This rant contains spoilers for Murder in Baldur’s Gate.
I just need to get this off my chest because it’s driving me nuts every time I see it. But don’t get mad at me, okay?
Wyll is not a noble.
Not in the way a lot of fans seem to think, anyway.
A quick primer on the government of Baldur’s Gate. The primary governing bodies are the Parliament of Peers and the Council of Four, right?
Parliament consists of a number of Peers who may or may not be patriars. Generally, the Parliament consists of a number of patriars, some wealthy Lower City residents, and cool adventurer dudes (see Coran). Once you have a seat in Parliament, it is generally hereditary, but Parliament ultimately decides when to add to their number.
So, being in Parliament does not mean you are a member of a patriar family. It may mean you come from generational wealth.
Now, the four dukes are elected by Parliament. They are not hereditary positions, and there is no requirement to be either a Peer or a patriar. Duke Adrian, for example, was neither—he was a Bhaalspawn, adventurer, and eventual Flaming Fist.
Ulder Ravengard is not a patriar.
Ulder Ravengard does not come from generational wealth.
Ulder Ravengard is the fourth son of a Lower City smithy who joined a mercenary company because he knew he would never inherit his father’s smithing business. Ulder likely grew up hauling water and coal and gods know what else for his father and older brothers, possibly learned to make nails and horseshoes. You get the picture.
Ulder climbed his way through the ranks of the Flaming Fist to become Duke Adrian’s right-hand man, putting him in position to become the next marshal during the events of Murder in Baldur’s Gate. He was then eventually elected as a duke by parliament (likely around 1483 after MiBG) and then grand duke (probably around 1485 because Wyll tells us he pact came about shortly after Ulder’s election to grand duke). Wyll would have been around 14/15 and 17 respectively.
Wyll is not the son of a wealthy patriar. He is the son of a stern, working soldier. He is a military brat who likely saw time away from the city while being raised by his single father. He may have also spent some time with his Granddaddy Ravengard around the forge. (WotC, for the love of all your fictional gods, read your own damn lore, please. Why does this man have mason tools on his D&D Beyond Character Sheet instead of smith’s tools???).
Clearly, Ulder made sure Wyll had an education on par with the children of the Upper City; he wanted better for his son than he’d had. For all we can say about Ulder Ravengard’s A+ parenting, we know that much to be true. Wyll did learn military tactics and dancing, among other things.
But, knowing all this, we can surmise that Wyll probably would have been thrown into the deep end of the world of patriars’ children as a young adolescent, relying on his high Charisma stat to survive a whole new social circle full of piranhas.
So. Wyll is not a noble. I think we can safely say that he was raised to follow his father’s footsteps and serve his city. Had he not been banished, I suspect he would have worked his way up through the Fists like his father (and Duke Adrian) before him. Or perhaps Ulder would have leaned on Parliament to make him a Peer. Who knows?
Anyway, that's my rant. I shall step off the soapbox now.
