First among them was Bane, a feared tyrant who longed for domination over all living things. In a time long forgotten, three mortal adventurers traveled Faerûn in search of absolute power. To understand Baldur’s Gate, one must understand the gods known as the Dead Three.

Todd Kenreck interviews Chris Perkins and Adam Lee about the city of Baldur’s Gate (clip begins at 5:23). It’s the perfect place to introduce all the mortal evils that will be dialed up to eleven once the characters descend into the Nine Hells. Common folk forced into lives of crime prowl the streets, and cultists of the gods known as the “Dead Three” practically worship their evil deities openly in the city’s lower districts. For all but its richest, however, life in Baldur’s Gate is nasty, brutish, and short. For its wealthiest citizens, Baldur’s Gate is a gilded paradise, and it leverages this image of resplendency and respectability. Where Waterdeep is glorious and shining with a sinister and secret underbelly, Baldur’s Gate all but proudly displays its corruption to the world. Adam Lee, lead designer of Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus, describes the renowned city of Baldur’s Gate as “the Gotham ” to Waterdeep’s Metropolis.

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