Baldur's Gate

This section will give you and overview of Baldur's Gate as it appears in the world of Metaholm. Here you will learn of the past, present and future of Baldur's Gate and of the people who live there.

History

Baldur's Gate was founded by Bibadi and Raker after the civil war of the first age. Royalists and Republicans fought to their death and there appeard to be no hope in sight until the two groups, controlled by people of power, were established thus ending the war. It was agreed the world of Metaholm would be broken into two, a Kingdom and a Republic.

At the heart of the Kingdom Bibadi and Raker built a grand city from where the king and his lords would rule and preside over the peace of the Kingdom.

As the centre of the Kingdom Baldur's Gate grew and expanded and the city population is now over 100,000 with other smaller towns sorounding the city.

The King

The King of Baldur's Gate is the highest authourity in the Kingdom. He works with his lords (see Lords Alliance) to ensure the Kingdom is kept safe. The royal line is hereditary and has not been broken for three thousand years.

The current king is King Cid, who is unmarried. He is thought of as a good king who has balanced the light and dark of the world. He deals with and tries to control the criminal and corrupt underworld rather than trying to eliminate it, as he knows that would be folly. As such he has grown very popular with the common man.

The Lords Alliance

The Lords Alliance was established at the same time as Baldur's Gate. In their wisdom Bibadi and Raker decided a king should not have absolute power and should have councillors that he can trust and use to run the Kingdom.

The Order of the Gauntlet The Order of the Gauntlet were established in Waterdeep at the same time as The Lords Alliance. Much like The Lords Alliance, The Order of the Gauntlet was set up to administer within the Republic and to provide checks and balances. The Order was created by Mika and Moka, two former friends of Bibadi and Raker.

The Lords Alliance Tower

In the centre of Baldur's Gate stands the largest building in Metaholm. A huge climbing castle which is much larger underground than above. The tower is surrounded by 30ft tall walls and a wide moat. The large court yard of the tower is used for training the City Guard and at any one time the Lords Alliance Tower can have up to 10,000 soldiers present (with another 25,000 stationed around the city.)

The Barracks

The normal soldiers of the City Guard live with their families around Baldur's Gate but the King requires his soldiers be closer to hand. As such the Kings Guard live in The Lords Alliance Tower. The second and third stories of the tower are used to house the best 2,000 soldiers the Kingdom has to offer. Access into the barrack area is resticted to members of the army or The Lords Alliance.

The Prison

The Lords Alliance Tower is also home to the largest prison in The Kingdom. While bars and locks are fine to hold a normal man there are many men in Metaholm who would laugh at such rudimentary means of containment. These men are housed beneeth the tower in the sprawling prisons of the King. Each area is specifically designed to hold different magic users and other powerful people who would consider being locked in a normal prison a minor triviality.

The Lords

There are nine Lords who are personally selected by the King. When one Lord dies the King will choose his sucsessor, however the King cannot remove a Lord without the agreement of all other Lords.

The Lords of Baldur's Gate live in all places around the Kingdom so that they can be close to their people to help administrate the Kings will. However they will meet regularly to discuss developments within Metaholm. The Lords meet at the very top of the Tower in a completely sealed room. It is not known how they enter or leave the room.

On the floor below the Lords chamber is the Kings living area. An opulant and grand setting worthy of a king. The floor below the Kings quaters is occupied by his acolytes. Only the Lords, the top memebers of the Kings Guard and the Acolytes are given access to this area. The acolytes are the servents of the king, they are rearely seen outside of the tower and many will spend their whole life in service to the King and the Lords.

The Unknown

The Lords Alliance Tower has many secrets burried under it's ancient foundations. It's known that below the prison is another level where the deep secrets of the Kingdom and The Lords Alliance are kept. Only the Lords have access to this area, not even the acolytes of the King have access into the very lower reaches of the Tower.