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LEGACY o THE CRYSTAL SHARD
CAMPAIGN GUIDE

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CREDITS

CONTENTS

Design
R.A. Salvatore withJeffrey Ludwig,James Wyatt, and
Matthew Sernett

INTRODUCTION

Editing
Ray Vallese

ICEWIND DALE

Managing Editor
Kim Mohan

TEN-TOWNS

The Crystal Shard

Dragons Eye View

3
4

7
8

Fishing the Lakes

Scrimshaw
Getting to Ten-Towns
Bryn Shander
Easthaven

Ii
11
12
12
17

D&D Senior Creative Art Director

Jon Schindehette

Lac 1)inneshere

20

Redwaters

27

Art Director
Man Kolkowsky

Maer Dualdon

29

D&D RPG Senior Group Manager

Mike Means
D&D Producer
Greg Bilsiand

Cover Illustration
Tyler Jacobson
Graphic Design
Bnee Heiss, Leon Contez
Interior Illustrations
Eric Belisle, Sam Cam, Crut, TylerJacobson,John Stanko
Cartography
Mike Schley
D&D Brand Team
Nathan Stewart, Liz Schuh, Laura Tommervik, Shelly
Mazzanoble, Chris Lindsay, Hilary Ross,John Feil
Publishing Production Specialist
Jessica Dubey
Prepress Manager
Jefferson Dunlap
Imaging Technician
Carmen Cheung
Production Manager
Cynda Callaway
Organized Play
Chris Tulach
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, Wizards ofthe Coast, Legacy of the
Crystal Shard, D&D, Forgotten Realms, all other Wizards
ofthe Coast product names, and their respective logos are
trademarks ofWizards ofthe Coast LLC in the USA and
other countries. All Wizards characters and their distinctive
likenesses are property ofWizards ofthe Coast LLC. This
material is protected under the copyright laws ofthe United
States ofAmerica. Any reproduction or unauthorized use
ofthe material or artwork contained herein is prohibited
without the express written permission ofWizards of the
Coast 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

REGHED TRIBES

38

Tribe ofthe Elk

38

Evermelt

42

THEDWARVES

The Dwarven Valley

Denizens ofthe Valley
KELVINSCAIRN

44

46
48
50

Locations ofNote

50

THE FROSTMAIDEN

52

Followers

52

Practice
Goals

52
53

Servants ofAuril

53

The Tower ofthe Ice Witch

55

BEYOND ICEWIND DALE

Shaengarne River
CoidRun
Sea ofMoving Ice
Spine ofthe World
THE ARCANE BROTHERHOOD

56
56
56
58
59
60

Organization

60

Goals

60

Agents ofthc Brotherhood

The Ships ofLuskan

62
63

ii

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\-

INTRODUCTION
The end ofthe Era ofUpheaval is nigh!
The world ofthe FORGOTTEN REALMS setting
has endured one catastrophe after another for the
past century, from the Time ofTroubles through the
Speliplague. Again and again, upheaval has reshaped
the pantheon, overthrown nations and rulers, and
altered the landscape. Now, the world is being
shaken and reshaped againfor the last time.
The gods are thrown into chaos at the promise of
a new reckoning ofthe pantheon, and they scramble
and grasp at power in hopes ofcementing their posi
tions ofauthority. Their mortal agents in the world,
the Chosen, are charged with carrying out their will
in every aspect of life.
The Speliplague, the magical catastrophe that dra
matically reshaped the world, has come to an end.
The Weave ofmagic is rewoven, and many lingering
effects oftwisted magic fade. The intermingling of
worlds brought about by the Speliplague comes to an
end, leaving Toril looking much as it did before.
Partly driven by the activity ofthe gods Chosen
and partly arising from the turbulent political situation at the end ofthe Era ofUpheaval, the nations
and factions ofFaern engage in their own maneu
vers, manipulations, and acts ofaggression. In
particular, the empire ofNetheril attempts to conquer the Dalelands, Cormyr, and Myth Drannor,
setting offa war that engulfs the eastern Heartlands.
Nations, geography, magic, and the gods are
changing forever in the birth pangs that herald a
new creation. The world needs heroes to ensure that
the new age dawns bright and full ofhope, with good
still shining as a beacon against the darkness.
This adventure is set during the Sundering, near
the beginning ofits cataclysmic events. The year is
1485 DR, making it roughly concurrent with the
Sundering novel The Adversary, by Erin M. Evans.
Because Icewind Dale is remote and has changed
little since the time ofAkar Kessell more than a cen
tury ago, you can adapt the adventure to any period
in the history of Faern.
Using This Adventure: This booklet, the Campaign Guide, provides a wealth ofinformation about
Icewind Dale and the surrounding region. The other
booklet in this package is the adventure. The material in the Campaign Guide is background that will
help you and your players become more immersed in
the setting. Some ofit is used directly in the adven
ture, including descriptions ofimportant nonplayer
characters (NPCs) and maps ofkey locations.

After you have run the adventure, the Campaign

Guide should remain a useful resource about Icewind
Dale, one ofthe most famous locations in the world
ofthe Forgotten Realms.

THE CRYSTAL SHARD

As its title suggests, this adventure deals with the
legacy ofevents told in the novels ofR. A. Salvatore,
including The Crystal Shard, Passa8e to Dawn, The
Silent Blade, Servant ofthe Shard, and The Ghost King,
among others. You need not have read any of these
books to run and enjoy this adventure, but understanding the role that Akar Kessell and the Crystal
Shard play in the history ofthe region will help the
pieces ofthe adventure fit together.
As related in The Crystal Shard, Akar Kessell was
a young apprentice ofthe Arcane Brotherhood.
After murdering his mentor, he was abandoned
in Icewind Dale by his fellow wizards, who had
manipulated him into committing the crime. On the
brink offreezing to death on the ice-covered slopes
ofthe Spine ofthe World, Kessell stumbled upon
Crenshinibon, the Crystal Shardan evil artifact
that took control ofthe wizard and gave him incred
ible power. Wielding the shard, Kessell created a
magical tower, Cryshal-Tirith, in its likeness. He
raised an army ofsavage huinanoids from the Spine
ofthe World and threatened to conquer Ten-Towns
before he was stopped by an alliance ofthe TenTowners and the Reghed tribes. Ofcourse, the aid
of Drizzt DoUrden and his companionsBruenor
Battlehammer; Wulfgar, son ofBeornegar, ofthe Elk
Tribe; the halfling Regis; and Catti-briewas invalu
able in stopping Akar Kessell.
Thwarting Akar Kessell did not put an end to
the threat ofthe Crystal Shard. It was eventually
destroyed, but not before leaving a permanent mark
on Icewind Dale. In various places where crystal
towers stood, the dust ofthe destroyed towers has
fused with the ice to form a new substance. Called
black ice, this dusky gray material is cold and rockhard, but it can be worked like metal in a forge. Now
a dwarfsinith crafts trinkets, weapons, and armor
from this strange black iceand Aurils Chosen has
erected a tower made ofthe same substance. But
though Crenshinibons malign intelligence is gone,
the black ice retains traces ofits deep evil, which
slowly corrupts all who come into contact with it.
One Crystal Shard was enough to cause mayhem
throughout Icewind Dale for many years. How much
harm will countless items formed ofblack ice cause?

ICEWIND DALE
Freezing wind sweeps across the tundra, ceaselessly
battering anything that dares to grow or breathe in its
domain. Even in summer, when the days stretch interminably long, the sun blazing low in the midnight sky
brings no respite from the chill. Without fail, the wind
finds its way through every chink and crack, every
opening in the warmest furs, every tent flap, every
roofand board ofthe strongest homes. It drains away
any hint ofwarmth wherever it finds purchase.
The threat ofwinters fury is never far away. The
wind sweeping down from the Reghed Glacier howls
its wrath and sometimes carries stinging sprays of ice
in its grasp. The sun never rises far above the horizon

even at the height ofsummerand the height of

summer is fleeting. During the rest ofthe year.
sudden storms bring driving hail or sleet that leaves
everything coated in a sheath ofice, or they bring
snow that piles in deep drifts.
All this cold and fury is caged into one small
region. The ice cliffs ofthe Reghed Glacierthe
source ofthe never-ending windrise up in the
east like prison walls, home to white dragons and
enormous remorhazes. In the south loom the snowcapped peaks ofthe Spine ofthe World, crawling
with orcs, goblins, and other monsters. North and
west, the Sea ofMoving Ice churns bergs and floes

I
in an endless tumult, like winter grinding its teeth in

anticipation of its next freezing assault.

And yet, such is the nature oflife that even in this
hostile place, it manages to lift its head in defiance
ofthe biting cold. Lichens cling to weathered rock
despite the battering ofthe winds, providing suste
nance to herds ofreindeer through the winter. Fish
swim in the lakes and rivers that dot the tundra.
When summer comes to the tundra, life shakes
offthe torpor ofwinter and comes forth in full
flower. Grasses grow two or three feet high in the
span ofweeks. Birds flock to the marshes formed in
the thawing soil. Reindeer calves fill out the herds
that have been diminished through the winter.
Ofcourse, no region ofthe Forgotten Realms is
without its people. Human tribes follow the reindeer herds through their annual migrations. Other
humans dare the treacherous waters ofthe Sea of

Moving Ice in search offish, seals, and whales to sus

tam them. Dwarves dig into the earth to find shelter
from the biting wind, mining for iron and forging
weapons and armor.
Most improbably ofall, civilized folk descended
from foolhardy and treasure-mad immigrants from
the south manage to survive and sometimes thrive
in ten small towns. The wooden buildings of these
towns provide only a little shelter from the cold and
wind, and no protection at all from the attacks of
orcs, barbarians, or the fierce tundra yeti. Though
the towns are clustered around three icy lakes teeming with knucklehead trout, resources are scarce,
and competition between neighboring communi
ties can be fierce and occasionally deadly. But for
all the dangers, people still live in the region known
as Ten-Towns, and new arrivalsoutcasts, fugitives,
wanderers, and adventurersstill come to test themselves against the harshest environment known to
the world.
This is Icewind Dale.

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THE SEA OF MOVING ICE

The 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.

ICE PEAK
The 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 l3jorns Hold and
Icewolf. See page 58.
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THE TRACKLESS SEA

The Trackless Sea extends from this, the western coast

of Faern, across thousands of miles to distant and
mysterious lands. Here in the north, the sea is domi
nated by pirates from Luskan. Northlanders from the
Ice Peak to the west, and Gundarlun and Ruathym to
the southwest, challenge the Luskan ships for control
over these waters.

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KELVINS CAIRN

The solitary mountain called Kelvins Cairn stands

among three lakesMaer Dualdon, Lac Dinneshere, and
Redwatersthat support Ten-Towns, the closest thing to
civilization that lcewind Dale can offer. Beyond this small
region is tundranothing but tundra. See page 50.

