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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist

USA
12191 Posts

Posted - 28 Jan 2014 :  13:56:16  Show Profile Send sleyvas a Private Message  Reply with Quote  Delete Topic
I started thinking about Balduran and some of the things we've bandied about around here for the last couple years once they announced 5th edition. It occurs to me that Balduran ventured out, found a collection of isles that he called Anchorome. He then ventured out AGAIN to go to the same place and never returned. Now, anything could have happened to him. However, what if whenever he ventured back, the isles of Anchorome actually transitioned to Abeir and we got this huge continent in its place (which people later named Anchorome thinking it was where Balduran ventured).

So, my questions are
Is this idea contradicted anywhere (thinking if it were anywhere it'd be in Maztican lore, which I'm not strong in)?

When was Balduran around? When was Baldur's Gate established?


From 2nd edition FR Adventures

The city is named for the legendary seafaring explorer Balduran, who long ago sailed past Evermeet in search of the rich,fabled isles of Anchorome (pronounced #147;Ang-kor-OH-may#148;). 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, commanding that some of it be spent on a wall to protect the harborfrom orc and barbarian raids (still an annual problem in the area, in those, longago days). Then he set sail again for the
wondrous 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 he lived to a ripe old age in his new-found home.

Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas

Demzer
Senior Scribe

893 Posts

Posted - 28 Jan 2014 :  14:51:34  Show Profile Send Demzer a Private Message  Reply with Quote
There are actually two half-answers that come to my mind regarding the fate of Balduran:
- A canonical hint (i think it's in the GHotR, but i'm unsure) is given when the expeditionary force to Matzica from Baldur's Gate in the mid 1370s finds the ruins of a Faerunian fort with scattered broken steel weapons and armors and think they have found the remains of Balduran's last voyage;
- A half-canonical definitive answer is given in the BG videogame expansion Tales of the Sword Coast in which the player can go to an island full of werewolves and suchs and find Balduran's armor, shield, helmet and maybe even his sword;

Both are half-answers because the first is unconfirmed and the second comes from the videogame (that it's not canon but more a kind of strange pseudo-canonical beast).

I'll try to be more precise once i have time to give a pass through my sources (and i haven't played the videogame in a long time so memory could be fuzzy).
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist

USA
12191 Posts

Posted - 28 Jan 2014 :  15:24:39  Show Profile Send sleyvas a Private Message  Reply with Quote
So, I'm just playing "what if" here... check my logic for a sec...

Balduran returns. Its still the islands of Anchorome. He sets up a small fort on one of the larger islands and begins building a port city. For lack of a better word, let's call it the "Abeir - Switch" happens in the middle of the night. Balduran and SOME of his men stay on the island and transfer to Abeir (maybe because they were outside of the city at the time exploring). Some of his men and the fort and port city all transfer to Toril... inland on a small continent that they've never seen before. Their ships are grounded and eventually rot to nothing. They themselves are hunted by an indian'ish sort of wild elf until they are killed off.

On the armor, that one can be explained away in several methods. Perhaps the best would be that one of Balduran's ships mutinied and turned back, and Balduran himself had to magically flee to one of his other ships, and unfortunately had to leave behind his gear. Said mutiny ship later landed on an island and was overwhelmed by lyncanthropes.

Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas
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hashimashadoo
Master of Realmslore

United Kingdom
1155 Posts

Posted - 28 Jan 2014 :  15:41:53  Show Profile  Visit hashimashadoo's Homepage Send hashimashadoo a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Because as far as anything that's been said about the Sundering goes, Toril and Abeir didn't start switching places until the Time of Troubles. The destruction of the Tablets of Fate was what caused the two worlds to start merging again and Balduran died LONG before the ToT.

I however like the idea that Balduran joined the crew of Valkur's divine ship.

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Edited by - hashimashadoo on 28 Jan 2014 15:44:05
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The Arcanamach
Master of Realmslore

1885 Posts

Posted - 28 Jan 2014 :  15:50:08  Show Profile Send The Arcanamach a Private Message  Reply with Quote
In the video game, there was an elven wizard who had sailed with Balduran stranded on the island with the werewolves (I think his name was Dezkeel or something close to that). He's a bit insane and disappears after his rescue. I can't recall exact dialogue but he indicates (or at least lends credence to) that Balduran fell in battle fighting the werewolves.

