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LEGACY o THE CRYSTAL SHARDTMCAMPAIGN GUIDE

. .,.-,

DesignR.A. Salvatore withJeffrey Ludwig,James Wyatt, andMatthew Sernett

EditingRay Vallese

Managing EditorKim Mohan

D&D RPG Senior Group ManagerMike Means

D&D ProducerGreg Bilsiand

D&D Senior Creative Art DirectorJon Schindehette

Art DirectorMan Kolkowsky

Cover IllustrationTyler Jacobson

Graphic DesignBnee Heiss, Leon Contez

Interior IllustrationsEric Belisle, Sam Cam, Crut, TylerJacobson,John Stanko

CartographyMike Schley

D&D Brand TeamNathan Stewart, Liz Schuh, Laura Tommervik, ShellyMazzanoble, Chris Lindsay, Hilary Ross,John Feil

Publishing Production SpecialistJessica Dubey

Prepress ManagerJefferson Dunlap

Imaging TechnicianCarmen Cheung

Production ManagerCynda Callaway

Organized PlayChris Tulach

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, Wizards ofthe Coast, Legacy of theCrystal Shard, D&D, Forgotten Realms, all other Wizardsofthe Coast product names, and their respective logos aretrademarks ofWizards ofthe Coast LLC in the USA andother countries. All Wizards characters and their distinctivelikenesses are property ofWizards ofthe Coast LLC. Thismaterial is protected under the copyright laws ofthe UnitedStates ofAmerica. Any reproduction or unauthorized useofthe material or artwork contained herein is prohibitedwithout the express written permission ofWizards of theCoast LLC. Any similarity to actual people, organizations,places, or events included herein is purely coincidental.

Printed in the U.S.A. ©2013 Wizards ofthe Coast LLC

ISBN: 978-0-7869-6464-2

620A4538000001 EN

CONTENTSINTRODUCTION 3

The Crystal Shard 3

ICEWIND DALE 4Dragon’s Eye View 7

TEN-TOWNS 8Fishing the Lakes IiScrimshaw 11Getting to Ten-Towns 12Bryn Shander 12Easthaven 17Lac 1)inneshere 20Redwaters 27Maer Dualdon 29

REGHED TRIBES 38Tribe ofthe Elk 38Evermelt 42

THEDWARVES 44The Dwarven Valley 46Denizens ofthe Valley 48

KELVIN’SCAIRN 50Locations ofNote 50

THE FROSTMAIDEN 52Followers 52Practice 52Goals 53Servants ofAuril 53The Tower ofthe Ice Witch 55

BEYOND ICEWIND DALE 56Shaengarne River 56CoidRun 56Sea ofMoving Ice 58Spine ofthe World 59

THE ARCANE BROTHERHOOD 60Organization 60Goals 60Agents ofthc Brotherhood 62The Ships ofLuskan 63

FrCREDITS

. INTRODUCTIONThe end ofthe Era ofUpheaval is nigh!

The world ofthe FORGOTTEN REALMS settinghas endured one catastrophe after another for thepast century, from the Time ofTroubles through theSpeliplague. Again and again, upheaval has reshapedthe pantheon, overthrown nations and rulers, andaltered the landscape. Now, the world is beingshaken and reshaped again—for the last time.

The gods are thrown into chaos at the promise ofa new reckoning ofthe pantheon, and they scrambleand grasp at power in hopes ofcementing their positions ofauthority. Their mortal agents in the world,the Chosen, are charged with carrying out their willin every aspect of life.

The Speliplague, the magical catastrophe that dramatically reshaped the world, has come to an end.The Weave ofmagic is rewoven, and many lingeringeffects oftwisted magic fade. The intermingling ofworlds brought about by the Speliplague comes to anend, leaving Toril looking much as it did before.

Partly driven by the activity ofthe gods’ Chosenand partly arising from the turbulent political situ-ation at the end ofthe Era ofUpheaval, the nationsand factions ofFaerün engage in their own maneuvers, manipulations, and acts ofaggression. Inparticular, the empire ofNetheril attempts to con-quer the Dalelands, Cormyr, and Myth Drannor,setting offa war that engulfs the eastern Heartlands.

Nations, geography, magic, and the gods arechanging forever in the birth pangs that herald anew creation. The world needs heroes to ensure thatthe new age dawns bright and full ofhope, with goodstill shining as a beacon against the darkness.

This adventure is set during the Sundering, nearthe beginning ofits cataclysmic events. The year is1485 DR, making it roughly concurrent with theSundering novel The Adversary, by Erin M. Evans.Because Icewind Dale is remote and has changedlittle since the time ofAkar Kessell more than a century ago, you can adapt the adventure to any periodin the history of Faerñn.

Using This Adventure: This booklet, the Cam-paign Guide, provides a wealth ofinformation aboutIcewind Dale and the surrounding region. The otherbooklet in this package is the adventure. The mate-rial in the Campaign Guide is background that willhelp you and your players become more immersed inthe setting. Some ofit is used directly in the adventure, including descriptions ofimportant nonplayercharacters (NPCs) and maps ofkey locations.

THE CRYSTAL SHARDAs its title suggests, this adventure deals with thelegacy ofevents told in the novels ofR. A. Salvatore,including The Crystal Shard, Passa8e to Dawn, TheSilent Blade, Servant ofthe Shard, and The Ghost King,among others. You need not have read any of thesebooks to run and enjoy this adventure, but under-standing the role that Akar Kessell and the CrystalShard play in the history ofthe region will help thepieces ofthe adventure fit together.

As related in The Crystal Shard, Akar Kessell wasa young apprentice ofthe Arcane Brotherhood.After murdering his mentor, he was abandonedin Icewind Dale by his fellow wizards, who hadmanipulated him into committing the crime. On thebrink offreezing to death on the ice-covered slopesofthe Spine ofthe World, Kessell stumbled uponCrenshinibon, the Crystal Shard—an evil artifactthat took control ofthe wizard and gave him incredible power. Wielding the shard, Kessell created amagical tower, Cryshal-Tirith, in its likeness. Heraised an army ofsavage huinanoids from the Spineofthe World and threatened to conquer Ten-Townsbefore he was stopped by an alliance ofthe Ten-Towners and the Reghed tribes. Ofcourse, the aidof Drizzt Do’Urden and his companions—BruenorBattlehammer; Wulfgar, son ofBeornegar, ofthe ElkTribe; the halfling Regis; and Catti-brie—was invaluable in stopping Akar Kessell.

Thwarting Akar Kessell did not put an end tothe threat ofthe Crystal Shard. It was eventuallydestroyed, but not before leaving a permanent markon Icewind Dale. In various places where crystaltowers stood, the dust ofthe destroyed towers hasfused with the ice to form a new substance. Calledblack ice, this dusky gray material is cold and rock-hard, but it can be worked like metal in a forge. Nowa dwarfsinith crafts trinkets, weapons, and armorfrom this strange black ice—and Auril’s Chosen haserected a tower made ofthe same substance. Butthough Crenshinibon’s malign intelligence is gone,the black ice retains traces ofits deep evil, whichslowly corrupts all who come into contact with it.

One Crystal Shard was enough to cause mayhemthroughout Icewind Dale for many years. How muchharm will countless items formed ofblack ice cause?

I \-Hii rr; rrr’

!After you have run the adventure, the Campaign

Guide should remain a useful resource about IcewindDale, one ofthe most famous locations in the worldofthe Forgotten Realms.

¶

Freezing wind sweeps across the tundra, ceaselesslybattering anything that dares to grow or breathe in itsdomain. Even in summer, when the days stretch inter-minably long, the sun blazing low in the midnight skybrings no respite from the chill. Without fail, the windfinds its way through every chink and crack, everyopening in the warmest furs, every tent flap, everyroofand board ofthe strongest homes. It drains awayany hint ofwarmth wherever it finds purchase.

The threat ofwinter’s fury is never far away. Thewind sweeping down from the Reghed Glacier howlsits wrath and sometimes carries stinging sprays of icein its grasp. The sun never rises far above the horizon

even at the height ofsummer—and the height ofsummer is fleeting. During the rest ofthe year.sudden storms bring driving hail or sleet that leaveseverything coated in a sheath ofice, or they bringsnow that piles in deep drifts.

All this cold and fury is caged into one smallregion. The ice cliffs ofthe Reghed Glacier—thesource ofthe never-ending wind—rise up in theeast like prison walls, home to white dragons andenormous remorhazes. In the south loom the snow-capped peaks ofthe Spine ofthe World, crawlingwith orcs, goblins, and other monsters. North andwest, the Sea ofMoving Ice churns bergs and floes

ICEWIND DALE

I

in an endless tumult, like winter grinding its teeth inanticipation of its next freezing assault.

And yet, such is the nature oflife that even in thishostile place, it manages to lift its head in defianceofthe biting cold. Lichens cling to weathered rockdespite the battering ofthe winds, providing sustenance to herds ofreindeer through the winter. Fishswim in the lakes and rivers that dot the tundra.

When summer comes to the tundra, life shakesoffthe torpor ofwinter and comes forth in fullflower. Grasses grow two or three feet high in thespan ofweeks. Birds flock to the marshes formed inthe thawing soil. Reindeer calves fill out the herdsthat have been diminished through the winter.

Ofcourse, no region ofthe Forgotten Realms iswithout its people. Human tribes follow the rein-deer herds through their annual migrations. Otherhumans dare the treacherous waters ofthe Sea of

Moving Ice in search offish, seals, and whales to sustam them. Dwarves dig into the earth to find shelterfrom the biting wind, mining for iron and forgingweapons and armor.

Most improbably ofall, civilized folk descendedfrom foolhardy and treasure-mad immigrants fromthe south manage to survive and sometimes thrivein ten small towns. The wooden buildings of thesetowns provide only a little shelter from the cold andwind, and no protection at all from the attacks oforcs, barbarians, or the fierce tundra yeti. Thoughthe towns are clustered around three icy lakes teem-ing with knucklehead trout, resources are scarce,and competition between neighboring communities can be fierce and occasionally deadly. But forall the dangers, people still live in the region knownas Ten-Towns, and new arrivals—outcasts, fugitives,wanderers, and adventurers—still come to test them-selves against the harshest environment known tothe world.

This is Icewind Dale.

-

ICE PEAKThe frozen Ice Peak is a desolate island

named for the crags on its northern side,

home to the white dragon called Iceclaws.

The town ofAurilssbarg, small as it is, dwarfs

the smaller settlements of l3jorn’s Hold and

Icewolf. See page 58.

—/

III could choose what lf would hemine, it would be this 1Ji’ that I nowhave, at this time. 1 ani at peace, andyet, the world around me swirls withturmoil, with the ever-present threat ofharbarian raids and goblin wars, withtnndrayetis and Bi8alltic polar wornis.

. .The reality ofexistence here in IcewindDale is harsh indeed, an environment

nnforgivin8, where one mistake will cost),()yur life.

—1)rizzt Do’Urden

from The Crystal Shard

THE SEA OF MOVING ICEThe Sea of Moving Ice, frigid ocean waters littered

with enormous icebergs in constant motion and col

lision, borders lcewind Dale on the west and north.

Farther north, the icebergs solidify into the polar ice

cap called the Endless Ice Sea. See page 58.

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of Faerân, across thousands of miles to distant and

mysterious lands. Here in the north, the sea is domi

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KELVIN’S CAIRNThe solitary mountain called Kelvin’s Cairn stands

among three lakes—Maer Dualdon, Lac Dinneshere, and

Redwaters—that support Ten-Towns, the closest thing tocivilization that lcewind Dale can offer. Beyond this smallregion is tundra—nothing but tundra. See page 50.

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REGHED GLACIERThe edge of the great Reghed Glacier rises likea wall to form the eastern boundary of lcewindDale. The fierce, howling winds that blow off theglacier give the dale its name. See page 41.

THE NORTHERN MEANSThe Northern Means is a very practical description ofa practical road—the only real connection betweenLuskan (and the rest ofthe Sword Coast to the south)and the frozen lands beyond. See page 12.

DRAGON’S EYE ViEW

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THE SPINE OF THE WORLDThe high peaks of the Spine of the World shelter southern landsfrom the harsh cold oficewind Dale. Crawling with orcs, goblins, andother monsters, the mountains are a dangerous barrier. See page 59.

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TEN-TOWNSWho would choose to settle in a frontier land asbrutal as Icewind Dale? The answers are as diverseas the people ofTen-Towns, who are a cross-sectionofthe whole ofthe Forgotten Realms.

Some people come to Ten-Towns determined tomake their fortunes. Although demand for knuckle-head scrimshaw in southern lands is not what it oncewas, there is still money to be made in fishing for thetrout and selling or carving their ivory-like bones.The valley and the slopes of

DriZZt p1ck1UPI1IS paCC pushifl1the

limitS qfhis eiiilutCC Infive sTiortYeL1s he had

COII1C W care 01 thC c1u5te1ftlJhb0hl US Tem

Towns andfor the ople who lived there Like so

many ofthe othei outcastS whoh1adfi1aY5ttled

there, the drow fu1T0 welC011 a11WTlC1C

dSC tfl the Realms Even here he was only tolert

by most, bitt in the tnsp0’ jnsh1tp oLfel1OW

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than 11j5t he djowid wfn1WT0COtld look

beyond his heritage nd see his true chiaractel

—The Crystal Shard

the Spine ofthe World are rich in mineral resources,as are the gem mines near Termalaine, so a fewhopeful prospectors make their way to the far northin hopes ofstriking a rich new vein.

Still others come for the solitude. It is hard toget much farther away from the hustle and press ofcivilization than Icewind Dale—or closer to a par-ticularly stark, harsh form ofnature’s beauty. Thedale is also a fine place to escape notice and stay outofthe reach ofthe law ofthe southern cities. Like thefamous drow Drizzt Do’Urden, many ofthe peoplewho come to Icewind Dale are outcasts, fugitives, orpariahs in search ofa place where they can be tolerated, ifnot accepted.

Some ofthe people ofTen-Towns are descendedfrom the Reghed barbarians who settled inCaer-Konig and Bremen for a time. They abandonedtheir ancient traditions and self-sufficient lifestyleafter they were decimated by the armies ofAkar Kessell a hundred years ago. Many oftheir kin still roamthe tundra, but Caer-Konig and Bremen in particular have significant populations ofexceptionally tallmen and women descended from the Reghed tribes.

Ofcourse, now—four hundred years after theI)inev family first settled on the shores of LacDiimeshere—most ofthe people ofTen-Towns arehere because they were born here, grew up here, andnever really considered leaving. They’re accustomed

to the cold, and theysmile behind their handsat—or openly mock—theweak southern folk whovisit their homelandand complain about theweather. Like the hardylichens and determinedreindeer ofthe tundra,residents make a livingunder the shadow ofKelvin’s Cairn, hunkerdown to endure thebrutal winters, and bringa zesty lust for life to thesummers, enjoying whatrespite they can from thebitter cold.

Life in Ten-

Towns is hard work.The people know thevalue of cooperation,

and neighbors within a town depend on each otherevery day for survival. A pair of strong hands is toovaluable a resource to waste, so when criminals arecaught and brought to justice, they’re not lockedup—they’re put to work for the common good.

The friendliness that suffuses each town oftenstops at the edge ofthat community. The people ofother towns aren’t neighbors; they’re competitorsfor resources. Thus, Caer-I)ineval and Caer-Konigare always squabbling over fishing rights in LacDinneshere, and the people ofLonelywood are jealous ofthe lumber their forest offers.

FISHING THE LAKESWithout knucklehead trout, there would be noTen-Towns.

A dramatic statement, perhaps, but it is hardto imagine any pioneers deciding to make apermanent home in Icewind Dale without thebony-headed fish. The trout are a major foodsource for the people ofTen-Towns, and their hard,smooth bones are tremendously useful. The large,fist-shaped protrusions atop their skulls are wellsuited to carving, and talented scrimshandersearn a respectable living selling their wares inBryn Shander and in the south—which is whyknucklehead bone is commonly called “whitegold” in Icewind Dale.

Although the fish’s head is the part best suitedfor artistic carving, many ofits smaller bones canbe carved into sewing needles, arrowheads, fishhooks, fasteners, and similar items. Thus, a singletrout (which can reach tip to five feet long) is quitevaluable, even leaving aside the meat it provides.

Each ofthe ten townsexcept landlocked BrynShander) maintains a fleetoffishing vessels. For themost part, fishing is a coin-munal activity. All thelarger boats and most ofthe smaller ones are ownedby the towns, not individuals, and the catch likewisebelongs to the town, to beshared according to need.Targos and Easthaven, thelargest towns after BrynShander, have fleets of overa hundred boats.

Some people—mostlynewcomers to the area whohope to make their fortunesoffthe trout—have their own I

smaller boats and try to fish the lakes independently.The towns frown on this activity, since it threatensboth the trout population and the delicate relation-ships among the communities, which have carefullydivided up fishing rights on the lakes. It’s also dan-gerous—smaller boats don’t handle the winds as well,and it can be difficult to land a large trout on a smallcraft. Most small boats stay close to shore, using linesor nets to catch smaller fish.

SCRIMSHAWScrimshaw as it is practiced in Icewind Dale includesa variety oftechniques and styles. The simplest (whichis still extremely intricate involves engraving plc-tures into the smooth surface ofthe bone and inking

the engraved lines. More

tlwuqli the region was barren and wild, overruii withhunianoids and barbarians and sportingfrequeStorms that couldfiatteTl the sturdiest ofbuildings, thelure ofquick wealth brought in peoplefron thefarthestreaches ofthe Realms.

- - littlefishes, what troubleyo1hring”Regismuttered softjj pondering the iron-v ofthe havoc thesilveryfisli wreaked on the lives ofthegreedy peopleofTen-Towns These ten co?nfllunjtjes owed their veryexistence to the knucklehead trout, with their oversized,fist-shaped heads and bones the consistency offineivory. The three lakes were the only spots in the worldwhere the valuablefisl1were known to swim, and

—The Crystal Shard

‘--

.

Reaching Icewind Dale requires an arduous trekalong poorly maintained roads and through a brutalpass at the westernmost end ofthe Spine ofthe World.The journey from Luskan takes about twenty days—eleven to reach the North/South Pass, three to crossit, and six more to cross the tundra to Bryn Shander.That travel time assumes summer weather in the dale.It’s much harder to cross the pass, let alone the tundra,when winter snows have choked the roads.

Ten TrailTen Trail is the name given to the route typicallytaken by travelers coIning to Icewind Dale. As itsname indicates, it is not a paved road, but merelyan earthen path marked by the furrows ofwagonwheels from the caravans that make the trip north.The cold weather, broken ground, and scarcity ofplaces to shelter or resupply make ajourney up TenTrail arduous at best. Add in the presence of cragcats, yetis, and bandits waiting to ambush wagonsladen with trade goods, and one begins to under-stand why only the bravest, most desperate, or mostfoolhardy travelers attempt the trek to Icewind Dale.

Ten Trail begins at the town ofFireshearjust offthe Sea ofSwords and makes its way north to thesettlement ofHundelstone, perched on the foothillsat the base ofthe Spine ofthe World. Hundelstonemarks the end ofthe Northern Means, the largerroad that leads northwest from Luskan to the farnorth. North from Hundelstone, Ten Trail leads upthe mountain slopes across the North/South Pass,then wends its way down into the foothills of IcewindDale. Before the settling ofBryn Shander, Ten Trailran all the way to Targos and along the east side ofMaer Dualdon. Nowadays, caravans from the southstop mainly in Bryn Shander, so as far as most peopleare concerned, Ten Trail stops there, too.

The North/South PassThe gateway into Icewind Dale is the North/SouthPass, where Ten Trail straddles the Spine oftheWorld. There—in good weather—caravans labor forabout three days to cross over the mountain range.The pass is known for dangerous storms, which candump enough snow in a matter ofhours to bury ahorse up to its withers, and for vicious winds, whichtear the cloaks from travelers’ necks and sting theirflesh. Reports ofundead in the mountain pass usually turn out to be sightings ofill-fated travelers whodied ofexposure, their corpses desiccated by thebone-dry winds. Travelers who attempt the passagewithout the aid ofa guide are advised to obtain amap showing the locations ofthe way stations thatdot the pass—sturdy lean-tos. stocked with warmblankets and dry wood, where people can wait outa storm. But those seeking refuge should take care:Yetis sometimes lurk near the stations, checkingthem every few days the way a crab fisher checkinghis pots.

BRYN SHANDERPopulation 1,200

“What’s Bryn Shander like,ye ask? It’s sixty scorehumans, packed together likefish in a barrel an’ smellingabout as sweet. Its roads are paved with the muck o’ thecart horsesye’re constantly rubbing shoulders with, an’its alehouses arefilled with scoundrels that no other cityin Faeriin would have. An’ after three weeks on Ten Trail,you’ll swear there was no lovelier sight!”

—Beorne Steelstrike, caravan master

When travelers following Ten Trail cross the Spine ofthe World into Icewind Dale, their first sight is ofthecircular wall ofBryn Shander rising from a distanthilltop, with Kelvin’s Cairn looming in the distance.The twinkling lights ofthe town’s inns promiserefuge from the lashing winds, and the smoke fromits many hearths portends warmth and sustenance.

After they have passed through Bryn Shander’sgates, travelers are swept up in the bustle ofa pros-pering frontier town. Here, caravans from the southconverge with traders from across Icewind 1)ale toswap goods and rumors in the busy market square.Fishers, trappers, traders, and sellswords rub elbowsin the town’s taprooms, and gruffdwarves, wide-eyed travelers, and skulking ne’er-do-wells wanderits streets.

Many ofthe folk who come to Icewind Dale neverleave the relative safety ofTen-Towns, and of those,many have never ventured beyond Bryn Shander.

-

_____

sophisticated scrimshanders carve the bone into smallreliefs or statuettes, sometimes inking these as well toensure that the details are clear.

Accomplished scrimshanders are respected inTen-Towns. Several well-known town speakers havebeen scrimshanders, elected to their positions largelybecause their trade allowed them to travel freely toBryn Shander.

GETTING TO

TEN-TOWNS

-. ---4; - , -----

Although it’s true that the dale has a great deal moreto see than its central town, it’s also true that fortuneand adventure aplenty wait within Bryn Shander’ssheltering walls.

Trading HubBryn Shander is the heart ofTen-Towns, and trade isits lifeblood. Caravans from the Sword Coast, traders from Ironmaster, dwarves from Kelvin’s Cairn,fishers and crafters from Ten-Towns, and sometimeshunters from the barbarian tribes ofthe tundra allmeet in the market square. Here, the people of Ice-wind I)ale ply their wares, hawking the scrimshawand raw knucklehead ivory that is much esteemed bythose ofthe southern lands. In return, the southerncaravans bring rich dyes, hardwood from the for-ests ofthe heartlands, dried herbs and spices, finelywoven textiles, fruits, wines, and many other commodities that are rare in the frozen north.

All these items sell for a premium in the market,and travelers who are accustomed to the plentiful goods and relative bounty ofplaces such asWaterdeep and Neverwinter are often shocked bythe exorbitant prices that even common goods corn-mand in Bryn Shander. Those without deep pocketssoon run short on coin, which contributes to thetown’s mercenary quality—many ofthe sellswordshere live hand to mouth and take anyjob for pay.

The Tenth TownAlthough Bryn Shander is the largest ofthe tentowns, it is also the youngest. Originally it was thesite ofa lone cabin on the trail to Maer Dualdonwhere caravanners, weary from their trip over thepass, would rest by a warm fire before continuing totheir intended destination—usually Targos, the mostaccessible settlement in those days. Fishers from thetowns often came to the hilltop cabin to meet the car-avans as they arrived, eager for news ofthe outsideworld. But when scrimshanders from Termalainebegan bringing their wares to the cabin to entice thecaravans to make the longer trek to their town, theyunwittingly ignited a trade war.

First Targos and then the other towns began send-ing their own traders to the cabin, fearful of losingany advantage to the others. Outbuildings were con-structed to hold the extra visitors, and as the townsstarted establishing semipermanent presences onthe hill, more businesses grew up to provide goodsand services for the burgeoning population. Finally,after a feud among traders from four towns ended

Fortunately for them, the constant need for caravanescorts, as well as protection for the expeditionsthat hope to find riches in the wild hills and frozenmountains at the Spine ofthe World, means there isnever a shortage ofwork to be had in Bryn Shander.