REGHED GLACIER
The edge of the great Reghed Glacier rises like
a wall to form the eastern boundary of lcewind
Dale. The fierce, howling winds that blow off the
glacier give the dale its name. See page 41.

THE SPINE OF THE WORLD

The high peaks of the Spine of the World shelter southern lands
from the harsh cold oficewind Dale. Crawling with orcs, goblins, and
other monsters, the mountains are a dangerous barrier. See page 59.

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THE NORTHERN MEANS

The Northern Means is a very practical description of
a practical roadthe only real connection between
Luskan (and the rest ofthe Sword Coast to the south)
and the frozen lands beyond. See page 12.

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TEN-TOWNS
Who would choose to settle in a frontier land as
brutal as Icewind Dale? The answers are as diverse
as the people ofTen-Towns, who are a cross-section
ofthe whole ofthe Forgotten Realms.
Some people come to Ten-Towns determined to
make their fortunes. Although demand for knucklehead scrimshaw in southern lands is not what it once
was, there is still money to be made in fishing for the
trout and selling or carving their ivory-like bones.
The valley and the slopes of

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the Spine ofthe World are rich in mineral resources,

as are the gem mines near Termalaine, so a few
hopeful prospectors make their way to the far north
in hopes ofstriking a rich new vein.
Still others come for the solitude. It is hard to
get much farther away from the hustle and press of
civilization than Icewind Daleor closer to a particularly stark, harsh form ofnatures beauty. The
dale is also a fine place to escape notice and stay out
ofthe reach ofthe law ofthe southern cities. Like the
famous drow Drizzt DoUrden, many ofthe people
who come to Icewind Dale are outcasts, fugitives, or
pariahs in search ofa place where they can be toler
ated, ifnot accepted.
Some ofthe people ofTen-Towns are descended
from the Reghed barbarians who settled in
Caer-Konig and Bremen for a time. They abandoned
their ancient traditions and self-sufficient lifestyle
after they were decimated by the armies ofAkar Kes
sell a hundred years ago. Many oftheir kin still roam
the tundra, but Caer-Konig and Bremen in particu
lar have significant populations ofexceptionally tall
men and women descended from the Reghed tribes.
Ofcourse, nowfour hundred years after the
I)inev family first settled on the shores of Lac
Diimesheremost ofthe people ofTen-Towns are
here because they were born here, grew up here, and
never really considered leaving. Theyre accustomed
to the cold, and they
smile behind their hands
ator openly mockthe
weak southern folk who
visit their homeland
and complain about the
weather. Like the hardy
lichens and determined
reindeer ofthe tundra,
residents make a living
under the shadow of
Kelvins Cairn, hunker
down to endure the
brutal winters, and bring
a zesty lust for life to the
summers, enjoying what
respite they can from the
bitter cold.
Life in Ten-

Towns is hard work.

The people know the
value of cooperation,

and neighbors within a town depend on each other

every day for survival. A pair of strong hands is too
valuable a resource to waste, so when criminals are
caught and brought to justice, theyre not locked
uptheyre put to work for the common good.
The friendliness that suffuses each town often
stops at the edge ofthat community. The people of
other towns arent neighbors; theyre competitors
for resources. Thus, Caer-I)ineval and Caer-Konig
are always squabbling over fishing rights in Lac
Dinneshere, and the people ofLonelywood are jeal
ous ofthe lumber their forest offers.

FISHING THE LAKES

Without knucklehead trout, there would be no
Ten-Towns.
A dramatic statement, perhaps, but it is hard
to imagine any pioneers deciding to make a
permanent home in Icewind Dale without the
bony-headed fish. The trout are a major food
source for the people ofTen-Towns, and their hard,
smooth bones are tremendously useful. The large,
fist-shaped protrusions atop their skulls are well
suited to carving, and talented scrimshanders
earn a respectable living selling their wares in
Bryn Shander and in the southwhich is why
knucklehead bone is commonly called white
gold in Icewind Dale.
Although the fishs head is the part best suited
for artistic carving, many ofits smaller bones can
be carved into sewing needles, arrowheads, fish
hooks, fasteners, and similar items. Thus, a single
trout (which can reach tip to five feet long) is quite
valuable, even leaving aside the meat it provides.
Each ofthe ten towns
except landlocked Bryn
Shander) maintains a fleet
offishing vessels. For the
most part, fishing is a coinmunal activity. All the
larger boats and most of
the smaller ones are owned
by the towns, not individu
als, and the catch likewise
belongs to the town, to be
shared according to need.
Targos and Easthaven, the
largest towns after Bryn
Shander, have fleets of over
a hundred boats.
Some peoplemostly
newcomers to the area who
hope to make their fortunes
offthe trouthave their own

--

smaller boats and try to fish the lakes independently.

The towns frown on this activity, since it threatens
both the trout population and the delicate relationships among the communities, which have carefully
divided up fishing rights on the lakes. Its also dangeroussmaller boats dont handle the winds as well,
and it can be difficult to land a large trout on a small
craft. Most small boats stay close to shore, using lines
or nets to catch smaller fish.

SCRIMSHAW
Scrimshaw as it is practiced in Icewind Dale includes
a variety oftechniques and styles. The simplest (which
is still extremely intricate involves engraving plctures into the smooth surface ofthe bone and inking
the engraved lines. More

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ofthe havoc the
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ofthegreedy people
ofTen-Towns These ten co?nfllunjtjes
owed their very
existence to the knucklehead trout,
with their oversized,
fist-shaped heads and bones the consistency offine
ivory. The three lakes were
the only spots in the world
where the valuablefisl
1 were known to swim,
and
tlwuqli the region was barren
and wild, overruii with
hunianoids and barbarians and
sportingfreque
Storms that couldfiatteTl the
sturdiest ofbuildings, the
lure ofquick wealth brought in
peoplefron thefarthest
reaches ofthe Realms.
-

The Crystal Shard

The North/South Pass

sophisticated scrimshanders carve the bone into small
reliefs or statuettes, sometimes inking these as well to
ensure that the details are clear.
Accomplished scrimshanders are respected in
Ten-Towns. Several well-known town speakers have
been scrimshanders, elected to their positions largely
because their trade allowed them to travel freely to
Bryn Shander.

GETTING TO
TEN-TOWNS
Reaching Icewind Dale requires an arduous trek
along poorly maintained roads and through a brutal
pass 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 cross
it, and six more to cross the tundra to Bryn Shander.
That travel time assumes summer weather in the dale.
Its much harder to cross the pass, let alone the tundra,
when winter snows have choked the roads.

Ten Trail
Ten Trail is the name given to the route typically
taken by travelers coIning to Icewind Dale. As its
name indicates, it is not a paved road, but merely
an earthen path marked by the furrows ofwagon
wheels from the caravans that make the trip north.
The cold weather, broken ground, and scarcity of
places to shelter or resupply make ajourney up Ten
Trail arduous at best. Add in the presence of crag
cats, yetis, and bandits waiting to ambush wagons
laden with trade goods, and one begins to understand why only the bravest, most desperate, or most
foolhardy travelers attempt the trek to Icewind Dale.
Ten Trail begins at the town ofFireshearjust off
the Sea ofSwords and makes its way north to the
settlement ofHundelstone, perched on the foothills
at the base ofthe Spine ofthe World. Hundelstone
marks the end ofthe Northern Means, the larger
road that leads northwest from Luskan to the far
north. North from Hundelstone, Ten Trail leads up
the mountain slopes across the North/South Pass,
then wends its way down into the foothills of Icewind
Dale. Before the settling ofBryn Shander, Ten Trail
ran all the way to Targos and along the east side of
Maer Dualdon. Nowadays, caravans from the south
stop mainly in Bryn Shander, so as far as most people
are concerned, Ten Trail stops there, too.

-.

---4;

The gateway into Icewind Dale is the North/South

Pass, where Ten Trail straddles the Spine ofthe
World. Therein good weathercaravans labor for
about three days to cross over the mountain range.
The pass is known for dangerous storms, which can
dump enough snow in a matter ofhours to bury a
horse up to its withers, and for vicious winds, which
tear the cloaks from travelers necks and sting their
flesh. Reports ofundead in the mountain pass usu
ally turn out to be sightings ofill-fated travelers who
died ofexposure, their corpses desiccated by the
bone-dry winds. Travelers who attempt the passage
without the aid ofa guide are advised to obtain a
map showing the locations ofthe way stations that
dot the passsturdy lean-tos. stocked with warm
blankets and dry wood, where people can wait out
a storm. But those seeking refuge should take care:
Yetis sometimes lurk near the stations, checking
them every few days the way a crab fisher checking
his pots.

BRYN SHANDER
Population 1,200
Whats Bryn Shander like,ye ask? Its sixty score
humans, packed together likefish in a barrel an smelling
about as sweet. Its roads are paved with the muck o the
cart horsesyere constantly rubbing shoulders with, an
its alehouses arefilled with scoundrels that no other city
in Faeriin would have. An after three weeks on Ten Trail,
youll swear there was no lovelier sight!
Beorne Steelstrike, caravan master
When travelers following Ten Trail cross the Spine of
the World into Icewind Dale, their first sight is ofthe
circular wall ofBryn Shander rising from a distant
hilltop, with Kelvins Cairn looming in the distance.
The twinkling lights ofthe towns inns promise
refuge from the lashing winds, and the smoke from
its many hearths portends warmth and sustenance.
After they have passed through Bryn Shanders
gates, travelers are swept up in the bustle ofa prospering frontier town. Here, caravans from the south
converge with traders from across Icewind 1)ale to
swap goods and rumors in the busy market square.
Fishers, trappers, traders, and sellswords rub elbows
in the towns taprooms, and gruffdwarves, wideeyed travelers, and skulking neer-do-wells wander
its streets.
Many ofthe folk who come to Icewind Dale never
leave the relative safety ofTen-Towns, and of those,
many have never ventured beyond Bryn Shander.

- ,

----

Although its true that the dale has a great deal more
to see than its central town, its also true that fortune
and adventure aplenty wait within Bryn Shanders
sheltering walls.

Trading Hub
Bryn Shander is the heart ofTen-Towns, and trade is
its lifeblood. Caravans from the Sword Coast, trad
ers from Ironmaster, dwarves from Kelvins Cairn,
fishers and crafters from Ten-Towns, and sometimes
hunters from the barbarian tribes ofthe tundra all
meet in the market square. Here, the people of Icewind I)ale ply their wares, hawking the scrimshaw
and raw knucklehead ivory that is much esteemed by
those ofthe southern lands. In return, the southern
caravans bring rich dyes, hardwood from the forests ofthe heartlands, dried herbs and spices, finely
woven textiles, fruits, wines, and many other com
modities that are rare in the frozen north.
All these items sell for a premium in the market,
and travelers who are accustomed to the plenti
ful goods and relative bounty ofplaces such as
Waterdeep and Neverwinter are often shocked by
the exorbitant prices that even common goods cornmand in Bryn Shander. Those without deep pockets
soon run short on coin, which contributes to the
towns mercenary qualitymany ofthe sellswords
here live hand to mouth and take anyjob for pay.

