get involved,the group might become hostile.

Ravengard's office rs tell the marshal that a groupof rabble -rou sers is moving through the city, gatheringstrength as it goes. Ravengard assembles as many mercenaries as he can from the Seatowe r ofBalduran andthe Lower City, sends runners to alert the garrison atWyrm's Rock, and marches toward the Wide.

As the protesters head toward the High Hall , theirnumbers swell from about two hundred to two thousand. I t takes them an hour to reach Baldur's Gate, theentrance that leads into the Wide, and they don't actually get into the High HalL

When the protesters arrive at the gate, they findthree hundred Flaming Fist soldiers blocking the street.In addition, about a hundred retainers from patri arfamilies and several High House ofWonders prie stslin e the Old Wall along both side s of the gate. Everyone on t he wall is holding a crossbow. The streets arcotherwise deserted, and a ll the surroundi ng buildin gs'windows are shuttered. The Watch, responsible forguarding the gate, is conspicuo usly absent. (Silve rshie ldcalled the soldiers away to prevent any blame from falling on the Watch for what's about to happen.)

If the characters do not intervene to forestall orinterrup t this event, it unfo lds as follows.

l. U ld er Ravengard ascends a platform ofbarre ls andcommands the crowd of unarmed commone rs to d isperse and retu rn home immediately.

With a DC 10 Wisdom check used to spot anyweapons among the protesters, an adventurer cansee they are unarmed, except for a handful of ruffians who look like typical Guild operatives andinformants.

2. A male protester sc rambles onto a low building andanswers, "We will speak with the Cou ncil ofFourlWe demand recognitio n for Baldur 's forgotten, theOuter City's hardworking people "

3. Ravengard declares that no one will negotiate witha mob and rep eats his demand that crowd membersreturn home. He adds that anyone who does notleave ' ·olunta rily will be dri\Cn back by force.

\Vith a DC 5 vVisdom check to sense motive, ahero realizes that Ravengard is unhappy about thepresence of he retainers and acolytes ofGond. Themarshal glances uneasi ly at the people on the wall



several times and twice dispatches officers in theirdirection on unknown errands.

4. The crowd breaks out into shouting and chanting,making furthe r communication impossible.

5. Ravengard climbs down from the barrels, speaks afew words to his second·in -cornmand, and then disappears into a press ofjun ior officers.

With a DC 15 Wisdom check, a character spots

Imbralym Skoond skulking among the patriars'retainers and speaking angrily to severa l of heirleaders moments before the first bolt is launched.

6. The pa t r iar retainers and the ac o lytes of Go ndlaunch a volley of crossbow bolts into the crowd, killing dozens and injuring many more. In moments,screaming protesters run in every direction.

With a DC 10 Intelligence check , an adventurerrecalls that Ravengard and the flame he spoke toissued no command before the crossbows were fired.Armed retainers released the first bolts , and the acolytes of Gond followed suit.

7. The Flaming Fist mercenaries pr ivates , corp ora ls,sergean t s, or li eutenants) and the armed retainersadvance into the panicked mob, striking at unarmedpeople who are scrambling to get away.

The next five minutes a re a wild, scramblingpanic of people pressing into packed streets as theytry to escape. When it ends, the streets are clearof protesters , except for 120 dead and hundreds ofother victims who are too badly wounded to flee.

8. After the initial bloodbath, the Flaming Fist soldiersregroup into their formations, and some patriarretainers walk through the streets murdering

wounded rioters who are too injured to fight back.By the end of he day, the count rises to 183bodies gathered from within a few blocks ofBaldur's Gate and 36 more collected from the streets ofHeapside and Eastway, where they were trampledduring the retreat or collapsed from wounds. Manymore victims succumb to injuries in the comingdays. The number of wounded protesters is impossible to know, but is in the htmdreds at least.

On the other side of he ledger, a crossbow boltkilled one retainer. Officially, an armed rioter wasresponsible , but it's more likely he was the victim of afellow retainer's badly aimed shot. None of the Flaming Fist soldiers was injured.+ With a DC 15 Intelligence check, a characterdeterm ines that in t he streets where the Flaming Fistpushed back the crowd, many of the dead appear tohave been knocked unconscious with a club or theflat of a blade. which Fist soldiers are trained to doagainst unarmed foes. Then the victims were fatallystabbed after the protesters who we re still standinghad fled.

f he H eroes Take Ac t ion: The characters can tryto avert the disaster.

Talking to the mob won't work. The protesters comprise a leaderless mob whose members believe theFlaming Fist won't attack them , and no words can persuade them to disperse.

Ravengard is determined to break up the mob andsend it packing. He didn't come here for a massacre, buthe didn 't come to negotiate either. To try to dissuade

him from attacking, the characters must first reachhim. They can do so, if they received silver broochesfrom Ravengard in a previous meeting and flash themnow. Otherwise, they can't get past his guards.

The only argument that can persuade Ravengard toback away from this confrontation is the contention thatthe patriars' retainers are looking for a chance to triggera bloodbath and, i f hat happens, the Flaming Fist willbe blamed. Ravengard doesn't care that the protestersare unarmed and thus far peaceful. He wants to make astatement that the Guild and the Outer City won't soonforget. He is not , however, willing to lose control of hesituation because of provocation from the patriars.

If he heroes convince Ravengard to stand down,he details a third of his force to screen off the retain-ers and the acolytes ofGond. He then orders the restofhis mercenaries to advance in lockstep down thestreets, pushing the protesters ahead of hem throughthe Steeps at sword point. Many people are clubbed andtrampled, but no one is killed.

KEEPING TR CK

Silve rshie ld gains on e rank on Bhaal 's Favor Track If th echara ct ers fall to convince Raveng a rd to avert a bloo dbath .