-----

,.

in violence, all ofthe communities agreed to sendspeakers to the new outpost to regulate the businessbeing carried on there. The owner ofone ofthe localbusinesses acted as speaker for the outpost, and thusBryn Shander had its first council meeting.

Walls Provide RefugeThe people ofthe south know Bryn Shander forits market fthey know ofthe place at all), but thepeople ofTen-Towns know it for its walls. Despitebeing a simple palisade, the walls ofBryn Shanderloom as large in the minds ofTen-Towners as those ofany dwarven citadel, for at times they have been allthat has kept the people ofthe dale from being annihilated by barbarian raids or rampaging beasts.

The walls stand some thirty feet high and aredefined by two concentric rings ofwooden poles, thegap between them filled with dirt and rubble. Theouter ring ofpoles rises above the top ofthe wall,providing a rampart for defenders stationed on thewooden-planked walkway. The wall’s hinged gatesare fifteen feet tall and can be barred from the insidewith heavy wood beams banded with iron.

The town’s location plays a role in its ability towithstand assault. Built on one ofthe tallest foothillssouth ofKelvin’s Cairn, Bryn Shander has a commanding view of any approach from the north thedirection from which attacks on Ten-Towns usuallycome), and an attacking force must climb the hill-side under fire from archers before it can assaultthe walls.

Moreover, barbarians or other foes from thenorth must approach Bryn Shander by way ofBremen’s Run or Icewind Pass, and then advance pastthe towns near Maer Dualdon or Lac 1)inneshere,providing ample opportunity for strategically placedambush parties to outflank the enemy forces orharry their movements. It was this strategy that Ten-Towns employed when the barbarian tribes alliedunder King Heafstaag ofthe Elk Tribe in an attemptto occupy Bryn Shander, resulting in the decimation ofthe barbarians in general and the Elk Tribein particular. That victory, however, was the result ofa degree ofcooperation between the towns that hasnot been seen before or since, so the likelihood ofTen-Towns successfully employing the same strategyin the face ofnew dangers is slim.

Sellswords WelcomeThe defense ofBryn Shander is overseen by the sheriff, Markham Southwell, who is appointed by thetown’s speaker and serves at her pleasure. Responsible for training the town’s militia and keeping thepeace, the sheriffis authorized to maintain a stand-ing force oftwenty guards (typically equipped withlongswords, daggers, and studded leather armor).In times ofneed, the town can raise a fighting forceofabout four hundred—mostly townsfolk outfittedwith spears and longbows, although there are nearlyalways some adventurers in town who can be paid orpersuaded to help by taking up arms.

SheriffMarkham is empowered to hire adventurers for missions undertaken in the town’s defense(loosely defined as anything that keeps trade comingthrough Bryn Shander’s gates. Such expeditions aremeant to be underwritten by the town’s exchequerand therefore require the approval ofthe speaker.Conniving merchants or other interested partiesoften ask the sheriffto post ajob for which they arewilling to provide the funding (along with a smalladministrative fee for Markham, naturally). In suchcases, unknowing adventurers take jobs that theybelieve to be official town business, doing dangerousand often unscrupulous work—the benefit ofwhichthey might otherwise be inclined to question—all thewhile unwittingly serving the aims of an unknownemployer. But the trade to Bryn Shander keeps flow-ing, and most times neither the speaker nor theadventurers are the wiser.

Goods and ServicesAnyone who walks along the central road throughBryn Shander notices many inns, taverns, and trading posts, the largest and most profitable ofwhichring the central market square.

Geldenstag’s Rest, one ofthe oldest establish-ments in town, is run by Myrtle, a gray-haired widowwho took over the inn after her husband was killedin the crossfire of a dispute between two mercenarygroups that had been staying there. Myrtle nowmakes it her business to know everyone else’s business, asking guests a lot ofquestions about whatthey’re up to each day. The inn’s accommodations

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are lackluster—the small rooms are furnished withonly a stool, a chamber pot, and two cots with dirtyfurs thrown over them. It might seem like the kindofplace that would attract lowlifes and troubleinakers, but Myrtle’s pestering tends to drive away peoplewith secrets to keep. The absence ofthat elementfrom its clientele makes Geldenstag’s Rest a populardestination for travelers who aren’t looking for toomuch excitement during their stay in Bryn Shander.

The Hooked Knucklehead is another long-standing inn, and it caters to the scrimshandersand traders who come from the other towns to dobusiness. The innkeeper, Barton, was a trader fromTargos who stayed at the Hooked Knucklehead manytimes before offering to buy out the previous owner.The accommodations are meager, and the few private rooms are bitterly cold at night. Most of theclientele sleeps in the spacious common room, nearthe large stone hearth. The prices are a little morereasonable here than at the town’s other inns.

The Northlook is the inn most frequented bymercenaries and adventurers, and as such it’s therowdiest and most dangerous place to stay in BrynShander. At the same time, its taproom is the bestplace in all ofTen-Towns to get leads on profitableventures, along with the latest news and rumors.The proprietor, a retired sellsword who goes by thename Scramsax, takes advantage ofthe high hopesand good fortunes ofhis customers by charging themost exorbitant rates in town. Knowing full well thecycles of an adventurer’s life, Scramsax often cuts abreak for customers who are betweenjobs, allowingthem to stay on credit and then presenting themwith a bill inflated by interest charges as soon asthey make their next payday. Those who don’t paydiscover that the old mercenary still remembershow to handle a blade, and that he doesn’t take “nomoney” for an answer.

Kelvin’s Comfort is one ofthe most popular tavems in town, owing to its extensive stock of dwarvenales and brandies. Although the common roomis bedecked with dwarven craft of Battlehammermake, most ofthe liquors are imported from Mirabar, on the other side ofthe Spine ofthe World. Theone local specialty ofnote is the brew brought upfrom Good Mead. Caravanners who have plenty ofcoin often come here, as do visiting dwarves from

Kelvin’s Cairn. The proprietor is a dwarfnamedOgden Flamebeard, who has a temper as fiery ashis signature drink—a Mirabarian rotgut he gets forcheap and rebottles as Flamebeard’s Firebrandy(reselling it at a sizable markup. In his youth, Ogdenworked in many ofthe famous northern mines, andhe has contacts not only in Mirabar but also in Iron-master and Mithral Hall.

Rendaril’s Emporium is the largest trade housein Bryn Shander, on the site ofthe original cabinaround which the town sprang up. The entrancefacing onto the town square opens into the store-front, where visitors can view an assortment of thefinest goods for sale in all ofTen-Towns: fishingrods fashioned from elven yew, yeti-skin coats withscrimshaw buttons, mithral fisithooks, axe headsand daggers crafted by the dwarves of Kelvin’sCairn, and more. Around the back side ofthe build-ing is the entrance for wholesalers, where caravantraders offload their stock and local adventurerssell pelts and tusks collected on their travels. Theowner, Rendaril, is a half-elffrom Waterdeep. Theshrewd business sense he developed in the City ofSplendors has served him well in this remote cornerofthe world; more coin passes through his hands ina week than most other merchants in Bryn Shandersee in a season.

Blackiron Blades is a small shop and smithyjust north ofthe main square. Rather than attemptto compete with the quality ofthe dwarf-craftedweapons from Kelvin’s Cairn, the smith, Garn, hasfound his niche manufacturing the cheapest bladesin Ten-Towns. His sister, Elza, runs the shop andkeeps it profitable. When she observed that Garn’slow prices were attracting fortune-seekers comingup Ten Trail whose pockets were thin after the costofmaking the journey, and who were frequently ill-prepared for the hardships oflife in Icewind I)ale,Elza began selling adventuring supplies—rations,cold-weather gear. ice picks, and snowshoes—along-side her brother’s wares at the shop. BlackironBlades is now well known as a one-stop shop foradventurers and other travelers. Nonetheless, mostofthe town’s veteran sellswords eschew Garn’ssmithcraft, and jokes told about hapless newcomersto Icewind I)ale often end with the line “. . . an’ ‘ewas carrying a Blackiron blade, to boot!”

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Duvessa ShaneSpeaker ofBryn Shctnder

I)uvessa Shane is the daughter of a trader fromWaterdeep who settled in Bryn Shander after fallingin love with a local tavern server. Having inheritedher mother’s sharp tongue and her father’s talent fornegotiation, it seemed unsurprising in retrospectwhen Duvessa secured the position oftown speaker—the first woman in Bryn Shander to do so. When sheshowed up at the next council meeting and called it

to order, the other speakers bristled at her temerity,and a few warned her that, as the newest memberofthe council, she would be told when her opinionwas wanted. What followed was a tongue-lashing sosevere that even Crannoc of Caer-Dineval was leftchagrined. Since that day, Duvessa has led the councii as ably as any speaker in recent memory.

Though she is a grown woman, Duvessa’s slightframe and sparkling gray eyes lend her a girlish air.She dresses much as her father did, in shirtsleevesand trousers, with a vest or coat in the latest fashion.

Local LandmarksAside from its many shops and public houses, BrynShander has several other buildings of note.

The town hail is the largest building borderingthe central square. Most days, this long, open hailserves as an extension ofthe town square’s market,although it is reserved for feasting on various holydays and other notable events. The hall is also whererefugees from other villages stay in times of emergency when they seek shelter in Bryn Shander.

The armory is situatedjust offthe central square.Only the speaker and the town sheriffhave keys tothis building, which stores arms for the militia.

The council hail, near the southwest gate, is awarehouse where the speakers ofTen-Towns holdtheir meetings. The building is nondescript but identifiable by the heated discussions often overheardtaking place inside.

The speaker’s palace is the private residence ofthe town speaker. Located on the south side, this isthe only building in Bryn Shander that stands twostories high. (Most ofthe structures are sunk into theground to avoid exposure to the winds, which arenot entirely blocked by the city’s walls.) Fashionedby dwarves out ofcut stone, with a pitched slate roofand a colonnade in front, the palace is so out ofplaceamong the squat, rough wood dwellings that it looksas ifit had been magically transported here fromsome other region ofFaerftn.

The House ofthe Triad is Bryn Sharider’s largest place ofworship, and the only one that truly

deserves to be called a temple. An impressive edificebuilt by the dwarves ofKelvin’s Cairn, the templestands about halfway between the southwest gateand the central market. When it was first built, it

honored the three gods known as the Triad: Tyr, thegod ofjustice; Torm, the god ofduty and loyalty; andIlmater, the god of endurance in the face of suffering.Tyr is said to be dead, though he still has a handful offollowers in town, and the holy days most commonlycelebrated in the temple are those ofllmater. Thepromise ofdivine aid for those who endure suffer-ing appeals to the people ofTen-Towns, and visitorsfrom other towns often stop in the House ofthe Triadbefore going about their other business.

The shrine ofAmaunator, located near thesmall northeastern market square, is a convertedhouse that serves as a modest gathering place forworshipers ofthe god ofthe sun. Considering thatthe sun vanishes for two months at a time everywinter, it’s a wonder that Amaunator has any worshipers at all in Icewind Dale. The priest whoestablished this shrine, a retired adventuring clericfrom Cormyr named Mithann, has a strong person-ality and speaks a powerful message ofhope and

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rebirth. She calls Amaunator by old names—theMorninglord and the Glory ofDawn—that evoke adifferent image from that ofthe stern, rigid sun godwho is worshiped farther south. When the sun firstrises from the long winter twilight late in the monthofHaininer, Mithann leads the god’s most popularfestival—a great feast in the town hall.

Mithann takes a great interest in adventurerswho come to Bryn Shander, largely because of herpast but also because she genuinely cares about thepeople ofTen-Towns. She has seen too many so-called heroes try to exploit the citizens ofthe region,so she keeps a close eye on the ones who seem shadyor selfish. On the other hand, she gives as much aidas she can muster to those who seem genuinely inter-ested in helping the people ofthe dale.

Mithann was a member oftwo different adventuring companies with Isteval, a paladin ofAmaunatorwho has since retired to I)aggerford. Two of theircompanions from the first company, the Knights ofthe Unicorn, have settled in Baldur’s Gate, wherecharacters might have encountered them if theyexperienced the events ofMurder in Baldur’s Gate.

EASTHAVENPopulation 850

“I remember when the Eastway was naught but a couple o’ruts in the mud leadin’ to some shanties on the south side0’ the lac. Now look at the place! Seems likeye can’t turnaround without trippin’ over a new bunch o’ buildings, andthe townjust keeps getting’ bigger—along with me profits.”

—Beorne Steelstrike

The scent offreshly sawed pine hangs in the airaround the outskirts ofEasthaven, where new con-struction pushes the town’s perimeter ever outward.In the center, spacious shops, inns, and taverns solicitlocals and travelers alike, their brightly painted signsclamoring for attention as loudly as the fish hawkersdown on the docks. Grizzled trappers just returnedfrom the wilds sell their pelts in stores that also offerthe latest Waterdhavian fashions, and prosperousmerchants step over penniless fishers in the town’smain boulevard.

Boom TimesWalking into Easthaven is like stepping into IcewindI)ale’s past—the place is a picture ofthe boomtownway oflife that gripped Ten-Towns centuries ago,when the cities ofthe south first got “white goldfever.” In the generations since, the other towns havesettled into a predictable, ifnot always quiet, rhythmoflife. Not so Easthaven. Having been overshadowedby the more established towns on Lac Dinnesherein the region’s initial rush, Easthaven languishedwhile its neighbors thrived. But with the paving ofthe Eastway, more and more trade began to flowinto Easthaven until it overtook Caer-Konig andCaer-Dineval to become the most prosperous townon the lake. Now, it rivals Targos and Bryn Shanderin size.

Easthaven tends to attract people who are juststarting out in Ten-Towns, as well as those who wantto start over—the place seems to welcome all comers.It is a magnet for fortune-seekers and the con art-ists who prey on them. From honorable warriors tounscrupulous merchants, from uncouth woodsmento worldly travelers, the town displays a strikingassortment ofthe best and worst that life in Ice-wind Dale has to offer. Anything goes in Easthaven,according to a local saying—and that’s usually true.

Contested WatersAlthough Easthaven’s fishing fleet is now largerthan that ofCaer-Konig and Caer-Dineval combined, its boats are relegated to plying only a small

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fraction ofthe lake thanks to an accord passed bythe council back when Easthaven was a tenth of itspresent size. In those days, the fleets of Caer-Konigand Caer-Dineval dominated the waters of Lac1)inneshere, and the accord was brokered as anattempt to placate the two rivals and keep themfrom each other’s throats. The rivalry would not beso easily undone, however, and the agreement wasquickly forgotten until a few years ago, when thespeakers ofCaer-Konig and Caer-Dineval invoked itsterms as a way to restrict the operations of Easthaven’s growing fleet offishing boats.

Easthaven’s speaker, Danneth Waylen, has petitioned several times to renegotiate the outdatedagreement, but Caer-Konig and Caer-Dineval have sofar stood united behind it. I)anneth also brought thematter before the council in Bryn Shander, but to noavail. Easthaven’s growth has cannibalized trade fromthe other towns, and both Targos and Termalainehave felt the effect. As a result, they support CaerKonig’s and Caer-Dineval’s claims to the waters of LacDinneshere. With Bryn Shander remaining carefullynoncommittal and the towns ofRedwaters decliningto get involved, only Bremen and Lonelywood havespoken out in support ofEasthaven.

Meanwhile, Easthaven’s boats are in competitionwith one another for the best fishing spots in thecrowded waters. Fights over contested catches arecommon, and accidents have wrecked several shipsand resulted in a few deaths. Some ofthe bolderfishers operate in the northern waters claimed by

Caer-Konig and Caer-Dineval, taking whatever haulthey can before they are chased offby the othertowns’ boats. Speaker Waylen knows it is only amatter oftime before one ofthese incursions is metwith violence. He hopes to find a solution to theproblem before that happens.

Rags and RichesWith the ongoing dispute over fishing rights on thelake, Easthaven’s fisherfolk are suffering. For manyofthein, fishing is all they know, and there simplyaren’t enough fish in the small patch ofwater thetown is allotted. Inevitably, the largest boats and themost experienced crews pull most ofthe fish out ofthe water, while everyone else scrambles for what’sleft. Many fishers barely catch enough to feed theirfamilies, let alone have anything left over to sell.Many more come back after sunset with empty nets.

Despite this state ofaffairs, more people showup every season hoping to make their fortune inEasthaven. The town’s reputation for opportunity isgreater than the reality, yet the image keeps drawingpeople there even as it exacerbates the problems.

Still, the prospects in Easthaven aren’t entirelyillusory. Many people have made a comfortableliving for themselves—just not fishers or fortune-seekers. With the influx ofresidents, Easthaven’smerchants, innkeepers, and tavern owners pull coinfrom purses like trout from the lakes.

Then, too, there are those who profit from thetown’s problems, such as the gang ofboys whoare paid by fishing crews to hold the best spots atthe docks until the boats come back at night. Thisarrangement allows those crews to stay out later thanother boats and still be first out to the good fishingspots the next day. The boys make a show of competing to hold places along the dock for their clients, butthey actually conspire to bid up the prices on the bestspots, then split the profits every night after dark.

Goods and ServicesCairn’s Crossing is the oldest ofEasthaven’s inns,which is to say it has the most chinks in its walls forthe night winds to blow through. Still, most of thecaravanners who come to town stay here out ofhabit,so the inn does a respectable business. The inn-keeper, Vie Witters, is stout, gray-haired, and toughas nails, and she shows no sign ofslowing downdespite her age. Many ofthe inn’s visitors assumethat she’s a widow, but in fact she’s married to a localfisher who still goes out on the lake every day. Theyhardly see each other, though, because Vie won’t lethim sleep in the inn ifhe reeks oftrout—which healways does.

The White Lady Inn stands just across fromthe harbor, overlooking the lake. The inn is namedfor a local legend about the ghost ofLac Dinneshere(see the sidebar on page 21 and capitalizes on themorbid fascination generated by its eponymous tale.A haifling bard named Rinaldo works the inn’s tap-room on most nights, recounting the titular storyfor the benefit of any newcomers and then segueinginto hair-raising tales drawn (he swears) from thetrue accounts ofthe many adventurers who havestayed at the White Lady Inn. Rinaldo knows how topull in a crowd, often loudly proclaiming that “thisnext tale is not fit for the ears ofwomen, children, orthose oftender heart” whenever he spies passersby in

the street, reeling them in like fish on a line. On theother hand, his employer—a wiry, white-haired oldman named Bartaban—seems perennially bored bythe haifling’s tales. But the dour innkeeper is acutelyaware ofthe value Rinaldo adds to his establishmentand strives to make himself as invisible to his guestsas possible, the better to let the bard’s tales worktheir magic.

The Wet Trout is the largest and loudest tavernin Easthaven. A great chimney situated squarely inthe building’s center has hearths on either side towarm the tavern’s two common rooms. The owner,Henrick, mans the bar at one end ofthe tavern whilehis wife, Bitholde, runs the kitchens at the other.The two frequently shout raunchyjeers at each otherfrom across the floor, which always get a heartylaugh from the assembled patrons and lend to theribald atmosphere the tavern is known for.

Banrock’s Mithral Pot has the distinction ofbeing one ofthe few establishments in Ten-Towns tohave a reputation that extends outside Icewind Dale.Just walking into this tavern’s common room, with itsdistinctive dark wood paneling and cozy booths, isenough to set one’s mouth watering. Visitors from asfar away as Baldur’s Gate come here to try Banrock’spottage, which the dwarfcooks in his signature pot.Running the tavern is a labor oflove for Banrock,who could retire on the value ofhis inithral cook-ware alone, but the plump, ruddy-faced dwarfwouldrather spend his days cheerfully bustling from boothto booth chatting with travelers. His longest-stand-ing customer is a wizard from BlackstaffTower inWaterdeep, who comes to the tavern every solsticeto renew the wards that protect the kitchen againstthieves—and, ofcourse, to sample the pottage.

Rurden’s Armory is an outlet where adventurers can buy dwarven blades and mail forged in thevalley below Kelvin’s Cairn. The shop’s interiorlooks like that ofa keep preparing for siege—racksofswords and axes stand to one side, while suits of

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THE EASTWAYThe Eastway is the only paved road in lcewind Dale, and it runs from Bryn Shander straightacross to Easthaven Its construction linked Lac Dinneshere to the caravans that camethrough Bryn Shander, resulting in the explosive growth of Easthaven and a gradual shiftin trade away from Maer Dualdon.

On many occasions, the people ofTargos and Termalaine have considered improving theroad north from Bryn Shander to encourage more traffic, but the mistrust between the twotowns has prevented them from cooperating long enough to bring the project to fruition.

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chain mail lie stacked on crates to the other (and thecrates hold pieces ofplate armor packed in woodchips). Piles ofhelms stand alongside the crates,halberds lean in the corner, and shields and cross-bows hang on every inch ofthe room’s walls. Thebuilding’s heavy, reinforced door, complete with athick bar, rounds out the image ofa garrison; onlya painted iron sign propped against the back wallidentifies the shop as a place ofbusiness. Since noneofthe weapons and armor are made to order, buyersoften have to adjust to equipment that’s heavier thanthey’re accustomed to—blistered palms and achingshoulders are common complaints among first-timecustomers. Even so, the quality ofthe merchandisespeaks for itself, and the dwarfshopkeep, Rurden,is especially helpful when showing buyers how toalter their swings or angle their bodies for an incoming blow to take advantage oftheir new purchases.The sellswords who frequent his store have a saying:Once you go dwarven, you never go back.

Danneth Waylen is the earnest, iffretful, speaker ofEasthaven. He never wanted the position, but he wasnominated for it when the town’s business leaders,after nearly tearing Easthaven apart in their conteststo claim the title after the last speaker’s death, finallydecided to compromise on a neutral party. 1)anneth’shumility and forthrightness made him an ideal can-didate, and his sense ofduty precluded him fromdeclining the nomination.

Just coming into middle age, with green eyesand tousled auburn locks that often garner himunwanted romantic attention, Danneth owns twoofthe town’s most profitable fishing vessels, and hewas a fisher himselfbefore turning his attentions tothe town’s myriad problems. He tends to be soft-spoken, though his voice carries an undertone of steelydetermination.

LOCAL LANDMARKSThree areas of interest lie outside Easthaven.

Silvanus’s temple is a grove ofwhite birch treeson a hillside overlooking Lac Dinneshere, abouttwo miles west oftown. Here, a small coven of thenature god’s followers gather every month at thefull moon. They are led by a self-styled druid (oneof the human residents of Easthaven) who teachesthem that the town’s sprawl is a blight on the landand that someday Silvanus will call on them to helprestore the area to its pristine beauty.

The Redrun is the stream that empties LacDinneshere into Redwaters. Normally a series ofspills that are easy to cross, the stream becomes atorrent of frothing whitewater during late spring.With all the competition on the lake, locals havetaken to walking down the Redrun and fishing alongits banks. But twice in the past fortnight, locals havegone to fish the Redrun and did not return. Theother townsfolk assume they were killed by wildbeasts, but no one is brave enough to investigate.

A memorial outside the southwest gate commemorates a battle between Tiago Baenre andthe balor Errtu, who came to Icewind Dale seekingDrizzt Do’Urden. A circle of blackened ground issurrounded by a rock wall, the center ofwhich hasa stone statue ofTiago and a plaque that reads “Onthis spot did Master Tiago slay the demon. And thesnows will cover it nevermore.” And the scorchedearth remains untouched by snow even in winter.

LAC DINNESHERELac Dinneshere’s waters begin in the tundra along-side Kelvin’s Cairn and stretch south to the forestthat borders the banks ofRedwaters. To those wholook down on it from the slopes ofthe mountain, thelake’s broad expanse seems like a great shard of skythat fell to the earth, dotted with tiny boats that traverse its icy blue firmament.

From the water’s edge, the imagery no longerseems quite so apt. Frigid winds blowing in off theReghed Glacier whip across the lake, its surfacechopping with waves that stand at odds with theserene sky above. The lake does seem to reflect themoods ofthe heavens; it blushes pink on tranquilevenings, turns steel-gray when storms approach,and blanches white during quiet snows. People whohave spent their lives along Lac Dinneshere don’tbother looking up to see what the weather will be—theyjust look to the lake.