Fortunately for them, the constant need for caravan

escorts, as well as protection for the expeditions
that hope to find riches in the wild hills and frozen
mountains at the Spine ofthe World, means there is
never a shortage ofwork to be had in Bryn Shander.

The Tenth Town

Although Bryn Shander is the largest ofthe ten
towns, it is also the youngest. Originally it was the
site ofa lone cabin on the trail to Maer Dualdon
where caravanners, weary from their trip over the
pass, would rest by a warm fire before continuing to
their intended destinationusually Targos, the most
accessible settlement in those days. Fishers from the
towns often came to the hilltop cabin to meet the caravans as they arrived, eager for news ofthe outside
world. But when scrimshanders from Termalaine
began bringing their wares to the cabin to entice the
caravans to make the longer trek to their town, they
unwittingly ignited a trade war.
First Targos and then the other towns began sending their own traders to the cabin, fearful of losing
any advantage to the others. Outbuildings were constructed to hold the extra visitors, and as the towns
started establishing semipermanent presences on
the hill, more businesses grew up to provide goods
and services for the burgeoning population. Finally,
after a feud among traders from four towns ended

-----

_*1

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in violence, all ofthe communities agreed to send

speakers to the new outpost to regulate the business
being carried on there. The owner ofone ofthe local
businesses acted as speaker for the outpost, and thus
Bryn Shander had its first council meeting.

Walls Provide Refuge

The people ofthe south know Bryn Shander for
its market fthey know ofthe place at all), but the
people ofTen-Towns know it for its walls. Despite
being a simple palisade, the walls ofBryn Shander
loom as large in the minds ofTen-Towners as those of
any dwarven citadel, for at times they have been all
that has kept the people ofthe dale from being anni
hilated by barbarian raids or rampaging beasts.
The walls stand some thirty feet high and are
defined by two concentric rings ofwooden poles, the
gap between them filled with dirt and rubble. The
outer ring ofpoles rises above the top ofthe wall,
providing a rampart for defenders stationed on the
wooden-planked walkway. The walls hinged gates
are fifteen feet tall and can be barred from the inside
with heavy wood beams banded with iron.
The towns location plays a role in its ability to
withstand assault. Built on one ofthe tallest foothills
south ofKelvins Cairn, Bryn Shander has a com
manding view of any approach from the north the
direction from which attacks on Ten-Towns usually
come), and an attacking force must climb the hillside under fire from archers before it can assault
the walls.
Moreover, barbarians or other foes from the
north must approach Bryn Shander by way of Bre
mens Run or Icewind Pass, and then advance past
the towns near Maer Dualdon or Lac 1)inneshere,
providing ample opportunity for strategically placed
ambush parties to outflank the enemy forces or
harry their movements. It was this strategy that TenTowns employed when the barbarian tribes allied
under King Heafstaag ofthe Elk Tribe in an attempt
to occupy Bryn Shander, resulting in the decima
tion ofthe barbarians in general and the Elk Tribe
in particular. That victory, however, was the result of
a degree ofcooperation between the towns that has
not been seen before or since, so the likelihood of
Ten-Towns successfully employing the same strategy
in the face ofnew dangers is slim.

Sellswords Welcome
The defense ofBryn Shander is overseen by the sher
iff, Markham Southwell, who is appointed by the
towns speaker and serves at her pleasure. Respon
sible for training the towns militia and keeping the
peace, the sheriffis authorized to maintain a standing force oftwenty guards (typically equipped with
longswords, daggers, and studded leather armor).
In times ofneed, the town can raise a fighting force
ofabout four hundredmostly townsfolk outfitted
with spears and longbows, although there are nearly
always some adventurers in town who can be paid or
persuaded to help by taking up arms.
SheriffMarkham is empowered to hire adventur
ers for missions undertaken in the towns defense
(loosely defined as anything that keeps trade coming
through Bryn Shanders gates. Such expeditions are
meant to be underwritten by the towns exchequer
and therefore require the approval ofthe speaker.
Conniving merchants or other interested parties
often ask the sheriffto post ajob for which they are
willing to provide the funding (along with a small
administrative fee for Markham, naturally). In such
cases, unknowing adventurers take jobs that they
believe to be official town business, doing dangerous
and often unscrupulous workthe benefit of which
they might otherwise be inclined to questionall the
while unwittingly serving the aims of an unknown
employer. But the trade to Bryn Shander keeps flowing, and most times neither the speaker nor the
adventurers are the wiser.

Goods and Services

Anyone who walks along the central road through
Bryn Shander notices many inns, taverns, and trad
ing posts, the largest and most profitable ofwhich
ring the central market square.
Geldenstags Rest, one ofthe oldest establishments in town, is run by Myrtle, a gray-haired widow
who took over the inn after her husband was killed
in the crossfire of a dispute between two mercenary
groups that had been staying there. Myrtle now
makes it her business to know everyone elses busi
ness, asking guests a lot ofquestions about what
theyre up to each day. The inns accommodations

I.

14
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are lacklusterthe small rooms are furnished with

only a stool, a chamber pot, and two cots with dirty
furs thrown over them. It might seem like the kind
ofplace that would attract lowlifes and troubleinak
ers, but Myrtles pestering tends to drive away people
with secrets to keep. The absence ofthat element
from its clientele makes Geldenstags Rest a popular
destination for travelers who arent looking for too
much excitement during their stay in Bryn Shander.
The Hooked Knucklehead is another longstanding inn, and it caters to the scrimshanders
and traders who come from the other towns to do
business. The innkeeper, Barton, was a trader from
Targos who stayed at the Hooked Knucklehead many
times before offering to buy out the previous owner.
The accommodations are meager, and the few pri
vate rooms are bitterly cold at night. Most of the
clientele sleeps in the spacious common room, near
the large stone hearth. The prices are a little more
reasonable here than at the towns other inns.
The Northlook is the inn most frequented by
mercenaries and adventurers, and as such its the
rowdiest and most dangerous place to stay in Bryn
Shander. At the same time, its taproom is the best
place in all ofTen-Towns to get leads on profitable
ventures, along with the latest news and rumors.
The proprietor, a retired sellsword who goes by the
name Scramsax, takes advantage ofthe high hopes
and good fortunes ofhis customers by charging the
most exorbitant rates in town. Knowing full well the
cycles of an adventurers life, Scramsax often cuts a
break for customers who are betweenjobs, allowing
them to stay on credit and then presenting them
with a bill inflated by interest charges as soon as
they make their next payday. Those who dont pay
discover that the old mercenary still remembers
how to handle a blade, and that he doesnt take no
money for an answer.
Kelvins Comfort is one ofthe most popular tav
ems in town, owing to its extensive stock of dwarven
ales and brandies. Although the common room
is bedecked with dwarven craft of Battlehammer
make, most ofthe liquors are imported from Mira
bar, on the other side ofthe Spine ofthe World. The
one local specialty ofnote is the brew brought up
from Good Mead. Caravanners who have plenty of
coin often come here, as do visiting dwarves from

i_

Kelvins Cairn. The proprietor is a dwarf named

Ogden Flamebeard, who has a temper as fiery as
his signature drinka Mirabarian rotgut he gets for
p
cheap and rebottles as Flamebeards Firebrandy
(reselling it at a sizable markup. In his youth, Ogden
worked in many ofthe famous northern mines, and
he has contacts not only in Mirabar but also in Ironmaster and Mithral Hall.
Rendarils Emporium is the largest trade house
in Bryn Shander, on the site ofthe original cabin
around which the town sprang up. The entrance
facing onto the town square opens into the storefront, where visitors can view an assortment of the
finest goods for sale in all ofTen-Towns: fishing
rods fashioned from elven yew, yeti-skin coats with
scrimshaw buttons, mithral fisithooks, axe heads
and daggers crafted by the dwarves of Kelvins
Cairn, and more. Around the back side ofthe building is the entrance for wholesalers, where caravan
traders offload their stock and local adventurers
sell pelts and tusks collected on their travels. The
owner, Rendaril, is a half-elffrom Waterdeep. The
shrewd business sense he developed in the City of
Splendors has served him well in this remote corner
ofthe world; more coin passes through his hands in
a week than most other merchants in Bryn Shander
see in a season.
Blackiron Blades is a small shop and smithy
just north ofthe main square. Rather than attempt
to compete with the quality ofthe dwarf-crafted
weapons from Kelvins Cairn, the smith, Garn, has
found his niche manufacturing the cheapest blades
in Ten-Towns. His sister, Elza, runs the shop and
keeps it profitable. When she observed that Garns
low prices were attracting fortune-seekers coming
up Ten Trail whose pockets were thin after the cost
ofmaking the journey, and who were frequently illprepared for the hardships oflife in Icewind I)ale,
Elza began selling adventuring suppliesrations,
cold-weather gear. ice picks, and snowshoesalongside her brothers wares at the shop. Blackiron
Blades is now well known as a one-stop shop for
adventurers and other travelers. Nonetheless, most
ofthe towns veteran sellswords eschew Garns
smithcraft, and jokes told about hapless newcomers
to Icewind I)ale often end with the line
an e
was carrying a Blackiron blade, to boot!
.

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Duvessa Shane
Speaker ofBryn Shctnder

I)uvessa Shane is the daughter of a trader from

Waterdeep who settled in Bryn Shander after falling
in love with a local tavern server. Having inherited
her mothers sharp tongue and her fathers talent for
negotiation, it seemed unsurprising in retrospect
when Duvessa secured the position oftown speaker
the first woman in Bryn Shander to do so. When she
showed 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 member
ofthe council, she would be told when her opinion
was wanted. What followed was a tongue-lashing so
severe that even Crannoc of Caer-Dineval was left
chagrined. Since that day, Duvessa has led the coun
cii as ably as any speaker in recent memory.
Though she is a grown woman, Duvessas slight
frame and sparkling gray eyes lend her a girlish air.
She dresses much as her father did, in shirtsleeves
and trousers, with a vest or coat in the latest fashion.