ST GEThis stage features only one event, and all th ree antagonists rise in Bhaal 's favor if he characters do not quell arioting mob.

RiotTension in the city has been building up like waterbehind a dam, and it suddenly breaks loose in a riot.Some say a duel got out of hand. Others say an argument between harborhands and a merchant started theproblem. Afterward, no one remembers how it began.

I f he heroes are in the Upper City or the Lower Citywhen the riot starts, they hear a low roar in the distance. If they are in the Outer City, they eventually seehuge plumes of smoke rising from near the harbor.

A riot of enormous proportions has engulfed the portand its surrounding streets. Outer City and Lower Cityresidents are tearing shutters and doors off buildings,smashing objects, and hurling dissenters into the bay.

Kee pin g T h eir Distance: If the characters stay outof the way Rael's agents whip the crowd into a fury.



Not only are shops, ships, and warehouses looted, mostarc torched as wel l. The fu ll force of the Flaming F istexplodes out of he Seatower ofBalduran to quell theriot, using lethal force on resisters. D u ke Silvershieldsends the Watch down from the Upper City to aid theFlaming Fist. Th is t roop movement traps rioters andthose see kin g to flee the violence on the western andnor t hern sides of he harbo r in a vise. Anyone whoflees from the Flaming Fist ends up facing the Watch's

swords and vice versa.St e pp ing In: The characters might oppose the riot

or try to calm the rioters. Their efforts could include,but aren't limited to, challenging the mob's leaders ortrying to persuade them to go home, convincing Wat chand Flarrting Fist soldiers to lower their weapons sothey don't appear to be thirsting for a fight, wheeling akeg of ale into the street and offe r ing everyone drinksif they agree to sit down and talk, steering rioters downdead-end streets, and protecting shops and goods.

It's vital that players explain how their characters'actions can affect the rioters or the soldiers and that the

heroes work together. The adventurers' actions must becoordinated and amplify one another to have an effecton the mob. If everyone tries a different approach-int im idating a few people here, convincing a handfu lover there the party won't make a dent in the throng.

If the characters come up with an effective plan, andthe ir playe rs make a few successful checks, the crowda round them settles down, and the resulting calmspreads outward from there. A few ugly incidents mightsti ll develop in other areas, and a large number of peopleare incarcerated, but the day turns out far more peacefulthan it wou ld have without the characters' intervention.

KEEPING TRACKIf the charact ers fail to calm the rioters , Rae l, Silvershi eld ,and Ravengard all gain one rank on Bhaal 's Favor Track.

ST GE

Weapon SmugglingAs Bhaa l s influence on Rae grows,she begins covertly arming the OuterCity's residents. Most Outer Cityd wellers carry only daggers, whicheven c h ildren have, and clubs. Rael isprocuring and dist r ibuting swords,shie lds, and crossbows to anyone whopromises to use them "when the time is right."

The weapons come from two sou rces. Trading vesselsbring the bulk of he arms into the harbor inside mislabeled crates. From the harbor, the Candul hallows family(sec "Death and Taxes," page 61 in the Campai n Gu ideca r ts the m unitions away alongside the dead. Gui ldage nt s stea l the rest from the F laming Fist ar m ory a t

Wyrm's Rock. Unlike the smuggling invo lved in the firstsource, which the Guild excels at, the latter method ofprocurement is daring and exceptionally risky.

The armory thefts require the reluctantly given aidofFavil Blanthe, Exchequer of the Flaming Fist. As ayou ng man, Blanthe was a talented Guild rogue, buthe fled following a near -fatal clash with a cohort incrime. He crafted a new identity for himself. joine d theFlaming Fist, and gradually climbed in rank and his

superiors ' estimations. As exchequer, Blanthe controlsthe Fist's bookkeeping and, by extension, its armories.

Rael uncovered the truth ofBlanthe's past and isusing it to blackmail him. So far, she has demandedonly an occasional crate of short swords or crossbowsfrom the Fist's abundant stores. As long as the price andthe risk remain low, Blanthe plays along to protect hisposition and r eputation.

I n th e G uild 's Empl oy: Jfthe characters are workingfor the Guild, Rae asks them to accompany several Guildmembers to Wyrm's Rock to pick up more weapons. "Porters" drag a cart to the fort's gates, wave a work order (signedby Blanthe), pick up their consignment, and walk out again.Though t is is usually a straightforward task. somethingabout the characters might tip off the guards (F lamingFist p riva tes and a sergean t), particularly i f he charactershave already had difficulties with the grou p.

No t W o rkin g for R ae : If the cha racters are not incahoots with t h e Gu i ld, they can learn about the weap ·ons smuggling in one of three ways.

The two youngest Candulhallows , Resper and hissister Taleene, conclude tha t th e family's longtimesmuggling arrangement is leading the family towarddisaster. They ask the charac ters to help them severties to the Guild , but they don't reveal the family'spast decade of under -the -table dealings.

Blanthe senses Rael's demands are increasing. Heworries he won't be able to conceal the loss of muchmore inventory, so he approaches t he characters andasks for help without exposing his cr imes.

The characters stumble on one or both smugglingplots when they hear weapons jangle in a passingdeadcart or notice the glint of polished blades tuckedbeneath beggars' and laborers' tunics.

KEEPING TR CK

Rae I gains o n e rank on Bhaal' s Favo r Track If the chara cte rshelp th e Guild stea l weapon s from the Fla ming Fist , or Ifth ey fall to discove r and rev eal t o Ravengard at least one of

th e two weapon -smuggling plots.



