Sword Coast

Heapside stretches before you as a labyrinth of tightly packed buildings, their walls leaning uneasily against one another in a chaotic patchwork of wood and stone. The streets are narrow and cluttered, filled with carts, crates, and the refuse of countless trades. The air is thick with the acrid scent of smoke, mingled with the stale odor of damp earth and rotting goods. Vendors shout from ramshackle stalls, their wares ranging from questionable produce to hastily repaired trinkets, while children dart between alleys with the practiced ease of those born to the chaos. The murmur of conversations blends with the clang of distant bells, but beneath the noise lies a palpable tension. Shadows move uneasily along the edges of your vision, and the feeling that unseen eyes are watching clings to you like the grime on the streets. Heapside is alive with desperation and ingenuity—a district where survival is an art, and everyone is a player.

Its history is intertwined with the Tax Revolts, which led to the adoption of the terms Upper City and Lower City in place of the older designations Old Town and Heapside. Despite its humble origins, it plays a significant role in the bustling life of Baldur’s Gate. It encompasses the northeastern portion of the city, adjacent to Gray Harbor.