Though as large as Maer Dualdon, LacDinneshere is shallower and thus has a smallerpopulation ofknucklehead trout (but enough to keepthe combined fishing fleets ofCaer-I)ineval andCaer-Konig in business). The lake’s ecosystem is alsoless diverse than that ofMaer Dualdon. The windsfrom the glacier stunt what trees manage to growalong the shore and drive avians to the more sheltered areas along Maer Dualdon and Redwaters, andthe lake’s rocky banks prevent seasonal flooding andforestall the formation ofsandy bars capable of sup-porting cold-water clams and the otters that feast onthe clams.

Danneth WaylenSpeaker ofEasthaven

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Still, the lure ofthe lake’s “white gold” is enoughto keep hundreds ofpeople living here in small corn-munities carved into the steep, rocky banks, huddledagainst the wind and cold.

Caer-DinevalPopulation 250

“When last I visited Caer-Dineval, Ifound the townspeaker livin’ in an oldfort at the top o’ the road, perchedup there like a lord in ‘is castle. What’s he lord oJ I’d like toknow. A little pride is well an’good, but never will I under-stand the vanity o’ men!”

—Beorne Steelstrike

In generations past, travelers to Caer-Dineval hadto make their way east from the hills around BrynShander and then cut north, following the rockyshore ofLac Dinneshere until after several wearyhours they spied a small fortress (the “caer” for whichthe town is named) jutting up from the prominencewhere it overlooks the lake. These days, visitors tothe town can take the Eastway to Easthaven, andthen hire a ferry to take them across the lake toCaer-Dineval. Only those who have no coin to spare,or who have more than a small cart’s worth ofgoodsto transport, still take the rude trail that wends itsway up the lake’s western shore.

Whether arriving “by land or by lac,” visitorsare immediately confronted by the fortifications forwhich the town is famous: its clifftop caer and thenow-ruined watchtower at the mouth ofthe harbor.Most ofthe town’s buildings line the path that windsdown the steep slope from the caer to the harbor,perched on the rocky face like cliffside nests. Newerstructures have been built out along the approachcoming up the western shore. The effect is that visitors enter Caer-Dineval in procession, filing up thenarrow street past the buildings on either side, fromwhich the residents watch with a mixture of inter-est and suspicion. Iftravelers do not turn aside into ashop or tavern, the road brings them to the top of thebluffand deposits them at the gates ofthe caer.

The Bastion of Lac Dinneshere

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THE GHOST OF LACDINNESHERE

Legend has it that an explorer once came toEasthaven to find his fortune after leaving his youngwife behind in Luskan, promising to return to her arich man. The adventurer met with many hazardson his journey, but the thought of his wife waitingfor him always gave him the strength to persevere.Finally, after having made his fortune, the mansought to take the next caravan home—only tohave it arrive in Easthaven bearing a note from hiswife, written from her sickbed in the hours beforeher death.

The young man never returned home. He stayedin Easthaven, where his wife’s ghost sometimeswalked out along the lake, calling for her husbandto return to her. Finally, one night when he heardher calling, he loaded his fortune onto a boat androwed out to the middle ofthe lake, where he wasfinally reunited with his beloved—a rich man,just ashe had promised.

Locals say the woman’s ghost still wanders thelake on some nights; they call her the White Lady.Rumor has it that she haunts the spot where her husband met his end. A few brave souls have followedthe vision ofthe White Lady in hopes of finding theadventurer’s sunken treasure, but none of themhas returned.

The caer was built over four hundred years agoby the Dinev family, before Ten-Towns existed asanything more than a few scattered camps ofexplorers living offthe land. A displaced Cormyreanfamily whose sire was purportedly ofnoble extraction, the Dinevs built their castle on the cliffs overLac I)inneshere in a bid to claim sovereignty overthe unsettled lands oflcewind Dale. When the

castle—dubbed Caer-Dineval—was completed, theworkers and their families settled in the outbuildings they had constructed farther down the cliffface, along with the families ofthe few retainers theDinevs had brought with them. Over the next severalyears, many explorers in the region came to see thecaer for themselves, and some decided to trade theirtents in the hunting and fishing camps for a cozy cot-tage in the shadow ofthe walls of Caer-I)ineval.

No sooner had the small town taken hold than amarauding tribe of orcs swept down from the tundrato put it to the torch. Rather than flee their new-found home, the residents rushed to the clifftop toseek refuge in the caer. But the Dinevs, alarmed bythe size ofthe orc tribe and the speed ofits approach,barred the caer’s gates and refused to open them.The orcs fell upon the stranded people and slaughtered them to the last one. The Dinevs survived theinitial assault, thanks to their redoubt, but after threeweeks ofconfinement in the caer, they were so weak-ened by hunger that they were unable to resist whenthe orc raiders scaled their walls. Thus, their briefrule in Icewind Dale came to a bloody end.

The caer remained in the orcs’ possession forthe next several years, although it changed hands afew times during that period as factions among theorcs fought each other for control ofthe castle. Bythe end ofthat time, the small camps ofhumans inthe dale had grown larger and more numerous, andthe future inhabitants ofTen-Towns decided thatthey could ill afford to have a fortified encampmentoforcs so close to their communities. For the firsttime in their history, warriors from the disparatehuman settlements banded together. They marchedon Caer-Dineval and drove the orcs from its walls.The victors claimed the castle, its lands, and thelake beyond for their own, and those with familiesbrought them there to settle. The descendants ofthose proud people live there to this day and keepalive the memory oftheir ancestors’ deeds.

Today, the caer’s keep is a glorified residence forthe town’s speaker, Crannoc Siever. Although itssturdy wooden fortifications are still capable ofwith-standing the attacks oforc and barbarian raiders, thepeople ofCaer-I)ineval remember the grim lesson ofthe Dinevs. They flee from incursions to seek shelter behind the better-defended and better-suppliedwalls ofBryn Shander.

Goods and ServicesDinev’s Rest, situated at the low end oftown on thelakeside road, is Caer-Dineval’s inn, and one of thefirst buildings that travelers reach ifthey arrive onfoot. Built in a shallow dell a little way back from the

cliffline, the inn is spacious compared to Caer-Dineval’s other buildings and blessedly sheltered from thewinds that buffet the rest ofthe town. Inside, visitorssit in the common room around the central fire pit,swapping stories about their travels; the walls behindthem are adorned with faded banners bearing theDinev coat ofarms. The innkeeper is Kadie, a viva-cious young romaim with fiery red hair. Her fatherwas the previous speaker of Caer-Dineval, and as achild she lived with him and her brothers in the caer.Kadie speaks about her town with pride amid can tellvisitors all about the history ofthe caer. She doesn’tmiss living there—the keep, as she’ll readily relate, istoo drafty—and she doesn’t think Crannoc has donepoorly by the town, but Kadie is not bashful aboutobserving that the current speaker doesn’t listen tofolks as much as lie ought to . . . not like her father did.

The Uphill Climb is a tavern perched at the topofthe approach to the caer, with spectacular viewsofthe lake and the docks below. Although it has asolid core oflocal patrons, the Climb also caters tothe town’s more upscale clientele—well-to-do travel-ers and merchants who have coin to spend on morethanjust beer amid fish chowder. The proprietor, aruggedly handsome fellow named Roark, takes painsto stock a variety offoodstuffs from Bryn Shander’smarket, and lie always buys the best brews out ofGood Mead. The tavern has a private dining areawhere the speaker of Caer-Dineval meets withmerchants, adventurers, or anyone else who hasimportant business with die town. The intimate atmosphere is only occasionally ruined by the cheers fromthe front room when patrons from the dockside tavernfinish their nightly footrace up the cliffside road to theClimb’s front door, usually followed by the sounds ofretching. The last runner through the door tradition-ally buys a round ofdrinks for the house.

Culver’s isn’t really a shop—it’s a house, amid itsresident, Culver Ailsen, isn’t so niuch a merchant ashe is a collector. An aging widower with no children,Culver keeps himselfcomnpany with the niany books,maps, and curiosities he has collected over the years.Whenever traveling merchants come through town,Culver is one ofthe first to introduce himseif—shaking their hands, asking their story, and then gettingto the serious work ofporing over their inventory.Culver has a particular interest in the history ofTen-Towns and Icewind Dale, and he eagerly buysanything connected with the accounts and letters hehas read.

Culver doesn’t restrict himselfto historical memo-rabilia—he picks up anything that interests him,whether it’s a halfling stick-amid-ball game or a finelyetched dwarven dagger. Because ofhis tendency toacquire all manner ofodds amid ends, the locals stop

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by Culver’s anytime they need something they can’tget from one ofthe town’s crafters.

As a result ofhis voracious reading, Culver knowsa bit about nearly everything in the dale—knowledgethat he will share with those who care to listen (heprefers to talk over a pint at the Uphill Climb). Inparticular, Culver has read several accounts ofAkarKessell’s war against Ten-Towns a century ago, andthe relics he has acquired from the Battle of IcewindDale are his most prized possessions.

Crannoc SieverSpeaker of Caer-Dineval

Crannoc Siever is an able sailor and fisher knownfor his hot temper. Despite his bellicose nature,Crannoc is not prone to violence. Those who knowhim well understand that belligerence is just hisheavy-handed way of avoiding conflict—he wouldrather shout others into silent agreement than physically fight or debate with them. Because most peopleare easily cowed by his theatrics, Crannoc has neverlearned how to negotiate, so he frequently finds him-selfat a disadvantage when he deals with DuvessaShane, the speaker ofBryn Shander.

Crannoc wears his dark hair pulled back, and hisweathered face seems stretched taut. Though he isnot particularly tall, his thick arms and chest lendweight to his bullying remarks. He speaks in a per-petual shout, except when he has been intimidatedinto sputtering silence by Duvessa.

Caer-KonigPopulation 200

“I remember i pair ofdwctrflasses in Mircthctr—sisters, they were. Couldn’t stand each other, and alwaysfightin Funny thing was, they were exactly alike! Thats(‘aer-Koni(q an’ Caer-1)ineval to a tee. Too busyfightin’over their dfferences to realize how much they8ot incommon. Ah, well. Every time theyfouqht, I’d be havin’ toO an’ comfort one or th’ other of’ern. The sisters, I mean.”

—Beorne Steelstrike

Perched precariously between the slopes of Kelvin’sCairn and the waters of Lac Dinneshere is the townof Caer-Konig, its terraced rows ofhouses climbingup the lake’s edge like the steps ofan amphitheater.Visitors sailing in on the ferry from Easthaven orCaer-1)ineval canjust make out the crumbled ruinsofthe caer that gave the town its name littering theslopes above the last row ofhouses.

Although it’s possible to get to Caer-Konig by following the trail along the lakeside, only the mostcommitted caravanners bother to do so. Mostpeople come by way ofthe ferry, ifthey come at all—Caer-Konig being considered, as some call it, “thepoor man’s Caer-l)ineval.” (Natives of Caer-Konig,naturally, charge their brethren in Caer-T)inevalwith coining that turn ofphrase.) Only two groupsvisit the town with regularity. The first is adventurers, who use Caer-Konig as a base ofoperations forexcursions into Kelvin’s Cairn. The second groupis the dwarves ofthe valley, who, when they havecause to leave their home, generally do so by way ofDaledrop, which is closer to Caer-Konig than anyother ofthe ten towns.

The Ruined CaerAfter Caer-Dineval was taken back from the orcs,the people ofthat town decided to set up an outpostfarther up the lakeside that could spot any approach-lug raiders from the north and signal the inhabitantsin time for them to fight or flee. They chose a site atthe neck oflcewind Pass where the defenders wouldhave the best chance ofspotting anyone crossingthe open tundra. There, they built a wooden fortresslike the castle at Caer-Dineval and named it for theirleader who had proposed the project— Caer-Konig.

The new stronghold was not like the one atCaer-Dineval in every respect. That one had beenconstructed by trained workers under the capablehand ofa master builder who had been hired for thetask. The new one was raised by stout-hearted war-riors who put great effort into its construction butdid not know how deep to sink the pylons to keep athirty-foot wall from being bent by the wind, or howto pile loose stones around the wall’s base to keepsnow runofffrom eroding the earthen foundation.Already dilapidated after only a few seasons, the caeroffered no protection to its garrison when the nextband oforc raiders came down Icewind Pass. Thedefenders fled to Caer-1)ineval, and the orcs razedthe useless structure to the ground.

Nothing ifnot proud, the people of Caer-Dinevalquickly took back Caer-Konig (much as they haddone with their own castle), and before long a newsettlement had sprouted at the site ofthe northernstronghold. The fortress of Caer-Konig has beenrebuilt several times since then, always to fall to thedepredations ofwar or weather. It’s been over a generation since the last time the caer was raised, andalthough few people left in town remember a timewhen the fort still stood, its decrepit state is a sorespot with many ofthe locals—especially given thecontrast with the proud bastion of Caer-Dineval.

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Rival to Caer-DinevalWhatever amity might have existed betweenCaer-Konig and Caer-Dineval disappeared with theopening ofthe ivory trade with the cities ofthe south.The bounty ofLac Dinneshere, which had alwayssupplied the two towns with more than enough fishto eat, suddenly became a valuable commodity. Forgenerations, the rivalry between Caer-Konig andCaer-T)ineval has been the stuffoflocal legend inTen-Towns, and many meetings ofBryn Shander’scouncil have been taken up by arguments betweenthe towns’ speakers over fishing rights or, indeed,anything else that might be construed as a marketadvantage for one town or the other.

All this changed recently with the alliance struckbetween Alden, the speaker ofCaer-Konig, andCrannoc, his counterpart in Caer-Dineval. Hewingto the terms ofan old agreement ratified by the councii generations ago over the fishing rights on LacDinneshere, the speakers ofthe two towns have joinedforces to contain the threat posed by Easthaven’s grow-ing fleet ofvessels. For the first time that anyone canremember, the fishers ofCaer-Konig and Caer-Dinevalobserve an uneasy truce, working side by side (ifnotexactly together) to keep Easthaven’s boats offthe lakenorth ofthe Shander Line—the imaginary line runningdue east from Bryn Shander that was identified as thefarthest extent ofEasthaven’s waters.

Old grudges die hard, however, and the folks ofCaer-Konig and Caer-Dineval don’t exactly have ahistory ofmutual trust. Many people in both townsare dissatisfied by the arrangement, and the residents of Caer-Konig are especially suspicious of

Alden’s motives in working with Crannoc. Many ofthe fishers have begun to feel that Alden sold themout, and some think the town should negotiate a newaccord with Easthaven. They know that Caer-Konigwould have to give up some ofits waters, but theyhope that by colluding with Easthaven they coulddraft an agreement that would be far more punish-ing to Caer-1)ineval than it would be to Caer-Konig,which would suit the spiteful townsfolkjust fine.

Goods and ServicesThe Northern Light is Caer-Konig’s inn, where visit-ing traders stay before making the returnjourney toEasthaven or Bryn Shander, and where adventurersrest between expeditions to Kelvin’s Cairn. The inn’sname refers to its door lamp, a magical lantern thatwas enspelled by a visiting wizard decades ago. Itglows with a light that slowly shifts from green to redto blue, resembling the iridescent ribbons ofcolor thatsometimes dance across the night sky this far north.The inn is kept by two sisters. The younger, Allie,is lithe and charming, and she greets guests, show-ing them to their rooms. The older, Con, is stout andscowling; she sees to the inn’s provisioning and doesall the cooking. Guests often hear the sisters arguinglate into the night, Allie accusing Con ofspending theinn’s profits on needless luxuries such as goose-featherpallets and expensive spices for her meats and stews,and Con accusing Allie ofnot knowing how to run aninn and thinking she can charm people into throwing

their money away. After they run out ofthings to fight

about, the sisters go offto their beds, and then get upthe next day to do it all over again.

Hook, Line, and Sinker, a tavern on Caer-Konig’smarket square, is easily the busiest establishment intown. The tavern owes its popularity to the free half-pints that the owner, Eglendar, keeps on a table by thefront door. He presses one into the hand ofevery person

who stops by. Eglendar on the idea after spending along time watching most ofthe town’s fishers crawl intoa competing dockside tavern at the end ofeach day, notbothering to walk the extra hundred feet to his build-ing. Now, they come to his place first for the free drink

(the hooky, and most ofthem stay to order seconds andthirds (the line—in local parlance, having a “long line”refers to a predilection for hard drinking). The “sinker”part ofthe tavern’s name refers both to the last drinkcall ofthe night and—when locals challenge visitors toa good-natured drinking contest—to the last drink thatsends a losing contestant under the table.

Frozenfar Expeditions is both a store and aprofessional organization ofsorts. Run by a veteranranger named Atenas Swift, the shop is the cbs-est thing that Icewind Dale has to the adventurers’

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Ruined E::.Caer Frozenfar

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guilds that are sometimes found in the large citiesofthe south. A middle-aged, steely-haired man withskin the color oftanned leather, Atenas is more thancapable ofleading expeditions up Kelvin’s Cairn ordown to the Spine ofthe World, as he often did in hisyouth. He can boast ofhaving climbed the treacherous slopes ofthe Reghed Glacier. Now, age is catchingup with Atenas; he is starting to feel the cold in hisjoints and goes out on the mountain less frequentlythan he once did, preferring to stay by the warmth ofa hearth. But he remains a font ofknowledge for thosewho are bent on adventure in Icewind Dale.

He readily sells maps and supplies to explorers, and he gives out free advice on how to survivean avalanche, the five mistakes people make whentrying to run from a crag cat, how to scale an ice wallwithjust a fishing rod and a dead yeti, and moresuch topics. In addition to seeking equipment andadvice, adventurers come to the store to see post-ings left by other explorers in the area. Some of thesenotices advertise expeditions that are looking forrecruits or hirelings who are willing to join existingventures. Others promise leads that the posters didnot have the skill or resources to pursue. Some warnabout hazards encountered in the wild. Still othersare wills and insurance policies, announcing theposter’s expedition plan and expected date of return.Ifsuch an individual does not return, Atenas uses hisdeposit either to hire other adventurers to attempt arescue or to set the missing person’s affairs in order.

Alden LowellSpeaker ofCaer-Koni8

Alden Lowell is a craven opportunist, with none ofthe qualities ofa true leader. After contriving to benamed speaker ofCaer-Konig, he quickly alienatedmany ofhis constituents by supporting CrannocSiever’s proposal to enforce the terms ofthe lake’s oldfishing charter. Since then, Alden’s career has beenwedded to Crannoc’s. He spends most ofhis time incouncil parroting the speaker of Caer-Dineval, andhe throws his weight around town by pretending thatCrannoc is his staunch ally. In fact, Crannoc regardsAlden as a simpering fool, whom he tolerates onlybecause Alden so readily follows his lead. Alden,meanwhile, considers himselfthe clever one and isconvinced that it’s he who is using Crannoc. Aldenis a coward at heart—a fact that he has not yet had toconfront since he is protected, for the time being, byhis association with the speaker of Caer-Dineval.

Alden is a young man, slight ofbuild with blondhair. He often puffs out his chest when he talks,trying to imitate Crannoc’s bearing. When his

bravado inevitably crumbles, he visibly deflates, andhis speech becomes puerile.

The Pirates of the Howling FiendAs ifthe heightened tensions between the fishingfleets of Caer-Konig, Caer-Dineval, and Easthavenweren’t enough, the lake’s waters have recentlybecome even more perilous with the appearance ofa band ofpirates who sail a ship called the HowlingFiend. They strike indiscriminately, attacking shipsfrom any ofthe three towns, looting the vessels forfood and valuables and then setting them afire, leaving their crews to perish in the flames or drown inthe frigid waters. The pirates usually strike beforedawn, when the first ships ofthe day are testing thelake’s waters, or at dusk, when the most dedicated ordesperate fishers are pushing their luck to make onelast catch. Sometimes, when the lake is obscured bymist or snow, the pirates make bold daytime raidson Caer-Konig and Caer-Dineval, terrorizing theresidents and laying waste to the dockside, and thenretreating before the fishers on the lake can respondto the screams oftheir kin.

In truth, the appearance ofthe pirates is relatedto the towns’ other troubles. The marauders areformer residents ofCaer-Dineval, fishers who wereeager to defend their right to the lake’s waters againstthe encroaching fleet ofEasthaven. With the aid ofSpeaker Crannoc and financial backing from some ofthe town’s businesses, the fishers commissioned a ramfor the bow oftheir ship from Baerick Hammerstone,the dwarfstone carver ofKelvin’s Cairn whose “blackice” pieces have become the rage ofTen-Towns.

Wanting the ram as much for intimidation as forpractical use, the fishers asked Baerick to carve it inthe likeness ofa terrifying demon. The finished piecebears an obvious likeness to Errtu, the balor demonwho has twice terrorized the people ofTen-Towns.The head and torso extend forward from the ship’sprow, and the sculpture’s mouth is agape in a silentscream—imagery that prompted the fishers to changetheir ship’s name to the Howling Fiend.

Equipped with their new ram, the crew beganaggressively pushing the fishers ofEasthaven awayfrom the central waters ofthe lake, much to thedelight ofthe northern towns. But constant exposure to such a large quantity ofblack ice began toaffect the Ilowling Fiend’s crew. Their attacks on East-haven’s ships became increasingly vicious, and theybegan quarreling with other crews from their owntown. Crannoc, fearing that their belligerence wouldendanger his tenuous alliance with Caer-Konig andinflame the speakers ofthe other towns, tried to reinin the crew to no avail.

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The tipping point came when a Caer-I)ineval boatcame to the aid ofa foundering Easthaven vessel thathad just been rammed by the Howlinq Fiend, with noother friendly vessels close enough to save its crew.The sailors on the Howlin8 Fiend, enraged, came backaround and rammed the second boat just as theEasthaven crew was climbing aboard, sending threeofthe fishers—including one from Caer-Dineval-—tothe bottom ofthe lake. Before more boats came onthe scene, the Howling Fiend fled to the far end ofthe lake, making berth in a hidden cove there. Itscrew did not dare to return home, and two days laterSpeaker Crannoc denounced the attack in a specialmeeting ofthe council, declaring the crew of theHowling Fiend to be outlaws.

Within a week ofthe incident, the ship reappearedon Lac I)inneshere’s waters, but now as a pirate vessel.The black ice had thoroughly corrupted the crew,granting them unnatural strength and poisoning theirminds. Their depredations rank among the most heinous ofany outlaws who have ever terrorized IcewindDale—they loot, murder, and pillage at will.

At least one person in Ten-Towns does not con-sider the pirates’ activity on the lake to be anunqualified disaster. Vaelish Gant, a wizard in BrynShander, sees the pirate crew as a potential toolfor furthering the Arcane Brotherhood’s agenda inIcewind Dale. Their ravages have made the townsofLac Dinneshere more receptive to the wizard’sself-serving offers ofaid (the better to penetrate thefishing industries ofthose towns with his own capitaland agents). Moreover, if Gant can find a way to exertsome control over the pirate crew, he can ensure thatthe howling Fiend’s attacks serve his purpose by tar-geting businesses and vessels that don’t comply, whileleaving the Arcane Brotherhood’s operations alone.

Derrick the DrownderDerrick Gaffner is the captain ofthe Howling Fiend,although ever since the attack that branded himan out1a he has been known by the folk on LacDinneshere as “T)errick the Drownder.” A hot-headedman even before he was corrupted by the black ice,Derrickhas a face battered from a lifetime ofbrawling—his nose has been broken numerous times, and one ofhis ears was halftorn offin a nasty fight. Most recently,his cheek was opened up by a fisher’s knife during oneofthe pirate raids. Lacking needle and thread, Derrickhad one ofhis men close the wound with fishhooks,which still hang from the angry red scar.

Derrick leads his crew by example, using intimidation to quash any dissent. He’s not much of astrategist (it was one ofthe other crew members whopointed out that they probably shouldn’t conduct

their raids in broad daylight) and tends to follow hispassion, raiding for the sheerjoy ofstriking terrorinto the people ofLac Dinneshere. As such, Derrickis easily manipulated—even by his own crew—although his temper makes it dangerous to do so,since he doesn’t hesitate to maim or kill anyone hesuspects oftrying to make a fool of him.

Pyrse of Ship RethnorPyrse Auliffis an agent ofShip Rethnor (see page63) sent by Vaelish Gant to infiltrate the pirate crew.At least, “Pyrse Auliff” is the name he gave to Derrick the Drownder. After tracking the pirates backto their hideout, Pyrse approached them, pretend-ing to be a disaffected fisher from Caer-Konig whowanted to join their crew. As suspicious as Derrickwas due to the influence ofthe black ice, the captaincame within a hair’s breadth of slaying the intruderoutright. But Pyrse had timed his arrival well,coming to the camp the night after a botched raid onCaer-Dineval had left the crew two men down. Oneofthe other pirates observed that they would neednew blood to continue raiding. In the end, Derrick’sthirst for pillage won out over his reservations aboutPyrse’s unexpected arrival.

