Baldur's Mouth

Facade of the Baldur's Mouth

Lower City
Elfsong Tavern
↑
Highberry's Home	←	Baldur's Mouth	→	Nortale's Hostel
↓
Old Jol's

Baldur's Mouth is a Location within the Lower City in Act Three of Baldur's Gate 3.

“

A Gazette a day keeps the ignorance away!

„

— Luan, hawking the latest edition

Overview

Baldur's Mouth is a large building in the Eastway district of Baldur's Gate, located west of the Basilisk Gate waypoint. It is a publishing house which main purpose is printing the daily newspaper distributed in the city and its suburbs: the Baldur's Mouth Gazette. Also, Baldur's Mouth produces various posters which can be found hanging around the city.

The building has several points of entrance:

• The main entrance is at X: 66 Y: -52. On either side of the doors instead of doorplates is a gargoyle face with a scroll of paper hanging out of its mouth.
• The backdoor on the balcony at X: 39 Y: -52 is accessible by jumping, or by means of spatial movement such as  Misty Step or  Fly. This entrance is red-outlined, locked (requires  DC 15 Sleight of Hand Check to lockpick or the  Key (Inocente Bramm) to open) and guarded.
• At the south-eastern corner of the roof at X: 65 Y: -63 is a destructible barricade covering a hole. Being red-outlined as well, it lies out of sight of any NPCs. However, this way leads straight to the printing press elevator behind the iron gate, guarded by  Guard Vlomina, so some means of  invisibility is recommended.

Despite its large size, location-wise the building has only a main floor with a large newsroom, a small editor's office and a basement where its printing press stands.

Involvement

Baldur's Mouth Gazette is the only publication available for the city's residents and guests to keep up with the latest events. Unsurprisingly, it has become a powerful tool for swaying minds of baldurians for  Enver Gortash in his pursuit of power over the city. To achieve this, the Archduke nominee won to his side  Ettvard Needle, the editor-in-chief of the newsprint.

Due to their collusion, in all ways that matter, the gazette covers the city events in favour of Gortash, while the juiciest rumors and gossips are cobbled into prejudiced and one-eyed articles. As the plot goes on, the party might become an object of such slanted opinion on their actions. When they learn about their planned defamation penning, the quest ⁠Stop the Presses begins. However, the party can not only save their reputation, but use this opportunity to their advantage.

Building layout

Entrance

The main entrance opens onto a small plaza with a large tree, with Nortale's Hostel lining up to it from the other side. Apart from the publishing house guards, the plaza is observed by two Flaming Fists and a  Steel Watcher. Also, there are several loose packs of the gazette copies laying on the surrounding tables. Each contain the latest issue of the gazette (though on interaction it is called "dog-eared"), which changes after every Long Rest. These packs are red-outlined, but the papers inside can be read by the means of stealth or  invisibility.

Newsroom

The newsroom, with its bridge lifted.

The entrance to the publishing house opens into a single, large split-level hall, part of which is reserved for the editor's office.

The upper part of the hall near entrance, houses an elevator with a locked gate in the south-east corner, which leads to the basement. The elevator is operated with a lever inside the cabin (see the Basement section below).

In the middle of the room a bridge has been lifted by chains to the ceiling. The red-outlined lever can lower it, allowing the party to reach the opposite side of the hall, though doing so in plain sight alerts the guards. The lever on the opposite side operates the bridge mechanism as well. Double doors behind the bridge lead to the platform above the western balcony with a ladder to the rooftop.

A flight of stairs in the main room leads to the newsroom where employees work on the next issue of the gazette. On a small dais is the editor's desk. The editor-in-chief,  Ettvard Needle, is here, pacing around. Speaking to him starts or progresses ⁠Stop the Presses. However, if the quest is already underway, conversing with Ettvard results in the party being expelled from the building; the main entrance is locked, becomes red-outlined, and the entire building is considered off-limits for the party.

Several desks are scattered across the room, behind them the reporters are working. On the western side is a locked door which leads to a small balcony where a guard stands. Two  Steel Watchers monitor the area.

Behind Ettvard's desk, under the upper part of the hall, is his locked office. It can be opened with the  Silver Key, carried by Ettvard.. Otherwise, it requires  DC 20 Sleight of Hand Check to lockpick.

On the table here lies a  Key which opens the gate to the elevator.

The locked Document Chest at X: 63 Y: -60 can also be opened with the Silver Key or a  DC 20 Sleight of Hand Check to lockpick. It holds the  Ink-Spattered Key, gold and a random arrow. Two other chests in the office - a Gilded Chest on the lowest shelf across and a Heavy Chest in the opposite corner - are unlocked and contain minor loot.

