Major Characters of the Sword Coast¶
Notable NPCs the protagonist may encounter — drawn from the Sword Coast Survival Guide.
Drizzt Do'Urden¶
Chaotic Good · Drow Elf · Male · Ranger 16th level.
A renegade drow ranger who has escaped the oppressive regime of his underground homeland. Drizzt is among the most famous drow in the Realms thanks to his deeds on the surface. He may be found abroad while engaged in acts of daring, particularly rolling back the tribes of goblins and evil humans in the North. His fame and hatred of his former homeland has made him a target of other drow who hope to earn favour with their evil goddess Lolth by killing the renegade.
- Wears mithral chain mail +4 — a gift of King Bruenor.
- Wields two magical scimitars: Icingdeath (a frostbrand +3) and Twinkle (a defender +5, glows when enemies are near).
- His most prized possession is a figurine of wondrous power in the shape of an onyx panther — Guenhwyvar. He doesn't use the panther unless severely taxed, as he is limited to using it for a certain period each day.
Elminster¶
Chaotic Good · Human · Male · Wizard 29th level.
Elminster the Sage. The exact age of Elminster is unknown and his year of birth unrecorded. From his tales, it is suspected he learned his magical arts at the feet of Arkhon the Old, who died in what is now Waterdeep over five hundred years ago, and that he may have been in Myth Drannor near that magical realm's final days. The exact nature of these claims remains unproven, but most Realms natives consider Elminster an eternal force in the world.
The Sage currently lives in the tiny farm community of Shadowdale, in a two-storey house overlooking a fish pond with his aide and scribe Lhaeo. He is often abroad, both elsewhere in the Realms and in other planes, in a relentless pursuit of knowledge.
Areas of expertise: the Realms and its people, ecologies of various creatures, magical items and their histories, and the known planes of existence. Elminster no longer tutors or works for hire save in the most pressing cases.
His former students and allies include some of the most powerful good individuals in the Realms — some of the Lords of Waterdeep, the Simbul (ruler of Aglarond), and the Harpers.
Volothamp "Volo" Geddarm¶
Chaotic Good · Human · Male · Wizard 5th level.
A roguish magician known for his neatly trimmed beard, stylish beret, and acid tongue — a feature throughout the Realms — a brief feature, since his honesty in reporting often puts him at odds with the local merchants, constabulary, and wizards. He has written a number of works, including a popular series of guides to various cities and "Volo's Guide to All Things Magical", a suppressed work dealing with magic "for the common people".
"Eminent indeed!" — Elminster
Volo is a fountain of knowledge on subjects and more than willing to share the juiciest portions with whoever will listen. As a result he must move around frequently in order to stay alive — which only adds to his storehouse of geographic information. Heroes may find Volo anywhere in the Realms, usually on the run from this irate wizard or that angry innkeeper.
The Survival Guide and Mastering Melee & Magic manuals are presented as conversations between Volo and Elminster.
Bentley Mirrorshade — Friendly Arm Inn¶
Chaotic Good · Gnome · Male · Illusionist 10th / Thief 10th.
This industrious gnome illusionist abandoned life as an adventurer to run the Friendly Arm Inn in a keep he and his comrades seized and cleared of monsters some twenty seasons ago. A clever, alert, curly-haired innkeeper who hums when deep in thought and scratches his large nose when concerned, Bentley's always a step ahead of troublemakers and misfortune. A veteran traveling Coast merchant called him a "master anticipator".
There are persistent rumours that Bentley sponsors adventuring bands and is involved in half a dozen covert schemes or shady merchant cabals. He certainly never seems short of money.
"Bentley once confided in me that the greatest instrument to his success was a powerful magic ring, which he has since lost. Although methinks he misses it dearly, some precious things are better left unfound. If ye find Bentley's ring, t'would be a kindness to him not to mention it." — Elminster
Gellana Mirrorshade — Friendly Arm Inn¶
Neutral Good · Gnome · Female · Cleric 10th level.
This quiet, observant priestess of Garl Glittergold runs the Temple of Wisdom in the walled-in community known as the Friendly Arm and helps her husband Bentley run the inn as a safe, secure place. Where Bentley is an expert at sniffing out the schemes of living folk, Gellana takes a longer view and is always looking at the larger picture.
She ordered the digging of deeper wells, the rigging of secondary pumps, and planned the inn gardens (with window boxes and rooftop beds making every plot produce food or herbs for the inn kitchens).
Gellana welcomes humans to her worship services and has made many converts. Among gnomes in western Faerûn she has become something of a folk hero — "the quiet and true power behind a gnome who made it".
Kelddath Ormlyr — Most Radiant of Lathander, Beregost¶
Neutral Good · Human · Male · Cleric 16th level.
Governor of Beregost and high priest of the temple to Lathander there. Kelddath is a patient, energetic supporter of local improvement — always advising or lending money to new local businesses and to farmers trying to expand or modernise their holdings.
His temple troops police the town attentively and try to prevent adventurers and others from exploring local ruins. Any rowdiness or lawlessness is swiftly and harshly dealt with. Kelddath wants Beregost to have a reputation as the safest Sword Coast town in order to encourage trade and travel.
Taerom "Thunderhammer" Fuiruim — Beregost¶
Neutral Good · Human · Male · Fighter 5th level.
This master armorer has his own smithy in Beregost and is a smith whose work is admired even by dwarves. Though he has grown white-haired with the passing of years, he is still an active, burly giant of a man. He keeps to himself, working at his forge, but can slay gnolls with a single blow of his twelve-foot-long iron staff.
Taerom has often made items fine enough for wizards to enchant, but these days he is more apt to make small, useful things — hooks, locks, hinges, coffers. He sports magnificent mutton-chop whiskers and stands almost seven feet tall with shoulders almost four feet broad.
Tethtoril — First Reader, Candlekeep¶
Lawful Good · Human · Male · Priest of Mystra 18th level.
This tall, impressive, and soft-spoken man is often mistaken for the Keeper of the Tomes of Candlekeep. He is more intelligent, regal, and sensitive than his superior Ulraunt, by far — and Ulraunt knows it.
Source: bgee/original_manuals/baldurs_gate_1_ee_sword_coast_survival_guide.pdf — "Major Characters of the Sword Coast".