Since then, Pyrse has been working to gain thecrew’s trust and subtly directing their raids accordingto instructions he regularly receives from Vaelish Gantthrough a magical ritual. He has even persuaded Derrick to bolster the pirates’ ranks by capturing, ratherthan sinking, some ofthe fishing boats they attack,accepting their crews as “volunteers.”

Pyrse’s proximity to the black ice ram on the Howl-

mR Fiend is taking its toll, heightening his paranoiaand fear ofdiscovery. Pyrse now believes that VaelishGant is watching him constantly, making his everymove a test ofloyalty. The other pirates have noticedthat he sometimes makes strange gestures or mum-bles to himselfwhen he thinks no one is listening,giving rise to the suspicion that he is simply mad.

Creedon the FerrymanCreedon Connelly is the ferryman of Easthavenand has held that post since old Spiblin drowned adecade ago. Tall, tan, and wiry, with a mop ofbrownhair hanging in front ofhis brow, Creedon waits atthe docks every day for passengers who need to makethe trip across the southern shore ofLac Dinneshere,across the rivers that feed the lake. Few make thattrip even in the height of summer, and Creedon waitsin vain now that winter has come. He is desperatefor coin to support his wife, Sara, and their five small

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children, but both he and Sara know that the ferrytrade just isn’t enough.

The recent appearance ofthe pirates has presented Creedon with an unusual opportunity. I leguessed the location oftheir hideout, having usedthe cove himselfin years past to occasionally smug-gle people or goods in and out ofthe towns on LacDinneshere. After gathering his courage, Creedonsailed into the hidden cove one night and made thepirates a proposition. He would bring them regularshipments ofsupplies they were unable to procure, inaddition to information on the towns’ activities: whenand where the pirates would find the richest targetsto strike; what resistance they might face; and anyplans the townsfolk might formulate to strike back atthem. In exchange, the pirates would pay him a fairprice and guarantee safety for him and his boat.

To his relief, the pirates agreed to his proposition.Moreover, the Luskan agent, Pyrse, made a separatearrangement with Creedon to provide information ofparticular interest to Vaelish Gant. Pyrse also askedCreedon to filter the information he provides to thepirates based on the wizard’s needs.

Now Creedon has a growing purse ofsilver stashedin his mattress at home, even after seeing to his

family’s welfare. He occasionally feels pangs ofcon-science when he hears about fishers who have losttheir boats—and sometimes their lives—to the pirates,or when he witnesses the aftermath oftheir raidson Caer-Konig and Caer-I)ineval. Creedon consoleshiinselfwith the thought that he’s only doing what hemust to provide for his family, and he imagines thatsomeday he rjll make up for his complicity by tellingSpeaker Danneth about the hidden cove . . . just assoon as the purse in his bed gets a little fatter.

REDWATERSThe southernmost lake oflcewind Dale is, by manyaccounts, the most beautiful. Belying its name, thewaters ofthe lake are emerald green in the morn-ing and sparkling silver at twilight. Unlike MaerI)ualdon, which is beset by fleets offishing boatsfrom Targos and Terinalaine, or Lac Dinneshere,which is blasted by frigid winds coming off thetundra, Redwaters is a peaceful lake, plied only bya handful ofsailboats and a few score coracles thatglide across the surface like swans with their young.

Redwaters is not without its dangers, though. Themost remote ofthe three lakes, it is visited infrequently by caravans and other traders, so basicsupplies can be hard to come by here. Consideringhow little wealth trickles into the area, sellswords andfortune-seekers rarely visit Redwaters. As a result, thewilds teem with the kinds ofinonstrous beasts thatelsewhere would fall to an adventurer’s blade.

I)uring the winter, when the lake freezes over, foodbecomes scarce. Unlike the deeper waters ofMaerDualdon and Lac Diimeshere, Redwaters freezes earlyand thick, making the fishing season shorter and icefishing impossible in midwinter. Travelers find thatthe people ofGood Mead and Dougan’s Hole guardtheir provisions jealously—and sometimes aggressively—during these lean months. “Warm as a wintergreeting in Redwaters” is common Ten-Towns par-lance for an inhospitable welcome.

The two towns ofRedwaters, Good Mcad andDougan’s Hole, are known to be fiercely independent. It is ironic, then, that to most ofthe otherpeople ofTen-Towns, the two are almost alwaysmentioned in the same breath. “Good Mead andDougan’s Hole” might as well be the name ofa singletown, as far as residents ofthe other eight towns areconcerned. To the people ofGood Mead, this expression is irksome, since they consider themselves quitedifferent from all the other townsfolk. The folk of1)ougan’s Hole find it downright insulting, becausefor some reason they always come second.

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“Cut south offthe Eastway after the trees thin out, an’ keepwalking ‘tilye hear the buzzin’ o’ bees. That’ll be GoodMead. Ifyefall in the lake,you’ve gone toofar.”

—Beorne Steelstrike

Visitors to Good Mead rarely have a difficult timedeciding where in town to go first. The short row ofsquat dwellings that line the trail along the lake’s west-em edge is overshadowed by the two-story structure ofthe mead hall, its eaves carved and painted to resemblethe wyverns that are said to roost in Kelvin’s Cairn.

Like most ofTen-Towns, Good Mead originallydepended on knucklehead trout for its livelihood,selling smoked fish, raw ivory, and scrimshaw in themarket at Bryn Shander. In fact, the southern lakegot its name when the competition for fishing watersbetween Good Mead and Dougan’s Hole led to a battlebetween several ships that resulted in the deaths offish-ers from both towns, staining the waters with blood. Inthe decades following, Good Mead’s trade in its justlyfamous brew began to outstrip the proceeds from itsfishing hauls to the point where most ofthe town’s fish-ers took up mead brewing instead. A building adjoiningthe mead hail, recently erected to provide storagefor the increasing volume ofcasks, is roofed with thetown’s retired fishing vessels, and now only a handful ofboats sail out each day from Good Mead to catch freshfish for the stewpots.

The only other building ofnote is the town’sshrine to Tempus. Unlike the mead hall, which iswell cared for, the shrine’s painted icons ofthe god

ofwar are chipped and faded, and its hall—crampedby the standards ofmost southerners, though twicethe size ofany ofthe town’s dwellings—stands emptymost days. The shrine was built over a century ago,when the town’s rivalry with Dougan’s Hole stillraged, and for a time thereafter nearly all the inhabitants of Good Mead paid homage to the battle lord.Since their retreat from the waters, the shrine’s relevance has dwindled to the point where only a fewpious residents visit it regularly, and then only toobserve the war god’s holy days.

Kendrick RielsbarrowSpeaker ofGood Mead

Kendrick Rielsbarrow is a bluff, good-natured giantofa man and a tireless ambassador for the town ofGood Mead. The only thing he loves more than sellinghis home town’s famous brew is sharing it with goodcompany, so he spends his time traveling about Ten-Towns with a wagon full ofmead casks, delivering hisstock to the local inns and taverns. Kendrick meanswell, but he is not the most effective ofspeakers—he iseasily manipulated by his peers in the council—and asa result, Good Mead has not prospered in recent yearsas much as some ofthe other towns have.

Standing seven feet tall, with a physique that mirrors the rocky slopes ofKelvin’s Cairn, Kendricklooks like a more civilized version ofthe barbariansthat roam the tundra, causing some Ten-Towners towonder about his heritage. He speaks in a boomingvoice and is quick to laugh.

Dougan’s HolePopulation 100

“They’re an odd lot, thefoiks o’ Dougan’s Hole. Keep to‘emselves, and seem to like it that way. I only visited thereonce. After theflrst day, Igot the sense they thought it bestfor me to leave. After the third day, I got the sense theywere right.”

—Beorne Steelstrike

Dougan’s Hole is the smallest ofthe ten towns, andvisitors who make the trek from Bryn Shander arelikely to be underwhelmed when they finally reachthe small cluster ofdwellings perched on the edgeofRedwaters. Even Good Mead, barely more popubus, seems more civilized with its decorated meadhall and its cultivation ofthe surrounding forest. Theonly improvements that the people ofDougan’s Holehave made to their bit of shoreline are the two piersthey built for launching their boats and the gravel

Good MeadPopulation 150

Mead Hall

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they put down between their dwellings to keep pathsand roads from becoming a sodden mess.

The residents depend for trade entirely on theknucklehead trout they fish from Redwaters, since thetown is not large enough to support any industry—noteven scrimshaw. The able scrimshanders ofTen-Townsreside in the larger communities ofthe two northernlakes, so merchants from Dougan’s Hole sell raw ivoryand salted fish at Bryn Shander’s market, hoping tomake enough coin to buy grain for the winter in addition to hooks and line for the next fishing season.

In winter, Dougan’s Hole becomes even moreisolated from the other towns, and the road connect-ing it to Good Mead and the Eastway is frequentlyblocked by deep drifts ofsnow. Even when the roadis passable, the residents keep to their own, includingthe speaker, Edgra Durmoot. Although the traditional midwinter council meeting in Bryn Shanderis always spottily attended, Edgra is alone amongthe speakers ofTen-Towns in never having attendeda single one. She prefers to be with her people, shesays, who are too busy hunting, trapping, and chop-ping wood for their fires—simply trying to survive thewinter—to worry about politics.

Twenty Stones of ThruunAbout the only interesting feature in Dougan’s Hole,and the only reason most travelers bother visiting theplace, is the strange megaliths known as the TwentyStones ofThruun. Standing at the town’s southernedge, these rudely fashioned granite menhirs arearranged in a perfect triangle, with a single stoneanchoring the formation’s center. No one knows who

built the structure or why; the townsfolk maintainthat the stones were there when the town’s founder,Dougan Dubrace, first happened upon his famousfishing spot. Many northern scholars have triedto research the origin ofthe structure’s name, butall they found were allusions to a creature namedThruun in the oldest legends ofthe northern folk.

speculate that Thruun was a god who disappeared from the pantheon ofFaerimn long ago, butothers question whether such a being ever existed.

Edgra DurmootSpeaker ofDouqan’s Hole

Edgra Durmoot is an old trapper who has lived her

I entire life in Dougan’s Hole. A plainspoken woman ofI words, Edgra is suspicious by nature and tends tobe gruffin her dealings with strangers. She is not muchwarmer with her peers, frequently snapping at theother speakers in council and dismissing their ideas.Many times Edgra has refused to heed a summonsto council, and she never attends during the wintermonths. Some ofthe other town speakers wonder whyshe bothers coming to council meetings at all.

Edgra is lean and leathery; her scarred hands andgrizzled face speak ofa hard life eked out at the edgeofcivilization. Having survived her husband, alongwith the many dangers in the wilds oflcewind Dale,Edgra is as tough as they come, and only a fool wouldtake her for a weak old woman.

MAER DUALDONOnce the primary destination of all who came toIcewind Dale, Maer Dualdon has seen fewer visitorsin recent generations, with travelers staying in BrynShander or taking the Eastway to Lac Dinneshereinstead. Those who still make the final leg of thejourney north are rewarded with some ofthe samesights that greeted the first explorers and enticedthem to settle here. Under the great shadow ofKelyin’s Cairn, protected by the mountain from thewinds ofthe Reghed Glacier, sits an azure lake, itsdeep, cold waters rich with trout, its banks shelteredby tall growths ofpine and fir. Otters play in the riverwaters that drain from Maer Dualdon, and greateagles soar overhead, occasionally diving to rakethe lake’s surface with their talons, leaving behind asilver scar that is quickly engulfed by the blue waters.

Today’s travelers are also greeted by other sightsthat the first settlers could not have imagined. Thelake’s southern shore is sheltered not by trees but bythe wooden walls ofTargos, built out over the waterto provide safe harbor for its ships. On the eastern

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shore, the town ofTermalaine stretches out beneaththe mountain, and the town ofLonelywood haspushed back the forest’s edge to the north. West ofthe lake, the people ofBreinen have built along thebanks ofthe Shaengarne River, chasing the ottersdownstream. Everywhere on Maer 1)ualdon, boatsskim across the surface, competing with the eagles topull fish out ofthe depths.

TargosPopulation 1,000

“Thefoiks in Targos are as hard-headed as the trout intheir lake. They’d rather stay shut up behind their wallsthan admit they need helpfrom anyone. Stubborn an’proud, the lot of’em. Makes a dwarffrel right at home.”

—Beorne Steelstrike

The scene inside the gates ofTargos, the only otherwalled community in Ten-Towns, invites immediatecomparison with Bryn Shander. Both towns are busyand crowded, but where Bryn Shander buzzes withthe vibrant energy ofits market, Targos hums withthe steady industry ofits docks. In Bryn Shanderduring the day, locals constantly look to see whohas come in the gates, while travelers wander abouttaking in the town; at night, the taverns are full ofpeople getting to know each other over a few pints ofmead. In Targos during the day, people walk throughthe street quickly with their noses down, intent ongetting their work done. When night falls and thelast boats are in, the town goes quiet as the fishershead for their beds, to get what rest they can beforethe dawn finds them back out on the lake.

Fishing IndustryAlmost all the towns in Icewind Dale make theirliving offthe lakes, but nowhere is that fact more ondisplay than in Targos. The town has always had thebiggest fishing fleet, the best ships, the most knowledgeable sailors, and, as a result. the biggest hauls.Even though Easthaven has threatened to overtake it,Targos has retained its dominant position in the fish-ing industry by concentrating on what it does best.Nearly every resident is involved in some facet of thefishing business, and everything that goes on in townrevolves around the work ofhauling the knuckleheadout ofMaer Dualdon’s waters.

Walled TownLike Bryn Shander, Targos is encircled by a woodenwall, which in the past has protected the townagainst orc and barbarian raids. Lately, though, the

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wall has gotten in the way ofthe town’s growth, andnew residents have started erecting shanties outsidethe wall. The wall extends out over the lake, creatinga safe harbor for the town’s boats and giving Targosaiiother advantage over its rival, Termalaine, whosefleet is occasionally damaged by the storms that blowin from the Sea ofMoving Ice.

Goods and ServicesThe Luskan Arms is the oldest public house inTen-Towns, established back when Bryn Shanderwas stilijust “the cabin on the hill” and Luskanwas a thriving city. Many ofthe traders who cameto Targos in those days hailed from Luskan, so theLuskan Arms was built to look like an inn that mightbe found in the City of Sails. As a result, much of thedecor is nearly two hundred years old, providing asnapshot ofLuskan as it was in the years before itsdecline and ruin. Pennants bearing the arms of thefive ships ofLuskan’s 1-ugh Captains hang from theinn’s walls, and a vellum map ofthe city is mountedover the hearth. The innkeeper, a quiet, balding man

named ()wenn, knows bits and pieces ofthe city’slore, some ofwhich were passed on to him by hisfather, with the rest picked up from travelers whocome to stay at the Arms.

Three Flags Sailing is the tavern where fish-ers coming in offthe lake grab a bowl ofstew and aquick pint before heading to bed. The atmosphere atthe Three Flags is subdued—the fishers are usuallyweary from their long day’s work, more interested in

eating than socializing. The mood occasionally turnsboisterous when the town celebrates a good haul orwhen one ofthe crews recounts the tale ofa fight with

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THE DOCKWORKERS’GUILD

Targos is the only community in Ten-Towns that hasa guild—namely, the dockworkers’ guild, represent-ing the town’s shipwrights, warehouse workers, andloaders. The guild was formed to ensure standardsof quality and construction for the town’s fishingvessels and to prevent wildcat strikes by laborerswho come to Targos during the busiest part of thefishing season.

Town speaker Giandro Holfast is one of theguild’s leaders, and he is attempting to expand theguild to the rest ofTen-Towns. Workers whojoin theguild would benefit from its wage and trade protections, and their towns would gain the expertise ofTargos’s master shipwrights. Such expansion mightcost Targos some of its competitive advantage withthe other fishing towns, but Giandro believes thatthe increased influence such an arrangement wouldbring to his town would finally put Targos on aneven footing with Bryn Shander.

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fishers from Termalaine. Three Flags Sailing is run bya plump, gray-haired widow named Ethen, whom thelocal fishers call “Ma.” She bustles around the tavernmaking sure everyone has a hot beer—”to take thechill off,” she says—and fusses over the men as if theywere her own sons which a few ofthem are.

Graendel’s Fine Dwarven Craft is a smithy runby the aging Graendel Granitefist, one ofthe originaldwarves who fled Mithral Hall with Clan Battle-hammer and resettled in Icewind Dale. He has pliedhis trade in Targos since before most ofthe fishers’grandsires were alive, and he is the only person leftin Targos who remembers Akar Kessell’s invasionand the destruction that his Cryshal-Tirith wroughton the town, incinerating whole blocks ofbuild-ings with a focused beam of sunlight. The town haslong since built over the devastation, but Graendelstill tells the tale ofthat terrible day to anyonewho’ll listen—usually captive-audience guards fromBryn Shander who have come to have their armoradjusted. Graendel has a fine eye for his craft andmakes all ofhis pieces to order, fitting them perfectlyto their intended recipients, whether an adventurerlooking for a new blade or a boat in need ofa newanchor. Because ofGraendel’s exacting standards,his work often takes some time, and those in need of

a quick armor patch or a simple fish-gutter usuallymake do with one ofthe other resident smiths.

Triglio is the town’s general store, named for oneofthe chanteys that the fishers often sing when hardat work upon the lake: “Trigl-ee-oh, lads, an’ ‘oist uponthe line/Tri1cjl-ee-oh, lads, an’ brinqyonftshers in.” Theproprietor is a thin, middle-aged man named Jestin,who fished the lake until his left hand was crushedin a collision with a rival boat from Terinalaine.Now he sells foodstuffs, sackcloth, candles, lamp oil,snowshoes, wagon wheels, and various other necessities. The one thing he doesnt sell is fishing or sailingsupplies—in Targos, all such goods are supplied byspecialty crafters and merchants. Adventurers canfind most oftheir basic supplies at Triglio, and if theycan’t, Jestin can tell them where else to look.

Giandro HolfastSpeaker ofTargos

Giandro Ilolfast is a native ofTargos who works as amaster shipwright at the town’s docks. He is proudofhis work and proud ofhis town, and it chafesat him to see Targos threatened by the rising starofEasthaven. Like many ofhis fellow residents,Giandro deeply resents what he sees as Bryn Shander’s machinations to become the preeminent cityoflcewind Dale, with all the other towns in orbitaround it. The speaker is determined that Targosshould hold its own, and though he is not hostiletoward his peers on the council, he rebuffs any prop-osition that he believes would make Targos beholdento the other towns.

Giandro is middle-aged, with dark hair and astrongjaw, and might be handsome ifnot for his per-petual frown. His hands are thickly callused, and hespeaks in a stern, gravelly voice.

TermalainePopulation 600

“Thefolks o’ Termalaine will tellye theirs is the loveliestpart o’ Ten-Towns, an’ I reckon they’ve got the ri8ht ofit.

True, the charms o’ their spacious streets an’ decoratedhomes may ‘ave been wasted on me, but the mine! Full o’gems it were, sparklin’ like the waters o’ the maer. Aye, alovely town indeed!”

—Beorne Steelstrike

Termalaine has a well-deserved reputation as themost picturesque town in Icewind I)ale. Without theconfinement of a wall, the settlement unfurls fromthe banks ofMaer Dualdon in long, broad avenues

dotted with trees, inviting travelers to stroll downto the water’s edge. The town does not feel busy orcrowded—its spacious houses are widely spread alongthe avenues, and its inhabitants go leisurely abouttheir days. Termalaine has its own fishing fleet, andone often hears workers down on the docks callingout to one another or to the boats coming in off thelake, but the town is not dominated by its fishingindustry the way Targos is. Crafters and artisans areas numerous here as shipwrights, and their workimproves on the town’s natural beauty. Many build-ings feature intricate braid-work carved into theirwood frames and doors, and scrimshaw ornamentsand wind chimes hang in their windows. But per-haps what endears Termalaine most to travelers isits people. Though rough and hard-working likeall the other inhabitants ofTen-Towns, the folk ofTermalaine are also friendly, good-natured, and welcoming ofstrangers. Some people say that’s becausethey get so few travelers compared to the likes ofBryn Shander, but in truth it’s because the peopleofTermalaine love the small corner ofFaerfln theyhave carved out for themselves, and they want visitors to fall in love with it, too.

Rival to TargosTermalaine’s rivalry with Targos goes back as faras anyone can remember. For as long as the folk ofthese two towns have been pulling knucklehead outofthe waters ofMaer Dualdon, they’ve been fight-ing over who pulled which fish out ofwhat waters.Every day on the lake, fishers from Termalaine andTargos can be heard yelling at each other for cross-ing lines, obstructing movement across the water,

scaring the fish away, and stealing catches. Most ofthe time these grievances are voiced from a distance,but every so often the crews nudge each other’s boats,and the yelling escalates to fisticuffs. These altercations are usually more a chance for the fishers todisplay their bravado than an attempt to do seriousinjury to the other party, but occasionally an encounter turns truly violent, resulting in deaths. After eachsuch tragedy, the mood in Termalaine turns dark,and the residents begin recounting the transgressions perpetrated by Targos over decades, whichserves to reinforce the unending animosity betweenthese two rivals.

Goods and ServicesThe Eastside is the inn where visitors in Termalame generally stay. What looks from the street likea cluster ofhouses actually turns out to be a singlestructure connected underground, with some of thecoziest rooms in Ten-Towns though, as more thanone traveler has doubtless reflected, only in IcewindDale would a cot in the cellar be considered cozy).The owner is an aging fisher named Clyde, who stillspends his days out on the lake, since the inn doesn’tsee a lot ofbusiness. His wife tended to visitorsduring the day, until she passed away two wintersago; now Clyde employs a 12-year-old girl namedMarta to watch the door and make meals for anyonewho comes to stay.

The Blue Clam is the dockside tavern where thefishers ofTermalaine typically end their day, seatedon benches near one ofthe building’s long hearthsto warm their feet while they fill their bellies withspiced chowder. The walls are decorated with fish-ing trophies and beautiful works ofscrimshaw, andthe tables and benches are decorated with the knot-work carvings typical ofthe town. Vernon Braig,the owner and chef, knows some ofthe hunters andtrappers up in Lonelywood, and occasionally a sledcomes down the north road with a sack ofhares or ahaunch ofmoose, courtesy ofone ofVernon’s friends.On those nights, the Blue Clam’s hearths are full nfroasting meats, and the patrons stay later and singlouder, enjoying the good times while they last.

Shaelen MasthewSpeaker ofTermalaine

Shaelen Masthew is a charming, outgoing womanwho seems to know the name ofevery person inTermalaine, and her friendly manner makes strangers feel right at home. Shaelen first attended thecouncil meeting in Bryn Shander as a proxy for

THE GEM MINEWhen the first explorers settled on the east bankof Maer Dualdon, they thought nothing ofthe smallcave set into a low hill behind their settlement. Itwasn’t until later, when the settlers mustered upcourage to explore the cave’s depths, that theyfound a load of tourmaline gemstones. Lacking theexpertise and resources to set up a proper miningoperation, the people of Termalaine have workedthe mine slowly and sporadically over the years,their efforts further hampered by creatures from theUnderdark that occasionally find their way up intothe mine. Whenever such creatures are discovered,the mine is sealed off, and the townsfolk wait untila band ofsellswords or adventurers can be hired toclear it out. Currently the mine stands open, thoughlately a few miners have reported strange noises andhad tools go missing.

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the previous speaker, who had fallen ill. She wasinspired by Duvessa Shane’s example, and when theprevious speaker succumbed to his illness, Shaelenconvinced the people ofTermalaine to elect her asthe new speaker. Since then, she has learned muchabout the politics ofTen-Towns and has become oneof the council’s shrewder members.

Shaelen is heavyset, with straw-blond hair tiedin braids and a beaming smile. She wears a simplewoolen dress and apron, her only ornament a brasswedding ring. Though she is not as fiercely intelligentas Duvessa, Shaelen’s appearance and good naturecan be disarming, a fact she frequently exploits.