Local Landmarks
Aside from its many shops and public houses, Bryn
Shander has several other buildings of note.
The town hail is the largest building bordering
the central square. Most days, this long, open hail
serves as an extension ofthe town squares market,
although it is reserved for feasting on various holy
days and other notable events. The hall is also where
refugees from other villages stay in times of emer
gency when they seek shelter in Bryn Shander.
The armory is situatedjust offthe central square.
Only the speaker and the town sheriffhave keys to
this building, which stores arms for the militia.
The council hail, near the southwest gate, is a
warehouse where the speakers ofTen-Towns hold
their meetings. The building is nondescript but iden
tifiable by the heated discussions often overheard
taking place inside.
The speakers palace is the private residence of
the town speaker. Located on the south side, this is
the only building in Bryn Shander that stands two
stories high. (Most ofthe structures are sunk into the
ground to avoid exposure to the winds, which are
not entirely blocked by the citys walls.) Fashioned
by dwarves out ofcut stone, with a pitched slate roof
and a colonnade in front, the palace is so out of place
among the squat, rough wood dwellings that it looks
as ifit had been magically transported here from
some other region of Faerftn.
The House ofthe Triad is Bryn Shariders larg
est place ofworship, and the only one that truly

deserves to be called a temple. An impressive edifice

built by the dwarves ofKelvins Cairn, the temple
stands about halfway between the southwest gate
and the central market. When it was first built, it
honored the three gods known as the Triad: Tyr, the
god ofjustice; Torm, the god ofduty and loyalty; and
Ilmater, the god of endurance in the face of suffering.
Tyr is said to be dead, though he still has a handful of
followers in town, and the holy days most commonly
celebrated in the temple are those ofllmater. The
promise ofdivine aid for those who endure suffering appeals to the people ofTen-Towns, and visitors
from other towns often stop in the House ofthe Triad
before going about their other business.
The shrine ofAmaunator, located near the
small northeastern market square, is a converted
house that serves as a modest gathering place for
worshipers ofthe god ofthe sun. Considering that
the sun vanishes for two months at a time every
winter, its a wonder that Amaunator has any wor
shipers at all in Icewind Dale. The priest who
established this shrine, a retired adventuring cleric
from Cormyr named Mithann, has a strong personality and speaks a powerful message ofhope and

EASTHAVEN
Population 850
I remember when the Eastway was naught but a couple o
ruts in the mud leadin to some shanties on the south side
0 the lac. Now look at the place! Seems likeye cant turn
around without trippin over a new bunch o buildings, and
the townjust keeps getting biggeralong with me profits.
Beorne Steelstrike
The scent offreshly sawed pine hangs in the air
around the outskirts ofEasthaven, where new construction pushes the towns perimeter ever outward.
In the center, spacious shops, inns, and taverns solicit
locals and travelers alike, their brightly painted signs
clamoring for attention as loudly as the fish hawkers
down on the docks. Grizzled trappers just returned
from the wilds sell their pelts in stores that also offer
the latest Waterdhavian fashions, and prosperous
merchants step over penniless fishers in the towns
main boulevard.

Boom Times

rebirth. She calls Amaunator by old namesthe

Morninglord and the Glory ofDawnthat evoke a
different image from that ofthe stern, rigid sun god
who is worshiped farther south. When the sun first
rises from the long winter twilight late in the month
ofHaininer, Mithann leads the gods most popular
festivala great feast in the town hall.
Mithann takes a great interest in adventurers
who come to Bryn Shander, largely because of her
past but also because she genuinely cares about the
people ofTen-Towns. She has seen too many socalled heroes try to exploit the citizens ofthe region,
so she keeps a close eye on the ones who seem shady
or selfish. On the other hand, she gives as much aid
as she can muster to those who seem genuinely interested in helping the people ofthe dale.
Mithann was a member oftwo different adventur
ing companies with Isteval, a paladin ofAmaunator
who has since retired to I)aggerford. Two of their
companions from the first company, the Knights of
the Unicorn, have settled in Baldurs Gate, where
characters might have encountered them if they
experienced the events ofMurder in Baldurs Gate.

Walking into Easthaven is like stepping into Icewind

I)ales pastthe place is a picture ofthe boomtown
way oflife that gripped Ten-Towns centuries ago,
when the cities ofthe south first got white gold
fever. In the generations since, the other towns have
settled into a predictable, ifnot always quiet, rhythm
oflife. Not so Easthaven. Having been overshadowed
by the more established towns on Lac Dinneshere
in the regions initial rush, Easthaven languished
while its neighbors thrived. But with the paving of
the Eastway, more and more trade began to flow
into Easthaven until it overtook Caer-Konig and
Caer-Dineval to become the most prosperous town
on the lake. Now, it rivals Targos and Bryn Shander
in size.
Easthaven tends to attract people who are just
starting out in Ten-Towns, as well as those who want
to start overthe place seems to welcome all comers.
It is a magnet for fortune-seekers and the con artists who prey on them. From honorable warriors to
unscrupulous merchants, from uncouth woodsmen
to worldly travelers, the town displays a striking
assortment ofthe best and worst that life in Icewind Dale has to offer. Anything goes in Easthaven,
according to a local sayingand thats usually true.

Contested Waters
Although Easthavens fishing fleet is now larger
than that ofCaer-Konig and Caer-Dineval com
bined, its boats are relegated to plying only a small

fraction ofthe lake thanks to an accord passed by

the council back when Easthaven was a tenth of its
present size. In those days, the fleets of Caer-Konig
and Caer-Dineval dominated the waters of Lac
1)inneshere, and the accord was brokered as an
attempt to placate the two rivals and keep them
from each others throats. The rivalry would not be
so easily undone, however, and the agreement was
quickly forgotten until a few years ago, when the
speakers ofCaer-Konig and Caer-Dineval invoked its
terms as a way to restrict the operations of Easthav
ens growing fleet offishing boats.
Easthavens speaker, Danneth Waylen, has peti
tioned several times to renegotiate the outdated
agreement, but Caer-Konig and Caer-Dineval have so
far stood united behind it. I)anneth also brought the
matter before the council in Bryn Shander, but to no
avail. Easthavens growth has cannibalized trade from
the other towns, and both Targos and Termalaine
have felt the effect. As a result, they support Caer
Konigs and Caer-Dinevals claims to the waters of Lac
Dinneshere. With Bryn Shander remaining carefully
noncommittal and the towns ofRedwaters declining
to get involved, only Bremen and Lonelywood have
spoken out in support of Easthaven.
Meanwhile, Easthavens boats are in competition
with one another for the best fishing spots in the
crowded waters. Fights over contested catches are
common, and accidents have wrecked several ships
and resulted in a few deaths. Some ofthe bolder
fishers operate in the northern waters claimed by

Caer-Konig and Caer-Dineval, taking whatever haul

they can before they are chased offby the other
towns boats. Speaker Waylen knows it is only a
matter oftime before one ofthese incursions is met
with violence. He hopes to find a solution to the
problem before that happens.

Rags and Riches

With the ongoing dispute over fishing rights on the
lake, Easthavens fisherfolk are suffering. For many
ofthein, fishing is all they know, and there simply
arent enough fish in the small patch ofwater the
town is allotted. Inevitably, the largest boats and the
most experienced crews pull most ofthe fish out of
the water, while everyone else scrambles for whats
left. Many fishers barely catch enough to feed their
families, let alone have anything left over to sell.
Many more come back after sunset with empty nets.
Despite this state ofaffairs, more people show
up every season hoping to make their fortune in
Easthaven. The towns reputation for opportunity is
greater than the reality, yet the image keeps drawing
people there even as it exacerbates the problems.
Still, the prospects in Easthaven arent entirely
illusory. Many people have made a comfortable
living for themselvesjust not fishers or fortuneseekers. With the influx ofresidents, Easthavens
merchants, innkeepers, and tavern owners pull coin
from purses like trout from the lakes.

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THE EASTWAY
The Eastway is the only paved road in lcewind Dale, and it runs from Bryn Shander straight
across to Easthaven Its construction linked Lac Dinneshere to the caravans that came
through Bryn Shander, resulting in the explosive growth of Easthaven and a gradual shift
in trade away from Maer Dualdon.
On many occasions, the people ofTargos and Termalaine have considered improving the
road north from Bryn Shander to encourage more traffic, but the mistrust between the two
towns has prevented them from cooperating long enough to bring the project to fruition.

Then, too, there are those who profit from the

towns problems, such as the gang ofboys who
are paid by fishing crews to hold the best spots at
the docks until the boats come back at night. This
arrangement allows those crews to stay out later than
other boats and still be first out to the good fishing
spots the next day. The boys make a show of compet
ing to hold places along the dock for their clients, but
they actually conspire to bid up the prices on the best
spots, then split the profits every night after dark.

Goods and Services

Cairns Crossing is the oldest ofEasthavens inns,
which is to say it has the most chinks in its walls for
the night winds to blow through. Still, most of the
caravanners who come to town stay here out of habit,
so the inn does a respectable business. The innkeeper, Vie Witters, is stout, gray-haired, and tough
as nails, and she shows no sign ofslowing down
despite her age. Many ofthe inns visitors assume
that shes a widow, but in fact shes married to a local
fisher who still goes out on the lake every day. They
hardly see each other, though, because Vie wont let
him sleep in the inn ifhe reeks oftroutwhich he
always does.
The White Lady Inn stands just across from
the harbor, overlooking the lake. The inn is named
for a local legend about the ghost ofLac Dinneshere
(see the sidebar on page 21 and capitalizes on the
morbid fascination generated by its eponymous tale.
A haifling bard named Rinaldo works the inns taproom on most nights, recounting the titular story
for the benefit of any newcomers and then segueing
into hair-raising tales drawn (he swears) from the
true accounts ofthe many adventurers who have
stayed at the White Lady Inn. Rinaldo knows how to
pull in a crowd, often loudly proclaiming that this
next tale is not fit for the ears ofwomen, children, or
those oftender heart whenever he spies passersby in

a.s

the street, reeling them in like fish on a line. On the

other hand, his employera wiry, white-haired old
man named Bartabanseems perennially bored by
the haiflings tales. But the dour innkeeper is acutely
aware ofthe value Rinaldo adds to his establishment
and strives to make himself as invisible to his guests
as possible, the better to let the bards tales work
their magic.
The Wet Trout is the largest and loudest tavern
in Easthaven. A great chimney situated squarely in
the buildings center has hearths on either side to
warm the taverns two common rooms. The owner,
Henrick, mans the bar at one end ofthe tavern while
his wife, Bitholde, runs the kitchens at the other.
The two frequently shout raunchyjeers at each other
from across the floor, which always get a hearty
laugh from the assembled patrons and lend to the
ribald atmosphere the tavern is known for.
Banrocks Mithral Pot has the distinction of
being one ofthe few establishments in Ten-Towns to
have a reputation that extends outside Icewind Dale.
Just walking into this taverns common room, with its
distinctive dark wood paneling and cozy booths, is
enough to set ones mouth watering. Visitors from as
far away as Baldurs Gate come here to try Banrocks
pottage, which the dwarfcooks in his signature pot.
Running the tavern is a labor oflove for Banrock,
who could retire on the value ofhis inithral cookware alone, but the plump, ruddy-faced dwarfwould
rather spend his days cheerfully bustling from booth
to booth chatting with travelers. His longest-standing customer is a wizard from BlackstaffTower in
Waterdeep, who comes to the tavern every solstice
to renew the wards that protect the kitchen against
thievesand, ofcourse, to sample the pottage.
Rurdens Armory is an outlet where adventur
ers can buy dwarven blades and mail forged in the
valley below Kelvins Cairn. The shops interior
looks like that ofa keep preparing for siegeracks
ofswords and axes stand to one side, while suits of

s.

