Rumors & Events of Baldur's Gate

[Carski]

Subject: Religion in Baldur's Gate (Player/DM IC RP)

Tis Winter...cold, hard, dark months where sometimes, even the far edges of the seas freeze up, as elemental power beyond the Mortal's grasp shapes the perceived World. For the sea-born and the sea-employed, it is heavier than for most—great care must be taken to be wise to the wealth in the waters, or, not. For some...it is only with great faith and tribute, do they reason with the tide, and know a good sign and time, from the bad, from which to set out upon the water.

Furthermore, with the Gate possibly half or more in ruins of the aftermath of the Battle of the Undead Horde, there is a lingering view on the destruction, the burning undead bodies, the homeless, the bewildered...those of poverty, those with idle hands, those weak of will in depressing times...they may linger closer to the centers of divine guidance.

One door always remains open. Peering beyond the portal, to deep within the black-green shadow recesses of that Temple, of the Water Queen's House, comes a calling, sometimes of prayer, sometimes bolstered by the luring tempo of a deep drum...the depths within call out to the lost, the orphans, those that question their sense of existence....

This call is simple, it is direct—words of truth are described by the Faithful to any that are within ear shot, that to give Tribute, in object and in soul, returns safe travel, fair trade upon the seas and near waterways, work, sustenance...a life. A...Great Calling.

The words used by the Faithful of the Water Queen's House express time and time again how the Temple and the Harbor District remained untouched by the death, by Evil that was brought to the Gate by the Adventurer Class, by folly and ill-made decisions of the Ruling Classes.

The Faithful express...how the Water Queen offers immunity through faith, offers the children a safety through dedication, offers a conversion to reality: Baldur's Gate is a sea trade-based city...and if any citizen wishes to see its security, its economy, rise...then pray deeply into the black-green embrace, and lay Tribute upon the altar.

Every lost child brought into the House is given bountiful amounts of fish soup, sea weed crackers and later, a strewn hammock upon which to lay their tired bodies.

As night falls, the temple closes its door shut, and tight...all the innocents closed snuggly within the embrace of the Bitch Queen.

[Unka_Oogie]

One voice on the docks. Baritone, wandering off the tune, sings.


"In the dread midwinter, shiver as you may,
Come, my hungry children, warmth lies on my way.
Both my hands are empty, but my larder's filled.
Unlike other temples, nobody gets killed.

Come and be fed freely, come be warmed as well.
We'll demand no payment, no debt shall we knell.
Our scarlet's only thread, no blood shall we demand.
Our joy is in healing, comforting the land.

Come, you little children, come you strong and hale.
We turn none away and relieve all travail.
There will be no reck-o-ning, no later bill comes due,
What Ilmater gives, he freely gives to you."

The singer is plainly dressed, almost as threadbare as the refugees still in the city. He wears no armor and bears no weapons. If he is worried by singing such a hymn so close to the Water Queen's house, he shows it strangely, beginning and ending with a serene smile.

[Tantive]

Baldurs Gate relief efforts

If you have the will to contribute to relief and healing to the city and lands around, but unsure where to direct your talents; look here for specific requests. New requests will come, as old ones expire.

Signed,

An additional note was attached on the one above.

An hour after Noon, first of Alturiak, assemble at the patio near this bulletin board. ((13:00 GTM 1 February)).
A party will set out for investigation an cleansing of the diseased animals.

Requested,
- Survivalists, communer of animals, mages and healers.

A few passers by started to talk about the state of the animals they've seen.

[testmon]

after having met in front of the newly constructed lodge belonging to the Phoenix Company, a five people strong delegation of the Amnian Northern Trade Initiative has been seen wandering across the bridge of Wyrms crossing, accompanied by Terri, leader of the Phoeix Company and a bodyguard of hers.

Finally setteling down within property inside of Baldurs Gate the two groups seem to have been in negotiation for a few hours, the content and possible success or failure of these not yet known.

Hidden: show

[YourMoveHolyMan]

Michael and Rain Dog may be seen leaving the sewers, with a motley mix of individuals. Word varies on what the pair were up to, but Rain appears to have sustained an injury, and after a few city blocks, Michael is seen carrying her the rest of the way to a camp outside the east gate.

[Syracuse]

Onna'evatril, having only recently returned to the Gate after business afar, has been sighted awaiting the team assembled by Elyssa the sun elf. The moon elf accompanied them into the sewers, rumor may reveal, to inspect the cause of the sudden outbreak of diseased rats spreading their ailment to local live stock and suburban wild life.