Fun eral Proc ess ionAs two laborers who work for theCandulhallow family wheel a smokepowder -laden coffin on a two -wheeledpushcart through Bloom ridge (see"Smokepowder Plot " in stage 10), oneof hem thoughtlessly knocks out thecontents of his pipe onto the cart. A

sprinkling ofloose smokepowder blazes up, and thealarmed carters jump back , allowing the coffin to tumbleto the cobblestones. I t spills open, one of he thr ee casksof smokepowder inside splits -and kaboom

When the smoke clears, seven people are dead,including both carters, and all the surround ing buildings are damaged.

Any ofBhaal's favored thre e can ask the charactersto look into this incident . Everyone wants to know whathappened, including Silvershield, who can make apretty solid guess, of course. Ravengard and the rest ofthe city is sure the Guild is responsible. Rael and NineFingers know the Guild had nothing to do with it , butthey are itching to know who did.

Surviving witnesses are as puzzled as everyone elseand quickly point fingers at the Guild. They describea typical street scene, mentioning a few Flaming Fistsoldiers standing on a corner , a couple of carters slog-ging alongside their cart, a couple of acolytes ofGondstrolling past, a patria r woman berating her servants,children playing , and a few adolescent boys insultingeach other. Then suddenly everything was flame andthunder and whistling debris. Persistent questioningreveals that the carters were hauJjng a coffin , and press ·ing on that point stirs two people to recall that the last

thing they saw was the coffin falling.The Candulhallows vehemently deny that t he explosion had anything to do with the casket, which theyclaim was empty. The undertakers report the coffinwas being delivered to a Manorborn address. (If thecharacters ask where, they say , "The lives and affa irs ofpatriars are not your business. Nor is our family's busi·ness yours. ") The carters, or so they claim, were taking adetour to avoid a part icularly crowded street along theirpath . The explosion site in Bloomridge near Seskergatesdoes lie along a drastic, but not wholly unbelievable ,detour from the most direct route.

K PIN G TR CK

Silv ershi el d ga ins o ne rank on Bha a l's Favor Trac k unl ess

th e c harac te rs so mehow un cover st age 10 's "S mokepowde rPlot d ur ing t his e ve nt.

Marti a l Lawy this point, Ravengard's declaring

martial law is more a formality thana change of affairs. The city has practically been under mar tial law fordays, but the notices that criers shoutand nail to walls make it official: al-dur's Gate is now under the Flaming

Fist's military protection.Under mart ial law, an o rder from any Fist mercenarycarries total authority , and anyone who fails to complycan be arrested or executed on the spot. Only FlamingFist soldiers are allowed to wear armor or carry weap·ons larger than a table knife. Gatherings with peopleoutside one's immediate family are forbidden. Everyonemust be o ff the stree t before the sun falls behind thewestern wall. No ships are to enter or leave the harborwithout clearance from the Seatower ofBalduran.

An uneasy truce is drawn between the Upper andLower cities. According to Ravengard's declaration, therestrictions of martial law apply to the Upper City, too.But for the time being, he chooses not to challenge theWatch on its home tur( All five gates into the UpperCity are closed, though, and no one can get throughthem without an awfully good story.

Once martial law is declared, it remains in effectuntil the end of he adventure.

Armed a n d Scuttling: From this point forward,unless the character s are Flaming Fist members orcarry Ravengard 's silver tokens, they cannot easilymove around the Lower City while wearing armor andcarrying weapons.

To move from one distri ct to another requires DC

10 Dexterity checks to sneak past F laming Fist patrols.I f half or more of the characters succeed on such acheck, all of them proceed unnoticed. If he par ty failsby only one check (two successes and three failures,for example), it can retreat in the direction from whichit came without being noticed. Otherwise, the patrolspots the adventurers and pursues to arrest them. (Ifthe characters are apprehended , see "Jailed " on page17 for ideas on how they might get out.)

Anyone who wears a Watch un iform in the LowerCity receives steely -eyed glares from Flaming Fist mer·cenaries bu t can travel the streets with minimal hassle.

The Guild relies on sewers, rooftops, and the Undercellar's secret passages to move around . People whohave excellent Guild contacts or 50 gp apiece can alsotravel through the Undercellar.

PIN G TR K

Thi s eve nt can n ot be stop ped, so Rave ng a rd automatica llyga in s o ne ra nk on Bhaal 's Favor Trac k.



STAGE 1The events of this last stage before the finale depend onwhere the three antagonists are on Bhaal's Favor Track.Play out the events associated with the two highestranked agents on the track. If all three are of equalrank, play out all three events.

In addition, these events weigh heavily on w hom

Bhaa l chooses. and they are very difficult to prevent. I fthe heroes sign ificant ly imp ede one of these events, itnot on ly prevents the associated agent from rising onthe track. it sets him or her back five ranks.

Prison BreakWith the Seatower ofBalduran filled toburs ting follow ing th e riot, Rael plansto raid the mil itary st ru cture andrelease the prisone rs locked in itsdungeons. The Seatower is a formidable fortress. and attac ki ng it is athorny pr ob lem for any force.

The harassment ofYssra Brackrel in the event··search and Seizure (stage 1) pu shed the alchemistinto Racl's outst retched a rm s. In the days since, Brackrel has concocted a sing le smokepowder bomb. I t cou ldblast open the structure's front gate if the bomb wereplaced aga in st it.

A large gro up of Flaming Fist soldiers (corporal s,li e ut ena nt s. privates . or sergea n t s) guard each end ofth e Seatower's causeway. More crossbow -carry ing mercenaries (privates ) are posted atop the gate .

In Leag u e with th e G uild : l f the characters areworking for Ril sa Rael at this stage, s he probably truststhem as far as she t rus ts a nyone. The Guild kingpintasks them with planning the attack, so the decision forho w to breach th e Seatower fa lls to the players.