chain mail lie stacked on crates to the other (and the

crates hold pieces ofplate armor packed in wood
chips). Piles ofhelms stand alongside the crates,
halberds lean in the corner, and shields and crossbows hang on every inch ofthe rooms walls. The
buildings heavy, reinforced door, complete with a
thick bar, rounds out the image ofa garrison; only
a painted iron sign propped against the back wall
identifies the shop as a place ofbusiness. Since none
ofthe weapons and armor are made to order, buyers
often have to adjust to equipment thats heavier than
theyre accustomed toblistered palms and aching
shoulders are common complaints among first-time
customers. Even so, the quality ofthe merchandise
speaks for itself, and the dwarfshopkeep, Rurden,
is especially helpful when showing buyers how to
alter their swings or angle their bodies for an incom
ing 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
Speaker ofEasthaven
Danneth Waylen is the earnest, iffretful, speaker of
Easthaven. He never wanted the position, but he was
nominated for it when the towns business leaders,
after nearly tearing Easthaven apart in their contests
to claim the title after the last speakers death, finally
decided to compromise on a neutral party. 1)anneths
humility and forthrightness made him an ideal candidate, and his sense ofduty precluded him from
declining the nomination.
Just coming into middle age, with green eyes
and tousled auburn locks that often garner him
unwanted romantic attention, Danneth owns two
ofthe towns most profitable fishing vessels, and he
was a fisher himselfbefore turning his attentions to
the towns myriad problems. He tends to be soft-spo
ken, though his voice carries an undertone of steely
determination.

LAC DINNESHERE

LOCAL LANDMARKS

Lac Dinnesheres waters begin in the tundra alongside Kelvins Cairn and stretch south to the forest
that borders the banks ofRedwaters. To those who
look down on it from the slopes ofthe mountain, the
lakes broad expanse seems like a great shard of sky
that fell to the earth, dotted with tiny boats that tra
verse its icy blue firmament.
From the waters edge, the imagery no longer
seems quite so apt. Frigid winds blowing in off the
Reghed Glacier whip across the lake, its surface
chopping with waves that stand at odds with the
serene sky above. The lake does seem to reflect the
moods ofthe heavens; it blushes pink on tranquil
evenings, turns steel-gray when storms approach,
and blanches white during quiet snows. People who
have spent their lives along Lac Dinneshere dont
bother looking up to see what the weather will be
theyjust look to the lake.
Though as large as Maer Dualdon, Lac
Dinneshere is shallower and thus has a smaller
population ofknucklehead trout (but enough to keep
the combined fishing fleets ofCaer-I)ineval and
Caer-Konig in business). The lakes ecosystem is also
less diverse than that ofMaer Dualdon. The winds
from the glacier stunt what trees manage to grow
along the shore and drive avians to the more shel
tered areas along Maer Dualdon and Redwaters, and
the lakes rocky banks prevent seasonal flooding and
forestall the formation ofsandy bars capable of supporting cold-water clams and the otters that feast on
the clams.

Three areas of interest lie outside Easthaven.

Silvanuss temple is a grove ofwhite birch trees
on a hillside overlooking Lac Dinneshere, about
two miles west oftown. Here, a small coven of the
nature gods followers gather every month at the
full moon. They are led by a self-styled druid (one
of the human residents of Easthaven) who teaches
them that the towns sprawl is a blight on the land
and that someday Silvanus will call on them to help
restore the area to its pristine beauty.
The Redrun is the stream that empties Lac
Dinneshere into Redwaters. Normally a series of
spills that are easy to cross, the stream becomes a
torrent of frothing whitewater during late spring.
With all the competition on the lake, locals have
taken to walking down the Redrun and fishing along
its banks. But twice in the past fortnight, locals have
gone to fish the Redrun and did not return. The
other townsfolk assume they were killed by wild
beasts, but no one is brave enough to investigate.
A memorial outside the southwest gate com
memorates a battle between Tiago Baenre and
the balor Errtu, who came to Icewind Dale seeking
Drizzt DoUrden. A circle of blackened ground is
surrounded by a rock wall, the center ofwhich has
a stone statue ofTiago and a plaque that reads On
this spot did Master Tiago slay the demon. And the
snows will cover it nevermore. And the scorched
earth remains untouched by snow even in winter.

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Still, the lure ofthe lakes white gold is enough

to keep hundreds ofpeople living here in small cornmunities carved into the steep, rocky banks, huddled
against the wind and cold.

Caer-Dineval
Population 250
When last I visited Caer-Dineval, Ifound the town
speaker livin in an oldfort at the top o the road, perched
up there like a lord in is castle. Whats he lord oJ Id like to
know. A little pride is well angood, but never will I understand the vanity o men!
Beorne Steelstrike
In generations past, travelers to Caer-Dineval had
to make their way east from the hills around Bryn
Shander and then cut north, following the rocky
shore ofLac Dinneshere until after several weary
hours they spied a small fortress (the caer for which
the town is named) jutting up from the prominence
where it overlooks the lake. These days, visitors to
the town can take the Eastway to Easthaven, and
then hire a ferry to take them across the lake to
Caer-Dineval. Only those who have no coin to spare,
or who have more than a small carts worth of goods
to transport, still take the rude trail that wends its
way up the lakes western shore.
Whether arriving by land or by lac, visitors
are immediately confronted by the fortifications for
which the town is famous: its clifftop caer and the
now-ruined watchtower at the mouth ofthe harbor.
Most ofthe towns buildings line the path that winds
down the steep slope from the caer to the harbor,
perched on the rocky face like cliffside nests. Newer
structures have been built out along the approach
coming up the western shore. The effect is that visi
tors enter Caer-Dineval in procession, filing up the
narrow street past the buildings on either side, from
which the residents watch with a mixture of interest and suspicion. Iftravelers do not turn aside into a
shop or tavern, the road brings them to the top of the
bluffand deposits them at the gates ofthe caer.

The Bastion of Lac Dinneshere

The caer was built over four hundred years ago
by the Dinev family, before Ten-Towns existed as
anything more than a few scattered camps of explor
ers living offthe land. A displaced Cormyrean
family whose sire was purportedly ofnoble extrac
tion, the Dinevs built their castle on the cliffs over
Lac I)inneshere in a bid to claim sovereignty over
the unsettled lands oflcewind Dale. When the

:-

THE GHOST OF LAC

DINNESHERE
Legend has it that an explorer once came to
Easthaven to find his fortune after leaving his young
wife behind in Luskan, promising to return to her a
rich man. The adventurer met with many hazards
on his journey, but the thought of his wife waiting
for him always gave him the strength to persevere.
Finally, after having made his fortune, the man
sought to take the next caravan homeonly to
have it arrive in Easthaven bearing a note from his
wife, written from her sickbed in the hours before
her death.
The young man never returned home. He stayed
in Easthaven, where his wifes ghost sometimes
walked out along the lake, calling for her husband
to return to her. Finally, one night when he heard
her calling, he loaded his fortune onto a boat and
rowed out to the middle ofthe lake, where he was
finally reunited with his beloveda rich man,just as
he had promised.
Locals say the womans ghost still wanders the
lake on some nights; they call her the White Lady.
Rumor has it that she haunts the spot where her hus
band met his end. A few brave souls have followed
the vision ofthe White Lady in hopes of finding the
adventurers sunken treasure, but none of them
has returned.

castledubbed Caer-Dinevalwas completed, the

workers and their families settled in the outbuild
ings they had constructed farther down the cliff
face, along with the families ofthe few retainers the
Dinevs had brought with them. Over the next several
years, many explorers in the region came to see the
caer for themselves, and some decided to trade their
tents in the hunting and fishing camps for a cozy cottage in the shadow ofthe walls of Caer-I)ineval.
No sooner had the small town taken hold than a
marauding tribe of orcs swept down from the tundra
to put it to the torch. Rather than flee their newfound home, the residents rushed to the clifftop to
seek refuge in the caer. But the Dinevs, alarmed by
the size ofthe orc tribe and the speed ofits approach,
barred the caers gates and refused to open them.
The orcs fell upon the stranded people and slaugh
tered them to the last one. The Dinevs survived the
initial assault, thanks to their redoubt, but after three
weeks ofconfinement in the caer, they were so weakened by hunger that they were unable to resist when
the orc raiders scaled their walls. Thus, their brief
rule in Icewind Dale came to a bloody end.
The caer remained in the orcs possession for
the next several years, although it changed hands a
few times during that period as factions among the
orcs fought each other for control ofthe castle. By
the end ofthat time, the small camps ofhumans in
the dale had grown larger and more numerous, and
the future inhabitants ofTen-Towns decided that
they could ill afford to have a fortified encampment
oforcs so close to their communities. For the first
time in their history, warriors from the disparate
human settlements banded together. They marched
on Caer-Dineval and drove the orcs from its walls.
The victors claimed the castle, its lands, and the
lake beyond for their own, and those with families
brought them there to settle. The descendants of
those proud people live there to this day and keep
alive the memory oftheir ancestors deeds.
Today, the caers keep is a glorified residence for
the towns speaker, Crannoc Siever. Although its
sturdy wooden fortifications are still capable of withstanding the attacks oforc and barbarian raiders, the
people ofCaer-I)ineval remember the grim lesson of
the Dinevs. They flee from incursions to seek shel
ter behind the better-defended and better-supplied
walls ofBryn Shander.