The elf may be seen over the next several days exhibiting... incredibly odd behavior. Willfully subjecting herself to the cold and damp of the sewers time and time again with a bottle of milk and a hand puppet that roughly resembles a rat, made from real rat's fur. Upon exiting the sewers each time, she huffs looking a bit flustered but still carrying a smile regardless.

[seawied]

Kana Goodheart could be seen at the East Gate talking to Kaydi. The conversation seems quite tense, and there is repeated mention of "exotic furs."

[Tongues]

Word in the docks is, a young girl got into an argument with two men. Bystanders might've noticed the girl flying into a sudden rage after losing something, attacking one of the men, before the other could lull her to sleep with a spell.

The men said they would bring her to the shelter, as she seemed to be homeless. They disappeared into the streets and alleys of the docks, with the sleeping girl in their hands . . .

[Heretic]

Netanya, renowned socialite and Agent of Phoenix Company, would be seen about the East District speaking with various merchants and traders about acquiring exotic furniture and other placables suitable for a large estate.

[Tantive]

The Streets of the Docks, are silent in the nights, no scurrying of feet, or barks of dogs, or the fights of cats. An eerie silence, pets kept indoors and only an occasional sounds of an animal. A balance broken.

Frequenters of the sewers have noted an extraordinairy amount of rat corpses floating about, along with more aggressive encounters of those still alive. Hardy and dangerous. They even noted the amount of rat bones found. One could assume they had taken to eating each other.

The Sewer Grate to the Northern Farms had yet the boulder to be removed from its position, those sneaking in lamentingly spoke their whisper in the docks.
Rats that had escaped from the sewers and into the farmlands will have reached the end of the lifecycle quickly along with the disease if not having bitten any of their kin in their ravage. Though the bodies may still leave disease behind to be scavenged for unwitting feasters.

A balance broken. The lands around the gate were still noted to be weak and sickly, with life refusing to grow in them, or with greatly needed effort.

[OdiumNostrum]

A grisly murder in the eastern sewers has the local vagrants looking over their shoulders of late. Most of them chalk it up to a mugging gone wrong, but a trained eye should be able to deduce otherwise. The victim appears to have been caught unawares, his expression contorted into a grimace of everlasting agony as if his very soul was ripped violently from its husk. The murder weapon appears to have been a small piercing blade; a dagger, or perhaps a rapier forced through the victim's collar.

Priests and those schooled in the Art can sense vestiges of dark magic permeating the crime scene even after the body has been removed and two days have passed.

[Steve]

A young man of Human descent yet oddly Elvish-like features was occupying space near the public notice board, for some time, in the Eastern District of Baldur's Gate. He queried passersby on the Gate Graveyard, in particular, in a sheepish manner, the strange wizard that was offering coin in exchange for bones, and eerily, taken from said graveyard—it was difficult to tell if the young man felt disturbed, or not, by this action.

However, the curiosity of the quest, in the tenor of voice of the young man, was equaled by a certain necessity to earn some coin...a nervousness seen in those once having it, or currently lacking it, or simply needing it.

---

Later on, a rumor was passed by a few that certain merchants felt as if they had lost a sense of time, after speaking with a young man of particular features. Dazed, they may or may not have suggested, was the feeling. Some may or may not have been concerned that items they peddled—foodstuffs, mostly—were missing.[/i]

[NeonAvenger]

A half-orc is found in the farmlands, on the road to Thundar's Ride.
Rumour has it that he was cut repeatedly and had nearly bled to death but had somehow managed to crawl back to civilisation.

[MedalOfValor]

*A neatly prepared flyer could be noticed on many information boards along the coast in the cities, at the Inns and in other places where people like to congregate.*

*A long parchment with more details regarding the festival is usually pinned underneath the flyer.*

DETAILS: http://bgtscc.net/viewtopic.php?p=636357#p636357

[MedalOfValor]

A rather odd thing could have been seen the other night at the small yard in front of the Thayan Enclave. Clad in furs, leathers and wolf-like cowl individual climbed the tree growing in the gardens and made herself comfortable in the bend of few branches.

She could have been seen the next day leaving some berries and roots on a small scrap of clean linen next to the door.


(((OOC: In case of possible godmoding, this rumor has been posted with the permission of the red wizards guild leader.