If he characters decide to run the att ack, Raelprovides them with a grou p of we ll-armed ruffians(thu gs. tough th u gs, h a lfling rogues and a bomber ).She exp lains to th em that if the bomber reaches theSea ower ga te at the end of he causeway, the dwarrssmokepowde r bomb is powe rful enough to blow thegate open. The rogues, who know the Seatower's layout,then could use the commot ion and confusion to slipinside, dash to the dungeons. and release the prisoners.

If he characters don't have their own plan for getting the strike team close to the gate, Rael offers themthe ass istance of someone within the Flaming Fist. S hepr ov ides them with the names of three likely prospects.

Nord ir Samulkin. a human, has racked up largegambling debts that he is eager to keep hidden fromhi s brothers, who are a lso in the Flaming Fist . (T hecharacters might have met Samu lkin du ri n g stage 2in F lamin g Fist Thuggery. )

Lotgeir Shortcloak joined the Flaming Fist on a larkand now proclaims for all to hear that h e would buyout his con t ract if on ly he could afford it (The heroesgot a glimpse ofShortcloak at the end of stage 3.)It's all just ta lk, though. Despite his constant complaining. the halfling enjoys being a Flaming Fist. Ifsomeone approaches him with a scheme for betrayal.he reports the incident to his superiors.

Othial Burl fist. a half -elf. fled an arranged marriageand joined t he Flaming Fist for the anonymity it provided her - but anothe r mercenary uncovered herpast and is now blackmailing her. She approache dRacl for th e Guil d 's help. and in return for a promise of assistance Burl fist has agreed to aid the prisonbreak. (The characters might have met Burlfistduring the Arson event in stage 6.)

Tft hc heroes arc working wit h Samulkin or Burl fist,that person escorts the characters and their team acrossthe causeway under the guise of a supply delivery.When they reach the gate, the bomb is detonated, andthe traitor melt s into the crowd and disappears.

If the c haracters approach the tower stealthily orin disgui se without the help of a traito r, they must uscCharisma checks agains t the guards ' \Visdom to avoidd etection. The odds are high that the mercenariesnotice the heroes' subterfuge and either halt them orattack out right. depe nding o n what they've spotted.

Carnage: Once the prisoners (thugs ) are released,the escapees turn on the g ua rd s (privates ), and thebreakout becomes a bloodbath. The prisoners who su rvive make a dash a long the causeway to the Seatower

district, there to disap pear into a lleys an d side st reets.U nless the Wea pon Smugg lin g plot in stage 9 was

revea led to Ravcngard, the Flaming Fist is in worseshape than its members realize. When the mercenaries muste r to fight the prisoners, they find weaponsand ammunition missing from the armo ry. When theypursue the criminals int o the streets, they find themissing weapons in the hands ofRael's all ies and sympat hi zers (to ugh t hu g s and th ug s). who step o ut fromtheir hiding places to ambush the sold iers.

Not Working for the Gu ild: I f the cha racters arenot associated w ith the Gu ild , Rae lu ses other person

nel to plan and execute the attack. I f he characters areon hand when it happens, they can join either side ofthe battle. or not. as they see fit. If the adventurers tagalong with Rael's st rik e team. they run into a group ofguards (F la min g Fist corpora ls li e ut enants privates . or sergeants) who heard the blast but have noidea what's happening and have received no orders.

KEEPING TRA CK

Rael gains one ran k on Bhaal's Favor Track If the charactersarrange a prison break , or If they fail to prevent the Guildfrom doing so.



Smokepowder PlotFor months, Silve rsh ield has beensecret ly stockpiling s m okepowder inthe Upper City . Its met hod of manufacture was once a secret ofGond sdevotees, but re ligious doctrine hasbanned the substance since thesecre t escaped into the wider world.As the high artificer ofGond. Duke Silve rshield conside r s it his right to have the stuff made, and the duke hashad Imbralym Skoond hard at work making batches ofit for some time.

In the early ph ase of the plan, Silvershield's wizard

bought up Avery Sonshal s smoke p owder stores andlined up suppliers so he could arrange to produce more.Skoond impo r ted loads of alchemical ingredients and

stored them in Lower City warehouses before slow lysneaking them into his mansion, Seskergates, throughits many entrances. He then enlisted a few apprentices

and hid them away in the mansion s cellars to turn theingredients into smokepowder.

At first, the duke d idn t have any intentions aside

from vague thoughts ofbreaking Sonshal's monopolyon fireworks production and putting on a great s how.But as Bhaal s in fl uence continued to tw ist his thoughts,

Silve rsh ield sett led on a more insidious idea.

Silvershield's PlanIt's common knowledge that many members of the Parliament of Peers a re beho lden to the Guild in one wayor another. Debt, blackmail , favors, and questionab le orillegal dealings have put them in Nine-Fingers's pocket.Since the pe e rs main responsibili ty is electing d ukes

to t he council, Silvershield bel ieves it's only a matte r oft ime befo re the whole city dances to the Guild s tune.

So Silvershiel d decides to cleanse the corruption

from Parl iament, bu t he has little control over who getselected to that body. Si nce he can t cleanse it udicially,and with his mind turning toward thoughts of elabo

rate, magn ificent m ur der, he alights on another pla n a

shocking ly drastic plan.I fParliament can t be repaired, he reasons, then

it m ust be swept clean. It must be done in a way thatblames the Guild and ra ll ies the people to support thedukes. Silvershield resolves to eliminate Parliament i n

one awe-inspiring crash-by blowing up his smokepowder stash beneat h the Hig h Ha ll while Parl iament is insession. If he plot works, Silvershield concludes, the populace would revile the Guild and elect a new parliament.In add it ion, a new parliament would be much h arder forthe Guild to subvert, since all its members would believethe Guil d had murdered their predecessors.

S ilversh ield a nd Skoond alo ne know all the deta ils ofthe plan to blow up Parliament. The handful of p eop le

they've tappe d for help alo ng the way know on ly th e irown pieces of the puzz le. Aside f rom the heroes, no oneis in a position to stop Silvershield.

