Rumors & Events of Baldur's Gate

[Chipowski]

A young woman with brown hair and silver eyes has been frequenting the Temple of Tymora each evening. She sits to herself at a table, humming softly as she plays with a tarot deck. With the exception of a smile to those who may catch her eye, she does not acknowledge anything but her game. Pondering over each spread with curious interest, one might occasionally catch a small frown forming at the corner of her lips.

This night, she left a spread partially unfolded before she left:

[kleomenes]

A local priest of Ilmater appears to be getting noisy.

A few days ago, Brother Ameris could be seen giving a sermon on the streets of Baldur's Gate with his wife stood next to him, clad in Ilmateri colours despite it being known that she herself is a Priestess of Mystra. A banner of Ilmater was waved around, to attract attention, if the priest's voice was not enough.

Telia aided with collecting donations from many faithful and temple regulars but a few nobles and other upper class people were touched as well by the words and their purses were lighter as they returned to what they were doing prior to the sermon.

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On 12 Flamerule, Brother Ameris could once again be seen giving a sermon on the streets of Baldur's Gate. Again his wife stood next to him, clad in Ilmateri colours despite it being known that she herself is a Priestess of Mystra. A banner of Ilmater was waved around, to attract attention, if the priest's voice was not enough.

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///Apologies for the delay in posting this!

[Kron]

In the early morn of Flamerule 18, the Dolphin has weighed anchor and set its course towards Port Llast. Return estimated for late Eleasis / early Elaint.

[Starling]

The song of a somber violin can be heard most nights as of late, hidden within the harbor district. Those who wander the alleys around midnight might very well catch ear of its soothing melody.

[Arn]

A monk wearing the robes of the Old Order has been seen looking into vacant buildings around the city of Baldur's Gate. Rumor has it that he's trying to find a location he can use as an ad hoc meditation center.

There are even whispers that he has paid a valuable gem for help in securing such a building.

[kleomenes]

The priest remains noisy!

Once more, Brother Ameris gave a sermon on the streets of Baldur's Gate. Again Telia Santraeger stood nearby in Ilmatari colours, as did Brother Gobin of Ilmater, both bearing banners of the Broken God.

It is rumoured this sermon related to justice, and was given in support of the petition being promoted to promote mercy as an integral part of Baldur's Gate's laws.

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[Arn]

Rumor has it that a monk of the Old Order has begun using a building as an ad hoc meditation center.

The interior of the building is whispered to be somewhat humble and sparse, but that might be just what the monk was looking for. The monk seems friendly and approachable enough, and he welcomes visitors if they can find him.

[Silver_Lining]

With hope waning, Desrah continues to seek out the man named Stin,
knight of Mystra, in and around Baldur's Gate...

[Lyrewyn]

Flamerule the 23rd, 1352, Year of the Dragon
Baldur's Gate Docks District
Baldurian Soup Kitchen

The Productivity Workshop

Several men and women milled around an unprepared kitchen (a warehouse really), uncertainty in their expressions and only a single lantern to see with. A cat dozed lazily upon one of the crates, tolerating the presence of the Baldurians in her domain. Each bore the signs of hard street living, matted hairs and gutter-stained clothes abound. Yet misery did not bind them to that warehouse late last night. For you see, dear reader, what the flickering flame revealed that night were not lost souls seeking shelter from the rain. If one were to view the glow the light revealed in their eyes, one would observe the common bond: Hope.

The gods, in their ever subtle witticism, sent their champion in the form of a fat, balding mustachio'd man with a thick Sembian accent. Alfonso Mervaldo. He through open the warehouse doors with passion scrunching up his expression, flanked by his quartet of angels (his employers) Endelyon Castillo, Alessia De'Lille, Teharissa Vennelis, and the Lady Cheryl Mae Castillo-Cadwaldr.

The artiste set to work immediately. Shouting at the poor Baldurians into action, one did not get the sense that there was emnity in his words. Fire and inferno yes, but hatred? There was no room for such in Alfonso's world. He quickly found Marco the most promising of the men behind the counters, and entrusted him as his sous chef. His energy was contagious, and even the lazy cat couldn't help but join Alfonso in the kitchen, much to the jovial, passionate man's chagrin.