BremenPopulation 300

“I tried me hand at pannin’for gold along the banks o’Bremen, once. Came up with a couple o’ clams an’ ‘n ogre’stooth, but not a bit o’yellow. Seems like afool waste o’ time,fye ask me. ‘Course, mefather always used to say thesame about caravanin’!”

—Beorne Steelstrike

The town ofBremen sits sleepily on the west bankofMaer I)ualdon, at the mouth ofthe ShaengarneRiver. Those who lack a boat to sail into the town’sharbor can reach Bremen only by fording the river,which can be a perilous proposition when the wateris running high. In Bremen, travelers are often struck

by the sense that they have left Ten-Towns. Eventhough Targos, Termalaine, and Lonelywood are allvisible from the town’s docks and Kelvin’s Cairn stilldominates the skyline, the Shaengarne is like a road,slowly bending its way south and west, away fromthe mountain and Icewind Dale. In those prone towander, the shimmering band ofthe Shaengarneseems to ignite the imagination about what lands liebeyond at the world’s edge. On the people ofBremen,the view has the opposite effect, causing them tocling to Ten-Towns like barnacles to a rock, afraid ofbeing washed away in the tide.

Seasonal FloodsThe fear ofbeing washed away is no mere metaphor.Early every summer, when the frozen ground thaws,the Shaengarne spills over its banks and sweeps thefloodplain clean. Accustomed to the annual cycle,the people ofBremen do not build on the floodplain,but in some years the waters rise higher than usualand wash away boats or even buildings erected tooclose to the riverside. Travelers are also occasionallyswept away when, unaware ofthe strength of thecurrent, they attempt to ford the raging waters.

When the waters recede in midsummer, theyleave behind a rich layer ofsilt along the river’sbank, practically the only soil in the area capableofsustaining anything other than scrub grass. Thegrowing season is short, and the people ofBremenmake the most ofit, planting onions and tubers thatcan be stored for the winter. Those who aren’t busyon the lake often spend their spare daylight hourscombing through the silt for whatever the floodsmight have deposited on the river’s banks—fishhooksand fishing rods, broken weapons, bits ofjewelry,pieces ofraw knucklehead ivory, and even gold nuggets. “Treasure hunting” is a favorite activity amongthe children, and people from other towns make thetrip to Bremen once or twice a year to try their luckon the banks ofthe Shaengarne.

Goods and ServicesBuried Treasures caters to Bremen’s visitors, mostofwhom come from other parts ofTen-Towns tospend a few days panning the riverbanks. Since treasure hunting is a warm-weather activity in Bremen,the inn is sparsely occupied for most ofthe year, andtravelers in the off season might find a dark commonroom and a cold hearth upon arrival. Nevertheless,the innkeeper, Cora, is always happy to have guests,and she sets her son, Huarwar, to fetching woodfor the fire and helping with the baggage while sheturns down the fur-lined cots and puts a pot of fish

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and leek stew on the hob. The common room is deco-rated with hundreds of objects dug up from the mudofthe Shaengarne by Cora’s guests and then donatedto the inn. Most are oflittle value—gnarled pieces ofdriftwood, shards ofbroken pottery, a battered shieldbearing the remnants ofa Cormyrean noble’s crest—but displayed in a glass case on top ofthe mantle, outofcasual reach, is a gold nugget the size ofa man’sknuckle. At least, that’s what Cora tells visitors it is.In truth, it’s a rock that she disguised with a bit ofpaint she bought from a dwarftrader years ago, butthe opportunity it promises to those who see it spar-kling above the hearth keeps hopeful visitors comingback year after year.

Stones is one ofthe taverns on Breinen’s infamousFive-Tavern Center. It’s known as the place whererough-and-tumble fishers drink their courage beforepicking fights with locals at the neighboring tavems (sometimes they practice on each other beforetaking their act across the street). The barkeep, DufEis a coarse sort himself, and his broad shouldersand broken face attest to his ability to both dole outand withstand punishment. He doesn’t usually getinvolved in the nightly frays unless they happen inhis bar, whereupon he delivers a thumping to anypatrons who cause property damage. The taverntakes its name from the polished river rocks thatDuffputs at the bottom ofevery tankard ofale. If adrinker drains the cup at a single go, the stone rollsgently down to the lip ofthe tankard, but patronswho delicately sip at their beer will get a crack in theteeth when they throw back the last oftheir drink.In keeping with the spirit ofthe establishment, new-corners are never warned about the stones.

Ewin’s Trinkets is a small shop that specializesin buying and selling the items that local treasure-seekers find on the riverbanks. The building iscluttered with a miscellany ofobjects. Some lookas ifthey might have value to the right person, andothers look like the kind oftrash a child would stuffin her pockets to keep it from being thrown away.The shop is owned by a haifling named Ewin whocame to Bremen to pan the riverbanks. In a remark-able stroke ofluck, he pulled three gold nuggets outofthe river in his first two days ofprospecting, andafter much deliberation over what to do with hisnewfound wealth, he decided to buy this store. Someofthe collection dates back to its original owner, awizard named Earvin who came to Ten-Towns fromLuskan after the fall ofthe Hosttower ofthe Arcane,and who dealt exclusively in magical trinkets. Ewinhas spent years trying to figure out which items inhis collection are magical and what they might do,but so far the only item whose function he’s sure ofis a chipped porcelain cup that instantly heats anyliquid poured into it. Ewin is happy to buy any gemsor jewelry that adventurers might bring him andis willing to part rjtlm his trinkets for a fair price,with the understanding that buyers won’t hold himresponsible for any undiscovered or undesirablemagical effects.

Dorbuigruf ShalescarSpeaker ofBremen

I)orbulgruf Shalescar is a dwarffrom Iromuaster(see page 5 6) who moved to Bremen after a miningaccident convinced him he had spent enough ofhislife underground. His unflagging efforts helpingBremen to rebuild after a bad flood earned him therespect ofthe locals, and his sensible, even-handednature earned him their trust, eventually promptingthem to nominate him as their speaker.

1)orbulgrufis getting on in years, and a few wispsofgray are visible in the dwarf’s black beard. Hespeaks in a slow baritone that brooks no interruption, and he always treats strangers as friends untilthey give him a reason to do otherwise. His unflappable demeanor is a welcome counterpoint to the hottempers that often hold sway at the council meetingsin Bryn Shander.

Local LandmarksFive-Tavern Center is the area in the middle ofBremen where five taverns stand arranged in a circlearound a central yard. As the story goes, five brothershad originally intended to build a tavern together,

FIVE-TAVERN CENTERIn the middle of Bremen stand five tavernsarranged in a circle around a central yard, aplace the locals simply call Five-Tavern Center.As the story goes, five brothers had originallyintended to build a tavern together, but eachhad assumed he would be the one to run thebusiness. Since none of the brothers wouldwork for the others, each built his own tavern,and they all competed for customers. Everynight would find the brothers in the central yardfighting over who was stealing whose business.Whether the story is true is anyone’s guess, butnearly every night in Bremen finds a fight break-ing out in Five-Tavern Center.

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but each had assumed he would be the one to runthe business. Since none ofthe brothers would workfor the others, each built his own tavern, and they allcompeted for customers. Every night would find thebrothers in the central yard fighting over who wasstealing whose business. Whether the story is trueis anyone’s guess, but nearly every night in Bremenfinds a fight breaking out in Five-Tavern Center.

Wet Rock is a small island located in the head ofthe Shaengarne River. Jutting up from the river likea miniature version ofKelvin’s Cairn, the rocky isletstays clear ofthe flood waters most years, but in yearswhen the flooding reaches its highest levels Wet Rockis totally submerged. A determined recluse namedThurdeime has rebuilt her little shack atop theisland at least six times in the last fifteen years,but no flood can convince her to relocate intotown. Rumors around Breinen claim that the oldwoman is a witch who treats with infernal powersin the solitude ofher cabin, but the truth is muchsimpler: She fled a brutal husband in Waterdeepfifteen years ago and can’t bring herselfto trustpeople anymore, especially men.

LonelywoodPopulation 150

“Mostfolk in Lonelywood went there tryin’ toforgetabout somethin’ . . . or tryin’ to beforgotten. Folks theremind their own business, an’ they expectye to do thesame. Surest way tofind trouble in that town is to startaskin’ questions.”

—Beorne Steelstrike

The northernmost municipality in Ten-Towns is aremote community ofloggers and fishers, humblefolk engaged in hard, honest labor, scratching outa living at the edge ofthe rorld It is also a den ofunrepentant thieves, cold-hearted killers, and mis-erable derelicts. These two groups ofpeople do notexist separately—they are one and the same, and aperson’s vision ofthe town’s inhabitants says moreabout that individual than it does about the people ofLonelywood. Clinging to either ofthe extreme viewsoften causes outsiders to misjudge the residents,sometimes with tragic consequences. The visitorswho fare best in Lonelywood are those who have amore nuanced understanding ofhuman nature, whoknow that good and evil do not stare at each otheracross the battlefield ofthe cosmos, but lie withinevery person’s heart in discomfiting embrace.

Haven for MiscreantsFor as long as Ten-Towns has existed, Lonelywoodhas attracted the region’s shadiest element. The placeis far enough from the other towns to be safe againstidle intrusion, and its thick wood conceals the darkand sordid dealings that sometimes transpire there.Still, Lonelywood is not Luskan; people are not regularly murdered in the streets, and folk do not alwaysplot against one another. The realities ofsurvival thisfar north demand that the folk ofLonelywood liveand work together, and so they do, quite peaceably—for the most part.

The fact ofthe matter is that almost every resident ofLonelywood has a secret past. It might be acrime for which that person has yet to face justice,a revelation too dangerous or shameful to divulge,

Timber Industry

Only about halfofLonelywood’s able-bodied residents trawl the lake for knucklehead, while the otherhalfspend their days in the surrounding forest fell-ing and hewing the trees that are used to constructmany ofthe boats and buildings in Ten-Towns. Mostfamously, Lonelywood’s firs were used to build thewalls ofTargos and Bryn Shander.

After it is cut, Lonelywood’s timber is taken bycart down the north road, where most ofit is soldin Termalaine and Targos. Less frequently, Lone-lywood’s timber drivers bring a load to market inBryn Shander, where the wood generally fetches ahigher price.

Lonelywood’s forest is the town’s greatest asset,not only for its material wealth but for the defenseit provides against orcs and barbarians coming down Bremen’s Run.The woods slow oncoming pursuers,giving the townsfolk time to escapeonto the safety ofthe lake. Most often,though, bands ofraiders simply passLonelywood by, never realizing thetown is there.

Goods and Services

Ramshackle is Lonelywood’s aptlynamed inn. The original structurewas hastily thrown up about a century ago to accommodate a surgeofinterest in the town following itsbranding as the “Home ofthe Half-ling Hero” (so named for the town’sspeaker, a haifling named Regis, whoplayed a pivotal role in rebuffingthe barbarian invasion led by King

: Heafstaag ofthe Tribe ofthe Elk).

r After a time, the influx of travelersto Lonelywood returned to its usualh trickle’and the building was givenTover ,o storing timber. Over the years“the residents periodically found occa

sion to reopen the inn, sometimesadding c-’a rooms as needed. No one

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ever imagined that the structure would see use foras long as it has, so all the construction has been ofa haphazard nature and indifferent to quality. Several times, sections ofthe building have collapsedunder the weight ofthe winter snows; inevitably,the repairs to these sections were undertaken withthe same (minimal) amount ofcare that went intotheir original construction. Nowadays, the inn iskept open on a permanent basis, with a retiredsawyer named DeGrootz looking after visitors. Onlya handful ofrooms are in service, with the rest stillused for timber storage. Rumor has it that some-times other things get stored in those rooms as well,hidden among the cords ofwood, but DeGrootzkeeps all the rooms under lock and key. That, andthe heavy woodcutter’s axe he keeps close at hand,deters most visitors from poking around in roomsthat aren’t theirs.

The Lucky Liar is a favorite local tavern wherefishers and woodcutters spend the evenings tell-ing tall tales. Although the taverns in Bryn Shandermight see a greater number oftravelers, it is at theLucky Liar Tavern that one can hear some of themost outrageous tales ofadventure in the far-offcorners ofFaerfln. Ofcourse, most ofthe stories are

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a loss too great to be overcome by mourning.Although a few people bring their past with them toLonelywood, continuing their lives and identities asbefore in hopes that the remoteness ofthe locationwill keep whatever chases them at bay, most new-comers arrive in town intent on leaving their pastbehind. But such truths often have a way of catchingup with people sooner or later.

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heavily embellished, and some are outright fabrications—fictional exploits invented by locals who areconcerned about keeping the truth concealed. Fromtime to time, though, patrons whose tongues havebeen loosened by drink let slip valuable or danger-ous secrets—kernels oftruth hastily covered overwith a wash oflies, but always noted and filed awayby Danae, the tavern’s astute barkeep. A slight, plain-looking woman notable for her raven-black hair,Danae takes advantage ofherjob at the tavern tohide in plain sight among the people of Lonelywoodand goes about her serving work with a quietcircumspection. She rarely engages in extended con-versations, and she makes small talk with patronsas a pretense to linger near an interesting conversation taking place at another table. In fact, Danae isa Thayan agent planted in Icewind Dale years agoto watch for enemies ofSzass Tam who might seekrefuge in the remote communities ofTen-Towns.

Pavel’s Used Goods is the closest thing thatLonelywood has to a general store. Buyers can find awide array ofgoods here, from the mundane to theextraordinary, and generally at lower prices thancan be found in Bryn Shander’s market. But, likethe people ofLonelywood, the goods sold here tend

to have histories that aren’t readily acknowledgedby the shop’s proprietor, a weaselly-looking fellownamed Pave!. Travelers who purchase equipmentmight later find themselves in the uncomfortablesituation ofbeing accosted by the items’ previousowners (who were not compensated for their loss)or attacked by interested parties who have mistakenthe travelers for said previous owners. On the otherhand, adventurers who have rare or unusual objectsto sell need look no further than Pavel’s shop. The slymerchant is willing to pay a very nearly fair price forjust about anything—no questions asked.

The Happy Scrimshander is a little shop nearLonelywood’s docks that sells the tools ofthe scrimshander’s trade: needles and knives in a dazzlingarray ofshapes and sizes, inks in a rainbow of colors,and waxes used to seal an engraving when it’s done.

Avandro PerthSpeaker ofLonelywood

Avandro Perth is a black market operator fromNeverwinter who headed north when Lord Never-ember put a price on his head. By the time he eludedthe last bounty hunter, Avandro had ended up in

Lonelywood, where he resolved torebuild his business. But then, whilehe was in the process ofestablish-ing a local network, Avandro endedup gaining influence among most ofthe small town’s population, inadvertently resulting in his being electedspeaker. He enjoys the expandedclout the position grants him, butits responsibilities place increasingdemands on his time. Still, what’sgood for Lonelywood is good forbusiness, so Avandro manages thetown’s affairs as best he can.With his close-cropped black hairand hawkish features, Avandro iseasily recognizable (which proveda distinct liability during his flightfrom Neverwinter). He speaks inprecise, clipped tones and quicklybetrays impatience when he thinkshis time is being wasted.

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REGHED TRIBESThey are children ofthe glacier, as suggested bytheir collective name. They are people ofthe wild,as revealed by their tribal names—the Elk, the Tiger,the Wolf, the Bear. They are the tribes of IcewindDale, proud and wild and strong, bound to ancienttraditions that have kept them alive through count-less harsh winters in Icewind Dale. The people ofTen-Towns and southern lands call them barbarians,because these wilderness folk disdain what they callthe weakness ofcivilized people.

Markedly taller than most southerners, with somemales approaching seven feet in height, the Reghedbarbarians have blue eyes and hair ofblond, red, orlight brown. Their skin is bronzed from the sun andcracked by the wind, giving their faces the look oftough leather set in an expressionless mask. Theydress in leather and furs, dyed in bright colors thatstand out against the brown and white ofthe tundra.

The four main tribes have been bitter rivals inthe past. Some tribes have diminished, and someminor tribes have disbanded over the past century,many oftheir members settling in Ten-Towns andabandoning their traditional ways. Ofthe remainingtribes—Elk, Tiger, Wolf, and Bear—the Tribe of theElk is the most prominent. It is the tribe ofthe best-known hero ofthe Reghed barbarians, Wulfgar, sonof Beornegar.

The Reghed tribes are nomadic, following herds ofreindeer on their annual migrations southwest in thewinter and northeast in the summer. The barbarianslive in large, round tents made ofdeerskin and sup-ported by beams ofwood harvested from the Spineofthe World or the trees near Lonelywood. Aftereach seasonal migration, they erect their tents in anencampment that remains more or less unchangedfor the length ofthe season.

A typical camp includes a ring oflarge tents thathouse the tribe’s king and the other important members: its shaman, its most honored hunter, its greatestwarrior, and the like. Each tent is surrounded bycampfires where warriors ofthe tribe sleep in theopen, protected from the cold by the flames and thickfur blankets. Smaller tents surround the inner circle,with campfires scattered around and among them.

The Reghed tribes have been known to raid Ten-Towns for supplies and slaves, but only a handftilof such attacks have occurred in the last century,

mostly launched by the small, aggressive, and des-perate Tribe ofthe Bear. Instead, the tribes havebegun to engage in limited trade with the towns,particularly Bremen and Caer-Konig, where many oftheir distant kin still dwell. Because ofthis trade, thebarbarians are better armed, better equipped againstthe cold, and better fed than ever before, and theyseem to be gaining in strength despite their diminished numbers.

TRIBE OF THE ELKThe most renowned and most populous of theReghed tribes, the Tribe ofthe Elk strives to carry onWulfgars great legacy. For the most part, the tribelives in peace with the Ten-Towners, and the tribe’sruler leads his people with wisdom and care.

Jarund ElkhardtKing ofthe Elk Tribe

King Jarund Elkhardt is a towering barbarianwhose deeply tanned skin and mane ofauburn hairbespeak a life utterly removed from the comforts ofcivilization. Anyone who speaks with the terse ruler,however, learns thatJarund is no savage. At forty-twowinters, he is the oldest king among all the barbariantribes and has led the Elk Tribe for over halfhis life.Jarund has seen other kings rise and fall, has madewar with his friends and peace with his enemies, andhas led tribesmen he knew as babes to their deathsin battle. Always he has kept the survival ofthe ElkTribe foremost in his efforts, and the strain ofhislong years ofrule is written on his face.

Some members ofthe Elk Tribe refer to theirking as Jarund the Elder, though never in his presence. The epithet is an allusion to the king’s late son,Jarund Twice-Born, who was killed three years agoin a hunt when he tried to bring down a cave bear.His spear struck true, but the creature tore openthe young man’s chest in its death throes, leavingJarund without an heir. The king never speaks of hisson and shows no favor to any other warriors of thetribe to mark a possible successor. But as old as heis, Jarund cannot ignore the matter ofsuccession forlong, and many warriors have already started posturing against one another in the event that the tribe

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invokes the rite ofcombat to determine a new kingafter Jarund passes. Many ofthe tribesfolk speculatethat the leader’s reluctance to name a successor—andthe obvious favor he shows to Froya 1-larmoot—indicate that he hopes to sire another heir. Someofthe women whisper that Froya is already withchild—much to the consternation ofjarund’s wife,Wynneth.

Whatever the future holds, Jarund is a potent forcefor the time being, and he rules his tribe with a surehand. He is gravely concerned about the early comingofwinter, in terms ofsurviving the harsh season andwhat it might portend about the greater entities atwork in Icewind Dale. In such matters, Jarund seeksthe counsel ofMjenir, the Elks’ shaman; the kinggreatly respects his understanding ofthe workings ofgods and spirits. The fact that both men have lost theirsons serves to strengthen the bond between them.

Jarund’s attitude toward the people ofTen-Townsis a mix ofdisinterest and disdain. He refers to city-dwellers as “tamed men” and does not see muchvalue in dealing with them. In Jarund’s mind, thepeople’s refusal to live with the land, and insteadhide from it behind walls, is the source oftheir troubles. Although he knows the coming winter will testhis tribe sorely, Jarund believes that the barbarians’

Many ilijies north ofi’n:ro;17saCrQcc the trackletUfldfl to the flortJzerIzTIzost edge ofland in all theRealms, thefrosts cJfM’jlter had already lzardeizedtllegroit,id j11 a white tippedg/ There wereno fllOUfltajfls or trees to block the cold bite oft/icrele,tless eastern wind, carryiiig tlzefrostv airfrom Reghed Glacier TheBreat bergs oft/ic Sea ofMoving Ice dred slow’y past, the wind howling offoftheir high-ridjg tips in agriin reminder ofthecoI7liig season. Andyet the nomadic tribes whoSlunmered there with the reindeer had notjourneyedwit/i tl!e herd migration southwest along the coastto the iflOre hospitable sea on the south side ofthepeninsulaThe unwaveringfl55

oft/ic horizon was brokenin One small corner by a solitary encampment thelargestgatheringofbarbariauis thisfar north inmore than a century

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Apprenticed at a young age to the tribe’s previous shaman, Mjenir has a deep understanding of theways ofthe tundra—the flow ofthe land, the rhythmofthe weather, the delicate interplay between herdanimals and predators. This knowledge alone wouldmake Mjenir an invaluable member ofthe tribe, buteven more important, he has a connection to thespirit realm. It is common knowledge among thetribesfolk that Mjenir can speak with animals, andsome believe that he can read omens in the clouds.In truth, Mjenir’s command ofnature spirits is tenuous at best, and anything more than rudimentarydivinations is beyond him. Still, he enjoys the author-ity he has gained from the tribe members’ beliefsand does nothing to dissuade them. To the contrary,Mjenir occasionally takes great pains to consult hisoracles conspicuously before recommending a courseofaction to the tribe, such as when and where to findthe best hunting. More often than not, his counselstems not from any mystical revelation but from hisdeep study ofnatural lore. Nevertheless, the tribeenjoys the spectacle and praises Mjenir’s gift whenhis advice bears fruit.

Mjenir had a son, Olaf, the sole offspring ofhisshort marriage to a now long-dead wife. Olafdid nothave his father’s gift for speaking with spirits or hiscuriosity about the world around him, instead train-ing as one ofthe tribe’s warriors. Perhaps as a resultoflosing his mother at a young age and growing upwith a father who seemed more interested in con-versing with birds and squirrels, Olafwas more quietand reserved than the other warriors. When a girlnamed Hedrun began to manifest strange abilitiesand was shunned by the rest ofthe tribe, Olafwasdrawn to the young woman, notjust for her beautybut for the loneliness they both endured.

Mjenir had mistrusted Hedrun’s abilities from thestart, not least ofall because they were greater thanhis own. Though the girl apparently had no controlover her gifts, Mjenir saw her as a potential threatto his position ofimportance in the tribe. Whenhe belatedly realized how fascinated Olafwas withthe young woman, it heightened Mjenir’s fear that1-ledrun would steal away everything that belongedto him. He forbade Olaffrom seeing the girl, whichnaturally had the effect ofdriving his son straightinto Hedrun’s arms. Tragically, jealous Auril wouldallow Hedrun no mortal love, and her power frozeOlafto death at Hedrun’s touch.

When Mjenir learned ofOlaf’s death, he broughthis son’s body before Kinglarund as proofof thedanger that Hedrun posed to the tribe. Though hecould easily have demanded her life in paymentfor Olaf’s, Mjenir feared that he would be hauntedby the vengeful spirit ofone so great. Instead, he

strengths—their courage, fortitude, and knowledge ofthe land—will enable them to endure.

Jarund’s age and experience make him a cautious leader. Because he does not long for glory asthe younger warriors do, he is more apt to adopt adefensive position in battle and negotiation, optingto endure an enemy’s assault and wait to see whatdevelops rather than extend himselfin an attempt toachieve a quick resolution. Jarund commits to actiononly ifhe believes that a failure to do so would placehis tribe at greater risk than would holding back.When he acts, it is with all the strength and fury onewould expect ofa barbarian war leader.

Mjenir TormhaaltShaman ofthe Elk Tribe

Mjenir Tormhaalt is the shaman ofthe Elk Tribe,and perhaps its most influential member after KingJarund. Though nearly as old as Jarund, Mjenir looksten years younger, for he has not carried the burdenofrule nor endured the hardships ofbattle. He hasicy blue eyes and platinum blond hair, which hangsin long braids across his shoulders.

demanded that she be banished from the tribe,believing that the girl would meet her end in thejaws ofa wild beast.