Use the information in the following sectio n s toguide the ac t ion, depending on how the charactersdecide to proceed.

In the CellarsI f t he ch a racters gain access to the poorly ventila tedcellars behind and beneath Seskergates, they comeupon a few apprentice smokepowder makers in illhea lth m ixing, cooking. and gr inding compone n ts in to

CLUES TO CRACKING THE CASEThe characters can begin unraveling Silvershield 's plot frommany different angles. Each thread provides a clue , but everyone that 's followed individually leads to a dead end. Only bypicking up on several of these threads do characters hav e achance to forestall the explosion .

The adventure doesn 't depend on the characters ' preventing the blast. In fact, it might be more interesting if they knowthat something big is afoot but can 't stop it .

The clues can be found in the following places.Prelude to Disaster, page 16: When one of Skoond 'salchemists damages a mixing bowl in a smokepow

de r -manufacturing accident , she dumps it where thecharacters might find it. This discovery could focus theheroes ' attention on Bloomridge.Interlude 2: Harbormaster, page 18: The Harbor

Manifest indicates that someone has been importing largequantities of the basic ingredients for smokepowder andstashing them in Lower City warehouses . y the time the

adventurers get involved, those supplies are gone , andnothing links them to Skoond or Silvershield.Sneaking Skoond, page 18: If in the Upper City one

evening, the characters might spot imbralym Skoondskulking through the stree ts on his way home after hauling smokepowder from the wine shop 's back room to theHigh Hall . He has Silve rshield 's clearance to go whereverhe wants, but his behavior and his mud -spattered clothing

might seem suspect .Funeral Procession, page 25: The explosion of a loadof smokepowder in the Upper City raises questions aboutwhat happened , who was responsible , and the attack'spurpose. This event could inspire the characters to tracka coffin delivery.X Marks the Spots , page 28: Characters who prowl

through Seskergates might find Skoond 's blueprints forplacing the smokepowder charges and take them to anexpert who can interpret them correctly .

0I '



smoke powder. Fifty casks of smokepowder have beenproduced so far in the cellars. Each wooden cask is 16inc hes ta ll and 12 inches in d iamete r.

The entire workshop is exp losive. If a characterbr ings in a torch or a flame, one alchemist screams athim or her to get out , a second uses a bucket of waterto douse the flame , and the remaining ones bolt for theexits in a panic. The alchemists work by magic light.

Stuffed into the apprentices' st raw mattresses and

beneath a loose workshop floorboard are notes , receipts ,and bills oflading that prove the apprentices were inleague with the Guild. These documen ts are forgeries ,but there s no way to tell that by looking at them. Theapprentices know nothing about their existence. W itha DC 10 Intelligence c heck to search the workshop , acharacter finds the documents. If the character s specifically search the mattresses or floorboards, they find thepape rs without a check.

Skoond keeps the doors between his home and thecellars locked. If someone discovers the workshop, hedenies knowing of the cell ars' existence, let a lone that

someone had set up a smokepowder factory in t here. It san odd claim on its face but not without credibility, considering the maze-like nature ofSeskergates' ce llars.

Mov ing th e Good sThe Candu lhallow family has been responsib le for rev-erently transporting the dead ofBaldur's Gate to theirfinal resting p laces outside the city for generations. Forthe past severa l weeks, however, deadcarts have been

X MARKS THE SPOTSIf the c haracte rs find their way into Seske rgates in Skoond sabsence and do som e exp loring, they discover th at Skoo nd sst udy contain s a uniqu e piece of furniture, a tall stoo l from theHigh House ofW onders. f he characters tou red the High Houseof W onde rs, they recognize where the oddly designed stoolcame from. Oth erwise, itstands out as newe r th an the mansion soth e r pieces o f furnitur e. One leg o f the stoo l conta ins a ho llowcompartm ent featuri ng a cleve r lock. W ith a DC 15 Inte lligencecheck, an adventurer w ho searc hes the stoo l notices t he ho llowleg. With a D C 15 Dexte rity check, a character p icks t he lock. Atightly rolled map is hidde n ins ide the stoo ls leg.

The map shows t he High Hall with num erous red s inked

onto it. The build ing is not identi i ed, bu t characters w ho havesee n the High Ha ll recognize it insta ntly.

Noth ing imm ed iately indicates w hat the s mea n. But ana rchitect or a maso n who st udies the placeme nt of th e s

rea lizes they c orrespo nd with st ruct ural st ress poi nts, ce ntra lco lum ns, arches, beam s upports, and load -bear ing wa lls. Notco incide ntall y, the s a lso m ark w here s moke powde r casksare be ing p laced to dest roy the wing of the High Ha ll thatconta ins th e Parliam ent of Pee rs cha mbers. However, t heheroes cannot dedu ce that fact from th e map alone.

hauling more than the dearly departed. As part of asecret arrangement be tween the Ca n dulhall ow familyand S koond, smokepowde r casks have been hiddeninside suppose d ly empt y coffins being brought into t heUpper City for fune rals. The Candulhallows have beenplying their trade for so long that Watch soldiers neverbother to inspect t he coffins.

After i t passes through Baldur s Gate, a coffin containing smokepowder is taken into a narrow alley near

the Three Old Kegs. If anyone follows an empty coffinthrough the Upper City, this route should seem suspicious-there s no good reason why an empty casket onits way to the home of a bereaved family would makea detour up an alley. Skoond isn't concerned about thispossibility , since he can t imagine why anyone wouldpay attention to a coffin delivery.

From the alley , the coffin is carried into a wineshop's back room, and the casks are quickly unloadedbefore the coffin carters proceed on their way.