Endelyon Castillo, the woman directing subtly behind the scenes, organized the workflow and movement of supplies so that Alfonso could focus solely on his work. Without her, there would not have been food to cook at all. How she convinced the local dock rats to deliver supplies without running off with them, some say, was a testament to her powers of persuasion. She then taught the cooks how to serve their food.

Alessia too, did not idle lazily in the frantic air of activity. She established a quick rapport with those that would eventually compose the wait staff--Bishop was named manager, Margot to the counter, Eunice to do the dishes, and et cetera. Her own teaching style reflected well upon the dignity of the staff, and it wouldn't surprise this writer at all if the soup kitchen workers became reknowned for their kindness and professionalism.

Once everyone grew accustomed to their roles, it was up to Lady Cadwaldr and Vennelis to judge the fruits of the kitchen's efforts. Some might have said that the food had brought them back to the old countryside home of their youth, when their mother had made them soup to turn a foul mood. Whether or not the endeavor lasts, it is at least clear to this writer, dear reader, that the potential of the Baldurian Soup Kitchen leaves one looking forward to the bright days ahead.

[Boddynock]

A new song seems to be burning up the taverns in Baldur's Gate, particularly in the Elfsong Tavern. There the song can be heard loudly and often, lead by a beautiful baritone voice that carries right across the street into the Pathfinder's Hall.

Let's play a game, ladies and gents,
A game of who's who, among the Zhents?
Who sold away children, torn from their homes?
Who murdered the innocent, and ground up their bones?
Who engaged in slave trade, selling men far away?
She hung people on whim, smiling as the rope swayed.
High Magus of Darkhold, was her title I'm told.
Yet she now lives among us, who's this? Who so bold?
Telia Santraeger, I fear, is this monster's name.
At her side stands a man whose last name is the same.
They and their friends, their good deeds a veneer.
On the other side, they seek only profit from fear.
Self interest is truly their sole motivation.
But fret not good people, there still exists salvation.
I implore you to come and seek the Lady's Hall
For the Lady Who Smiles welcomes one and all.
Come give up your worries, your trouble and strife
And let Lady Luck guide the fate of your life.

[kleomenes]

Notices are put up in the Temple of Ilmater, in the Sword Coast Commerical Exchange, on the notice board in the East Gate district, and in the various inns and taverns and public squares around the city.

Calling the Charitable...

Calling the Hungry...

The Temple of Ilmater in conjunction with the Sword Coast Commercial Exchange hereby announce the

Opening of the Harbour District Soup Kitchen

three days hence.

If you are poor and hungry, come eat your fill.

If your heart fills with charity and wants to donate and aid, come and do so.

In the Name of Ilmater, the Wise, the Merciful, the Enduring.

///We are running an IG player event relating to this at 21:00 GMT on 28th July 2016, in the warehouse in the Harbour District. All welcome!

[Tsidkenu]

A rather unimpressed blonde-haired elven female garbed in Mystra's distinctive blue and white made her way into the Temple of Tymora in the palace district. She immediately approached Lady Priestess Neeta and handed her a sealed and rolled parchment. The Mystran remained until it had been read over and would discuss its contents further with the head of Tymora's church in private.

[kleomenes]

Rumour has it that a score or more of Flaming Fist and city watch descend upon Pathfinders Hall, amidst rumours that the leader of the Crimson Blades insurrectionist group, Vance Highmoore, had somehow taken refuge there. The Fist intended to execute him for treason and murder.

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A group of Pathfinders, and a comrade, had just returned from an expedition and interceded with the criminal.

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After some time locked in the office with him, he was brought out and handed over to the Flaming Fist. From there, he was taken to the Palace District and beheaded swiftly and publicly by Duke Eltan himself. It is thought this will have broken the back of the Crimson Blades' plans for insurrection.