Goods and Services

Dinevs Rest, situated at the low end oftown on the
lakeside road, is Caer-Dinevals inn, and one of the
first buildings that travelers reach ifthey arrive on
foot. Built in a shallow dell a little way back from the

----

-,

cliffline, the inn is spacious compared to Caer-Dine

vals other buildings and blessedly sheltered from the
winds that buffet the rest ofthe town. Inside, visitors
sit in the common room around the central fire pit,
swapping stories about their travels; the walls behind
them are adorned with faded banners bearing the
Dinev coat ofarms. The innkeeper is Kadie, a vivacious young romaim with fiery red hair. Her father
was the previous speaker of Caer-Dineval, and as a
child she lived with him and her brothers in the caer.
Kadie speaks about her town with pride amid can tell
visitors all about the history ofthe caer. She doesnt
miss living therethe keep, as shell readily relate, is
too draftyand she doesnt think Crannoc has done
poorly by the town, but Kadie is not bashful about
observing that the current speaker doesnt listen to
folks as much as lie ought to not like her father did.
The Uphill Climb is a tavern perched at the top
ofthe approach to the caer, with spectacular views
ofthe lake and the docks below. Although it has a
solid core oflocal patrons, the Climb also caters to
the towns more upscale clientelewell-to-do travelers and merchants who have coin to spend on more
thanjust beer amid fish chowder. The proprietor, a
ruggedly handsome fellow named Roark, takes pains
to stock a variety offoodstuffs from Bryn Shanders
market, and lie always buys the best brews out of
Good Mead. The tavern has a private dining area
where the speaker of Caer-Dineval meets with
merchants, adventurers, or anyone else who has
important business with die town. The intimate atmo
sphere is only occasionally ruined by the cheers from
the front room when patrons from the dockside tavern
finish their nightly footrace up the cliffside road to the
Climbs front door, usually followed by the sounds of
retching. The last runner through the door traditionally buys a round ofdrinks for the house.
Culvers isnt really a shopits a house, amid its
resident, Culver Ailsen, isnt so niuch a merchant as
he 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 himseifshak
ing their hands, asking their story, and then getting
to the serious work ofporing over their inventory.
Culver has a particular interest in the history of
Ten-Towns and Icewind Dale, and he eagerly buys
anything connected with the accounts and letters he
has read.
Culver doesnt restrict himselfto historical memorabiliahe picks up anything that interests him,
whether its a halfling stick-amid-ball game or a finely
etched dwarven dagger. Because ofhis tendency to
acquire all manner ofodds amid ends, the locals stop
.

rw

by Culvers anytime they need something they cant

get from one ofthe towns crafters.
As a result ofhis voracious reading, Culver knows
a bit about nearly everything in the daleknowledge
that he will share with those who care to listen (he
prefers to talk over a pint at the Uphill Climb). In
particular, Culver has read several accounts ofAkar
Kessells war against Ten-Towns a century ago, and
the relics he has acquired from the Battle of Icewind
Dale are his most prized possessions.

Crannoc Siever
Speaker of Caer-Dineval

Crannoc Siever is an able sailor and fisher known

for his hot temper. Despite his bellicose nature,
Crannoc is not prone to violence. Those who know
him well understand that belligerence is just his
heavy-handed way of avoiding conflicthe would
rather shout others into silent agreement than physi
cally fight or debate with them. Because most people
are easily cowed by his theatrics, Crannoc has never
learned how to negotiate, so he frequently finds himselfat a disadvantage when he deals with Duvessa
Shane, the speaker ofBryn Shander.
Crannoc wears his dark hair pulled back, and his
weathered face seems stretched taut. Though he is
not particularly tall, his thick arms and chest lend
weight to his bullying remarks. He speaks in a perpetual shout, except when he has been intimidated
into sputtering silence by Duvessa.

Caer-Konig
Population 200
I remember i pair ofdwctrflasses in Mircthctrsis
ters, they were. Couldnt stand each other, and always
fightin 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 they 8
ot in
common. Ah, well. Every time theyfouqht, Id be havin to
O an comfort one or th other ofern. The sisters, I mean.
Beorne Steelstrike

Perched precariously between the slopes of Kelvins

Cairn and the waters of Lac Dinneshere is the town
of Caer-Konig, its terraced rows ofhouses climbing
up the lakes edge like the steps ofan amphitheater.
Visitors sailing in on the ferry from Easthaven or
Caer-1)ineval canjust make out the crumbled ruins
ofthe caer that gave the town its name littering the
slopes above the last row of houses.

Although its possible to get to Caer-Konig by fol

lowing the trail along the lakeside, only the most
committed caravanners bother to do so. Most
people come by way ofthe ferry, ifthey come at all
Caer-Konig being considered, as some call it, the
poor mans Caer-l)ineval. (Natives of Caer-Konig,
naturally, charge their brethren in Caer-T)ineval
with coining that turn ofphrase.) Only two groups
visit the town with regularity. The first is adventur
ers, who use Caer-Konig as a base ofoperations for
excursions into Kelvins Cairn. The second group
is the dwarves ofthe valley, who, when they have
cause to leave their home, generally do so by way of
Daledrop, which is closer to Caer-Konig than any
other ofthe ten towns.

The Ruined Caer

After Caer-Dineval was taken back from the orcs,
the people ofthat town decided to set up an outpost
farther up the lakeside that could spot any approachlug raiders from the north and signal the inhabitants
in time for them to fight or flee. They chose a site at
the neck oflcewind Pass where the defenders would
have the best chance ofspotting anyone crossing
the open tundra. There, they built a wooden fortress
like the castle at Caer-Dineval and named it for their
leader who had proposed the project Caer-Konig.
The new stronghold was not like the one at
Caer-Dineval in every respect. That one had been
constructed by trained workers under the capable
hand ofa master builder who had been hired for the
task. The new one was raised by stout-hearted warriors who put great effort into its construction but
did not know how deep to sink the pylons to keep a
thirty-foot wall from being bent by the wind, or how
to pile loose stones around the walls base to keep
snow runofffrom eroding the earthen foundation.
Already dilapidated after only a few seasons, the caer
offered no protection to its garrison when the next
band oforc raiders came down Icewind Pass. The
defenders fled to Caer-1)ineval, and the orcs razed
the useless structure to the ground.
Nothing ifnot proud, the people of Caer-Dineval
quickly took back Caer-Konig (much as they had
done with their own castle), and before long a new
settlement had sprouted at the site ofthe northern
stronghold. The fortress of Caer-Konig has been
rebuilt several times since then, always to fall to the
depredations ofwar or weather. Its been over a gen
eration since the last time the caer was raised, and
although few people left in town remember a time
when the fort still stood, its decrepit state is a sore
spot with many ofthe localsespecially given the
contrast with the proud bastion of Caer-Dineval.

,,

Ruined
Caer

E::.
Frozenfar
. ,,

.The
Northern

Aldens motives in working with Crannoc. Many of

the fishers have begun to feel that Alden sold them
out, and some think the town should negotiate a new
accord with Easthaven. They know that Caer-Konig
would have to give up some ofits waters, but they
hope that by colluding with Easthaven they could
draft an agreement that would be far more punishing to Caer-1)ineval than it would be to Caer-Konig,
which would suit the spiteful townsfolkjust fine.

Goods and Services

Rival to Caer-Dineval
Whatever amity might have existed between
Caer-Konig and Caer-Dineval disappeared with the
opening ofthe ivory trade with the cities ofthe south.
The bounty ofLac Dinneshere, which had always
supplied the two towns with more than enough fish
to eat, suddenly became a valuable commodity. For
generations, the rivalry between Caer-Konig and
Caer-T)ineval has been the stuffoflocal legend in
Ten-Towns, and many meetings ofBryn Shanders
council have been taken up by arguments between
the towns speakers over fishing rights or, indeed,
anything else that might be construed as a market
advantage for one town or the other.
All this changed recently with the alliance struck
between Alden, the speaker ofCaer-Konig, and
Crannoc, his counterpart in Caer-Dineval. Hewing
to the terms ofan old agreement ratified by the coun
cii generations ago over the fishing rights on Lac
Dinneshere, the speakers ofthe two towns have joined
forces to contain the threat posed by Easthavens growing fleet ofvessels. For the first time that anyone can
remember, the fishers ofCaer-Konig and Caer-Dineval
observe an uneasy truce, working side by side (ifnot
exactly together) to keep Easthavens boats offthe lake
north ofthe Shander Linethe imaginary line running
due east from Bryn Shander that was identified as the
farthest extent ofEasthavens waters.
Old grudges die hard, however, and the folks of
Caer-Konig and Caer-Dineval dont exactly have a
history ofmutual trust. Many people in both towns
are dissatisfied by the arrangement, and the resi
dents of Caer-Konig are especially suspicious of

--

The Northern Light is Caer-Konigs inn, where visiting traders stay before making the returnjourney to
Easthaven or Bryn Shander, and where adventurers
rest between expeditions to Kelvins Cairn. The inns
name refers to its door lamp, a magical lantern that
was enspelled by a visiting wizard decades ago. It
glows with a light that slowly shifts from green to red
to blue, resembling the iridescent ribbons ofcolor that
sometimes 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, showing them to their rooms. The older, Con, is stout and
scowling; she sees to the inns provisioning and does
all the cooking. Guests often hear the sisters arguing
late into the night, Allie accusing Con ofspending the
inns profits on needless luxuries such as goose-feather
pallets and expensive spices for her meats and stews,
and Con accusing Allie ofnot knowing how to run an
inn 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 up

the next day to do it all over again.

Hook, Line, and Sinker, a tavern on Caer-Konigs

market square, is easily the busiest establishment in
town. The tavern owes its popularity to the free halfpints that the owner, Eglendar, keeps on a table by the
front door. He presses one into the hand ofevery person

on the idea after spending a

who stops by. Eglendar
towns fishers crawl into
ofthe
long time watching most
at
a competing dockside tavern the end ofeach day, not
bothering to walk the extra hundred feet to his building. Now, they come to his place first for the free drink
(the hooky, and most ofthem stay to order seconds and
thirds (the linein local parlance, having a long line
refers to a predilection for hard drinking). The sinker
part ofthe taverns name refers both to the last drink
call ofthe night andwhen locals challenge visitors to
a good-natured drinking contestto the last drink that
sends a losing contestant under the table.
Frozenfar Expeditions is both a store and a
professional organization ofsorts. Run by a veteran
ranger named Atenas Swift, the shop is the cbsest thing that Icewind Dale has to the adventurers

guilds that are sometimes found in the large cities

ofthe south. A middle-aged, steely-haired man with
skin the color oftanned leather, Atenas is more than
capable ofleading expeditions up Kelvins Cairn or
down to the Spine ofthe World, as he often did in his
youth. He can boast ofhaving climbed the treacher
ous slopes ofthe Reghed Glacier. Now, age is catching
up with Atenas; he is starting to feel the cold in his
joints and goes out on the mountain less frequently
than he once did, preferring to stay by the warmth of
a hearth. But he remains a font ofknowledge for those
who are bent on adventure in Icewind Dale.
He readily sells maps and supplies to explor
ers, and he gives out free advice on how to survive
an avalanche, the five mistakes people make when
trying to run from a crag cat, how to scale an ice wall
withjust a fishing rod and a dead yeti, and more
such topics. In addition to seeking equipment and
advice, adventurers come to the store to see postings left by other explorers in the area. Some of these
notices advertise expeditions that are looking for
recruits or hirelings who are willing to join existing
ventures. Others promise leads that the posters did
not have the skill or resources to pursue. Some warn
about hazards encountered in the wild. Still others
are wills and insurance policies, announcing the
posters expedition plan and expected date of return.
Ifsuch an individual does not return, Atenas uses his
deposit either to hire other adventurers to attempt a
rescue or to set the missing persons affairs in order.