The back room contains an accessway to a branch ofthe Upper City's subterranean aqueducts that cmmects

to the cistern in t he High Hall's cella r. Skoond stolethe key to it from the office of he master of drains andunderways. When several coffin-loads of smoke powder are waiting here, Skoond pops over and moves thesmokepowder into position beneath the High Hall.

In s id e the High H a llSkoond had workers erect new walls in the cellars ofthe High Hall, enclosing critical s upport beams direct lybeneath the parliament's chamber. With a DC 10 Intelligence check, a character who examines the walls canidentify them as new construction. Dwarves note thisfact automatically. The smokepowder is packed insi dethe walls , safe from casual observation. The placementof the walls is designed to help di rect the force of heblast up into the hall above.

Sko o nd D enie s it AllThe characters might corner and interrogate Skoondas thi s plot unravels. The wizard knows the price fortreason , and he can guess the one for revealing Silvershield's invo lvement, so he tells the characters nothing.

If asked where the smokepowder is now, the wizard

concludes that they are ignorant of he plot and it's bestto keep them tha t way. I f he characters reveal the HighHall diagram from his study, he explains that the mapis a study of structural flaws in the High Hall that mightneed to be magically repaired. Then Skoond threatens tohave the characters arrested for burglarizing his home.

Even i f th e characters drag him to the High Hallafte r the fuse has been lit and demand to know wherethe smokepow der is, Skoond refuses to answer. Thewizard is doomed either way, a nd he wou ld rather beblown to bits with his captors than be hanged alone.



Blown Awa y When Torlin Si l ve rs h ie ld decides it's time to takeout the parliament. he contacts I mb r a lym S koo n d .The wizard uses a scroll to summon a fire mephi t toignite the fuse, sending the reluctant creature thro ughthe aqued uct. Eight minutes later, the casks explode,demol ishing the w ing of the l ligh Hall above them andkilling everyone in the Parliament of Peers chambe r.

Anyone inside the High l lall when the charge detonates takes 10d6 damage, more than enough to kill thepeers and their guards. Anyone in the courtyard takesSd6 damage. Anyone outside that area but within 100yards of the High Hall takes 3d6 damage.

To observers, the explosion appears as a tida l wave ofearth that erupts around the wing of the High Hall andswa llows it who le. Burning fragments of he buildingrain down across the city, causing hu nd reds of inju -ries and starting dozens of small fires. Windows facingthe High Hall are shattered for blocks around. Thewrecked wing burns for hours and smo lders for days.About half he structure remains standing.

KEEPING TR CK

Sllversh ield ga ins on e rank on Bhaal 's Favor Track If he

charact ers fall to prevent the Parliament of Peers from beingblown up.

Public ExecutionsAs Ravengard sees it, Baldur's Gatenow teeters on a knife's edge betweenthe rule oflaw and the gulf of chaos.Guild supporters are dragging thecity toward the gulf, and none ofRavcngard's measures so far hasmade Baldurians understand thedanger. But he can show them a vision of the danger tomake them understand.

In the morning, news races through the city that executions are slated to begin at highs un beside the harbor,the Basilisk Gate, and Wyrm's Crossing. The names ofthe condemned are not released.

Between thirty and fifty crimina ls are lined up ateach site. Their crimes range from rioting and murder totrespassing and flouting the sumptuary la .vs. A few werecaptured just this morning. In some cases, friends and families learn of a loved one's arrest only when the condemned

is marched to the gallows or the executioner's block.Within an hour, more t h an a hundred prisoners arc

beheaded or hanged. leads arc disp layed on sp ikeslining the roadway, and bodies arc left dangling fromharbor cranes. the city wa ll at the Basilisk Gate, andbeneath the \Vyrm's Crossing bridge. Depe nding onhow time is passing. these executions might continuedaily at highsun thro ugh the adventure's end.

W hether the characte rs witness the executionsfirsthand or see the re m ain > afte r wa rd, they recognize

at least one or two peop le, such as a lamp lass whohad lit their path or brought them a message: Ibiz, theworld-weary proprietor of a closed -down vice den inLittle Calimshan; a half -elf hey had saved from a Fistso ldier's beating; the proprie tor of a shop they had pr otected during the riot; or Musayed, the man who hadrun the Calim j ewel Emporium for Rae .

I n th e G uild 's Empl oy: If the cha racters a re wo rk-ing for Rael, she pleads with them to save Musayed,whom she has heard is among those slated to be executed at Wyrm's Crossing.

The prospect of a rescue by main force is slim.Many Flaming Fist soldiers (co rpo r a ls, pri vates, orsergea n ts) line the bridge. A tremendous diversionmight allow the characters to slip inside Wyrm's Rockto free all the prisoners and escape w ith Musayed intothe throng of onlookers. The adventurers are morelikely to succeed if hey flash an offic ial token-suc h asRavengard's silver brooches or Silvershie ld's searchand-seizure writs - and couple the action with someoutrageous bluffing or intimidation (DC IS Charismachecks). With boldness and a bit ofluck, they could

escort someone from the jaws of death

KEEPING TR CK

Ravengard gains one rank on Bhaal 's Favor Track If the

characters fall to rescue th e majority of the prisoners at

Wyrm 's Rock.

IT EN S WITH LOODThe penultimate events arc meant to be shocking.'·Prison Break;' "Smoke powder Plot," and "Public Executions . should horrify everyone in the city except fortheir perpetrators. After two of those events, the wholeof Baldu r's Gate reels, inhales, and ho lds its breath.

Alt hough Rae , Silvershield, and Ravengard a re a llon the path toward becoming the Chosen of B haal, it 'slikely that one of them has p u lled way ahead. The ot hertwo are caught u p in the power struggle but are moreor less sound of mind. Despite the stirrings of B haa l intheir heads, they recogni7<' the horror of whafs happening, and they reach out to the Gate's bastions ofpower -surv iving peers, dukes, Flaming Fist officers,and Gu ild leaders-in a last effort to restore some sa n ity.