Of course, I don't think this can exactly be viewed as canon but some of the dialogue for the game was written by Ed...so it maybe (unofficial) canon.

That said, I see no reason why it can't be spun differently. Perhaps Balduran nearly died and had to remove his armor while his wounds were being tended (it's entirely possible that he became a werewolf, btw...his body was never recovered AND there are peaceful werewolves on the island...his descendants perhaps?). At some point, he may have been transferred just as you conjecture Sleyvas. Your logic is sound enough and doesn't really conflict with anything I've read...and the available literature is very sparse anyway.

I have a dream that one day, all game worlds will exist as one.
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The Arcanamach
Master of Realmslore

1885 Posts

Posted - 28 Jan 2014 :  15:56:18  Show Profile Send The Arcanamach a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
The destruction of the Tablets of Fate was what caused the two worlds to start merging again and Balduran died LONG before the ToT.

Ya I forgot about this point. So there is a conflict with the switching theory. Although I would not be surprised if destroying the tablets actually accelerated a problem that already existed since the elven highmagic reached backwards and forwards in time. It would be like a dam with small holes in it that certain people (mayhaps Mysra's Chosen) have to plug up as much as possible...then shattering the tablets simply causes the dam to burst).

Still, interpreting things that way may be stretching it a bit.

I have a dream that one day, all game worlds will exist as one.
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist

USA
12191 Posts

Posted - 28 Jan 2014 :  16:13:25  Show Profile Send sleyvas a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Yeah, but we've had several of the actual contributors indicate they half "wonder" if this world transference hasn't happened several times in history... its just not well documented OR misunderstood because the world as a whole doesn't know what happens on continents far away. Still, a definitive answer from them on whether any transfers have happened in the past would be beneficial.

Hmmm, the idea that Balduran became a lyncanthrope and had to shed his armor for a change would be interesting. As stated, there's a ton of ways this one could be spun. Do we have any idea where this island is roughly located?

Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas
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The Arcanamach
Master of Realmslore

1885 Posts

Posted - 28 Jan 2014 :  16:48:15  Show Profile Send The Arcanamach a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Do we have any idea where this island is roughly located?

No, the game just has you sign up to go there and never really tells you exactly where you end up. I always viewed it this way: Balduran's initial voyage has him discover Anchorhome (where he builds a fort in an attempt to lay the seeds for a new port). He returns to his port home with tales of riches and wonders and sets out again. A storm arises (this is in the video game and is mentioned in his log book if memory serves me) and he washes up on the werewolf island.

On the island he is attacked by werewolves and either dies outright or becomes a lycan himself. I always viewed him as a lycan who overcame his 'curse' enough to retain his mind during transformation (the 'good' lycans retain their minds...well they aren't all good but you get the point). It's possible that Balduran realized his curse and appealed to Selune for deliverance...she is worshipped by some sailors and has been known to allow lycan to retain their minds. Balduran then teaches his descendants and they gain this blessing as well.

Of course, I always assumed he just died there eventually...but again, I see no reason why he couldn't have been transferred to Abeir if you want. Keep in mind that the islands are still there, so he may have had to go elsewhere...perhaps the main continent...before disappearing. His ship is wrecked there so if he left it would have been on a smaller vessel.

EDIT: You know he didn't have to leave. The transfer could have been rather small and he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I have a dream that one day, all game worlds will exist as one.

Edited by - The Arcanamach on 28 Jan 2014 16:50:00
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Tanthalas
Senior Scribe

Portugal
508 Posts

Posted - 28 Jan 2014 :  18:38:19  Show Profile Send Tanthalas a Private Message  Reply with Quote
It's been a while since I've played through BG1, but I don't recall Dradeel confirming Balduran's death.

You actually encounter Dradeel again in BG2 I think, when you go to Spellhold.

Sir Markham pointed out, drinking another brandy. "A chap who can point at you and say 'die' has the distinct advantage".
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist

USA
12191 Posts

Posted - 28 Jan 2014 :  21:54:48  Show Profile Send sleyvas a Private Message  Reply with Quote
good point on the Selune worship. I can definitely see a sailor worshipping the goddess of navigation.... especially one known for long voyages. You know, do we even know that he was "just a fighter". Hell, he may have been a fighter/priest of Selune with levels of the prestige class Silverstar from F&P.

