First mandatory conscription at the age of 16 for all citizens for a period of 2 years minimum (choice of army or navy). With exceptions for apprentices to certain trades and religious orders. Once conscripted testing for aptitude (create a force of wizards and officers).
Use new military to secure the region around the city, building forts and watch towers. Then begin to move the excess citizenry out into those newly secured regions, offering incentives, such as lowered taxes, or land grants.
Secure trade with the larger cities in Abeir, before Amn tries to get exclusive rights.
Require religious orders to provide health services in trade for tax exemptions and continued use of the land their temples are on.
This would lead to a small nation with a good military and navy.
BEFORE it was a city like 10x its previous size?
It's not that Baldur's Gate is that huge of a country, it's just Amn is not that populated by comparison.
Wasn't Baldur's Gate theoretically able to beat Amn's butt senseless, according to the Baldur's Gate game?
BEFORE it was a city like 10x its previous size?
It's not that Baldur's Gate is that huge of a country, it's just Amn is not that populated by comparison.
This is less about Amn and more about dealing with a city that has become very overpopulated. I am not suggesting attacking neighbors, just using their greatest asset, people, to provide security for their region.
(side note: this should be in running the realms, kindly move it when time permits)
This is less about Amn and more about dealing with a city that has become very overpopulated. I am not suggesting attacking neighbors, just using their greatest asset, people, to provide security for their region.
(side note: this should be in running the realms, kindly move it when time permits)
I don't think Baldur's Gate is all that overpopulated to be honest. It was already huge before, it's just now huge in an entirely different manner. As long as there's no starvation or massive social upheaval, it's just the new Byzantium or Rome of the Realms.
I don't think Baldur's Gate is all that overpopulated to be honest.
-I recall that the various different Demihuman races lived in slums. That makes me think overcrowding, if that's the case.
-I recall that the various different Demihuman races lived in slums. That makes me think overcrowding, if that's the case.
That may also just be racism and poverty. Related to but not explicitly overcrowding.
I see Balder's gate as corrupting from within like Amn already has been. The guilds and rich have the influence. The leaders can be bought off for the right price. The thieves guilds run rampant with no repercussions anymore. What Balder's Gate will need is a strong leader to whip it into shape.
Still, I have difficulty understanding some reactions with some fans proclaiming the Dukes would have killed all the refugees first.
18DELTA
I suppose it depends on how you view them.
Still, I have difficulty understanding some reactions with some fans proclaiming the Dukes would have killed all the refugees first.
The Flaming Fist as always been portrayed as practicle mercenaries (mercnaries by nature are very praticle for the most part). If there was ever a city that would have the Lifeboat mentality(are you familar with this term? it would be Baldur's Gate. Please note alignment has always been LN of this group to support this theory. So while Baldur Gate was untouched by the spell plague it would still be in crisis mode for two reasons.
1) Being a part of the world they would feel the effects of the Spellplague indirectly I.E.: Famine, disease, raiders, not so frienmdly refugees, etc...
2) Their god was just killed berfore this.
Given this I just find it really hard to believe they would just welcome the refugees with open arms. Anyway I am not trying to convince just trying to explain why some people have this problem...
@naex: Very interesting ideas...I have my own ideas w/ Baldur's gate though. Yours is not a bad one.
Poor or not, they're still taxable.
I suppose it depends, really. That's pretty much what the Valenar did to the Cyreans over in the Eberron setting. On a counterpoint level, however, the simple fact is that there's no indication that it became crisis levels either. I tend to envision the place as a simmering melting pot of tensions, but not to the point of being surrounded by tents (it's been a century after all), but one that serves the merchants very well.
Poor or not, they're still taxable.
Sure it would seattle down but I just don't see it getting starting atleast w/ the Flaming Fist mercs calling the shots. Which they were.
Were there troubles, the Fist would kill the perpetrators fine, but we're not even talking about a revolution.
1. Can Baldur's Gate afford to outfit this huge an army?
2. Is it better for the city these citizens aren't paying taxes but collecting off the treasury in their new leather armor and swords?
My only practical objection is...
1. Can Baldur's Gate afford to outfit this huge an army?
2. Is it better for the city these citizens aren't paying taxes but collecting off the treasury in their new leather armor and swords?
Yeah I can see Charles points here...though mysticaly there is always enough for the people of the city...shrug.
But then again some might not be drafted into the army...instead of military service I see it just being civil service...public works, state run farms, etc. Though that is just my humble idea.
Incidently this is how I would fix Baldur's Gate. I won't put it here but here is a link to the thread I did post it on... http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?p=16686927&posted=1#post16686927
And maybe smaller towns to help supply necessary products.
The Earth changes would also send a lot of Dwarves fleeing from the underground. Baldur's Gate is where they could find work.
