Fame and Work Were Twins

Beregost lay southeast of the Friendly Arm, an important hub between Baldur's Gate, the northern center of trade, and Nashkel, the southern center of industry. Merchants bought iron ore or crude iron in Nashkel and hauled it to Baldur's Gate, where it was made into weapons, armor, and everyday goods, then sold throughout the Sword Coast and even farther inland or overseas.

It was no exaggeration to say that if Nashkel's iron supply ran into trouble, the entire Sword Coast would grow uneasy, perhaps even descend into turmoil.

And now, word was that Nashkel's iron mines had run into trouble.

Pan Long wasn't clear on the details. In the game, someone had been causing trouble in the Iron Mine. Kill them, slaughter the bandits blocking the road, then flood another mine somewhere else, and the quest was done.

According to those fan novels, though, Sarevok, who had already met his end, had wanted to seize control of Baldur's Gate and wage war on Amn in the Southlands. Through the slaughter that war would bring, he could inherit the portfolio of murder and become the next God of Murder.

To rule Baldur's Gate, he first needed to strike at its commercial heart: weapons manufacturing. So he set up an Iron Mine of his own and ruined Nashkel's Iron Mine. That way, he alone could supply enough iron ore to the Baldur's Gate region, greatly raising his standing.

Hmm... That was roughly it, right?

Of course, both in the game and in those fan novels, Sarevok had risen to power by using Doppelgangers to replace the leaders of various factions and take over their forces. He hardly seemed to need all those earlier schemes, but... you couldn't make a game that consisted of finding Doppelgangers everywhere and cutting them down all day.