One thing to consider with his ship is that he probably had several. Especially if he had just returned from a lucrative trip, he may have been returning with a fleet of 10 cargo ships or more. So, what if Selune uses her divine power to force Balduran's ship to sink near the island, but his fleet is fine. He gets infected with lycanthropy, but he is able to control it. He then introduces worship of Selune to the more peaceful islanders, and in return his ships are able to refill their stores and fill up. He loses the chest which held his armor and weapons in the sinking of his ship, but he is able to gain replacement gear before moving on. He then continues on toward the isles of Anchorome

Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
Moderator

USA
36966 Posts

Posted - 28 Jan 2014 :  22:50:15  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I have to ask... What is the purpose of having him wind up on Abeir, instead of somewhere else? It's just as likely (if not moreso) that he never reached his destination due to some seaborne tragedy, or he sailed thru a portal to elsewhere on Toril (perhaps even Kara-Tur or Zakhara), or even into the Mists of Ravenloft...

Not trying to argue or anything; I'm just wondering why the focus is on that one potential outcome.

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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist

USA
12191 Posts

Posted - 28 Jan 2014 :  23:53:01  Show Profile Send sleyvas a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Actually Wooly... I'm kind of not sure as yet. Ever had a niggling sensation in the back of your mind, and you feel like you need to scratch it and see what comes of it to see where things go? The more I see of the hints of Anchorome from Ed, the more it seems that there may have been a large collection of islands where we have a solid continent above Maztica. That solid continent, some folks of Faerun have taken to calling Anchorome.... but it seems to me that maybe Balduran found something entirely different. I guess I'm seeing a way to achieve the ends that Ed originally intended. If we have it that Balduran's mission disappeared because it transferred between the worlds, it gives a link to this alternate "anchorome" as well. Granted, there are other ways that it could happen, but this COULD be a really nice and tidy way of doing it.

I also kind of wonder if the seafaring warriors that came to Ruathym and the northlands might not have also come from these islands. Maybe there was a transferal about 4 thousand years ago (roughly around -31000 DR) of the islands to Toril. Then WHENEVER Balduran went back, maybe, just maybe.... the islands went back to Abeir and the "continent" of Anchorome (and possibly Maztica) came back.

I've also got a niggling backburner theory that most of the gods of those people were killed by Primordials/Dawn Titans (essentially, I believe that there may have been something akin to Ragnarok with said Pantheon). Thus why Abeir still has no gods even when this transfers back and forth. Hell, there may be even some tie between Balduran and Balder (mortal born of his bloodline, deity reborn in mortal form, or something entirely different that someone may come up with).

Once he transferred, do I have some major plans for him? Not really. In fact, he may have given up hope, seeing as he's lost his goddess... the stars have all changed, so he can't find his way home.... it may have all ended tragically. But, it would be an interesting hook for detailing more info on these other continents in a way that's not too derivative. In fact, the more I think on it, having a resource written on the area as if it were from his log books would be a good way to present it.

Of course, all of this change wouldn't be seen by the people on the ground of Toril. However, those Leirans on the moon...... what changes have they seen happen with time? Have they seen whole continents, islands, etc... come and go on Toril? Do they think its all one great lie?

Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas
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The Arcanamach
Master of Realmslore

1885 Posts

Posted - 29 Jan 2014 :  01:26:31  Show Profile Send The Arcanamach a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
However, those Leirans on the moon...... what changes have they seen happen with time? Have they seen whole continents, islands, etc... come and go on Toril? Do they think its all one great lie?

I think my mind just broke. I hadn't considered how this would affect their society. Even if there were no land transfers prior to the Spellplague...seeing an entire continent disappear and be replaced almost certainly came as a surprise. Imagine those Leirans who held hope that she was still alive becoming energized in their faith about this 'great lie' and bringing Leira back (along with those who stopped worshiping her being converted by this 'revelation') through their new found strength of faith.

On topic: I'm inclined to believe that Balduran was never transferred to Abeir and died on the wolf island (after establishing a small society there). I also think he died content with family around him.

I have a dream that one day, all game worlds will exist as one.
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George Krashos
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Australia
6688 Posts

Posted - 29 Jan 2014 :  04:56:16  Show Profile Send George Krashos a Private Message  Reply with Quote
My view was always that there have been multiple interactions (large and small) between Abeir and Toril prior to the ToT, the Spellplague and the Sundering. The version championed by WotC is a fairly simplistic take on the concept focusing on the Tablets of Fate to the exclusion of history-rich possibilities back through the ages.