Well, now we have a holistic view. Evermeet is destroyed. Why shouldn't Elves go there? If an Elven land is sucked into the Feywild, I'd be leery of Myth Drannor and Evereska myself.
-A) When was Evermeet transported?
-B) Since it's "common knowledge" that Elves from there, are known more commonly as 'Eladrin', then it's safe to assume that it's a safe place to go, especially with the Sun/Moon/Star Elf new ability to Plane Shift to Faerie.
-C) How would Elves leaving their own communities know that Evermeet was transported?
B) It's been stated that most of the Elves chose to stay behind on Faerun though in Evermeet's write up.
C) There's a hundred years for them to move.
-I don't see why certain non-Human races would make Baldur's Gate their destination in the first place, fleeing from the Spellplague and it's "ravages". Asides for author/designer caveat, of course.
Because it was safe from the ravages of the Spellplague...I don't like it and I don't think it would be all that safe(if it was untouched wouldn't the weave there be still functional? So wouldn't wizards there still be 3rd edtion wizards? Or wouldn't it also have problems with of wizards going mad and unleashing raw magic?) but it is a answear of a sorts according to current lore( I say current because they will probably redefine the Spellplague about 10 before 5th edition)
A) I think it was at the start of the Spell Plague wasn't it?
-You're asking me? I'm the guy without the book, and you're the guy with the book. :P
B) It's been stated that most of the Elves chose to stay behind on Faerun though in Evermeet's write up.
-Understandable. This doesn't translate into them fearing Evermeet, however. The one on the Plane of Faerie, anyway.
...
-Technically, Evermeet should be on Arvandor. I'll have to list that in the "What the!?" thread.
C) There's a hundred years for them to move.
-And, in migrating, why choose, then to settle in Baldur's Gate, upon finding out, rather than settle in another Tel'Quessir settlement, like the nearby Silverymoon, for instance, which I hear now is mostly an Elven city?
Halruaa's annihilation, Calimport becoming landlocked, Chult seperating, and so on.
What Baldur's Gate really needs is some way to encourage citizens to want to live slightly away from the city itself and to create satellite cities along the coast, ones with direct allegiance to Baldur's Gate itself I think.
And maybe smaller towns to help supply necessary products.
That was part of the original idea. Offer incentives to move out of the city into the protected region around it. Using the new military to protect that land from monsters or other nations (Amn mostly). They could use the iron from the local mines to help provide for the military, both in sales and for raw material for outfitting.
Because it was safe from the ravages of the Spellplague...
-Concerning specifically Elves, why not travel/flee to Elven cities that were protected against the Spellplague, due to mythals and high magical concentrations, and all of that? Especially with so many Elven nations in the area (the northwest).
-Concerning specifically Elves, why not travel/flee to Elven cities that were protected against the Spellplague, due to mythals and high magical concentrations, and all of that? Especially with so many Elven nations in the area (the northwest).
Well, the one in Evereska was slightly corrupted by the Shadow Weave during the Return of Shade, and apparently it can't be completely removed, and occasionally spits out vile magics, and even more vile creatures from the shadowfell.
Well, the one in Evereska was slightly corrupted by the Shadow Weave during the Return of Shade, and apparently it can't be completely removed, and occasionally spits out vile magics, and even more vile creatures from the shadowfell.
-Is this something in the book, or speculation?
-Is this something in the book, or speculation?
In the book, the High Mages tried, but couldn't quite remove the last of the shadow taint.
In the book, the High Mages tried, but couldn't quite remove the last of the shadow taint.
-That's interesting, as it outright states that there was a taint, whereas, in the past, it was left mysterious.
-A) When was Evermeet transported?
-B) Since it's "common knowledge" that Elves from there, are known more commonly as 'Eladrin', then it's safe to assume that it's a safe place to go, especially with the Sun/Moon/Star Elf new ability to Plane Shift to Faerie.
-C) How would Elves leaving their own communities know that Evermeet was transported?
Per the FRCG, Evermeet was shifted to the Feywild during the Year of Blue Fire as one of the effects of the spellplague. There is still an physical island on Toril, but with no structures and few residents. It is refered to as an echo. Evermeet fey can easily step back and forth. It is widely "considered to have perished" in the Spellplague.
I don't see any references to unusual obstacles to travel in the Feywild, but I also don't see any mention of regular trade or such either. If I were a home DM, I would probably go with its a secret shared only with the eladrin leaders in each community.
Keith
In regards to Gaiman, I'm especially thinking here of Neverwhere and the way one progresses from real world to the world below by being in the right place at the right time.
That is what I plan to use in my game...
Edit; oh this reminds me of some books from Steven King and Peter S(omething or other) called the Talisman and Black House... Jack could shift between worlds.
Those books are just plain awesome.
I think (and could be wrong) that the Fey step ability can be used to go back and forth between the two.
-A Plane Shift, but it only takes you to and from the Material Plane and the Plane of Faerie.