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Grand Duke Ulder Ravengard (pronounced: /ˈʊldɛrˈrvɛngɑːrdUL-der-RAY-ven-gard[8]) was a lifelong soldier of the Flaming Fist who ascended to the rank of Marshal, and served on the Council of Four of Baldur's Gate in the late 15th century DR.[1]

Baldur's Gate holds a delicate balance that requires all of our precious resources to maintain. That's the greater good.
— Grand Duke Ravengard to leaders of the Watch.[9]

Description[]

As a commander, Ravengard was a true warrior at heart[2] and always took quick and relentless action in battle.[5]

Personality[]

Ulder Ravengard was highly disciplined and precise in his actions,[5] and possessed great martial acuity. Despite that, he did lack the sophistication and tact of other dukes.[2] While acted the manner he always believed to be "good", he lost sight when it came to others who exhibited any sort of moral ambiguity.[5]

He had an unwavering commitment his duty to uphold the law, often evaluating others in terms of how they gave and obeyed orders. He also had a great sense of duty to his city and wanted to restore Baldur's Gate's sense of pride.[2]

Abilities[]

He dedicated much of his focus to stamping out every lingering presence of the Guild in Baldur's Gate.[5]

Possessions[]

His preferred weapon of choice was a bastard sword.[3][6][4]

Activities[]

As Blaze, Ulder Ravengard served as the Warden of the Wyrm's Rock fortress.[5]

Relationships[]

Ulder was born into a poor family that lived in the Gate's Lower City. His father was a blacksmith, and he had three older brothers. [5]

Prior to his ascension as Marshal of the Flaming Fist, Blaze Ravengard enjoyed a strong working relationship with Grand Duke Abdel Adrian.[5] Similarly after his promotion, Ulder was well served by Blaze Liara Portyr.[10]

He was well acquainted with the ostentatious elven statesman Coran.[11]

History[]

Ulder joined the Flaming Fist at a young age,[5] and steadily ascended through its ranks by merit of his fighting prowess and intelligence.[12]

Early Years as Grand Duke[]

When Abdel Adrian died on Returning Day, in the Year of the Narthex Murders, 1482 DR, Ravengard was immediately promoted to the rank of Marshal of the Flaming Fist.[13] Despite some protest from amongst the Parliament of Peers,[14] he was nonetheless elected as Grand Duke some time before the Year of Dwarvenkind Reborn, 1488 DR.[15] He refused to surrender command of the Flaming Fist after his commencement, becoming the most powerful person in Baldur's Gate.[12]

When the restored Cult of the Dragon began operating in the Sword Coast after many years of inactivity, the rogue cultist Deniak managed to transform himself into a red dragon within the city walls of Baldur's Gate, threatening the safety of its citizens. Duke Ravengard rallied the Watch and responded to the threat but arrived moments too late, as the dragon-Deniak had been brought down by a local adventuring group.[16]

Despite this missed opportunity, Grand Duke Ravengard proved he could still hold his own in battle. On one occasion when he hosted a secret meeting of the Parliament of Peers at High Hall to discuss the burden that the ever-growing population in the Outer City of Baldur's Gate placed upon its populace, he unwittingly attracted an assassination attempt on Councilor Coran at the hands of Burgust and his thieves' guild. He helped turn away Burgust's killers, fighting alongside the halfling hero Shandie Freefoot.[17]

Council of Waterdeep

Grand Duke Ravengard makes a point at the first Council of Waterdeep

Although his city and his soldiers needed reconstruction after the resurrection of Bhaal inside Baldur's Gate, Ulder dreamed of glory, to lead his soldiers in crushing the Cult of the Dragon's growing forces. As was befitting his dual role as general and head counselor, Ravengard was the leading delegate for Baldur's Gate at the Council of Waterdeep. He viewed the defeat of the Cult of the Dragon as an opportunity that would ensure the perception of Baldur's Gate as the strongest city in Faerûn.[2]

Descent Into Avernus[]

In the Year of Three Ships Sailing, 1492 DR,[note 1] the Grand Duke embarked on a visit of diplomacy to the city of Elturel at the behest of Thavius Kreeg.Unfortunately for him and all of Baldur's Gate, his visit coincided with the catastrophe that saw the entire city being plunged down into the plane of Avernus in the Nine Hells.[18]

In fact, his trip was part of Thalamra Vanthampur's scheme to appease the Archdevil Zariel and ascend as the new Grand Duke.[19][20] Without his leadership the Flaming Fist hierarchy collapsed, the military became overwhelmed and lashed out against Baldurians with brutal retaliation.[21] To restore some order, Liara Portyr was appointed as acting Marshal by her uncle, Duke Portyr.[22]

Meanwhile in Elturel on the plane of Avernus, Ulder was telepathically assaulted by the Demon lord Baphomet and put into a catatonic state,[23] through the use of the Helm of Torm's Sight.[7]

Return to Baldur's Gate[]

The Grand Duke returned to Faerûn with the city of Elturel and its surviving citizens. He and a contingent of Flaming Fist soldiers traveled west along the Risen Road to Baldur's Gate, staying at the inn called Waukeen's Rest. Unfortunately, the inn was raided by goblins and drow belonging to the cult of the Absolute, and it was believed Ravengard was abducted to Moonrise Towers.