Alden Lowell
Speaker of Caer-Koni8

Alden Lowell is a craven opportunist, with none of

the qualities ofa true leader. After contriving to be
named speaker ofCaer-Konig, he quickly alienated
many ofhis constituents by supporting Crannoc
Sievers proposal to enforce the terms ofthe lakes old
fishing charter. Since then, Aldens career has been
wedded to Crannocs. He spends most ofhis time in
council parroting the speaker of Caer-Dineval, and
he throws his weight around town by pretending that
Crannoc is his staunch ally. In fact, Crannoc regards
Alden as a simpering fool, whom he tolerates only
because Alden so readily follows his lead. Alden,
meanwhile, considers himselfthe clever one and is
convinced that its he who is using Crannoc. Alden
is a coward at hearta fact that he has not yet had to
confront since he is protected, for the time being, by
his association with the speaker of Caer-Dineval.
Alden is a young man, slight ofbuild with blond
hair. He often puffs out his chest when he talks,
trying to imitate Crannocs bearing. When his

-r:.

bravado inevitably crumbles, he visibly deflates, and

his speech becomes puerile.

The Pirates of the Howling Fiend

As ifthe heightened tensions between the fishing
fleets of Caer-Konig, Caer-Dineval, and Easthaven
werent enough, the lakes waters have recently
become even more perilous with the appearance of
a band ofpirates who sail a ship called the Howling
Fiend. They strike indiscriminately, attacking ships
from any ofthe three towns, looting the vessels for
food and valuables and then setting them afire, leav
ing their crews to perish in the flames or drown in
the frigid waters. The pirates usually strike before
dawn, when the first ships ofthe day are testing the
lakes waters, or at dusk, when the most dedicated or
desperate fishers are pushing their luck to make one
last catch. Sometimes, when the lake is obscured by
mist or snow, the pirates make bold daytime raids
on Caer-Konig and Caer-Dineval, terrorizing the
residents and laying waste to the dockside, and then
retreating before the fishers on the lake can respond
to the screams oftheir kin.
In truth, the appearance ofthe pirates is related
to the towns other troubles. The marauders are
former residents ofCaer-Dineval, fishers who were
eager to defend their right to the lakes waters against
the encroaching fleet ofEasthaven. With the aid of
Speaker Crannoc and financial backing from some of
the towns businesses, the fishers commissioned a ram
for the bow oftheir ship from Baerick Hammerstone,
the dwarfstone carver ofKelvins Cairn whose black
ice pieces have become the rage ofTen-Towns.
Wanting the ram as much for intimidation as for
practical use, the fishers asked Baerick to carve it in
the likeness ofa terrifying demon. The finished piece
bears an obvious likeness to Errtu, the balor demon
who has twice terrorized the people of Ten-Towns.
The head and torso extend forward from the ships
prow, and the sculptures mouth is agape in a silent
screamimagery that prompted the fishers to change
their ships name to the Howling Fiend.
Equipped with their new ram, the crew began
aggressively pushing the fishers ofEasthaven away
from the central waters ofthe lake, much to the
delight ofthe northern towns. But constant expo
sure to such a large quantity ofblack ice began to
affect the Ilowling Fiends crew. Their attacks on Easthavens ships became increasingly vicious, and they
began quarreling with other crews from their own
town. Crannoc, fearing that their belligerence would
endanger his tenuous alliance with Caer-Konig and
inflame the speakers ofthe other towns, tried to rein
in the crew to no avail.

11

...*.vw

The tipping point came when a Caer-I)ineval boat

came to the aid ofa foundering Easthaven vessel that
had just been rammed by the Howlinq Fiend, with no
other friendly vessels close enough to save its crew.
The sailors on the Howlin8 Fiend, enraged, came back
around and rammed the second boat just as the
Easthaven crew was climbing aboard, sending three
ofthe fishersincluding one from Caer-Dineval-to
the bottom ofthe lake. Before more boats came on
the scene, the Howling Fiend fled to the far end of
the lake, making berth in a hidden cove there. Its
crew did not dare to return home, and two days later
Speaker Crannoc denounced the attack in a special
meeting ofthe council, declaring the crew of the
Howling Fiend to be outlaws.
Within a week ofthe incident, the ship reappeared
on Lac I)innesheres waters, but now as a pirate vessel.
The black ice had thoroughly corrupted the crew,
granting them unnatural strength and poisoning their
minds. Their depredations rank among the most hei
nous ofany outlaws who have ever terrorized Icewind
Dalethey loot, murder, and pillage at will.
At least one person in Ten-Towns does not consider the pirates activity on the lake to be an
unqualified disaster. Vaelish Gant, a wizard in Bryn
Shander, sees the pirate crew as a potential tool
for furthering the Arcane Brotherhoods agenda in
Icewind Dale. Their ravages have made the towns
ofLac Dinneshere more receptive to the wizards
self-serving offers ofaid (the better to penetrate the
fishing industries ofthose towns with his own capital
and agents). Moreover, if Gant can find a way to exert
some control over the pirate crew, he can ensure that
the howling Fiends attacks serve his purpose by targeting businesses and vessels that dont comply, while
leaving the Arcane Brotherhoods operations alone.

Derrick the Drownder

Derrick Gaffner is the captain ofthe Howling Fiend,
although ever since the attack that branded him
an out1a he has been known by the folk on Lac
Dinneshere as T)errick the Drownder. A hot-headed
man 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 of
his ears was halftorn offin a nasty fight. Most recently,
his cheek was opened up by a fishers knife during one
ofthe pirate raids. Lacking needle and thread, Derrick
had one ofhis men close the wound with fishhooks,
which still hang from the angry red scar.
Derrick leads his crew by example, using intimi
dation to quash any dissent. Hes not much of a
strategist (it was one ofthe other crew members who
pointed out that they probably shouldnt conduct

their raids in broad daylight) and tends to follow his

passion, raiding for the sheerjoy ofstriking terror
into the people ofLac Dinneshere. As such, Derrick
is easily manipulatedeven by his own crew
although his temper makes it dangerous to do so,
since he doesnt hesitate to maim or kill anyone he
suspects oftrying to make a fool of him.

Pyrse of Ship Rethnor

Pyrse Auliffis an agent ofShip Rethnor (see page
63) sent by Vaelish Gant to infiltrate the pirate crew.
At least, Pyrse Auliff is the name he gave to Der
rick the Drownder. After tracking the pirates back
to their hideout, Pyrse approached them, pretending to be a disaffected fisher from Caer-Konig who
wanted to join their crew. As suspicious as Derrick
was due to the influence ofthe black ice, the captain
came within a hairs breadth of slaying the intruder
outright. But Pyrse had timed his arrival well,
coming to the camp the night after a botched raid on
Caer-Dineval had left the crew two men down. One
ofthe other pirates observed that they would need
new blood to continue raiding. In the end, Derricks
thirst for pillage won out over his reservations about
Pyrses unexpected arrival.
Since then, Pyrse has been working to gain the
crews trust and subtly directing their raids according
to instructions he regularly receives from Vaelish Gant
through a magical ritual. He has even persuaded Der
rick to bolster the pirates ranks by capturing, rather
than sinking, some ofthe fishing boats they attack,
accepting their crews as volunteers.
Pyrses proximity to the black ice ram on the HowlmR Fiend is taking its toll, heightening his paranoia
and fear ofdiscovery. Pyrse now believes that Vaelish
Gant is watching him constantly, making his every
move a test ofloyalty. The other pirates have noticed
that he sometimes makes strange gestures or mumbles to himselfwhen he thinks no one is listening,
giving rise to the suspicion that he is simply mad.

Creedon the Ferryman

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

-.

familys welfare. He occasionally feels pangs ofconscience when he hears about fishers who have lost
their boatsand sometimes their livesto the pirates,
or when he witnesses the aftermath oftheir raids
on Caer-Konig and Caer-I)ineval. Creedon consoles
hiinselfwith the thought that hes only doing what he
must to provide for his family, and he imagines that
someday he rjll make up for his complicity by telling
Speaker Danneth about the hidden cove
just as
soon as the purse in his bed gets a little fatter.
.

REDWATERS
The southernmost lake oflcewind Dale is, by many
accounts, the most beautiful. Belying its name, the
waters ofthe lake are emerald green in the morning and sparkling silver at twilight. Unlike Maer
I)ualdon, which is beset by fleets offishing boats
from Targos and Terinalaine, or Lac Dinneshere,
which is blasted by frigid winds coming off the
tundra, Redwaters is a peaceful lake, plied only by
a handful ofsailboats and a few score coracles that
glide across the surface like swans with their young.
Redwaters is not without its dangers, though. The
most remote ofthe three lakes, it is visited infre
quently by caravans and other traders, so basic
supplies can be hard to come by here. Considering
how little wealth trickles into the area, sellswords and
fortune-seekers rarely visit Redwaters. As a result, the
wilds teem with the kinds ofinonstrous beasts that
elsewhere would fall to an adventurers blade.
I)uring the winter, when the lake freezes over, food
becomes scarce. Unlike the deeper waters ofMaer
Dualdon and Lac Diimeshere, Redwaters freezes early
and thick, making the fishing season shorter and ice
fishing impossible in midwinter. Travelers find that
the people ofGood Mead and Dougans Hole guard
their provisions jealouslyand sometimes aggres
sivelyduring these lean months. Warm as a winter
greeting in Redwaters is common Ten-Towns parlance for an inhospitable welcome.
The two towns ofRedwaters, Good Mcad and
Dougans Hole, are known to be fiercely indepen
dent. It is ironic, then, that to most ofthe other
people ofTen-Towns, the two are almost always
mentioned in the same breath. Good Mead and
Dougans Hole might as well be the name ofa single
town, as far as residents ofthe other eight towns are
concerned. To the people ofGood Mead, this expres
sion is irksome, since they consider themselves quite
different from all the other townsfolk. The folk of
1)ougans Hole find it downright insulting, because
for some reason they always come second.

children, but both he and Sara know that the ferry

trade just isnt enough.
The recent appearance ofthe pirates has pre
sented Creedon with an unusual opportunity. I le
guessed the location oftheir hideout, having used
the cove himselfin years past to occasionally smuggle people or goods in and out ofthe towns on Lac
Dinneshere. After gathering his courage, Creedon
sailed into the hidden cove one night and made the
pirates a proposition. He would bring them regular
shipments ofsupplies they were unable to procure, in
addition to information on the towns activities: when
and where the pirates would find the richest targets
to strike; what resistance they might face; and any
plans the townsfolk might formulate to strike back at
them. In exchange, the pirates would pay him a fair
price and guarantee safety for him and his boat.
To his relief, the pirates agreed to his proposition.
Moreover, the Luskan agent, Pyrse, made a separate
arrangement with Creedon to provide information of
particular interest to Vaelish Gant. Pyrse also asked
Creedon to filter the information he provides to the
pirates based on the wizards needs.
Now Creedon has a growing purse ofsilver stashed
in his mattress at home, even after seeing to his

