Baldur’s Gate is unlike any place I have ever known. The roads of the Sword Coast taught me to watch for wolves, bandits, and monsters. Here, danger smiles before it bares its teeth.
Scar entrusted me with uncovering the truth behind the Iron Throne, while Husam quietly confirmed that the merchant consortium’s leaders had already fled the city for Candlekeep. Every answer seemed to uncover two more questions, and every alley concealed another scheme.
Not every task demanded steel.
A grieving father pleaded for help recovering the body of his son from the priests of Umberlee. Gold—not blood—proved to be the answer. We paid the temple’s price, returned the young man’s body to his family, and watched as he drew breath once more through divine magic. It was a costly reminder that mercy sometimes carries a price, but it is a bargain worth making.
Other choices were far simpler.
Within the home of the wizard Ragefast, we discovered a nymph held captive against her will, imprisoned like some rare curiosity. Whatever bargains had been struck before our arrival mattered little beside the sight before us. We freed her, and in gratitude she entrusted me with a magic cloak and a fine shortbow.
The poison that coursed through my veins remained a more pressing concern.
The hunt for the antidote led us through another web of lies until we finally tracked down the man who possessed the second half of the cure. Words were exchanged, but he chose violence before any agreement could be reached. When he reached for his weapon, he made the choice for both of us. The fight was brief. From his belongings we recovered the final component needed to complete the antidote, ending the threat that had followed me through the city.
I have begun to understand Baldur’s Gate.
Few people are exactly what they claim to be. Wizards imprison innocents. Merchants plot in shadows. Assassins bargain with poisoned promises. Honest men grieve, while liars wear respectable clothes.
I no longer judge a man by his words.
Only by the choices he makes when the moment comes.
–Cail