-- George Krashos

"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
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Posted - 29 Jan 2014 :  04:59:32  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by The Arcanamach

quote:
However, those Leirans on the moon...... what changes have they seen happen with time? Have they seen whole continents, islands, etc... come and go on Toril? Do they think its all one great lie?

I think my mind just broke. I hadn't considered how this would affect their society. Even if there were no land transfers prior to the Spellplague...seeing an entire continent disappear and be replaced almost certainly came as a surprise. Imagine those Leirans who held hope that she was still alive becoming energized in their faith about this 'great lie' and bringing Leira back (along with those who stopped worshiping her being converted by this 'revelation') through their new found strength of faith.


With their dedication to Leira, and the fact that it was her illusion over the moon, it's entirely likely that they might have considered any changes on Toril to be illusory.

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The Arcanamach
Master of Realmslore

1885 Posts

Posted - 29 Jan 2014 :  07:13:47  Show Profile Send The Arcanamach a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
With their dedication to Leira, and the fact that it was her illusion over the moon, it's entirely likely that they might have considered any changes on Toril to be illusory.

Yup that's basically what I'm saying. Thing is, given Leira and her clergy's penchant for lying, some would say the original continent was the lie, others would say the new one is, and still others would say both of them are. Either way, her church would seize the opportunity to spin it all to Leira's favor methinks. And, in the end, Leira's death is just a lie anyway.

I have a dream that one day, all game worlds will exist as one.
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Demzer
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893 Posts

Posted - 29 Jan 2014 :  11:13:00  Show Profile Send Demzer a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Finally did a pass of my sources and oh boy what a mess!

But first, i wouldn't be so hard pressed to find explanations for the equipment of Balduran being used by Bhaalspawns or adventurers on the Sword Coast: i doubt the novels even mention the items you can find in the games AND a lot of events of both games and novels are not canon (widespread Twisted Runemasters killing, Saradush being destroyed no matter what the players do, a huge army of fire giants and verbeegs in the middle of Tethyr, the Bhaalspawn destroying half the army of Tethyr over a misunderstanding, the Bhaalspawn finding and using items that belong to NPCs of Planescape: Torment, Spellhold being emptied of crazies and Cowled Wizards alike, ecc...). Maybe the equipment is a fake, maybe Balduran left it in Baldur's Gate after his first voyage, maybe someone of the expedition made i back and sold it, maybe the equipment is still oversea, all possibilities are open, don't feel chained by the videogame.

Now, onto the geographical mess:
- History tells us Balduran discovered Anchorome, repeatedly, over a number of different sources;
- Gold & Glory has a few more details on pages 9 -> 11, particularly telling is the phrase on page 9 "... Balduran. Long ago, he sailed west past Evermeet, to the fabled islands of Anchorome ...", meaning that Balduran didn't find a big chunk of land but different islands;
- From Gold & Glory unluckily comes the problem of the messed up geography, the map on page 10 dubs "Anchorome" the northern portion of Maztica.

We now know that Anchorome is further north than that and is separated from Maztica but then what did Balduran really discover? Anchorome? Northern Maztica?

A quick fix is to think that in his first voyage Balduran got to the real Anchorome (bunch of islands up north of Maztica) while in his second trip (due to misfortune, bad weather, sahaugin or sea elves attacks or whatever) he landed far south, on the northern coasts of Maztica, where the 1364 DR Flaming Fist expedition found the ruined fort (from Gold & Glory page 10: "... the ruined remains of a small fort with a wooden palisade. Broken weapons, rusted armor, and an old ship#146;s log indicated that this was the probable final resting place of Balduran and his crew.").

But that may not be the end of Balduran, if we accept for good Balduran's Log Book found in the videogame (you can read it here on the FR WIKI: http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Balduran%27s_Log_Book ) it seems he got to western lands after a difficul sea voyage, was repulsed by natives and/or monsters and had to retreat to the werewolves island. From this point on your speculation about a good Selunite lycantropic society sounds good (and wouldn't be the first time in the Realms, i think Myth Lharast in Amn was a city of Selunite good werethings).