At Moonrise, Ketheric Thorm, the Chosen of Myrkul, implanted Ravengard with a magically modified mind flayer tadpole, forcing him under the control of the elder brain known as the Absolute. Under this influence, Ravengard was taken to Baldur's Gate, where he nominated Thorm's co-conspirator Enver Gortash for the position of Archduke of Baldur's Gate. Subsequently, no longer useful to the leaders of the cult of the Absolute, Ravengard was removed by Gortash to the hidden underwater prison called the Iron Throne.[24]

Appendix[]

Notes[]

  1. Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus is set in 1492 DR per the "Baldur's Gate Gazetteer" section (p. 159) and a clarification from the adventure's lead writer. Baldur's Gate III, which is a direct sequel to Descent into Avernus set immediately after its events, is also set in 1492 DR. In an apparent error, pages 7 and 47 of Descent into Avernus describes certain events as occurring "fifty years" after 1444 DR (1494 DR).

Gallery[]

Appearances[]

Adventures
Murder in Baldur's GateThe Rise of TiamatBaldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus
Comics
Legends of Baldur's Gate (#1, #4, #5)Evil at Baldur's Gate 2
Video Games
Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms Baldur's Gate III
Card Games
Magic: The Gathering (CLB)
Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
Hellfire Requiem

External links[]

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the following links do not necessarily represent the views of the editors of this wiki, nor does any lore presented necessarily adhere to established canon.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Steve Kenson, et al. (November 2015). Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide. Edited by Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 7. ISBN 978-0-7869-6580-9.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Steve Winter, Alexander Winter, Wolfgang Baur (November 2014). The Rise of Tiamat. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 15. ISBN 978-0786965656.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Matthew Sernett, Chris Sims (August 20, 2013). “Monster Statistics”. Murder in Baldur's Gate (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 0-7869-6463-4.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Matthew Sernett, Chris Sims (August 20, 2013). “Monster Statistics”. Murder in Baldur's Gate (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 0-7869-6463-4.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 Ed Greenwood, Matt Sernett, Steve Winter (August 20, 2013). “Campaign Guide”. In Dawn J. Geluso ed. Murder in Baldur's Gate (Wizards of the Coast), p. 43. ISBN 0-7869-6463-4.
  6. 6.0 6.1 Matthew Sernett, Chris Sims (August 20, 2013). “Monster Statistics”. Murder in Baldur's Gate (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 0-7869-6463-4.
  7. 7.0 7.1 Adam Lee, et al. (September 2019). Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus. Edited by Michele Carter, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 70. ISBN 978-0-7869-6687-5.
  8. Adam Lee, et al. (September 2019). Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus. Edited by Michele Carter, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 4. ISBN 978-0-7869-6687-5.
  9. Jim Zub (November 2014). “Legends of Baldur's Gate 2”. Legends of Baldur's Gate #2 (IDW Publishing) (2)., p. 10.
  10. Christopher Perkins, Will Doyle, Steve Winter (September 19, 2017). Tomb of Annihilation. Edited by Michele Carter, Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 38. ISBN 978-0-7869-6610-3.
  11. Jim Zub (January 2015). “Legends of Baldur's Gate 4”. Legends of Baldur's Gate #4 (IDW Publishing) (4)..
  12. 12.0 12.1 Adam Lee, et al. (September 2019). Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus. Edited by Michele Carter, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 161. ISBN 978-0-7869-6687-5.
  13. Ed Greenwood, Matt Sernett, Steve Winter (August 20, 2013). “Murder in Baldur's Gate”. In Dawn J. Geluso ed. Murder in Baldur's Gate (Wizards of the Coast), p. 5. ISBN 0-7869-6463-4.
  14. Ed Greenwood, Matt Sernett, Steve Winter (August 20, 2013). “Murder in Baldur's Gate”. In Dawn J. Geluso ed. Murder in Baldur's Gate (Wizards of the Coast), p. 15. ISBN 0-7869-6463-4.
  15. Steve Kenson, et al. (November 2015). Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide. Edited by Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 45. ISBN 978-0-7869-6580-9.
  16. Jim Zub (March 2015). “Legends of Baldur's Gate 5”. Legends of Baldur's Gate #5 (IDW Publishing) (5)., pp. 16–18.
  17. Jim Zub and Steven Cummings (May 2018). Evil at Baldur's Gate #2. In Elizabeth Brei and David Hedgecock ed. Evil at Baldur's Gate (IDW Publishing) (2)., pp. 12–15.
  18. Adam Lee, et al. (September 2019). Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus. Edited by Michele Carter, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 5. ISBN 978-0-7869-6687-5.
  19. Adam Lee, et al. (September 2019). Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus. Edited by Michele Carter, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 10. ISBN 978-0-7869-6687-5.
  20. Adam Lee, et al. (September 2019). Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus. Edited by Michele Carter, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 32. ISBN 978-0-7869-6687-5.
  21. Adam Lee, et al. (September 2019). Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus. Edited by Michele Carter, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 11. ISBN 978-0-7869-6687-5.
  22. Adam Lee, et al. (September 2019). Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus. Edited by Michele Carter, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 43. ISBN 978-0-7869-6687-5.
  23. Adam Lee, et al. (September 2019). Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus. Edited by Michele Carter, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 52. ISBN 978-0-7869-6687-5.
  24. Larian Studios (October 2020). Designed by Swen Vincke, et al. Baldur's Gate III. Larian Studios.
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