That effort is doomed to fail. All it manages to do isgather a huge crowd for a magnificent murder spectacle.

Regardless of who becomes the Chosen ofBhaal,the lead- in to the climactic event is the same. The city'sleaders un ite to issue a proclamation. They declare thatthe situation in Baldu r's Gate has gone too far, and thepower groups now understand they must work out theirdifferences po litically and peacefu lly. The sumptuar)law and the law bann ing Lower City and Outer Cityresidents from the Upper City after 3 be lls are relaxed,an d r umo r has it that the decrees might be re pealed.

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To h elp th e c ity me nd , th e lead e rs p our resourc esinto the up comin g Feas t of the M oon , a th r ee- d ay-longfe te fea turin g cos tu m ed m e rr im ent , ent er tainment ,som b er r eme mb r a n ces, and feas tin g. (If anoth e r ce lebration b ett er fits th e timi ng in your ca mpai gn , use it.T he Feast of the Moo n i s ideal , ho weve r, bec a use it is inpart a mournin g a nd a ce lebra tion of th e dea d .)

The gra nd event sta r t s th e follo w in g ni ght wh e n th em oon i s hi gh in the s ky. The W ide, tran sformed into afes tival g round , is laden w ith ta bles off ood th e patri a rspr ovid e free of cha rge, and the sit e sw irl s with ma sksand cos tu m es, mi n s tr els and dan c ing, pupp e tee rs andfirework s, an d ga m es of skill and ch an ce. Opp ortuni t iesab ound for h ighb orn a nd low born citize n s to mingl e asequal s a nd for eve ryon e to pla y th e fool.

Aft e r a ll th at 's tran spired , res ide nts a nd th e a dventu r ers a re lik e ly to be wa ry, but the fes tival pro cee d s ast shou ld until th e s eco nd ni ght . An d th en it d oes n' t.

FIN L ST GEIn th e fin a l stage, on l y one eve nt occ u rs . Play out theeve nt fo r the age nt who is h ighes t on Bh aal 's Favo rTra ck. I f wo or m or e o f the t hr ee anta goni sts ar e tied,ma k e a judgm e nt ca ll on w ho was th e mo r e murde ro us.

Rega rdl ess of whi c h fi na le un f olds, the C ho se n ofBhaal is all about murd er. H e or she w an t s to slay asma n y peopl e as po ss ible in t he spla shie st and most t err ifying ways po ssible . The C h ose n of Bh aal do esn 't spr eadte rror fo r terror 's sa ke. He or she in t ends to f ac ili tat e ahi stori c day of murd er for w hich BhaaJ i s c redit ed.

The clima c tic en cou n ter be twee n th e C ho sen o fBhaa l a nd th e he roes is also your op p or tunit y to clarif yfor p layers wh at ha s been happ eni n g in B aldur 's Gate .Durin g th e battl e, t he C h osen acc uses t he a dventurers of brin g ing thi s o ut com e upon the c ity, a nd he tellsth e hero es th a t they s ho uld know b efor e th ey di e th a tBhaal li ves. A fte r wh at happene d to Du k e Adr i an , the

playe rs prob ably s usp ec ted Bha a] wa s afoot . If they arest ill confu se d , th e C hos en 's remark s c an drop plen ty ofhint s, s uc h a s Anot he r slayin g for Bhaal " and "Yoursk ill a t mu rder grat ifies the lord. "

Murder Is a RiotW he n the m a rket a rea is c rowded withfes tiva l-goers, R il sa R ae l organi zes

do ze n s ofh er a ssass in s (to u gh t hu gs)to qui e tly form a loo se ri n g ar oundth e W ide m ark et place a rea . W he nsh e g ives th e comm a nd , th ey d ra wdag ge rs a nd beg in assass ina ting t h eirway th r ough th e c row d. They wea r carni val m as ks tohid e their faces and volu m inou s cloak s to hi d e t he irwea pons . Th e m ore qui e tly t hey kill , th e b ett er.

Few revele rs had thou ght to brin g we ap on s to a festiva l of p eace and mournin g. So w h en p eo pl e notic eth e a ttac kers, th e c row ds pu sh away t owa rd th e ce n te rof the Wid e, w he re Rae l tr an s form s into the Cho se n

ofB h aal . Sh e screa ms Bha al's pr a ises and laughs hyste rica lly as she las hes o ut at anyon e w ithin re ach. Th epani cked fes tiva l-goers tr a mpl e on e a noth er in terror ,un sur e of wh ere to run

By t he ti m e th e he roes reac h th e C ho se n o f Bh aa l ,seve ral o f Rae l's assass in s have join ed h er. On e newassass in arri ves a t th e s ta r t of eve ry rou nd as long as th eC hose n ofBh aa l is ali ve. AJ I fight un til th ey ar e s lain.

Feast of DeathDurin g th e eve ni n g me a l, Silve rshi e ldri ses from th e head ta b le to addr essth e c ro wd. H e s p ea ks e loqu entl y o flo st lo ved on es a nd hop e for a be tterfutur e. As he ta lks, ac olytes of G ond

CH R CT E R IS HOSEN

The a dvent ure has one ot her possib le e nding. If the heroeselimin ate Bhaa l's favo red t hree or if the characte rs' me t hodsthroughout t he adve nture we re bloo dthirsty, th ey beco memor e a t tr act ive vesse ls to Bhaa l, a nd the god of m u rderchooses one of t he m. (Pick t he c ha racter w hose be hav iorbest exe mplifies Bhaa l's pr inciples.)

