Baldur's gate NPCs

Crews

Crews were the first to institute the common practice of burl. Under this system, anyone seeking shelter and safety—usually those fleeing from the Flaming Fist or some other danger—can approach a house or shop and give three sharp knocks followed by a heavier one. The residents are then obligated to take that person in and hide them. This applies even to members of opposing crews, though anyone requesting sanctuary from a crew other than their own incurs a debt, both personally and on behalf of their crew. Abusing someone who’s granted burl is grounds for immediate expulsion from one’s crew, and such “drowners” are universally shunned.

The dozens of crews calling Baldur’s Gate home are as different in attitude and approach as the city’s residents. For instance, everyone in the Lower City knows that if you need cheap muscle, you hire members of the burly Porters’ Union or Stonemasons’ Guild, and not even the Flaming Fist would willingly pick a fight with the blood-spattered Butchers’ Block or the mercenaries and “security consultants” of the Bannerless Legion. Other crews, such as the Scribes and Sages or the Honorable Order of Moneylenders, would never dream of getting their hands dirty, while the Apothecary Alliance and Brethren of Barbers don’t need to throw a punch to strike fear into rivals. From carpenters to grocers, the Forgeworkers’ Lodge to the Wisewoman Weavers, nearly every profession offers some access to a crew. And not just legal professions, either; the Revelers’ Union, made up of night-workers who sell drugs, companionship, and other recreations, is one of the most powerful in the city, thanks to the information it gathers from its clients.

Some crews are simply neighborhood-based, their association based on territory rather than trade, such as the Right Pashas of Little Calimshan, the Crossed of Wyrm’s Crossing, the Gravemakers of Tumbledown, or the Bloomridge Dandies.

By far the most important crew to travelers, however, is the Gateguides. Made up primarily of teenage lantern bearers, the Gateguides earn a living hiring themselves out to newcomers to show them the ropes of the city, help make connections with other crews, and offer some degree of collective protection.

Karl (gnome wizard)

Karl is from Baldur's gate. He studied wizardry in Candlekeep. He's a member of the Scribes and Sages crew. He's middle-aged. He has a number of siblings who have families in the city.

Dahiri (tiefling rogue)

She's from Chalt. Dahiri is your main source of information in the city. Whether the upper class or the criminal world she's your go-to person to get any information.

Krim Hortgar (dwarf paladin)

He came with you from Waterdeep. You've been friends for a long time.

LIttle one (ogre wizard)

A friend of Karl's. He's visiting from Candlekeep.

Ulder Ravengard

Ulder Ravengard is a fearless soldier who rose up through the ranks of the Flaming Fist to become its supreme marshal. Ravengard used his military position and influence to secure for himself a seat on the Council of Four. Following the deaths of two council members amid a cloud of corruption and scandal, he persuaded the Parliament of Peers to back his election to grand duke.

Upon ascending to the highest position in the city government, Ravengard refused to relinquish command of the Flaming Fist, making him the most powerful figure in the city by far. This decision has not endeared him to anyone, but Ravengard could care less about his popularity. His only concerns are the stability and prosperity of Baldur’s Gate, and he doesn’t trust any of the other dukes or anyone in the Parliament of Peers to put the city’s interests before their own.

Ravengard rose to grand duke on a platform largely backed by idealistic commoners and enemies of the other established dukes. While he won election handily, Ravengard has struggled in performing his duties, finding his hands tied at every turn by both overt and invisible bureaucracy. Despite this, he’s been a voice of reason and common sense on the Council of Four—if not the egalitarianism some hoped. He’s also proven largely resistant to scandal and corruption, though many of his fellow dukes and those in the Parliament of Peers still regularly outmaneuver him politically. One of his only obvious pleasures remains the surprise inspections he regularly visits upon the troops at Wyrm’s Rock.

Ravengard is currently attending a diplomatic summit in Elturel. the Flaming Fist is left leaderless and the council rudderless.

Duke Belynne Stelmane

Once a vigorous and formidable politician, Duke Belynne Stelmane recently suffered a seizure that left her with a partially paralyzed face and slowed speech.

Duke Dillard Portyr

Duke Dillard Portyr was once a respected businessman, but after a string of sour deals, he pulled back from his investments. Now he uses his time to enjoy the comforts that his wealth and title provide him. He lives alone in his manor, having outlived his two wives and three sons, and trades correspondence with his niece, Liara Portyr, who commands a Flaming Fist outpost on Chult known as Fort Beluarian.

Duke Thalamra Vanthampur

Acid-tongued, shrewd, and aggressive, Duke Thalamra Vanthampur is the matriarch of the Vanthampur family. Born with nothing, she spent years wallowing in obscurity, repairing and renovating the city’s ancient sewer system. One promotion after another followed until she was named Master of Drains and Underways. By then, she had been married three times and given birth to three sons. Her lifelong goal has been to lift herself and her family out of the sewers and into high society.

Nine-Fingers Keene

The current leader of the Guild, Nine-Fingers Keene, disdains flashy garb and illusion magic. She appears to the world as she is: an unassuming woman in her early forties. Her forgettable looks have proven her greatest asset as a thief, as her victims have trouble recognizing her even when they meet her again face-to-face. Keene’s leadership over the years earned her a reputation of thoughtful pragmatism. When necessary, she seeks revenge for offenses against the Guild—provided doing so is profitable. Her methods are vicious when necessary, and she is as feared as she is respected.

Goblin Behnie

Most are surprised to find Goblin Behnie looks nothing like his name or monstrous reputation suggest, the Bloomridge kingpin being a tall, polished-looking gentleman in his early thirties. The name comes from his ferocious ego, wild rages, and a propensity for biting off the fingers of those who disappoint him. Behind his viciousness, though, Goblin Behnie has a keen eye, making him and his forgers the city’s best source of illicit Watch tokens (for passage into the Upper City), visitor licenses, and docking permits.

Straightstick

The kingpin of the Twin Songs Faithless runs one of the city’s best smuggling operations, slipping goods into the city along the Chionthar River and over Dusthawk Hill. The seventy-year-old claims to have been attacked by the infamous (and doubtfully real) Ol’ Cholms, a giant snapping turtle rumored to sleep at the bottom of Gray Harbor. To prove his story, Straightstick uses a splinted old ferry pole as a crutch. Recently, the kingpin has grown bitter about his position, believing he deserves a territory within Baldur’s Gate proper. He’s planning an attack on Brampton, the destination of much of his smuggling and the territory of his ex-wife, Diamond Urchin.

The Whiskey Lady

Few know that the last true heir of the Raddle patriar family died several years ago. Despite this, “Dowager Raddle” continues to throw lavish social events at her estate, though she never personally attends. Instead, her supposed relative welcomes guests, engaging them with sharp wit, hard liquor, political gossip, and political opportunities of “gray” legality. No one seem to know their host’s name, though—a faux pas none would ever admit. As a result, the Manorborn neighborhood’s politically active Guild kingpin is known only as the Whiskey Lady.

Garvin Silver

Garvin controls the Steeps and mostly deals in theft. It's well known that he and his criminals are a wererat gang. They often use the sewers to secretly operate in other neighborhoods as well.