Baldur has left the building

[myungbass]

by the by, does anyone know what baldur actually was? they have all his equipment somewhere but if i were to make a character of him, does ANYONE know what his stats would be?

[Morgeruat]

if you played BG1/ToSC you'd know, but basically he was a pirate who established a harbor settlement, that grew into a town named after him (the town was literally his "Gate" into the Sea of Swords) and so it became Baldurs Gate.

and his name is Balduran.

[myungbass]

dammit i knew his name was balduran but i forgot cuz i was at school on a campus cpu and worried that i'd get in trouble....(can you tell I'm a freshman?) anyway, do you know his stats or if anyone has made them up?

[Morgeruat]

I don't know, but I can tell you he has a butterknife, that's absolutely fabulous.

[The.Relic]

This is a good question for our historical expert Memnoch, if you really want the goods on this try pm'ing, or e-mailing him if he doesn't see the thread and respond.

[myungbass]

lol I'll try shouting 1st then i hope he will respond...if not then i will do the memnoch mating call which is really unrelated to mating at all.

HEY MEMNOCH! CAN YOU HELP ME OUT HERE?? IT WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED!!!

[Legolas The Magnificent]

does he have any relatives in soa? or in tob? would be possible to have a Balduran Jr. as a npc in the game? so what's the stat of that butterknife?

[myungbass]

lol....balduran's roomie;-p

[Sparhawk]

Actually some backgrou8nd on the famous...well infamous Baldur (an) wouldn´t be bad...
So Memnoch, Dundee or Ziroc...does somebody have some background on this dude

[Vedran]

I couldn't find anything on the internet, so I looked into BG1's dialog.tlk. I put string reference by these quotes to be able to find them quick. Take a cup of coffee and enjoy!

First story:
ref 18824
Ah yes, the city as we know it today falls in the shape of a plump and crescent moon. Its many wharves and docks jut out along its western point where the River Chionthar flows into the starry Sea of Swords. A bridge from this western shore links the mainland with a rocky islet on which perches the old, massive Seatower of Balduran. (...)

ref 18827
Balduran was a well-known and good-natured pirate who sailed the Sea of Swords in times gone by. He built the Seatower that bears his name to guide him to his home port and provide warning of invasion to his kin and clan that made their home along the northern riverbank. In time, a vibrant group of traders and fellow sea captains gathered there and built the city's inner wall to protect their wares and belongings from the everpresent danger or rival pirates or orcish raids... (...)

ref 18830
Balduran was away from port during the time in which the decision to build the wall was made and, when he returned, he learned that many of his kin and clan now lay outside the new wall and vulnerable to any attack made upon the settlement! As the orcs advanced upon the city in the early summer, it erupted into a state of civil chaos. It was at this point that Balduran's sails were spotted upon the horizon, returning home to port... (...)

ref 18833
In a rage, Balduran slew the entire Council of captains and merchants for such arrogance and selfishness. He spared only the four who had spoken out against the Council's decision. Together, they ordered the immediate construction of the city's outer wall, and bridge gate from which Baldur's Gate gets its name. Facing a united city and a stout defense, the orcs were defeated and, for their valor, Balduran appointed the four captains as Dukes of the city... Well, that's Baldur's Gate in a nutshell.

Second story:
ref 18836
Well, there's really not that much more to tell... Balduran eventually died -apparently lost at sea- and the four Dukes passed on their titles in a hereditary fashion for many years. Now, of course, Dukes are elected to office, although they keep the title until their death. They have grown softer and more tolerant over the years, however, and I think many people would like to see someone with a more extravagant, forceful approach ascend to the position. But that is the future, not the past, and who knows what it shall hold.

ref 21426
(...) As ye may know, Baldur's Gate was named for the legendary seafaring explorer Balduran, who long ago sailed past Evermeet in search of the rich, fabled isles of Anchorome. Balduran returned with tales of strange, vast lands across the seas. He also brought back much wealth and scattered it about his sparsely settled home harbor. So Baldur's Gate was born.

ref 21428
He then set sail again for the wonderous lands he had found. Balduran never returned. Some say he sails still, finding new lands in the endless reaches of the far sea, or even that he sailed off the world and fares now among the stars. Others whisper that he met with misfortune and perished in the deeps, while still others believe that he lived to a ripe old age in his new-found home.

[ 09-29-2002, 05:25 PM: Message edited by: Vedran ]