It is rumoured that Vance and the Crimson Blades were former Flaming Fist soldiers who had born the brunt of an Amnian assault in Beregost. Furthermore, it is rumoured that their families were slain in the fighting, and that a Priest of Mask amongst the Amnians had at one point raised the slain civilians as undead to overrun a Flaming Fist position, a horrific act that drove Vance half mad and made the Crimson Blades blame the Dukes for being abandoned.

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Another rumour spreads, that a wererat dominated gang known as the Fire Knives, which had recently begun to move into the city once more during this period of economic distress, has been the subject of a bloody massacre in the depths far below the city. Rumour also spreads that the true power behind the gang, a Priest of Mask, also met his end. Just deserts, it is said, for crimes he committed against holy men, the innocent people of the city - and the families of the Crimson Blade.

///post approved by DM Nilbog. Thanks for the cumulation of a couple of months of investigatory RP!

[Halo Deity]

After what is rumoured to be a rift between the old leaders of Bluesummer Academy, Rose has not been seen around the Coast for a few days.


There has however been talk of her once in the Harbour district carrying some extra luggage and lacking her Bluesummer engraved travelling harp.


Other rumours suggest she might have dived into the river due to a rage that set her fiery hair aflame.


Some say she did not have any luggage at all and in fact she was just shopping for fresh fish.

[Boddynock]

A number of new songs have popped up over the past few days, the music written seemingly to be as catchy as possible to facilitate the songs spreading; which they do with the aid of a tall, golden-haired bard.

-----

The time has come again, friends, for one of our games.
I'll tell you the hints, see if you can guess the name!

This woman pays a lot of coin, to make herself look good,
Yet most would be happy if she simply did as she should.
Due to her charity, she thinks the court of public opinion,
will forgive the lack of evidence supporting her position.

She murdered a man, during a time of great grief,
Undead were in the City, killing innocents in the streets.
This woman choose that time, when innocents were dying,
as cover for her crime, for mass confusion requires little lying.

Yes she murdered her man, using an invasion as cover,
What was the reason? Naught but the complaint of a jilted lover!
After the undead were slain, and the killings had abated,
She acted innocent, yet she should be defenestrated!*

Hundreds of innocents lost, and this woman saw fit
To murder a man over nothing; so please have a sit,
And think to yourself, "Who could this be?"
"Who is this monster, and will she come after me?"

Alas my friends, I have no doubts she will,
But hope still abounds, there is salvation still.
But this woman's name, murderess in disguise?
"Endelyon Castillo", oh my, but don't act surprised.

I have said this before, I have listed her crimes,
And yet for my trouble I wasn't given the time
To explain what she did, show all the true way.
Instead I was assaulted, while she threw truth away.

But if you fear the wrath of Endelyon the Traitor,
The total lack of mercy in the heart of this instigator.
If you tire of her deceit, her facade of lies,
Then with her, I suggest, you break all your ties.

I implore you, instead, come and seek the Lady's Hall
For the Lady Who Smiles welcomes one and all.
Come give up your worries, your trouble and strife
And let Lady Luck guide the fate of your life.

*-To save those of you who aren't native english speakers the trouble of googling this, defenestrated has two definitions (cleverly, both work here), 1: to throw someone out of a window, 2: to remove someone from a position of power or authority

-----

Lets talk this time friends, about the groups on the Coast
This one loved by many, perhaps loved the most!
And yet, for some reason, by some mystery,
We allow them the courtesy of no identity.
Their members kept secret, their agenda is hidden.
But who calls the shots, and makes them do as they are bidden?

I may have been content, to let these pigs stay in their sty,
But they must have missed the lesson; "Let sleeping dogs lie."
And a traitor, I fear, has infiltrated their ranks.
And now like a river, burst beyond it's banks
Their original course, their purpose, their intent,
has been subject, I'm afraid, to wild dismemberment.

Where once we had trust, now we have lies.
The time has come to pull away the disguise.
The have betrayed their own codes, a very sad fact,
but we must unmask the Harpers, so we can clean up their act.
Let us return this group to its former glory,
Build it back up to the things once storied.