Now that the winter storms have come unseasonably soon, and the hunters have returned with talesofa witch wandering the tundra, driving beasts andsnow before her, Mjenir realizes that his decisionto banish Hedrun might have been a mistake. Hehas not shared his suspicion ofthe Ice Witch’s trueidentity with anyone else, lest he be seen as havingbrought her vengeance down upon the Elk Tribe.Similarly, he opposed Hengar Aesnvaard’s suggestionto find aid in Ten-Towns because he fears repercussions ifoutsiders discover the witch’s identity and thesource ofher grievance. Instead, he urges Jarund toplacate the gods with sacrifices and keep the tribe onthe move to stay ahead ofthe witch’s attacks. In hisheart, though, Mjenir knows he cannot outrun win-ter’s fury, and he seeks a way to counter the witch’sthreat without admitting his culpability to the rest ofhis tribe. Perhaps he can put a friend or a foe in thewitch’s way—someone who might stand a chance ofdestroying her.

Warriors of the Elk TribeHengar Aesnvaard: As a young man, HengarAesnvaard grew up hearing tales ofWulfgarDragonsbane, the Elk king who slew the dragonIcingdeath and, along with the other famed Companions, saved Ten-Towns from the army ofAkarKessell at the Battle oflcewind Dale. To hear hisfellow tribe members tell it, Wulfgar’s glorious victories validated the Reghed way oflife. The king’sloyalty to the tribes, his trust in his own strength towin through adversity, and the restless wanderingsofhis late career all spoke to the virtues that Hengarhad been taught since he was a boy.

Hengar took a different lesson from the tales.Where others spoke ofWulfgar’s loyalty in rejecting

a life with the dwarves to return to his rightfulplace among his people, Hengar saw a sense ofduty. Where they spoke ofWulfgar’s reliance on hisown might, Hengar saw the hero’s reliance on hisfriends. And where some pointed to the famed king’sjourneys as a rejection ofthe sentimentality of city-dwellers, who foolishly die rather than leave theirprecious homes, Hengar saw the searching ofa manwho no longer felt at home among his people.

Now a seasoned warrior ofthe Elk Tribe, Hengarstill has a habit ofseeing things differently from

THE REGHED GLACIERAt the eastern edge of Icewind Dale, the frozen tundra meets the great expanse ofthe Reghed Glacier. Even the barbarians rarely venture to this bleak and barren area.Icy winds pour offthe glacier, robbing the plains below ofmoisture, and the glacier’sslow advance and retreat scours the earth of whatever life takes root there. Greatearthen walls, left behind by the glacier’s past retreats, stand guard over the emptytundra. The barbarians say these walls were erected by the giants in the Dawn Agesto mark the boundaries oftheir kingdoms, and many otherwise brave warriors refuseto range beyond them.

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his fellows. lie has never understood the aloof’nessbetween the Reghed tribes and the people ofTen-Towns when there is so much each could offer theother. But on the few times when he broached thesubject, he nras harshly rebuked by his peers, so nowHengar mostly keeps his thoughts to himself.

Recently, with the sightings ofthe Ice Witch,Hengar has had new reason to speak his mind.When the warriors spoke ofthe witch’s apparentinvincibility and Mjenir offered no advice otherthan to flee, Hengar decided it was time to seek theaid ofthe people ofTen-Towns. With King Jarund’sblessing, he traveled to Bryn Shander in search of awizard or someone else knowledgeable in the waysofmagic who might be able to tell him how the ElkTribe can fight this new menace.

Soren Arnsfirth: Fledrun’s father is one of theolder warriors in the Elk Tribe, notable for his sky-blue eyes and his quiet demeanor. A simple manwith no insight into the workings ofspirits or themysteries ofgods and magic, Soren was confusedand frightened by the strange abilities his daughterbegan to manifest as she grew. lie felt helpless as hewatched the tribe turn its back on her, not knowinghow to comfort his daughter or even relate to her.

Soren sought Mjenir’s counsel on many occasions,but always came away frustrated by the shaman’sinsistence on treating Hedrun as a threat to bemanaged rather than as a loved one to be helped.Although Soren lacks the courage to speak outagainst the shaman, he resents Mjenir for turning hisback on Hedrun and banishing her from the tribe.His hesitancy stems also from the possibility thatMjenir might have been right to cast the girl out, andas a grieving father himself, Soren can understandMjenir’s bitterness over the loss ofhis son.

With the recent sightings ofthe Ice Witch, Sorenhas begun to think that Hedrun might have survivedher banishment. His conjecture has no basis otherthan his hope that his daughter yet lives, so he hastold no one ofhis thoughts. lie has voiced supportfor Mjenir’s policy ofavoiding encounters with thewitch, since Soren does not want to see his daughterkilled even ifshe has become a monster.

EVERMELTA sacred site to the Reghed tribes, Evermelt is anoasis ofwarmth in the midst ofthe frozen desert,a hot spring that bubbles up at the foot of theReghed Glacier. Walled offfrom the howling windand warmed by heat from the depths ofthe earth,Evermelt is a sanctuary and a refuge. It is also oneofthe entrances to the old lair ofthe white dragonIcingdeath, and it remains a place ofterrible dangereven a century after the creature’s death.

Sacred Pool: The turquoise waters ofthe sacredpool appear still and calm. Sometimes a glint ofgoldis visible at the bottom ofthe pool—perhaps a glimpseofa mineral embedded in one ofthe colorful boulders that make up the glacial moraine. Those whoenter the water risk being caught in a current thatcuts down into the heart ofthe glacier. A charactercan fight the current and stay afloat in the pool, ornavigate the narrow chute without injury, by succeeding on a hard Strength check.

Under the influence ofHedrun the Ice Witch,members ofthe Tribe ofthe Bear who have sworn

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allegiance to Auril camp around the pooi to guardtheir sacred site in the dragon’s old lair.

Chute and Tunnel: The narrow chute lead-ing from the pooi widens as it descends, allowingcreatures that get caught in the flow an opportunityto draw a breath ofbitterly cold air as they con-tinue downward. The descent presents the threatofdrowning and the danger ofinjury as the waterssmash against the ice walls.

Waterfall Cavern: No sooner has the tunnelwidened than the stream drops into a cascade overa shelfofice, plunging into a high, domed ice cavehung withjagged icicles. The floor ofthe cave isstrewn with sharp ice spikes, like stalagmites formedas water drips from the ceiling high above. In someplaces, tall columns ofice join the floor and ceilingin crystalline structures that scatter what little sun-light filters through the ice roof above.

Characters hurtling down the tunnel can attemptto catch themselves before plummeting over thewaterfall, but the icy walls make that task extremelydifficult. As Wulfgar did, a character can attempt ahard Strength check tojump from the edge of thewaterfall and catch an icicle or ice column so as to

make a more controlled descent. Those who fail dropthirty feet onto the jagged ice below.

Most ofthe water drains offthrough a narrowchannel in the floor, but some ofthe waterfall’sspray, already halffrozen, collects in strangelybeautiful heaps ofice particles that further scatterthe light. Several tunnels lead on from the cavern,meandering farther into the glacier’s vast expanse.Some run without interruption until they finallyclose off, and others end suddenly where the waterspills down narrow crevasses. Unexplored tunnelsmight open into other caverns, from which yet morepassages branch.

The Dragon’s Lair: The widest tunnel from thewaterfall cavern leads to the enormous ice cave thatwas once the lair ofthe white dragon Ingeloakastimizilian, which the barbarians called Icingdeath.Though the dragon was slain by the Elk Tribe heroWulfgar over a century ago, its frozen remains liehere still, its desiccated flesh frozen to its bones, thegreat icicle that stabbed its heart still lodged in thecreature’s ribs. The cultists ofAuril who have discovered this lair revere the remains as ifthey were amanifestation ofthe Frostmaiden herself.

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At the base ofthegreLtglaCjer Iüddeiz offin a small deli where oneoJthe ice spurs wound through broken rfts and boulders was aplace the barbarians called Everinelt. A hot springfrd a small pool,the wariiej waters waging a relentless battle against icefloes andfreezing temperatures TribesmeTi stranded inland by early 5110Ws,who could notfind their way to the sea with the reindeer herd, oftensought refuge at Everineltfor even in the coldest months ofwjnterulifrozen, sustaining water could befound here. And the warmingvapors ojthe pool made the ternperatires ofthe innnediate areabearable, fiiot comfortable...

—The Crystal Shard

THE DWARVESHeirs ofthe once-mighty kingdom ofDelzoun, thedwarves ofthe North are a scattered remnant ofa greatpeople. Delzoun, the Northkingdom, arose when thedwarves were a flourishing race and expanded out-ward from greater kingdoms in the southern lands. Itwas the most grand and glorious ofseveral kingdomsfounded across the North, and it thrived for almost fourthousand years before its fall fifteen hundred years ago.At its height, Delzoun stretched four hundred milesfrom east to west, with great citadels aboveground (ofwhich Adbar and Felbarr still survive) and vast tracts ofUnderdark caves, mines, and tunnels.

1)elzoun slid into decline as the dwarves’ numbers were whittled away in endless wars againstgoblins. orcs, and other monsters. One by one, theirholdings—including the fortresses ofAscore andGauntlgrym, and the subterranean network of theFardrimm—fell to invaders that came out of themountains and threats that rose up from the Under-dark. Though surface outposts such as Citadel Adbarand Citadel Felbarr remained in dwarven hands longafter I)elzoun’s fall, they were cut offfrom each otherand continued to diminish slowly over the centuries.

Before the fall ofDelzoun, a large clan ofdwarvesled by Gandalug Battlehainmer established a mithralmine just west ofthe kingdom and named it MithralHall. The Battlehammer dwarves and their alliesmined beneath the hall for centuries, growing wealthyas they traded with merchants from across the North.But they delved too deeply, inadvertently opening aportal to a shadowy plane and allowing the shadowdragon Shimmergloom to enter their halls.

Shimmergloom scattered the dwarves of MithralHall and made its lair among the deepest mines. Thefleeing dwarves spread throughout the North, sometaking refuge with their kin in Citadel Adbar. Most ofClan Battlehammer, though—including the prince ofMithral Hall, young Bruenor—fled the region entirelyand came to Icewind I)ale.

Thus, the dwarves ofthe dale are a remnant ofa remnant. These members ofClan Battlehammerestablished their mines in the valley alongside Kelyin’s Cairn and lived in the dale for two centuries.When Bruenor Battlehammer found lost MithralHall, his clanjoined him in reclaiming it and abandoned Icewind I)ale entirely.

Over the next decades, perhaps two hundreddwarves returned to Icewind Dale, having grown

accustomed to life in the wintry region (though theyremained loyal to the kings ofMithral Hall). Nowruled by a cousin ofthe Battlehammer line, StokelySilverstream, the dwarves ofKelvin’s Cairn continuetheir old ways, mining the scant veins ofiron thatrun beneath the tundra and crafting the finest weaporis, armor, and tools available in Icewind Dale.

The dwarves ofthe dale are in a situation lessbleak than a century ago, not so obviously doomedto eventual oblivion. Young dwarves are more coin-inonly seen in the mines and tunnels ofthe valley,and laughter more often echoes in the halls. Not thatthe dwarves are any less gruff, stern, or taciturn; theyweather the hardships oflife in Icewind Dale withtheir characteristic stoic silence. But now, visitorsfrom Mithral Hall arrive with nearly every caravan, come to visit kin. And rather than lament lostMithral Hall, they toast its kings in their feasts—KingConnerad, who sits on the throne now, and KingBruenor, who liberated it a century ago.

The dwarves ofKelvin’s Cairn live in their mines,but some parts ofthe mines are more hospitablethan others. As iron veins ran out, the dwarvesconverted the underground caverns into livingspaces—homes, forges, shops, and the like. Rough-hewn walls scarred by miners’ picks were smoothedand squared or carved into perfect circles. Hearthswere lit in alcoves where iron had been dug out fromthe stone. I)oors were fitted into stone archwaysand floors were leveled, creating all the comforts ofdwarven homes.

They had niade their home in the rocky valley

between the two northerllflhost oft}ie three lakes lonj

before any hwnans, other than the barbarians, had

come to icewind Dale. They were a poor rernflallt

ofwhat had once been a thrh’ifl dwarvcfl society

a band ofreftiee5 beaten and broken by the loss of

their jioineland and heritage. They continued to

dwindle in numbers, their elders dying as much of

sadness as old age. Though the mmmii under the

fields qft}ie rejion was8ood, the dwarves seemed

destined tofade away into oblivion.—The Crystal Shard

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The cleft ofearth that stretches south from the footofKelvin’s Cairn is known to the people of IcewindDale as the dwarven valley. For almost as long aspeople have been fishing the lakes, the dwarves ofClan Battlehammer have been living in the valleyand mining its depths. Visitors who stand at the valley’s edge can see the dwarven tunnels running inrows along the walls, connected by narrow walk-ways, and hear the faint ringing ofhammer strikescarried on the wind. Those who pick their way downthe dizzying switchback at Daledrop are transportedto a different realm entirely.

Gone is the howling glacial wind, replaced by theclangorous echoes ofaxes striking on steel, hammerspounding out iron, and picks chipping away at themountain’s stone. The wide-open expanses of thelakes and tundra are replaced by the towering wallsofthe valley, blocking out any sight ofthe surround-ing lands. Even the craggy profile ofKelvin’s Cairn istransformed by the view from the valley floor. Whatothers think ofas the mountain is, to the dwarves,simply its peak. The heart ofKelvin’s Cairn is whatlies beneath, deep in its tunnels and mines.

The Dwarven HallsAt first glance, the valley at the foot ofthe mountainoften seems desolate. No buildings or other signs ofhabitation are evident except for the stone stairs andwalkways carved into the cliffside. It is behind thosewalls ofstone, hidden from view, that the dwarvesofKelvin’s Cairn go about their daily lives. In thesetroubled times, sentries wander the valley and standguard at various points on the map on the facingpage (marked as areas 1, 2, and 3).

Lining the tunnels that bore into the valley’s sidesare the dwarven halls—winding rows ofliving quarters,meeting halls, dining halls, storerooms, forges, temples,kitchens, and armories. The map enlarges these hallsand flattens them vertically. The complex is made ofa large number ofsinall chambers opening onto themain tunnels, stacked two or sometimes three high,with carved staircases leading to the higher doors.

Most ofthe living quarters are modest, consist-ing ofa single room with a table, bed, and trunk, oroccasionally a suite ofrooms for a large family. Themeeting and dining halls are much larger, sincethese are the areas where the dwarves most frequently congregate. They are set with great tables

THE DWARVEN VALLEY

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and benches and decorated with intricate stone carvings and metalwork.

The forge is the heart of any dwarven hail, andevery time the dwarves dig a new tunnel, the firstspace they carve out is a new forge room. Dwarvenforges are much more spacious than those found inhuman cities—the latter typically are the provenanceofa single specialist with perhaps a few assistants,but the forge in a dwarven community is used bynearly everyone.

The dwarves who are loyal to Stokely Silverstreamhave gathered within this mile-long hall and namedit Battlehammer Hold (area 4), after their clan.About eighty dwarves live in this part ofthe valley,and at any given time about twenty-five ofthem areon guard duty or patrolling the road. These dwarveslive in twelve family homes cut into the walls; inmost cases, two families live in each home so thatthe whole population can fit within this single, easilypatrolled area.

The westernmost home on the south side of thehall belongs to Dam Stokely Silverstream, the leaderofthese dwarves and, before Baerick’s rise, of thewhole valley.

The large hexagonal chamber on the north side ofthe hall is the community forge, where the dwarvescontinue to smelt what little iron they’re able to bringup from the mines and work it into the items thatthey trade with Ten-Towns. The forge chamber hasbecome a sort oftown hall, where the remainingloyal dwarves discuss the pressing issues that facethe community.

Baerick Hanunerstone now leads the dwarves ofKelvin’s Cairn from his seat in the Halls ofBlack Ice

(area 5), on the eastern side ofthe dwarven valley.Like Stokely’s dwarves on the west side, Baerick’s followers have consolidated their homes into a singlemile-long stretch oftunnel that is easily defensible—though the enemies that Baerick imagines are notthe same ones that Stokely fears.

About sixty dwarves live in the Halls of BlackIce, sharing space in a dozen large family homes.The easternmost home on the south side ofthe hallbelongs to Baerick, and on the other side of thehall is his forge, where he crafts black ice weaponsand armor to outfit his comrades. At the moment,the forge room holds about five hundred pounds ofunworked black ice.

An enormous round chamber in the eastern minesis the dwarves’ temple (area 6), honoring their fourmost important deities: Moradin, the head ofthe dwarfpantheon, called the Dwarffather and Soul Forger;Berronar Truesilver, the Revered Mother; ClanggedinSilverbeard, the Father ofBattle; and Dumathoin, theKeeper ofSecrets under the Mountain. Each deity has

an altar on a dais against the circular wall, and a greatforge stands in the center ofthe temple, used by dwarfsmiths to create their finest works in honor ofthe dci-ties. Before the recent troubles began, the forge waskept burning continuously, but its flames have gone outsince it has been left untended.

The MinesThe first tunnels dug by the Battlehammer clanafter its arrival in Icewind Dale traced the veins ofiron ore the dwarves found riddling the valley walls.Over the ensuing decades, the most accessible veinswere dug out, so the dwarves were forced to delvedeeper to find more ore. The original mining tunnelswere expanded and turned into living quarters asthe miners pushed farther into the mountain’s roots.Now, after three centuries of activity, the minesextend into the bowels ofKelvin’s Cairn. Just reach-ing the active loads requires nearly half an hour’swalk from the valley floor, and anyone who wasn’traised to navigate below ground will likely becomelost in the twisting and looping tunnels.

As with the living quarters, the map simplifiesthe layout ofthe mines, showing only the largest tunnels. The mines are cramped and dark, and the airis stale. Anyone taller than a dwarfis forced to stoopwhen traveling through the passages. Even at theirwidest, the tunnels don’t have enough room for twopeople to move freely. Torches and lamps burn dimlyin the poor air, and casting any kind offire spell con-sumes so munch ofthe available oxygen that creaturesin the area are left laboring to breathe.

Ajunction in the western mines that served asa staging area for expeditions into the newer tunnels, the nexus (area 7) is more than two milesfrom the shaft entrance in the valley. It is a largechamber that incorporates both a forge and asmall shrine to Dumathoin, which is typical fornew mines in the valley.

The Abandoned TunnelsOver the years, many dwarven tunnels fell out ofuse.A tunnel might be abandoned because of exhaustionof a nearby mineral lode, the movement ofclans outofthe valley (or into other parts ofit to be near theirkin, infestations ofmonsters or vermin, or cave-ins.Sometimes a tunnel is reclaimed years later whennew ore veins are discovered, clan members returnhome, and vermin are driven out. Often, though, thedwarves excavate new passages better suited to theirneeds, resulting in an expanding network of tunnelsthat extend ever farther beyond the valley walls.

The greatest concentration ofabandoned passagesis at the southern end ofthe valley, where a hundred

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years ago the dwarves lured the army ofAkar Kessellinto the area before they collapsed many ofthe tunnels, burying the wizard’s forces beneath the fallenrock. Although many orcs and goblins died that dayand the strategy saved the valley from further incur-sion by the wizard’s army, the dwarves lost much oftheir home in the bargain.

Following the war, the dwarves planned to excavate and reclaim the southern tunnels but weredistracted by the reclamation ofMithral Hall. Aftermany members ofClan Battlehainmer left the valleyto return to their ancestral hall, the remainingdwarves were too few to manage the task, and theexisting tunnels were spacious enough to accommodate their reduced numbers.

Although the population ofthe dwarves in thevalley has swelled since that time, they have cut newhomes from the stone, so the southern tunnels remainabandoned. Many ofthem are still choked with debrisor rigged to collapse at a moment’s notice.

Akar Kessell lurks in the deep mines (area 8),from where he sends plagues ofzombies to harassthe dwarves who are loyal to Stokely while encouraging Baerick Hammerstone in his depravity. The mostsignificant zombie attack to date, which left no survivors, involved a mining party that had established acamp in the nexus.

DENIZENS OF THE

Since arriving in Icewind Dale as a lad, the long-time leader ofthe dwarves ofKelvin’s Cairn hasbecome one ofthe oldest residents ofthe valley.Stokely Silverstream has the mountain in hisbones, say the dwarves—a comment on his age andhis uncanny knack for navigating the mountain’sdepths, a skill that has enriched the Battlehainmerclan over the years as Stokely has unearthed newlodes in the old mines.

But now the discovery ofzombies—dead dwarvesanimated by necromancy—in the mines has erodedthe dwarves’ confidence in Stokely’s leadership.

Some have blamed him for the attacks, accusingStokely ofpushing too far into the mountain toofast and placing the miners in danger. Others havecharged Stokely with being too timid in the face ofthe attacks. Normally, such talk would bring rebukesfrom the clan members who have prospered underStokely’s leadership—but the taint ofthe black ice,which is prevalent in the valley, has made the usually level-headed dwarves short-tempered and quickto find fault with one another. Few ofthein are cog-nizant ofthe change in their behavior, and no oneknows the true reason for it.

The situation has recently come to a head in aschism that has erupted in the valley. On one side isBaerick Hammerstone, one ofthe first to discoverthe black ice, and other dwarves who have sue-cuinbed to its influence. On the other side is Stokely,with dwarves who have not yet given in to its evil.Each side has its soldiers, and the schism could turninto a full-fledged civil war.

Helda SilverstreamMerchant ofMirabar

Born ofthe union between clans Silverstream andBattlehammer, Helda Silverstream is a young dwarfwho inherited the formidable cunning ofher father’skin as well as the bravery associated with her moth-er’s name. Worldly as well as wise, she has alreadyseen more ofthe world in her sixty years than heruncle has in his many long winters. After spend-ing her formative years hearing about the vauntedclan Battlehammer and the splendor ofher mother’sclan’s seat at Mithral Hall, Helda took it upon herselfto travel there at the tender age ofthirty-five, defyingher parents and the conventions ofdwarven societyto leave her home at so young an age. Helda’s fatherasked Stokely to forbid her from leaving the valley,but the elder Silverstream—whether because ofhisown regret over never having visited the vaunteddwarven hold, or because he realized that nothing hecould say would sway the determined young dwarf—gave Helda his blessing, so she left with the nextcaravan heading south out oflcewind Dale.

Although Helda’s fiery personality was forged inthe valley ofKelvin’s Cairn, her skills were temperedin the bowels ofMithral Hall. There she learnedmining, smithcraft, and the arts ofwar and diplomacyfrom her mother’s people, displaying the earnestnessofa dwarfwho had grown up in a harsh land thatcould ill accommodate the time required to spendso long at study. Even in their protected valley home,the dwarves ofKelvin’s Cairn struggle to live througheach winter, hunting for food and resources and

.‘jVALLEYThe dwarves who live in the valley are sharplydivided into two camps, represented by their lead-ers—Stokely Silverstream and Baerick Hammerstone.The arrival ofStokely’s niece, Helda, who tries tobring adventurers with her to the valley, might tipthe balance in Stokely’s favor.

Stokely SilverstreamDam ofthe Dwarven Valley

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fending offthe orcs, giants, and other creatures thatwould claim the valley’s shelter. The clan members inIcewind Dale must work hard simply to survive—theydo not have the luxury ofa liberal education.

Helda did not intend to spend the rest ofherwinters in Mithral Hall, so after ten years there, shemoved on to Mirabar, to seek a life and a fortuneofher own. Though she makes her home in thatcity, she travels throughout the North, bringing hermetalwork and jewelry to customers ranging fromWaterdeep to Icewind Dale.

Helda Silverstream has gray eyes and dreadlocksoflong, mahogany hair that she pulls back behindher head. She wears the hooded silver-stitched bluecloak ofher clan, fastened with a silver clasp in theshape ofa dwarven war axe, marking her as a war-nor ofthe Axe ofMirabar.

Baerick HammerstoneMaster ofblack ice

Armed with a great maul fashioned ofblack ice andgirded in plate mail made ofthe same stuff, BaerickHammerstone is the leader ofa group ofxenophobic dwarves who have severed ties with StokelySilverstream and brought the dwarven valley to thebrink ofcivil war.