For reference, here's the map in the wiki with "Balduran's Bay" way up north from Kultaka/New Amn/Payit: http://static1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110417182458/forgottenrealms/images/e/e9/Maztica-small.jpg
That's the bay were Fort Flame and the new colony of Balduran lie, the ruined fort is further up north.

EDIT: forgot to add: going through the GHotR the earliest reference to the established city of Baldur's Gate is for the year 865 DR on page 108, whil up until 227 DR (page 67) it's still "... site of present day Baldur's Gate".

Edited by - Demzer on 29 Jan 2014 11:16:01
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist

USA
12191 Posts

Posted - 29 Jan 2014 :  13:45:43  Show Profile Send sleyvas a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by The Arcanamach

quote:
However, those Leirans on the moon...... what changes have they seen happen with time? Have they seen whole continents, islands, etc... come and go on Toril? Do they think its all one great lie?

I think my mind just broke. I hadn't considered how this would affect their society. Even if there were no land transfers prior to the Spellplague...seeing an entire continent disappear and be replaced almost certainly came as a surprise. Imagine those Leirans who held hope that she was still alive becoming energized in their faith about this 'great lie' and bringing Leira back (along with those who stopped worshiping her being converted by this 'revelation') through their new found strength of faith.

On topic: I'm inclined to believe that Balduran was never transferred to Abeir and died on the wolf island (after establishing a small society there). I also think he died content with family around him.



In fact, for where I was headed... Balduran COULD die there... he had lieutenants and what not... they could have gone on without him. One of those lieutenants could just as easily write the captain's log like I was describing, leading the people until the transfer occurs. I guess my main question shouldn't have been what happened to Balduran, and more "what happened to the second mission of Balduran?"

Either way, its all speculation.

But, I am glad to see your appreciation of my Leiran wonderings. I half wonder if it wasn't these mass changes in the past that actually led to such a powerful following of Leirans on the moon (instead of Selunites). I also am firmly of the belief that Leira isn't dead and she's in fact on some kind of secret mission (those who have read some of my previous stuff will know there's a lot of ways this can go as well). However, I will note that during the ToT we have no indication of where exactly Leira went? I propose that she spent a significant amount of time in Nimbral, but she also spent a significant amount of time on Selune. I also propose that she had the Leirans on the moon doing some kind of work for her (what I haven't thought through... perhaps they hid Nimbral under an illusion? Perhaps they modified existing portals from Nimbral to the moon such that they could work across the Abeir/Toril barrier? Perhaps they merely evacuated the people of Nimbral to the moon? Perhaps like Evermeet, Nimbral was transferred to the Feywild and they've maintained contact with Toril via portals to the moon... and maybe they've had some secret mission in the feywild).

Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist

USA
12191 Posts

Posted - 29 Jan 2014 :  13:52:19  Show Profile Send sleyvas a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos

My view was always that there have been multiple interactions (large and small) between Abeir and Toril prior to the ToT, the Spellplague and the Sundering. The version championed by WotC is a fairly simplistic take on the concept focusing on the Tablets of Fate to the exclusion of history-rich possibilities back through the ages.

-- George Krashos



That's why I like your work George. Like Ed and Steven Schend, you leave in possibilities. Brian James' ability to link the connections out there I find pretty amazing. Now Eric Boyd, he leaves in possibilities and ties connections left by others as well. WOW that man does good work (please don't take offense that I am astounded by Eric's work).

Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist

USA
12191 Posts

Posted - 29 Jan 2014 :  14:29:06  Show Profile Send sleyvas a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Demzer

Finally did a pass of my sources and oh boy what a mess!

But first, i wouldn't be so hard pressed to find explanations for the equipment of Balduran being used by Bhaalspawns or adventurers on the Sword Coast: i doubt the novels even mention the items you can find in the games AND a lot of events of both games and novels are not canon (widespread Twisted Runemasters killing, Saradush being destroyed no matter what the players do, a huge army of fire giants and verbeegs in the middle of Tethyr, the Bhaalspawn destroying half the army of Tethyr over a misunderstanding, the Bhaalspawn finding and using items that belong to NPCs of Planescape: Torment, Spellhold being emptied of crazies and Cowled Wizards alike, ecc...). Maybe the equipment is a fake, maybe Balduran left it in Baldur's Gate after his first voyage, maybe someone of the expedition made i back and sold it, maybe the equipment is still oversea, all possibilities are open, don't feel chained by the videogame.