To the south from the editor's office is a guarded stairway to the basement.

Around the newsroom are several wicker baskets with papertrash, some of which also contain various printing blocks that can be used throughout the ⁠Stop the Presses quest. The printing blocks can be used create a positive or negative article about the party, or dwell on neutral themes.

The full list of printing blocks, hidden in different corners of the publishing house and sorted by their effect, is provided in the special article section below.

Baldur's Mouth Basement

The basement can be accessed via either of two routes:

1. A locked metal door leading down a flight of stairs from the newsroom. The door requires  DC 20 Sleight of Hand Check or can be opened with the  Ink-Spattered Key.
2. The elevator on the ground level of the building, behind the iron grate at X: 66 Y: -61. The door requires  DC 15 Sleight of Hand Check to lockpick or the  Key.

While in the Baldur's Mouth Basement, the party cannot fast-travel or visit Camp, regardless of whether the ⁠Stop the Presses quest is active.

Both means of entry lead to a double corridor, patrolled by two Steel Watchers. Stealthy movement in turn-based mode or any means of  invisibility is advised to avoid conflict.

On the northern side of the basement are two rooms filled with old gazette issues and paper rolls for the printing press. In the western room are two more printing blocks needed for the quest (one 'positive' and one 'negative'). On the counter near the door lies the "Broadsheet" - a test issue for tomorrow's paper with slanderous articles about the party. Interacting with this item triggers a dialogue cutscene, where a  DC 10 Intelligence Check, if passed, gives a hint that the printing press can be altered.

The eastern room contains a locked Gilded Chest with five pouches, each containing a minor amount of gold – news hawkers' earnings from various city districts. The chest can be lockpicked, or opened with the  Baldur's Mouth Chest Key carried by  Guard Unilda Tiro in the newsroom.

Darkroom where portraits of Gortash are printed

On the western side is a darkroom, where new  Heroic Portrait of Gortash posters are being printed. Two  Silver Ingots and another article block are here. In the corridor across the darkroom, approximately at X: -1021 Y: 1035 a passive  Perception check is made, but no item is highlighted.

On the southern side is the largest room with the printing press. Inside are several printing blocks of various regard toward the party. If the the actual press is interacted with, it turns out to be operated by a pixie named  Jelliwig, who considers themself a "master pensman". They can be convinced to change the article block for ⁠Stop the Presses. All possible interactions with Jelliwig are listed on the quest page.

Discovering Jelliwig in the basement of Baldur's Mouth grants the following inspiration:

• ⁠Putting the Pen to Paper ( Guild Artisan background)^[verify]
• ⁠Rennaissant Ingenuity ( Sage background)

Rigging the news in the party's favour grants the following inspiration:

• ⁠A Pressing Heist ( Criminal background)
• ⁠Defamed No More ( Noble background)
• ⁠Making It Sing to Your Tune ( Entertainer background)
• ⁠The News of My Deeds Was Greatly Exaggerated ( Charlatan background)

Rooftop

The Mouth's rooftop, with the planks over the hole in the covering.

The rooftop can be reached from the outer sides of the building:

• By using series of wooden scaffolds on the southern side of the building at X: 53 Y: -67. This way requires means of spatial movement such as  Misty Step,  Fly or  Jump. From the platform a few more jumps get to the rooftop.
• The wooden platform on the western side is much higher, but has a ladder going to the rooftop and double doors leading into the main building, onto the far end of the movable metal bridge inside. However, unlike the first route, a character using this way can be spotted by the publishing house guard standing on the balcony below.

On the roof at X: 48 Y: -54 is a loose plank (requires  DC 15 Perception Check to spot) holding random potions, two sets of  Thieves' Tools and two  Trap Disarm Toolkits.

The southeastern separate ground has a destructible wooden barricade covering an entrance into the elevator. While it is red-outlined, it remains out of reach of any possible witnesses who might accost the party.

Outside the building

There are several NPC vignettes around the Baldur's Mouth publishing house.