Until recently, he was merely a simple stonecarver living peaceably with his fellow dwarves. Several months ago, Bacrick’s fortunes changed whenhe joined a small expedition formed by a wizard’sapprentice from Luskan. The group began near thesummit ofKelvin’s Cairn, where Baerick helped tounearth the undead form ofAkar Kessell, the long-dead Tyrant oflcewind Dale.

Under Kessell’s leadership, the expedition jour-neyed to the northern slopes ofthe Spine of theWorld. After much searching, Baerick found whatthe undead wizard sought: a black stone as smoothas glass. Though it seemed translucent at first glance,a trick ofthe eye caused it to look darker the longerBaerick squinted at it, as ifthe stone were drinkingin light. More impressively, when he took his pick tothe stone, he could not damage it.

While Akar Kessell dithered about what to dowith the substance, another miner tried to seizethe stone, and Baerick buried his pick in the otherdwarf’s skull. The rest ofthe miners set upon himand one another in a mad scramble to acquire thestrange stone, until only Baerick survived—muchto Kessell’s amusement. With the wizard’s help,Baerick gathered as much ofthe black ice as the wizard’s magic could help him carry and returned toKelvin’s Cairn.

Back at his workshop, Baerick set about trying tocarve the stone. He discovered that heating the stonein a forge softened it enough to be carved, and hebegan fashioning small trinkets from the samples hehad brought back. Baerick put his “black ice” trinkets, as he dubbed them, up for sale, and they spreadquickly among the dwarves. With Kessell’s helpand encouragement, Baerick excavated more of theblack ice and sold his trinkets even more widely. Thewizard apprentice who first hired him acted as hisagent in Ten-Towns, and soon Baerick received commissions for other objects made ofblack ice—knives,fishing hooks, even a ram for one ofthe boats on LacDinneshere. Eventually, he began to experiment withfashioning weapons and armor from the black ice.

What Baerick did not realize was that the blackstone was ice infused with the remnants oftheCryshal-Tirith erected by Akar Kessell over a century ago. Forged from the essence ofthe evil CrystalShard, the Cryshal-Tirith carried a trace of theshard’s taint, and thus so does the black ice formedfrom its remnants. The taint slowly corrupts anyonewho comes into possession ofthe black ice, althoughthe effect is more pronounced in those who havemore contact with the substance.

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KELVIN’S CAIRNRising out ofthe desolate tundra oflcewind Dale is amountain ofgiant boulders, piled one atop the otheruntil they narrow to a snow-capped peak. Beastshunt upon the craggy slopes, giants tread across thebroken rills, and dwarves mine its hidden depths.This is Kelvin’s Cairn, the highest point in IcewindDale and also its heart; all else is fixed by its positionrelative to the mountain.

Although the boulder-strewn slopes look aboutas stable as a pile of sand, the unusual mountain hasstood for as long as anyone can remember. Accord-ing to the barbarians, the cairn was formed whenTempus, the god ofbattle, fought Kelvin, a great heroofthe frost giants, and slew him on the plain of Ice-wind Dale. Temptis rent the ground with his axe andtook the stones from the earth to heap upon his foe’scorpse, serving as a reminder to others ofthe consequences ofincurring the war god’s wrath.

Although the dwarves ofClan Battlehammerlive in the yalley at the foot ofKelvm’s Cairn, fewhumans or dwarves make their way onto the mountam’s rocky slopes, and no settlement has ever takenroot there. The mountain’s face is largely home towild beasts, the most dangerous being the crag cat.Many boastful adventurers have set out from Ten-Towns with the intent ofbringing back a crag cat’spelt. Those who return often have harrowing tales totell ofbeing hunted across the mountain’s slopes bythe creature they had imagined to be their prey.

LOCATIONS OF NOTEAlthough most ofthe slopes ofKelvin’s Cairnare rough, uncharted terrain, a few locations onand around the mountain are well known by thedwarves and the handful ofhuman explorers whoventure there.

The Only Ways In: Icewind Pass and Bremen’sRun are the two passes running along the mountam’s eastern and western slopes, respectively. Orcsor barbarians looking to raid Ten-Towns must comedown through one ofthese two passes, and whichone they choose determines whether it is the peopleofMaer Dualdon or Lac Dinneshere who seek refugebehind Bryn Shander’s walls while their homes arepillaged and burned.

Daledrop: A natural switchback sits just belowthe mountain’s southern face, descending fromthe tundra into the valley at the mountain’s base.This route, known as Daledrop, is the only accessible entry point to the valley from Lac I)inneshereor Icewind Pass, and the dwarves use this naturalchokepoint to defend their valley against intrusionfrom the north.

Bruenor’s Climb: Amid the jumble ofbouldersthat forms Kelvin’s Cairn is a protrusion, a sort ofspire that offers a commanding view ofthe DwarvenValley below and the towns and tundra to all sides.As its name suggests, it was a favorite haunt oftherenowned dwarfBruenor Battlehammer, but it

toppled during the battles against Akar Kessell andhis armies, when the dwarves sealed their tunnelsagainst the invaders. Years later, the dwarves pain-stakingly recreated it in honor ofthe great king ofMithral Hall.

Bruenor’s “Temple”: At the base ofthe mountainstands a small grotto, accessible by way of a narrowcrevice from the northern end ofthe dwarven valley.Light shines down through natural holes in the cay-em’s ceiling, and the chamber thrums with the lowwhistle ofthe wind blowing across the mountain’sface. Carved into the stone here is a small forge witha freestanding anvil, created and used a centuryago by Bruenor Battlehammer to craft his master-work, the hammer Aegis-fang. Bruenor was the

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first to discover the grotto and sense its deep con-nection to the powers ofthe earth, and since thenmany dwarves have come to Bruenor’s “temple” tocraft their own masterworks. Outsiders are seldomallowed to visit the grotto, since the dwarves of thevalley regard it as a sacred space.

Verbeeg Lair: Travelers who range farther up thesouth face might happen upon what appears to bea cave running into the mountainside, its entranceobscured by a boulder or a brace of frostbramble.Beyond the tunnel’s entrance lies a dwarven out-post that was abandoned by its creators long ago buthas never lain empty for long. Orcs, brigands, andgiants have all made their homes here at times. Mostmemorably, a band ofverbeegs in the service ofAkarKessell lived here once, striking out at the dwarvesin the valley below before they were exterminated bythe Companions oflcewind 1)ale. Ever since, the out-post has been known in the collective imagination ofTen-Towns as the Verbeeg Lair, though the bands offortune-seekers that periodically venture there neverknow who, or what, they will find in residence.

From this vantage point, the Tnountaj,i Wa5 theonly Silhouette that broke thefeatitreiess line oftlzenorther,z horizon The cairn had so namedbecause it resembled a mound ofpurposdy piledl’(Jl1lder barbarian legend claimed that it trulyserved as agrave Certainfr the valley where theviov made their home did not resenbJe4 any ilatitral landmark. In every direction theI tundra rolled on,fiat and earthen But the valley,: had only sparse patches ofdirt sprinkled in among

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PROSTMAIDENThe goddess Auril is the evil deity ofcold and winter,and she is counted among the Gods ofFury along-side Tabs (god ofdestructive storms), Umberlee

(god ofoceans and sea winds, and Malar (god ofthesavage hunt). Cruel, jealous, and fickle, she thriveson fear, not worship, causing frosts to kill crops andblizzards to assault travelers when she feels her duehas not been paid. Auril grants her favor in responseto prayers only capriciously. Even those who earn it

are not spared the bitter cold ofAuril’s breath—onlyallowed to endure it. More often, the cruel goddesswill seem to grant a traveler’s prayer with clear skiesand mild weather, only to reveal her true nature witha sudden storm that assaults the traveler far from anyshelter. Though her fury often abates as quickly as it

is roused, those who provoke the Frostmaiden’s ireseldom survive it.

Auril’s symbol is a white snowflake on a gray diamond (a heraldic lozenge) with a white border.

Auril has few priests and fewer temples. Some druidspay their respects to her on Midwinter Night, andisolated cults spring up from time to time, mostlyin cold, remote regions much like Icewind Dale. Ahandful oftemples scattered around the North offerplaces for the common folk to offer sacrifices, in thehope ofappeasing her and staving offher wrath.These shrines are only occasionally visited by Auril’swandering priests, usually females who have survived an encounter with extreme cold through theFrostmaiden’s fickle favor.

The idea ofa cleric—a character who receivesAuril’s divine energy in pursuit ofher goals—isalmost entirely foreign to the faith. From time totime, however, a supplicant who seeks to wield theforce ofthe winter storm to smite foes is granted ashard ofAuril’s might. The Frostmaiden’s only condition is that such a cleric use her ability openly, so thatall can see Auril’s wrath and fear it properly.

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Among the Reghed tribes, the people ofthe GreatGlacier to the east, and a few other hardy, savagefolk, shamans ofAuril sometimes arise to direct atribe’s worship away from its ancestral deities andtoward the Frostmaiden. These shamans teach thatthe way to endure winter’s fury is to inflict it uponothers, raiding and pillaging to take the supplies theyneed to survive the winter.

Offering sacrifices to Auril is socially accept-able—even expected—in places where the threat ofwinter’s fury is very grave. Devoting oneselfto theFrostmaiden’s service is not. Auril is known as acruel goddess who loves to inspire fear, and thosewho would devote themselves to such a deity canhardly be thought to have the well-being ofthe community in mind. Such people do exist, ofcourse, andsometimes they manage to assemble groups of like-minded individuals into cults that meet in secret tooffer praise and sacrifice to Auril. Sometimes a clericgathers such people together by displaying the Frost-maiden’s power; these clerics are often revered assomething akin to saints by their followers. Most ofthe time, though, it is simply the fevered vision of alunatic devotee that inspires others to join the cult.

PRACTICEAuril’s commandments to her followers are simple:“Let in the cold, that it may chase away the falsesecurity ofwarmth. Embrace the cold, that you mayfeel my presence. Spread the cold, that others mayknow and fear my power. Do not kill creatures ofthe cold except in great need, for I embrace them asmy own. Slay others as you will, for my chill breathspares neither king nor beggar, and those who do notknow the dangers ofthe cold can still perish by it.”

After autumn’s first frost, farmers take a portionoftheir stored crops and scatter it in the north windto stave offAuril’s wrath. Those who are about toset offon ajourney into cold lands sometimes scat-ter gold or silver coins in deep snow or icy streams.Hunters on the tundra offer the blood oftheir preyto Auril, spilling it onto the ice or snow and letting it

freeze. The most crazed and evil ofher worshiperssacrifice humans to her wrath—sometimes underthe guise ofpunishing a criminal by exposure tothe elements.

FOLLOWERS

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An icy wn sweptfrom the north like a war chariot, bearing upon it the

OJdess Auril. In her wake caine winter storms that made the worst of

AerdriC attaCS seem like gentle zephyrs. Where AunT passed the trees

shivered, and their leaves turned hard and curled inward as ifseeifl the

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warmth that lineredhtthhifl the wood._Evermeet Island of Elves

Followers ofthe Frostmaiden observe three holytimes each year. The Coming Storm and the LastStorm are the celebrations ofthe beginning and theend ofwinter, respectively. Midwinter Night is themost sacred time for Auril’s faithful.

GOALSAlong with Malar and Umberlee, Auril serves Tabs,the god ofnature’s destructive aspect, and in a waythe goddess represents a part ofhis portfolio—thedeadly wrath ofwinter. She has always resentedthis subordinate position and believes that Tabs hastrespassed on her worship for too bong, stealing herfollowers and overshadowing her with his own displays ofdestruction.

Now, as the Sundering begins, Auril thinks thetime has come to establish her position independentofTabos and the other Gods ofFury. She believes (asdo most other gods) that the Sundering will end witha new ordering ofthe pantheon, and thus she strivesto claim dominance over winter storms, in opposition to Tabs. The Frostmaiden unleashes all the furyshe can muster on the northern lands ofFaerñn,from Icewind Dale to Sossal in the east, hoping tosecure the worship and fear ofthe populace. Alongwith brutal weather, she sends the beasts of thetundra to harry the Reghed tribes and the people ofTen-Towns, reminding them that flimsy walls offerno protection from the dark and cold ofwinter.

Like many other deities, Auril has a mortalagent—a Chosen—to enact her will in Icewind Dale,energize her faithful, and drive fear into the hearts ofher foes. For this task, Auril has selected a young bar-barian girl named Hedrun from the northernmostwastes oflceland Dale. Her people, the Elk Tribe,have grown too sure oftheir ability to secure a livelihood from the desolate tundra, forgetting that theysurvive to see each spring only with Auril’s blessing.Hedrun’s first task is to make them remember.

Along with setting a stern example for the Reghedtribes, Hedrun has been charged with recoveringthe scattered remnants ofthe Cryshal-Tirith andforging them anew. Aurib believes that their latent

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enchantments, predating the Spellplague, constitutea vast reserve ofmagical energy that her Chosen canuse to augment the power ofthe goddess. Perhapsshe can even lock Icewind Dale in perpetual winter—an unequivocal demonstration ofthe potency of theFrostmaiden.

SERVANTS OF AURILAuril’s harsh measures are having the desired effect, atleast to some extent. With Hedrun as her agent in Ice-wind Dale, she has secured new followers among theReghed tribes and the Tenlbwners alike. The shamanofthe Tribe ofthe Bear, Bjami Tengervaald, has calledon his tribe to follow Auril exclusively and has established a makeshift temple in Evermelt, inside the oldlair oflcingdeath. They view the ice-encrusted skeletonofthe dragon as an manifestation ofthe Frostmaiden’sblessing and offer sacrifices ofbeasts, monsters, andhuman foes in the waterfall cavern, where the sprayfrom the falls quickly encases the offerings in ice.

Auril has also anointed a priest among the Ten-Towners, a native ofBremen named Davrick Fain.Though he has no temple or organized congregation,he travels around Ten-Towns, announcing Auril’swrath and calling on the townsfolk to offer sacrificesand petitions to the Frostmaiden.

After the first great storm ofwinter, the people ofTen-Towns gave a larger share oftheir harvest toAuril than ever before, and the cold streams andrivers ofthe region are littered with copper andsilver coins they offered to appease her.

What’s more, a handful ofTen-Towners havedecided that Auril is a god worth their devotion.Davrick Fain, a merchant in Bremen, wandered outinto the tundra in hopes ofreceiving Auril’s blessingand survived after experiencing what he calls “herembrace.” After returning to Bremen, he proclaimedhimselfa priest ofthe Frostmaiden and began callingloudly on his neighbors tojoin him in her service. I stravels around Ten-Towns, buying goods for his stoi

Davrick FainPriest ofAuril

offer him a chance to spread his message throughoutIcewind Dale, and his preaching has accounted for anincrease in sacrifices to Auril. He has attracted otherdevotees to her service, forming tiny, secret cells ofworshipers in each ofthe ten towns.

Davrick Fain and his message seemed harmlessenough at first, but then travelers started turningup dead, drowned in icy streams or staked to theground to die ofexposure—sacrifices to appease theFrostmaiden. Davrick was never present when themurders were committed, so no culprit could beidentified. Nevertheless. many people in Ten-Townsare beginning to look askance at the self-proclaimedpriest, suspecting that his devotion to Auril is dan-gerous to their communities. Others whisper that it’sbetter for strangers to die at winter’s hand than forAuril’s wrath to obliterate Ten-Towns entirely.

Aside from his cult activities, I)avrick Fain operates a resale shop in Bremen called Nine Knuckles.His work takes him to all ofthe lake towns, where hebuys scrimshaw and local products to take back tohis shop and sell to unwary travelers and traders whodo not realize they’re paying an exorbitant markup.(In Bremen, “a regular Nine Knuckles customer” islocal parlance for a rube or an easy mark.)

Word has begun to reach Davrick that some ofthe Reghed tribes have taken up Auril’s service, andhe has heard rumors ofa woman that some say is theFrostmaiden herself—a witch who conimands thesnows and the beasts ofthe tundra, and who cannot beharmed by mortal weapons. These tales have capturedDavrick’s imagination, and he firmly believes that thewitch who lives on the Sea ofMoving Ice is Auril, call-ing all true believers to her side before she scours thedale with her freezing breath. Davrick wants to provethat he is her most loyal servant, so he plots to deliverTen-Towns straight into the hands ofthe Ice Witch.

Davrick Fain is a man in his mid-thirties, withbright red hair that betrays his Reghed ancestry.He stands well over six feet tall, though he lacks themuscular build common among the tribes. No longertroubled by cold, he wears fine clothes importedfrom the south, with no cloak or fur linings.

A bright and strong-willed girl ofthe Elk Tribe,Hedrun was secretly blessed by Auril as a Chosenin anticipation ofthe Sundering. Although Hedrunis not immune to the cold, she was less affected byit and embraced the freezing death ofwinter as abracing time ofclarity and beauty. This alone madeher seem queer to her tribe; then, as she grew older,

strange events occurred in her presence. Hot foodswiftly grew cold. Fires had to be built higher tokeep them burning. She always felt as cold as death,so everyone avoided her touch—all except a youngwarrior ofthe tribe, the son ofthe shaman. Despitebeing constantly warned to stay away from Hedrun,he was instead drawn to her beauty and distant sad-ness. They began to talk secretly, sneaking awayfrom the camp when they could to share their private thoughts. On one such intimate excursion, theykissed for the first—and last—time. The son of theshaman instantly froze to death, touched by his love’slips but killed by Auril’s jealousy.

The frightened and infuriated tribe banishedHedrun, stripping her ofall protection and leavingher to die on the freezing tundra. But she did not die.Shedding tears that froze on her cheeks and shiver-ing so much she could hardly walk, she wanderedaimlessly, feeding on carrion and eating snow to slakeher thirst. She asked Teinpus why this fate was thrustupon her, but the god ofwarriors gave no answer.Similarly, she prayed to the great elk spirit, but it toowas silent. On a particularly hard day, she gazed intoa gray sky filled with whirling snow and screamedher question. “Because you are special,” came a tin-kling answer on the wind. “Because you are great and

Hedrun ArnsfirthThe Ice Witch, Chosen ofAuril

beautiful in a way they could not under-stand. Because you are powerful, andthey fear that power.”

Over the next months, Auril’s Chosenlearned ofthe wondrous abilities shepossessed and how she could use themto befriend the beasts ofthe cold whenher fellow humans would not associatewith her. Now she seeks revenge againsther people, and Auril urges her indreams to show the folk oflcewind Dalewhat winter really means.

The Ice Witch is blessed with Auril’spower. She freezes whatever she touches,and she can hurl icicles at distant foes.She can walk across water by freezingit with every step or turn the groundbeneath her to slippery ice. She commands absolute obedience from thebeasts ofthe tundra, and winter stormsrise at her will. What’s more, she canshape an image ofherselfout ofice andsnow and imbue it with her conscious-ness, creating a duplicate that carries outher will (and Auril’s) while her real bodyslumbers in an ice coffin in her remotetower. Thus, the people ofthe Reghedtribes believe that she cannot be harmedby weapons, for when the icy simulacrum is destroyed, it crumbles into snow,causing the real Hedrun no harm. A fewdays later, a new simulacrum appears.

THE TOWER

OF THE ICE WITCHThe Sea ofMoving Ice is one ofthe most remoteregions in all Faerimn. Few people have ever laid eyeson this frozen realm, and fewer still have wanderedits wastes and returned to tell the tale. Glaciers andice floes slide and crash together, grinding to findersmost ships that dare to navigate its waters. Yet some-how, the Ice Witch has built a tower ofblack ice here,infused with the evil ofthe Crystal Shard.

The tower stands over a hundred feet tall and resembles the prism shape ofa quartz crystal, though it isblack and mostly opaque. An open archway leads intothe structure, in obedience to Auril’s command that thewinter wind be allowed entry into every building.

The Witch’s Sanctum: The top floor ofthe toweris sparsely furnished, with a slab ofblack ice for abed, a table and stool formed ofthe same substance,and a small shrine to Auril flanked by smaller

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statues ofthe goddess. A few shelves adorned withtribute collected from raids on Ten-Towns and theReghed tribes line another wall. Cold blue flamesflicker atop the table and shrine.

Temple ofthe Storm: The second floor is a large,open area with a ceiling 80 feet high, the chamberadorned only by six tall statues ofAuril. A dais in thecenter ofthe room is decorated with the Frostmaiden’s symbol. Directly above the dais, a hole in theceiling offers access to the third floor by way of flightor levitation.

Audience Hall: The ground floor ofthe tower isan audience hall with a throne opposite the archway.Here Hedrun receives the obeisance ofthe handfulofReghed barbarians and orcs from the Spine of theWorld that come to pay homage to her. The columns,throne, and stairs leading up to the next level are allshaped from ice and slick underfoot.

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BE%IICEWIND DALEAll the lands north ofthe Spine ofthe World andwest ofthe Reghed Glacier are sometimes called theFrozenfar, for they share the brutal climate and mac-cessibility ofthe dale. These lands fall into four broadcategories—the lands downriver oflcewind Dale,the Cold Run at the western extreme ofFaerñn, theSpine ofthe World itself, and the Sea ofMoving Ice.

SHAENGARNE RIVERThe Shaengarne River has its headwaters at Bremen,where it drains Maer Dualdon and wends its waywest before spilling into the sea at Ironmaster. Alongthe way, it collects tributaries from Redwaters andthe watersheds offthe northern slopes ofthe Spineofthe World. In midwinter, the Shaengarne freezesover, although the waters beneath the ice flow yearround. The river marks the southernmost extremeofthe Reghed tribes’ seasonal migrations. In latespring, the top ice breaks and the river floods asits tributaries swell with snowmelt. Salmon swimupstream to spawn in Maer Dualdon, and theShaengarne runs with trout-like char and other fish.

IronmasterThe dwarven city oflronmaster is perched at thewestern edge oflcewind Dale, where the ShaengarneRiver flows into the Sea ofMoving Ice. The city isnestled in a great cleft where the Shaengarne rushesto the sea. Its stone towers rise like spikes from thevalley floor, and the rooms and passages ofIronmaster weave in and out ofnever-melting ice and thestone ofthe valley walls. Mining tunnels much likethose under Kelvin’s Cairn extend from the valleywalls far below the tundra, providing the dwarves

l an apparently limitless supply of iron.

FIronmaster is populated exclusively by dwarves—

about nine thousand ofthem. Members of otherraces are forbidden to set foot in Ironmaster Vale.Great stone menhirs marked with the city’s arms—ared anvil on a gray diamond standing on end—arearranged in a perimeter around the vale to warnaway travelers who stray too close.

COLD RUNThe northernmost reaches ofthe Sword Coast arecommonly referred to as the Cold Run. The name isloosely applied, but it generally refers to the coastalregion bracketed by the Shaengarne River to thenorth and the Iceflow River to the south. The frozentundra here rises to great cliffs along the coast wherethe Spine ofthe World comes down to meet the sea.

FireshearThe city ofFireshear is the northernmost port alongthe Sword Coast, known as the point ofdeparture forcaravans that take Ten Trail north to Icewind 1)ale.Travelers that approach Fireshear by sea can take inthe city in a glance: a small central district of largestone buildings ascends from the docks, surroundedby a vast sprawl ofcrude tenements. At the city’s faredge is the entrance to Fireshear Vale—a rift in theland that terminates at a great crater, its walls black-ened by fire. Sages have argued over what createdthe crater—whether it was formed in a volcanic eruption or by a star that fell from the heavens—but theviolent episode sheared away the ground, revealingthe rich copper and silver veins beneath and givingthe valley (and later, the neighboring city) its name.

Not all visitors to Fireshear arrive on a ship. Manytravel here from Ten-Towns or the smaller surround-ing communities such as Auckney and Hundelstone,looking for steady work. Merchants and laborerscame here frequently from Luskan before that citydescended into chaos. Now, the coastal road fromLuskan to Fireshear is plagued by monsters and ban-dits, and the ferry across the Iceflow River no longerruns, forcing overland travelers to ford the treacherous waters. Regardless ofthe point oforigmn, almosteveryone who comes to Fireshear arrives for thesame reason—to work in its mines.

The city is ruled by a merchant triumvirate, whorepresent the interests ofMirabar, Neverwinter, andWaterdeep. The triumvirate sends agents to citiesand towns along the Sword Coast North, recruit-ing laborers to work in the mines by luring themwith the promise ofsteady wages plus room andboard. For farmsteaders accustomed to scratchingan existence out ofthe soil, the offer brings with it

the chance to make more coin in a season than theymight otherwise see in a lifetime, so the city main-tains the steady influx offresh labor necessary todrive the relentless pace ofits mining operations.