In that case, t he remaining dukes sti ll arra nge th e citywi defest iva l During t he fete , t he characters are lauded as heroes .Wh en a ll atte ntion is focused on t hem, o ne t ransfo rms intothe Chosen of Bhaa l an d begi ns trying to kill everyo ne wit hinreac h, es pecia lly fo rmer frien ds.

A c haracter who becomes a C hosen reta ins all his o r herno rmal stat istics an d a lso ga ins the be nefits desc ribed und erChose n of Bhaa l in t he co nversio n guide.

You can play out t his eve nt in one of two ways.Your first option is to instruct the Chosen characte r's

playe r to me rcilessly attac k th e remaining heroes unt il t hecharacter is killed. Perhap s if t he cha racte r is late r raise d fromth e dea d, Bhaa l relinqui shes h is g rip.

Your se cond option is to te ll the Chose n cha racte r's p layerto attack the he roes - but at t he en d of each rou nd in w hichno o ne is killed, g ive the C hosen c haracte r a sav ing t hrowto rega in cont ro l After regai ning con tr ol, the hero is st ill theChose n of Bhaa l Te ll t he playe r t hat w ith each c reatu re t hecharacte r kills, Bhaa l grow s stro nge r. Bhaa l co uld the n visitthe hero in drea ms to tau nt him or he r, revea l secrets , or giveadvice t hat see ms good b ut lea ds to dea dly e nco unte rs.



wheel in wine casks and set up tables atop which theypla ce gob le ts and tankards.

In closing. Silvershield gestures to the h ogsheadsand enco ur ages Baldurians to drink deep ly of the bestvintage of the Ili gh I louse of\Vonders to honor thedead and herald a new beginning for Baldur s Gate. Thetemple s wines arc justifiably famous, usually reservedsolely for priests. The festival ·gocrs q u ick ly line up.

About thirty minutes afte r the wine is dispensed. a

fight breaks out between two revelers. vVatch sold iersquash it. Minutes later, another quar rel starts. Andanother. Earlier in the day. Silve rshield spiked the winewit h a poison that makes people irri table and combative. Soon. fights with fists. table knives. and improvisedweapons erupt across the Wide.

As Baldurians turn on one another, Torlin Silversh ie ld , still seated at the table of honor and holdinghis w ine goblet. transforms into the Chosen of B h aa l.Several aco lytes of Gond who have fal len under Silvershield s sway rush to his side. They atte mpt to protect theChosen as he stands and wades into the panicking throngbent on murder. All the acolytes fight to the death.

e th fro m boveDespite eve ryone s misgivings. thefestival reaches its second eveningwithout a hitch.

Then a missile sa ils into the Wideand disintegrates in a shower of flaming shrapnel. Two more spheres burstwit hin the shrieking crowd beforeanyone reali7es t h at someone is launching clay she llsfi lled with alchemist s fire from a trebuch et ato p theSeatower ofBa ldura n.

Fires spread rapidly. and panicked screams reacha c rescendo when peop le di scover that the gates leading into the Lower City have been barred from theoutside. Meanwhile, arsonists have turned the BlackDragon Gate, the on ly other way out of the Upp er City.into a roa r ing in ferno. Each new missile lobbed intothe crowd kills more innocents an d adds its spatteringflames to the grow in g co nfl agration.

The characters can do nothing from the Upper City.To escape the Upper City. they can use ropes to climbover the O ld \Vall, or they can access t he Undercellar sunderground passageways.

To get inside the Scatower ofBa ld ur an. the heroesmust battle their way past guards (Flaming Fist pr ivates, corporals, sergeants. or lieutenants) on thecauseway. If they have Ravcnga rd s silver tokens or arewear in g F la ming Fist tabards, the guards let them passunmolested.

On the roof of the Scatower, the heroes conf rontRavengard. The marshal has already transformed intothe C h osen ofB h aa l. and a few Flaming Fist pr ivates un d er his sway accompany him , four of whom

operate the trebuchet. Two additio nal so ldi ers co me upth e s tair s and join the figh t in every even-numberedround until the C hosen ofBhaal dies. All Fist mercenaries fight until slain.

FTERM TH1 o matter how events transpire, Baldur s Gate emergesfrom these try ing days as a changed city. The Chosen of

Bhaa l is dead presumab ly). offe rin g at least one causefor celebration amid the mourning and loss. Baldur sGate now faces a crossroads, and the heroes decisionswill point the city in one of wo directions.

Si nce the ch a racters have won in flu ence, they nowhave the opportuni ty to become storied heroes in Baldur s Gate. The people ofBa ldur s Gate aren t a b out toelect them dukes, but those in power-whoever remainsofSi lvershicld, Ravengard, and Racl plus the su rviv-ing dukes, peers, patriars, high -ranking Watc h and Fistofficers, and other civic and religious leaders-pay greatheed to anythi ng the destroyers of B h aal s Chosen say.

If the charac ters accept the hearty handshakes a ndtearful thanks and then depart, Baldur s Gate enters aperiod of renewed strif e as factions seek to pin blameon one another and profit from hard feelings.

If the heroes act ively step up and urge residents toshake hands and work together to rebuild their city. thecitizenry comp lies. Dest royed b uil d in gs are replacedwit h sturdier, more modern structures. Chastened bythe hor rors of recent events, the Parliament of Peerselects a new duke from the citizenry of the Oute r City.T he new Co u ncil of Four begins discussions about howto more eq uit ably govern Baldur s Gate.

e ll U s W h a t H a ppe nedT h e hi story of Baldur s Gate is being written in thethousa nd s of ca mp aig n s in whic h this adventure isplaying out. When urder in Baldur s Gate reaches itsco nc lusion in you r campaign, we want to know howit turned out. The ending that occurs most often willbecome part of the official history of the foRGOTTENREALMS setting. To report your results. visitD u ngeonsa nd 0 ragons.com / Sundering.

murder in baulder's gate adventure

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