But before we can start, a purge is in needed,
We must root out the traitors, so truth can be seeded.
I think we all agree, we want the old Harpers back.
People willing to defend against evil's attack.
I you feel this way, if you agree with me,
Call for the truth of their identity.

Pull off the masks, without worry or fret,
It's a traitor were after, and we'll cast a fine net.
What we call for is a return to truth and good,
We call for a band of Harpers that act the way they should!
If the thought of a masked traitor has your life in distress,
Please worry not friends, we can clean up this mess.

I implore you, if concerned, come and seek the Lady's Hall
For the Lady Who Smiles welcomes one and all.
Come give up your worries, your trouble and strife
And let Lady Luck guide the fate of your life.

-----

This time, dear friends, let's talk about me.
How I'm not the man, you all think me to be.
Most have heard my story, but none get it right.
Let's take now the time, to bring it to light.

For much of my life, I cared little for others.
I cared for myself, heeded only my druthers.
It was, perhaps, the result of a lifetime of loss.
But any reasons for greed are worth less than dross.

So I'll not be taking, the time to explain,
The cycle by which tragedy leads to so much more pain.
The path I'm now on, with what time I have left,
Is to bring joy to others who are feeling bereft.

So back to the present, the story at hand,
The details of my travels, here in this land:

I once met an elf maid, fair haired and mild.
She made me question my path, one started as a child.
At first, my old self, I tried to get her in bed,
But as I watched her blossom, she planted a seed my head.

She tended it lovingly, she watched it grow,
She made clear different paths, new ones I could follow.
She gave such gentle guidance, this Mielikkan priestess,
And a seed of hope grew, ending struggles I thought ceaseless.

And so my heart expanded, thanks to this woman's love.
But then my checkered past hit me like a gauntlet-ed glove.
While I might have made plans, to make this woman my bride,
I had also forgotten, she was in fact my woman on the side.

But unfortunately for me, and for everyone involved,
There was a much bigger problem, needing to be solved.
There was a goddess in my head, crafting cruel deception.
Changing what I knew, changing my perception.

She told me that my friends, everyone I loved and knew,
Had been taken in her grasp, lies I could not see through.
And so I went on a quest, my heart having grown,
To save all my friends, repay the loyalty they'd shown.

Little did I know, the monsters that I faced.
Were all of my old friends, not monsters in their place.
But Beshaba's great lie, that these were monsters in masks,
Was all I could see, and killing monsters was my task.

I laid low the masses, is the story I'm told,
Is that my only Legacy, the curse of Liam the Gold?
But now you all know, all the little details,
The parts most don't tell, the parts that keep me from jail.

So next time you endeavor, to take a man to task,
Try to learn the full story, perhaps find him and ask?
Lest you want the truth, of your actions revealed,
Of how those that were sick are persecuted, not healed.

Do you think Ilmater, with all of his mercy,
Smiles down at you now, over this controversy?
You think the god of the broken, the injured and lame,
Takes pride when you force a man to relive his shame?

Perhaps he would prefer that you reach out, instead.
Offer the forlorn peace, and not a life of dread.
Not go to his temple, his one place of solace,
And belittle the man, make his life out to be lawless.

But what do I know, if I'm such a disgrace,
About the love of Ilmater, and his infinite grace.
Perhaps you are right, perhaps Ilmater would rather,
That his priest slander a man, with no evidence gathered.

Do you represent him, the Lord on the Rack?
Did he call you to do this, to lead this attack?
You take to the streets, you preach in his name,
While servants of good, you seek to defame.

Perhaps you missed a lesson, a sermon on forgiveness,
It seems to me apparent, retaliation is your business.
If vengeance is your aim, revenge to what you cater,
Then walk the Halls of Hoar and not the temple of Ilmater.

If you, like me, agree, that these actions are absurd,
Seek out Tymora's Temple and ask for Liam the Golden "Turd."

Come and be my guest, come and seek the Lady's Hall
For the Lady Who Smiles, will welcome one and all.
Come give up your worries, your trouble and your strife
And let Our Lady Luck, guide the fate of your life.