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The work in the mines is back-breaking,over is high; many miners work only a handful ofseasons before being replaced. Since hired laborersmake up over two-thirds ofFireshear’s populationofabout fifteen thousand, most ofthe city’s inhabit-ants have lived there only a few years and don’t reallythink ofit as their home. This attitude contributesnot only to the temporary nature ofmuch of the

THE IRON TRAILThe Iron Trail runs from Ironmaster down theCold Run, intersecting Ten Trail midway betweenFireshear and Hundelstone. The road is used almostexclusively by dwarven caravans that bring theirwares to market in Fireshear, since southern caravans know they will find no welcome in lronmaster.

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city’s housing but to illicit activity that would meetwith censure in a more established community. Theruling merchants do their best to maintain a modicum oflaw and order, but they are more interested intheir profit margins than in the city’s welfare, so to alarge degree lawless behavior is tolerated.

Visitors spend much oftheir time in the centraldistrict, referred to by locals as “the Vaults” for the twostronghouses there, where miners draw their salariesand deposit their hard-earned coin. The district ishome to the Hall ofthe Triumvirate, a great stone cdi-fice where the merchant lords keep their offices andconduct city business. Nearby are some ofFireshear’sbest establishments, including the Green Garden restaurant and a tavern called the Singing Manticore.Visitors looking for a livelier scene can go to theDrunken I)warL a tavern near the tenements, wheremany ofthe mining foremen drink and one can geta sense for the pulse ofthe city. (In fact, a few of theregulars are informants employed by the Triumvirateto ferret out corrupt foremen and pass along word ofany strikes or uprisings planned by the miners.)

Many visitors are surprised to learn that, despitethe size ofthe city, Fireshear has no inns,just a singleguest house, wryly called “the Cells” by locals. Itis a building ofsparse accommodations wherevisitors are watched and handled by agents of thetriumvirate, who carefully guard against any rivalorganizations such as the Zhentarim or the ShadowThieves ofAmn gaining a foothold in the city.

AuckneyNo major trade road leads to Auckney, just a trail toFireshear. Likewise, the harbor rarely sees incomingship traffic. The town is too small for trade vessels tobother with it, and the perennial fog that hangs offthe coast makes navigation perilous. Thus, Auckneyreceives few visitors, and its guard towers, standingat various outlying points, seldom hold any guards.

I)reyfin Auck, the lord ofAuckney, is a proud aristocrat in spite ofhis meager holdings. He is alwayseager to make the acquaintance ofwell-connectedpeers, as well as to hear news from the great citiesofthe Sword Coast. The town’s resources are scant,however, especially during the long winter season,and visitors who remain in Auckney for more than anight or two have likely overstayed their welcome.

Most ofthe town’s inhabitants are human peas-ants whose families have farmed the Aucks’ holdingsfor generations. Growing anything in the rocky soil ishard work, and the peasants have little time to sparetalking with strangers. For all their labor, the peasantsbarely produce enough food to see them through eachwinter, and a single poor harvest can put the townat risk ofstarvation during the coldest months oftheyear. As a result, the population ofAuckney hovers justshy oftwo hundred souls, sometimes dropping to halfthat number after a particularly hard season.

The only people in town who don’t live hand tomouth are the Atick family and their retainers, whodwell in Castle Auck, a small manor house flankedby squat towers on an outcropping ofrock in themiddle ofthe harbor. The castle was built by theDorgenast family over seven centuries ago, and ithas been ruled by the Aucks for the past five. Theaging structure is the pride ofthe family, but despiteall attempts to keep it up, the castle is becomingdecrepit. The Aick holdings don’t generate enoughrevenue for the lord to fix the buildings properly, andthe dwarfmasons he employs from Hundelstonewon’t work on credit, so Dreyfin is reduced to patch-ing the place up as best he can and watching year byyear as his family’s estate crumbles around him.

Auckney has no proper inn or guest house, sincetravelers on the coastal road are few and far between.Visitors who impress Lord Dreyfin might be invitedto share the cramped lodgings ofCastle Auck. Other-wise, they might find a peasant family willing to opentheir door to guests in exchange for a few coppers. Fewpeople have occasion to travel to markets where theymight spend such coin, but Dreyfin happily acceptshis yearly tithes in copper rather than crops.

SEA OF MOVING ICEAlong the western edge oflcewind 1)ale is a greatexpanse ofbroken ice that extends hundreds of milesout to sea. Narrow runs ofopen water riddle the ice,allowing passage for seafarers brave (or daft) enoughto try navigating this frozen sea. Here, free-floatingicebergs mingle with ice-covered rocks and islets,and the difference between one and the other isseldom apparent until tested by a ship’s hull. The iceshifts constantly, opening new passages while closingothers. Even the most seasoned captains can becomeundone when a broad waterway suddenly closes offand the jostling bergs grip their vessels like a vise.The numerous hulls ofruined ships trapped in theice testify to the perils ofsailing this sea.

For all its desolation, the Sea ofMoving Ice doeshave some inhabitants. Seals, walruses, and polarbears hunt across its surface and in the watersbeneath. Schools ofcod and char swim in the deep,and occasionally whales breach among the bergs.White dragons, too, live and hunt here, and creaturesthat cannot escape into the water find little refugefrom the terrifying aerial predators. Even a few tribesofhunters live here, stalking seals and bears for foodand fashioning their shelters from blocks of ice.

The Reghed tribes oflcewind Dale are bound byan ancient taboo that prevents them from venturing out onto the Sea ofMoving Ice, or “the floatingland.” as they call it. Though shrouded in language ofsuperstition, the edict is ultimately practical, for therisks oftraveling on the ice far outweigh the potential

rewards. The short-lived Tribe ofthe Seal, whichemerged during the heyday ofthe tribes under Wulfgar’s leadership, violated that edict, and the peopleofthe tribes often point to that transgression as anexplanation for why the tribe did not survive.

Ice PeakOn a clear day along the Cold Run, travelers lookingout to sea can make out the silhouette oflce Peakon the western horizon. This frozen island is immnedfor the snow-capped promontory that dominates itsnorthern half. Most ofthe inhabitants live in a fewsettlements clustered around the twin bays on thesouthern shore. The muountain’s lower slopes arehome to goats, yetis, and ice trolls, and the caves inits peak are the lair ofArveiaturace, the white wyrmknown to sailors as Iceclaws because ofher habitof diving on hapless vessels and tearing them apartwith her talons. Rumors persist ofundersea cavesdug by svirfneblin that connect the lower reaches ofIce Peak to the mainland, but the existence of suchtunnels has never been confirmed.

AurilssbargThe largest settlement on Ice Peak is the town ofAurilssbarg, the only community on the island thathas a harbor deep enough to accommnodate ocean-going vessels. Aurilssbarg serves as a trading post forthe other settlements on the island, whose inhabitantscome here to trade furs, pelts, fish, oil, and scrimshaw

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for supplies that arrive on ships from Luskan,Fireshear, Port Liast, and occasionally Neverwinter.

The sea trade here was dominated by Luskan untilthe City ofSails fell into decline. The influx oftraders from elsewhere along the coast has benefited thepeople ofAurilssbarg, but it has also precipitatedoccasional acts ofviolence by Luskan captains whostill claim control over the surrounding waters. Theworst offender is a Luskan captain named FaulkenRegspie from Ship Kurth, who set fire to the docksat Aurilssbarg when he saw a ship from Port Liastunloading there. In the aftermath ofsuch incidents,locals mutter that somebody should do somethingabout the belligerent Luskanites, but “somebody”always means someone else, so nothing gets done.

Typical ofthe settlements on Ice Peak, the streetsofAurilssbarg are paved with logs laid side by side,and its buildings are low wooden structures whosepitched roofs are covered in sod. The establislunentbest known to visitors is Green Hall, a spacioustavern with a lengthy fire pit that can spit six goats ata time to feed the cold and hungry crews that arriveafter unloading their ships at the docks. Locals comehere as well to hear the latest news from the main-land, although by the time it reaches Ice Peak, suchnews is often out of date and wildly exaggerated,little better than idle rumor. Still, the isolated inhabitants ofAurilssbarg eat it up all the same.

Bjorn’s HoldA fortified village offive hundred on the south-eastern shore oflce Peak, Bjorn’s hold is home to amixed population ofNorthlanders and Ice Hunters.They are trappers, hunters, and fishers who sell theirgoods in Aurilssbarg or risk shipping them out fromthe hold’s dangerous harbor. The village has a longhistory of animosity with Luskan, and a few braveNorthlanders have even attempted raids on Ltiskanite ships lately.

IcewolfThis tiny hamlet lies east ofAurilssbarg on IcePeak. Its population is descended from nomadicIce Hunters who settled on the island centuriesago. Its residents still venture out onto the Sea ofMoving Ice in their hide-covered kayaks to huntseals and whales, selling their wares in Aurilssbarg. Legend holds that the people of Icewolf longago discovered an icebound shipwreck laden withgold and platinum coins, and jewelry made fromthese coins has been passed down among thesepeople for generations.

THE WORLDSometimes called the XVall, the mountain rangeknown as the Spine ofthe World is a literal barrierbetween Icewind Dale (and the rest ofthe Frozen-far) and the marginally warmer lands to the south.Infested with orcs, goblins, giants, and bandits, themountains are inhospitable to civilized life.

HundeistoneIn the highest parts ofTen Trail, only a few shrubscling to life amid patches ofmoss-covered rock. Tray-elers on this route eventually come to Hundelstone,perching stubbornly on the slopes like the surround-ing flora. The town’s buildings are low to the ground,with most oftheir rooms cut out ofthe soil below,and their roofs steeply pitched against the snows thatblanket the mountams in winter. The many dwarvesand gnomes in I Iundelstone are fond ofwarningImman visitors to stoop low as they walk about town,lest they be blown away by the wind.

For most people, Hundeistone is either the lastpoint of civilization before taking the pass north toIcewind I)ale or the first welcome sign ofrefuge afterthe wearying trip back. For the town’s inhabitants,Hundelstone is a gateway to the riches—and dan-gers—of the subterranean realm beneath the Spineofthe World. Many ofthe dwarves and gnomeshere spend their days excavating tunnels, Ininilig

ore, or smelting and smithing the local iron and tin.Meanwhile, the few score human residents are generally sellswords or would-be adventurers who earna living as caravan guards and beast Ininters in thecrags. They make occasional forays into the tunnelsbelow to gain valuable experience in learning how tofight and survive in the Underdark.

The Savage TribesIn caves and valleys throughout the Spine of theWorld, dozens oftribes oforcs and goblins squabbleover territory and scant resources. Every few years,

when resources grow thin, one tribe or another spillsout of the mountains to raid the nearby settlements.

No leader since Akar Kessell has been able tounite the squabbling tribes. But the Ice Witch hasrecruited one group oforcs, the Blood Ice tribe, intoher service. Most ofthe warriors remain in the Spineofthe World, though a few have joined the Ice Witchin her tower. Empowered by I ledrun’s magic andAuril’s blessing, the Blood Ice orcs have gained theupper hand in conflicts with their neighbors, and ifthe Ice Witch is unchecked, they might manage toestablish a new orc kingdom in the mountains thatrivals Many-Arrows in the east.

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SPINE OF

THE ARCANEBROTHERHOODSome who have mastered the use ofmagic wield itfor noble ends: to destroy monsters, dethrone tyrants,and maintain a stable balance in the world. Somebecome tyrants themselves. Others pursue the Art asits own end, losing themselves in arcane exploration.And some, such as the wizards ofthe Arcane Broth-erhood, use magic to get rich.

Wealth means power, ofcourse, and ultimatelythe Brotherhood aims to control the North by puttinga stranglehold on trade along the Sword Coast, fromWaterdeep to Icewind Dale. Sometimes associatedwith the name ofits former headquarters, the Host-tower ofthe Arcane in Luskan, the Brotherhood onceruled the so-called City of Sails. Now that Luskanhas devolved into chaos, the pirate captains whorule the city no longer answer to the wizards of theBrotherhood. The Hosttower ofthe Arcane lies halfruined, and the city around it is haunted by undead.Whether any wizards still lurk in the Hosttower’salien spires, perhaps controlling the undead, is amatter ofspeculation and idle gossip. But it is clearthat the Arcane Brotherhood still exists. Its agentsare everywhere, from Silverymoon in the north toBaldur’s Gate far to the south. It might no longer bethe force it once was, perhaps, but the group is on theway back to its former status.

The Arcane Brotherhood currently lacks any centralleadership. Its former Archmage Arcane, the lichArklem Greeth, was forced into his phylactery overa hundred years ago. The four Overwizards whoreported to him are also long gone. Currently, fivewizards vie for leadership, but none ofthem is secureenough to lay claim to the title ofArchmage Arcaneand fix the hierarchy in place once again.

Each ofthese five wizards has a faction of sup-porters within the Brotherhood, and it seems only amatter oftime before one ofthcm gains enough sup-port to claim the top position. After that, unless thesituation devolves into violence, the other four willbecome the Overwizards, the Archmage Arcane’skey assistants—though enough animosity currently

sours their relationship that it is unlikely they wouldever work well in concert.

What’s more, some within the Brotherhoodbelieve that Arklem Greeth will eventually return toreclaim his position as head ofthe organization. Thatpossibility is one ofthe factors keeping the five wizards from moving too aggressively to take the reins.The lich’s phylactery was last known to be in the possession ofValindra Shadowmantle, a Thayan agent inthe Neverwinter region.

GOALSThe Arcane Brotherhood has always been ambitious,and its current debilitated state has not altered thegroup’s aims. Four main goals drive the activities ofthe would-be Archmages Arcane.

Power through ProfitThe Brotherhood’s aims dreams ofbeing the ultimate power in Faerfln. Its founder, Arkiem Greeth,understood that coin—not titles or birthrights, normagical or military might—is king in the North, so hemade the Arcane Brotherhood as much a mercantileassociation as a magical one, graft and greed its mostpowerful spells.

In the wake ofthe lich’s defeat and the ruin oftheHosttower, the Brotherhood’s members are installingthemselves in cities along the Sword Coast, tryingto rebuild their trade networks and bring the areaback under their control. The five aspiring leadershave bases ofoperation across the North: Jendrickthe Blue in Port Llast, Teyva “Magehand” Lillowindin Baldur’s Gate, Zelenn Essrenthir in Neverwinter,Druette “the Raven” in Waterdeep, and the nec-romancer Cashaan el Farid in Luskan, where hecommands the undead that haunt the Hosttower.

ORGANIZATION

A landmark Of1VOnder niarked the very center oftI2e CityofSail, a strange buildij28 that emanated a powerfulaura ofTilagic Utilike any other structure in all Faerâri,the HOSttQwer ofthe Arcaze seeTned literally a treeOfStOne, boastiIlgfli,e tall Spires, the largest heit4qthecentral, and the otJzerfrir equally high, growiig out ofthe ulaiti trunk with tllegracef1gcurving arc ofan oak.Nowhere could any sign ofthe masoiz be seeTi; it WasObvio0sto anyviewer that magic, notPhysical labor had prodzced this artWorkThe IlrcJlmage UJldispztedjJat ofthe Hosttoierresided in the celitral to’er While the otherJur housedthe 14’izards closest in the line °fsuCCejoTl Each oftheselesser towers represellti7igthefour COmpass directiojicdo77i7lated ( dfJrejzt side oftlze trunk and its respectheWizard held responsihilityfor lt’atelziIig over andiTlJlueJlCing the events in the direetio,1he overlookeLThus, the Wizard west ofthe trunk spent his days lookingout to sea, and to the merchant ships and pirates ridingout oh Luska,-1’harbor

Streans ofSilver

Rebuild LuskanCashaan el Farid knows that quelling the chaos inLuskan is the first step in making the city a usefulbase again, since no trade will flow into the city untilmerchants can travel there without undue risk of loss(or violent death). To that end, he has started hiringadventurers to help clear out the worst elements. Tokeep the revival ofthe Brotherhood secret as long aspossible, recruiting wizards usually pose as membersofa more respectable organization or as dispossessedgentry with rights to property in the city.

Cashaan el Farid is a human necromancer fromCalimshan. Having grown up using his peoples’ fearand hatred oftheir genasi oppressors to weave hisown subtle spell ofcontrol, Cashaan knows how touse desperation to his advantage—and Luskan is fullofdesperate people.

Tip the Balance inNeverwinterNeverwinter is a key target for the Brotherhood. Itsrecent resurgence has made business boom, andthe ongoing power struggles and other destabilizing

elements present ample opportunities for the ArcaneBrotherhood to insinuate itselfinto the political andeconomic landscape. The Brotherhood isn’t lookingto rule Neverwinter, but to hold sway over whoeverends up in control.

The elfwizard Zelenn Essrenthir runs opera-tions in Neverwinter. She lived there before theSpellplague and has a deep knowledge ofthe city’spast, ifnot its recent history. Many major players,particularly Lord Neverember, want to gain her con-fidence in the hope that she can help them securetheir position in Neverwinter. But with the perspective that comes from living such a long life, Zelennwaits for the right time to use her influence to tip thebalance in the Brotherhood’s favor. Not all membersofthe organization are so patient, though, and somehave suggested that ifZelenn does not act soon, sheshould be replaced by someone who will.

Broker an Alliance inBaldur’s GateBaldur’s Gate is the richest pot for the taking on theSword Coast, and everybody is trying to get a piece.Establishing a presence there wasn’t a challenge for

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the Brotherhood, but as the new player in an established pecking order ofguilds and regional interests,the organization has been hard-pressed to expand itsinfluence in the city.

Teyva “Magehand” Lillowind hopes to changethat. A half-elfthiefand self-taught mage, herresourcefulness makes up for her meager arcanetalent. She’s hoping to broker an alliance with Nine-Fingers Keene, her former superior at the head ofBaldur’s Gate’s powerful thieves’ guild.

AGENTS OF THE

BROTHERHOODIn support ofJendrick the Blue’s aspirations tobecome the Archmage Arcane, a wizard namedVaelish Gant has come to Ten-Towns. With the aidofthugs and ruffians from Luskan, Gant plans tobolster the Arcane Brotherhood’s interests by con-trolling trade to and from Icewind Dale.

Vaelish GantScheminR Brotherhood wizard

Many traders profit in the lucrative market for Ice-wind Dale’s “white gold,” but the way Vaelish Gantsees it, ivory and scrimshaw is only the beginning.Ifthe Arcane Brotherhood can gain access to thedwarven mines ofKelvin’s Cairn and the unexploited wealth ofthe tundra—with its rich furs andpelts—that is currently wasted on the Reghed bar-barians, the dale will be well worth holding. And ifsomeone were to discover a valuable new minerallode somewhere in the Spine ofthe World, Ten-Towns might become another Mirabar.

The Brotherhood’s leadership hasn’t displayedany interest in Icewind Dale; this operation is Gant’salone. The wizard is actually less interested in Ten-Towns than in the prestige that success there willbring him among his peers in the Brotherhood. Heespecially hopes that the profits generated in Ten-Towns will help Jendrick the Blue secure the positionofArchrnage Arcane, and then the senior wizardwill reward him with a position as an Overwizard.

Vaelish Gant was born in the southern city ofAthkatla, far down the Sword Coast. He joined theArcane Brotherhood under Jendrick’s tutelage andstarted his operations in Waterdeep, hoping thateffort would be the key to his career. Gant was soonfrustrated by stifling competition, and he decidedthat gaining a stranglehold on the markets in Ten-Towns would be a better use ofhis energy and aneasier way to impress his mentor.

Vaelish Gant is a heavy man ofmedium height,with short, black hair, dark eyes, and light brownskin that clearly marks him as a foreigner in IcewindDale. He dresses the part ofa wizard, wearing abrown robe with a fancy white mantle fastened witha seashell brooch. His ornate metal staffis tippedwith a glowing sapphire, displaying his magicalacumen for all to see. Though he gives the impression ofmagical might, his skills at wizardry have notprogressed far beyond his apprenticeship. This arrogance extends to his every mannerism—he is cockyand confident, believing himselfto be destined forgreatness and superior to everyone he meets.

“Slim”Wererat riffian

To support his efforts in Icewind 1)ale, Vaelish Gantenlisted the aid ofLuskan’s Ship Rethnor. “Slim” isa member ofthat gang ofthugs, a sly rogue who isquick with his rapier and equally so with his insults.Slim is actually a wererat, though he conceals thatfact as much as possible, using his animal form onlyto escape from overwhelming danger.

Slim is a smooth talker whose charm is mod-erated a bit by a shifty, sneaky demeanor. He hasclose-cropped, light brown hair, blue eyes, and fairskin. 1-us forearm carries the tattooed mark of ShipRethnor—a sailing ship pierced by a sword comingdown from above as the tentacles ofa kraken rise upfrom the water beneath it.

Slim runs Vaelish Gant’s “protection” racket inBryn Shander, extorting payments from merchantsunder threat ofvandalism and theft. He is cold-hearted and savage, and every time he bullies amerchant, he secretly hopes that the target will putup a fight. But he’s so good at intimidation—lower-ing his voice to a whisper to utter his most severethreats—that he rarely gets to use his rapier.

Marek “the Shank”Ilob8oblin thug

Gant’s other main agent in Bryn Shander is a hobgoblin named Marek, also called “the Shank.”Hobgoblins aren’t a common sight in Icewind Dale,so the Shank’s hood covers his red-skinned face mostofthe time. his job is recruiting the most unsavorycharacters from Ten-Towns to aid Vaelish Gant’sefforts. Scoundrels are often drawn to the hulkingbrute, who seems to offer an alternative to the life ofcommunity that defines most ofTen-Towns.

Marek is a tall, strong hobgoblin with long, blackhair and yellow eyes. His face is heavily scarred, a

testament to the brawls he has survived as part ofShip Rethnor in Luskan. His arm bears the sametattoo worn by Slim, identifying him as part of Rethnor’s crew. He speaks in a harsh growl that is backedby the clear threat ofphysical violence, which helpskeep the local thugs under control.

Although his primary role is recruitment, Marekalso backs up Slim’s worst threats. He is a trainedwarrior, skilled at laying ambushes in streets andalleys. lie has rarely met his match in a fight, andthe last time he did, he fled—to his lasting shame. Ina similar encounter, he might well question whetherhe will master his fear or turn tail once more.

THE SHIPS OF LUSKANThe City of Sails once thrived on trade and piracyand is now staggering back to its feet after a longperiod ofchaos and neglect. Before its fall, the citywas ruled by a council offive High Captains whowere under the thumb ofthe Arcane Brotherhood.

A century ago, a short-lived attempt to establishlaw and order in Luskan turned the city into a law-less ruin haunted by monsters and ruffians. Largelythrough the involvement of the drow mercenarycompany Bregan D’aerthe, the city has stabilized inrecent decades, and its traditional rule by five HighCaptains has been restored.

Each ofthe High Captains is the head ofan mdc-pendent faction named for pirate ships and theircaptains who claimed Luskan over I SO years ago:Ship Kurth, Ship Retimor, Ship Taerl, Ship Baram,and Ship Suijack. Following the old tradition, eachnew I ugh Captain takes the faction’s name as his orher own. A faction’s crew. allies, soldiers, vessels, andgoods are all marked with the same name.

Ship Kurth is the most powerful ofthe ships.high Captain Beniago Kurth, a tall, red-hairedlutinan to all appearances, is actually a magicallydisguised dro a lieutenant ofBregan 1)’aerthe. Themercenary company’s motives in Luskan revolvearound profit, ofcourse, but Beniago has ties to thedrow ruling family ofMenzoberranzan and surelyhas more complex motives. Ship Kurth controls thedocks ofLuskan and the perfume trade, and it resiststhe rising influence ofthe Arcane Brotherhood.

Ship Rethnor is led by I ugh Captain HartouchenRethnor. It is perhaps the most brutally violent gang,and its agents work hard to extend its reach beyondLuskan. Ship Rethnor thugs are frequently presentin Icewind Dale, and they play an important role inVaelish Gant’s activities in the north.

The other ships spend most oftheir time squabbling with one another and with visiting crews ofNorthlander longships. None ofthem is likely to posea serious threat to either Rethnor or Kurth in theimmediate future.

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