1345

## **Stonehearth supports Eltan’s bid for power in Baldur’s Gate**

Eltan was a Gate native, though his expeditions had taken him to Waterdeep before he finally returned. When he came back, he’d already built his credentials as a [principled] mercenary and tactician. There was mutual respect of Eltan and the House Stonehearth, though different purposes.

He'd sought to do "what Stonehearth couldn't" – *impose his will on the chaotic lower city, clear it out and charge tax*. This should sound awfully familiar: it was the Stonehearth plan, stymied only by the ducal reaction against the power Stonehearth already had. If Stonehearth had taken the next step, the patriars would've bypassed the city "dukedom" and simply become the sole sovereigns of the Gate. Eltan had the same peace-and-prosperity goals, but a much lower threat level. The current dukes could live with a "super duke" – *but not a king*.

There was an underlying issue: the Lower City was the gray-area sandbox where the dirty work was done to support the upper-class fortunes. The patriars regularly turned the working class against each other and profited off the margins. This alone was one of the reasons that Stonehearth's support of the guilds (and policing of their own "zones") made them so beloved in the city.

Behind the scenes, Eltan sought the support of Stonehearth before making his move. It wasn't simply politically expedient, it was existential:

* The Stonehearth Arms stayed within their boundaries at the behest of the dukes and the other patriars, but a city-wide effort like Eltan aspired to would've been an effective invasion and been quickly and unilaterally quashed by Stonehearth themselves.
* Given that the Baldurian economy flowed through the House, including the undying loyalty of the merchants and smith's guilds, Eltan would have no effective authority without Stonehearth's tacit blessing.

The Catch-22 was that explicit Stonehearth public support would've been toxic to Eltan in regards to the reigning dukes. He was frustrated he didn't have access to the legendary crossbows for his retinue (much less the firearms), but he did secure a secret agreement of non-intervention. With that accord, the "favorite son" was free to recruit and consolidate most of the mercenary companies in town. One side effect of this unification was that the occasional urban mercenary skirmishes disappeared.

After forming his soon-to-be-famous Flaming Fist mercenary company, which quickly reached battalion size, he leveraged the military might into civilian authority, winning the blessing of the Council of Four as the city’s new Grand Duke (if only because he now controlled the city's unified mercenary force). Eltan's rise to power in Baldur's Gate became one of the defining moments in **1345 DR**, on the Sword Coast and throughout Faerûn.

### The Vindication

Internally, over the next few years, the success proved the tax-and-protect plan was sound. The resistance of the dukes also proved it was less about the plan and more about who was executing it. In the court of public opinion, it was vindication for Stonehearth.

Externally, Eltan went on to involve Baldur's Gate on more foreign affairs (anything outside the walls), deploying the Flaming Fist to stabilize the area in ways that would've destabilized the city if Stonehearth had done it.

Eltan would enjoy a good run as the Grand Duke, though House Stonehearth remained the shadow king of Baldur's Gate. In that respect, it was also vindication for the fears of the Gate patriars: the House was never more than a nudge away from turning the laissez-faire city-state into a kingdom.