• In front of the main entrance, several employees are loading the copies with fresh issue of the newsprint. One of them,  Falael, is counting the copies. Helping her or muddling her count earns approval from various companions.
• Near the plaza a dragonborn doom sayer  Augur Harxkellan attracts the attention of a small crowd of bypassers by singing praises to Enver Gortash. After Gortash is defeated, Augur and his listeners disappear, not to be found again.
• If the Steel Watch Foundry is destroyed, three more characters:  Korrinna Koreena,  Flo Hurlburl and  'Gunny' Sacko appear at the plaza. They pester the Flaming Fists trying to learn what is happening from them firsthand.
• Almost across the entrance to the Elfsong Tavern  Saer Manzarde and  Frothilda discuss the latest interview with Gortash in the gazette. Both are delighted with the installation of the Steel Watch as the prime city guard and tend to dismiss problems like high taxes and prices.
• Behind the building, near Old Jol's house,  Fist Ernestus tries to placate several citizens outraged by the gazette printing, in their opinion, obvious lies about the state of the city. However, the protesting civilians do nothing more than complain, so the Fist is unable to accuse them of anything illegal.
• Near the western side of the building  Sister Lockhorn and  Lolo Fuzzletoes dream aloud of a way to draw the attention of gazette reporters. Another citizen,  Sadar Illanov, who constantly walks around the publishing house building, has higher aspirations, and is rehearsing an imaginary interview with Ettvard Needle himself.

Printing blocks

These blocks are hidden in various containers and on the shelves around the newsroom hall of the building and in the basement, any of which can be used to replace the slanderous article ready for publication, though some can make things even worse.

Positive Articles

• Adventurers, Our Best Hope For the City - basement, in a wicker basket behind the printing press X: -1029 Y: 1013
• Celebrate the Brave Heroes Who Slew General Ketheric - upstairs, in a wicker basket behind Ettvard X: 53 Y: -50
• Make Big Money by Trading with Adventurers - basement, in a wicker basket X: -1029 Y: 1058

Neutral Articles

• Cutest Cat You've Ever Seen - basement, on a counter X: -1022 Y: 1066
• Graverobbers' Spree - upstairs, in a wicker basket X: 58 Y: -42
• Hear the Finest Shanties at the Blushing Mermaid - upstairs, in a wicker basket X: 43 Y: -60

Negative Articles

• A Public Danger! - basement, on a shelf X: -1032 Y: 1035
• Curse-Breakers or Curse-Makers? - basement, on a desk X: -1032 Y: 1018
• Wolves in Sheeps' Clothing - basement, on a counter X: -1014 Y: 1016

Related quests

• ⁠Stop the Presses

Characters

Staff, employees and reporters

•  Bronte
•  Delcan
•  Estra Stir
•  Ettvard Needle - editor-in-chief
•  Falael
•  Glimmer Whistleborn
•  Jarlath
•  Jelliwig
•  Lens
•  Malek Stones
•  Salene Freig
•  Syril Valdemar - replacement character
•  Ty Willowbrook
•  Wrint Sprigley
•  Zita

News Hawkers

•  Chalara
•  Dellys
•  Jason
•  Jonah
•  Luan
•  Lilly Beanbottom
•  Pharnilla
•  Silfy

Guards

•  Guard Baalfe
•  Fist Ernestus
•  Fist Glenvora
•  Guard Hertvor Dremble
•  Guard Inocente Bramm
•  Fist Jerbold
•  Steel Watcher - x5 total
•  Guard Unilda Tiro
•  Guard Vlomina
•  Guard Wulf

Outside, near the building

•  Augur Harxkellan
•  Bliggerillo
•  Flant Borlley
•  Flo Hurlburl
•  Frothilda
•  Grent Grintly
•  'Gunny' Sacko
•  Korrinna Koreena
•  Lolo Fuzzletoes
•  Muttonchops Dorryss
•  Phyria Gollus
•  'Plumes' Fronkin
•  Porter Juxon
•  Sadar Illanov
•  Saer Frunilla
•  Saer Manzarde
•  Sister Lockhorn
•  Wuloona Dor

Related literature

• Be Wary of Foreigners!
• Collection Records
• Embrace Modernity
• Estra's Insights
• Gondian Autoprinter Manual
• Headline Brainstorming
• KEEP OUT
• My Good Friend Ettvard
• News Hawker Float
• Note from Estra
• Note to Self
• Notice of Termination
• Official Print Job
• Order of the Gauntlet: On Matters of Law and Justice
• Pivot to New Target
• Regarding Portrait Production
• Reminder to fire Malek
• Security First!
• Stelmane Murder Tip
• The Duke's Mouth?
• The Dukes of Baldur's Gate
• The Gate is Closed
• The Time of the Patriars is Over!
• To Malek Stones
• To the Puzzle Editor
• Wrong, Wrong, Wrong
• You're Right, They're Everywhere

External links

• ⁠Baldur's Mouth on the Forgotten Realms Wiki