Now, onto the geographical mess:
- History tells us Balduran discovered Anchorome, repeatedly, over a number of different sources;
- Gold & Glory has a few more details on pages 9 -> 11, particularly telling is the phrase on page 9 "... Balduran. Long ago, he sailed west past Evermeet, to the fabled islands of Anchorome ...", meaning that Balduran didn't find a big chunk of land but different islands;
- From Gold & Glory unluckily comes the problem of the messed up geography, the map on page 10 dubs "Anchorome" the northern portion of Maztica.

We now know that Anchorome is further north than that and is separated from Maztica but then what did Balduran really discover? Anchorome? Northern Maztica?

A quick fix is to think that in his first voyage Balduran got to the real Anchorome (bunch of islands up north of Maztica) while in his second trip (due to misfortune, bad weather, sahaugin or sea elves attacks or whatever) he landed far south, on the northern coasts of Maztica, where the 1364 DR Flaming Fist expedition found the ruined fort (from Gold & Glory page 10: "... the ruined remains of a small fort with a wooden palisade. Broken weapons, rusted armor, and an old ship#146;s log indicated that this was the probable final resting place of Balduran and his crew.").

But that may not be the end of Balduran, if we accept for good Balduran's Log Book found in the videogame (you can read it here on the FR WIKI: http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Balduran%27s_Log_Book ) it seems he got to western lands after a difficul sea voyage, was repulsed by natives and/or monsters and had to retreat to the werewolves island. From this point on your speculation about a good Selunite lycantropic society sounds good (and wouldn't be the first time in the Realms, i think Myth Lharast in Amn was a city of Selunite good werethings).

For reference, here's the map in the wiki with "Balduran's Bay" way up north from Kultaka/New Amn/Payit: http://static1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110417182458/forgottenrealms/images/e/e9/Maztica-small.jpg
That's the bay were Fort Flame and the new colony of Balduran lie, the ruined fort is further up north.

EDIT: forgot to add: going through the GHotR the earliest reference to the established city of Baldur's Gate is for the year 865 DR on page 108, whil up until 227 DR (page 67) it's still "... site of present day Baldur's Gate".



Awesome work. Ok, so from this, we can at least say Balduran travelled to the isles of Anchorome (for the second time)some time between 227 DR and 865 DR.

Reading the log book, we see that on his second trip back, he tried to stay away from Evermeet after meeting a boarding party. He then landed in the isles of Anchorome with a "two hundred strong complement". Now whether this complement is purely soldiery or includes sailors is a decent question. If he's running cargo ships, I'd imagine that means just soldiers (and that his fleet is maybe "the wandering eye coster" or somesuch). He then apparently begins trading with other cultures (presumably on other islands). They then got attacked at some point and escape along with Dradeel (an untrustworthy elven mage) who had tried to warn Balduran. They lost a lot of crew, so they seek to forcibly replace them with locals (150 new hands... with that many replacements needed, I'm assuming he has a fleet of ships). They then move on, have food issues, and presumably land on the island with the werewolves. However, I find the last sentences interesting.

"...set aground to forage. It is a small isle, but will yield what we need. Perhaps I shall...on my own while the crew...time on land will do them goode... "

Its almost like maybe he took a few ships and scouted on ahead. It occurs to me that since he did gather up "treasure" from the new lands on the second trip... perhaps he found a better set of armor and weapons and gifted his old set to another captain in his fleet. Maybe that armor is what's found on the werewolf isle, and maybe Balduran never returned because of what happened when he scouted ahead. If there was some kind of transfer at that time, it very well could have been that half his fleet went to Abeir and half stayed in Toril. It may have been the remainder that landed north of Maztica and tried to establish a presence (hell, the land may have appeared right up under their ships).




Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas
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The Arcanamach
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Posted - 29 Jan 2014 :  20:57:32  Show Profile Send The Arcanamach a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Not that it has to mean anything but the ship in the video game is stuck inland (on the wolf island). Now the usual culprit is that a large ocean swell (wave) drove the ship inland and stranded it there...but your idea of the island appearing directly under them could explain it as well. However, you then have to assume that the lycans were actually from Abeir, or someone had to get infected prior to the shipwreck and spread the curse to others.

I have a dream that one day, all game worlds will exist as one.
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