.-

Good Mead
Population 150

Cut south offthe Eastway after the trees thin out, an keep
walking tilye hear the buzzin o bees. Thatll be Good
Mead. Ifyefall in the lake,youve gone toofar.
Beorne Steelstrike
Visitors to Good Mead rarely have a difficult time
deciding where in town to go first. The short row of
squat dwellings that line the trail along the lakes westem edge is overshadowed by the two-story structure of
the mead hall, its eaves carved and painted to resemble
the wyverns that are said to roost in Kelvins Cairn.
Like most ofTen-Towns, Good Mead originally
depended on knucklehead trout for its livelihood,
selling smoked fish, raw ivory, and scrimshaw in the
market at Bryn Shander. In fact, the southern lake
got its name when the competition for fishing waters
between Good Mead and Dougans Hole led to a battle
between several ships that resulted in the deaths offishers from both towns, staining the waters with blood. In
the decades following, Good Meads trade in its justly
famous brew began to outstrip the proceeds from its
fishing hauls to the point where most ofthe towns fishers took up mead brewing instead. A building adjoining
the mead hail, recently erected to provide storage
for the increasing volume ofcasks, is roofed with the
towns retired fishing vessels, and now only a handful of
boats sail out each day from Good Mead to catch fresh
fish for the stewpots.
The only other building ofnote is the towns
shrine to Tempus. Unlike the mead hall, which is
well cared for, the shrines painted icons ofthe god

ofwar are chipped and faded, and its hallcramped

by the standards ofmost southerners, though twice
the size ofany ofthe towns dwellingsstands empty
most days. The shrine was built over a century ago,
when the towns rivalry with Dougans Hole still
raged, and for a time thereafter nearly all the inhab
itants of Good Mead paid homage to the battle lord.
Since their retreat from the waters, the shrines rel
evance has dwindled to the point where only a few
pious residents visit it regularly, and then only to
observe the war gods holy days.

Kendrick Rielsbarrow
Speaker ofGood Mead
Kendrick Rielsbarrow is a bluff, good-natured giant
ofa man and a tireless ambassador for the town of
Good Mead. The only thing he loves more than selling
his home towns famous brew is sharing it with good
company, so he spends his time traveling about TenTowns with a wagon full ofmead casks, delivering his
stock to the local inns and taverns. Kendrick means
well, but he is not the most effective ofspeakershe is
easily manipulated by his peers in the counciland as
a result, Good Mead has not prospered in recent years
as much as some ofthe other towns have.
Standing seven feet tall, with a physique that mir
rors the rocky slopes ofKelvins Cairn, Kendrick
looks like a more civilized version ofthe barbarians
that roam the tundra, causing some Ten-Towners to
wonder about his heritage. He speaks in a booming
voice and is quick to laugh.

Dougans Hole
Population 100
Theyre an odd lot, thefoiks o Dougans Hole. Keep to
emselves, and seem to like it that way. I only visited there
once. After theflrst day, Igot the sense they thought it best
for me to leave. After the third day, I got the sense they
were right.
Beorne Steelstrike

Mead Hall

Shrine to
I1

..

Dougans Hole is the smallest ofthe ten towns, and

visitors who make the trek from Bryn Shander are
likely to be underwhelmed when they finally reach
the small cluster ofdwellings perched on the edge
ofRedwaters. Even Good Mead, barely more popu
bus, seems more civilized with its decorated mead
hall and its cultivation ofthe surrounding forest. The
only improvements that the people ofDougans Hole
have made to their bit of shoreline are the two piers
they built for launching their boats and the gravel

..

-.

...

built the structure or why; the townsfolk maintain

that the stones were there when the towns founder,
Dougan Dubrace, first happened upon his famous
fishing spot. Many northern scholars have tried
to research the origin ofthe structures name, but
all they found were allusions to a creature named
Thruun in the oldest legends ofthe northern folk.
speculate that Thruun was a god who disap
peared from the pantheon ofFaerimn long ago, but
others question whether such a being ever existed.

Edgra Durmoot
Speaker ofDouqans Hole

they put down between their dwellings to keep paths

and roads from becoming a sodden mess.
The residents depend for trade entirely on the
knucklehead trout they fish from Redwaters, since the
town is not large enough to support any industrynot
even scrimshaw. The able scrimshanders ofTen-Towns
reside in the larger communities ofthe two northern
lakes, so merchants from Dougans Hole sell raw ivory
and salted fish at Bryn Shanders market, hoping to
make enough coin to buy grain for the winter in addi
tion to hooks and line for the next fishing season.
In winter, Dougans Hole becomes even more
isolated from the other towns, and the road connecting it to Good Mead and the Eastway is frequently
blocked by deep drifts ofsnow. Even when the road
is passable, the residents keep to their own, including
the speaker, Edgra Durmoot. Although the tradi
tional midwinter council meeting in Bryn Shander
is always spottily attended, Edgra is alone among
the speakers ofTen-Towns in never having attended
a single one. She prefers to be with her people, she
says, who are too busy hunting, trapping, and chopping wood for their firessimply trying to survive the
winterto worry about politics.

Twenty Stones of Thruun

About the only interesting feature in Dougans Hole,
and the only reason most travelers bother visiting the
place, is the strange megaliths known as the Twenty
Stones ofThruun. Standing at the towns southern
edge, these rudely fashioned granite menhirs are
arranged in a perfect triangle, with a single stone
anchoring the formations center. No one knows who

Edgra Durmoot is an old trapper who has lived her

entire
life in Dougans Hole. A plainspoken woman of
II
words, Edgra is suspicious by nature and tends to
be gruffin her dealings with strangers. She is not much
warmer with her peers, frequently snapping at the
other speakers in council and dismissing their ideas.
Many times Edgra has refused to heed a summons
to council, and she never attends during the winter
months. Some ofthe other town speakers wonder why
she bothers coming to council meetings at all.
Edgra is lean and leathery; her scarred hands and
grizzled face speak ofa hard life eked out at the edge
ofcivilization. Having survived her husband, along
with the many dangers in the wilds oflcewind Dale,
Edgra is as tough as they come, and only a fool would
take her for a weak old woman.

MAER DUALDON
Once the primary destination of all who came to
Icewind Dale, Maer Dualdon has seen fewer visitors
in recent generations, with travelers staying in Bryn
Shander or taking the Eastway to Lac Dinneshere
instead. Those who still make the final leg of the
journey north are rewarded with some ofthe same
sights that greeted the first explorers and enticed
them to settle here. Under the great shadow of Kel
yins Cairn, protected by the mountain from the
winds ofthe Reghed Glacier, sits an azure lake, its
deep, cold waters rich with trout, its banks sheltered
by tall growths ofpine and fir. Otters play in the river
waters that drain from Maer Dualdon, and great
eagles soar overhead, occasionally diving to rake
the lakes surface with their talons, leaving behind a
silver scar that is quickly engulfed by the blue waters.
Todays travelers are also greeted by other sights
that the first settlers could not have imagined. The
lakes southern shore is sheltered not by trees but by
the wooden walls ofTargos, built out over the water
to provide safe harbor for its ships. On the eastern

:...

shore, the town ofTermalaine stretches out beneath

the mountain, and the town ofLonelywood has
pushed back the forests edge to the north. West of
the lake, the people ofBreinen have built along the
banks ofthe Shaengarne River, chasing the otters
downstream. Everywhere on Maer 1)ualdon, boats
skim across the surface, competing with the eagles to
pull fish out ofthe depths.

I________
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F1ags

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Targos
.

Population 1,000
Thefoiks in Targos are as hard-headed as the trout in
their lake. Theyd rather stay shut up behind their walls
than admit they need helpfrom anyone. Stubborn an
proud, the lot ofem. Makes a dwarffrel right at home.
Beorne Steelstrike
The scene inside the gates ofTargos, the only other
walled community in Ten-Towns, invites immediate
comparison with Bryn Shander. Both towns are busy
and crowded, but where Bryn Shander buzzes with
the vibrant energy ofits market, Targos hums with
the steady industry ofits docks. In Bryn Shander
during the day, locals constantly look to see who
has come in the gates, while travelers wander about
taking in the town; at night, the taverns are full of
people getting to know each other over a few pints of
mead. In Targos during the day, people walk through
the street quickly with their noses down, intent on
getting their work done. When night falls and the
last boats are in, the town goes quiet as the fishers
head for their beds, to get what rest they can before
the dawn finds them back out on the lake.

Market Squr

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3remez
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feetIiiii1itiaI4

I
wall has gotten in the way ofthe towns growth, and
new residents have started erecting shanties outside
the wall. The wall extends out over the lake, creating
a safe harbor for the towns boats and giving Targos
aiiother advantage over its rival, Termalaine, whose
fleet is occasionally damaged by the storms that blow
in from the Sea ofMoving Ice.

Goods and Services

The Luskan Arms is the oldest public house in
Ten-Towns, established back when Bryn Shander
was stilijust the cabin on the hill and Luskan
was a thriving city. Many ofthe traders who came
to Targos in those days hailed from Luskan, so the
that might
Luskan Arms was built to look like an
be found in the City of Sails. As a result, much of the
decor is nearly two hundred years old, providing a
snapshot ofLuskan as it was the years before its
decline and ruin. Pennants bearing the arms of the
five ships ofLuskans 1-ugh Captains hang from the
inns walls, and a vellum map ofthe city is mounted
over the hearth. The innkeeper, a quiet, balding
named ()wenn, knows bits and pieces ofthe citys
lore, some ofwhich were passed on to him by his
father, with the rest picked up from travelers who
come to stay at the Arms.
Three Flags Sailing is the tavern where fishers coming in offthe lake grab a bowl ofstew and a
quick pint before heading to bed. The atmosphere at
the Three Flags is subduedthe fishers are usually
weary from their long days work, more interested
eating than socializing. The mood occasionally turns
boisterous when the town celebrates a good haul or
when one ofthe crews recounts the tale ofa fight with
inn

Fishing Industry
Almost all the towns in Icewind Dale make their
living offthe lakes, but nowhere is that fact more on
display than in Targos. The town has always had the
biggest fishing fleet, the best ships, the most knowl
edgeable sailors, and, as a result. the biggest hauls.
Even though Easthaven has threatened to overtake it,
Targos has retained its dominant position in the fishing industry by concentrating on what it does best.
Nearly every resident is involved in some facet of the
fishing business, and everything that goes on in town
revolves around the work ofhauling the knucklehead
out ofMaer Dualdons waters.

Walled Town

in

man

in

Like Bryn Shander, Targos is encircled by a wooden

wall, which in the past has protected the town
against orc and barbarian raids. Lately, though, the

--

THE DOCKWORKERS
GUILD
Targos is the only community in Ten-Towns that has
a guildnamely, the dockworkers guild, representing the towns shipwrights, warehouse workers, and
loaders. The guild was formed to ensure standards
of quality and construction for the towns fishing
vessels and to prevent wildcat strikes by laborers
who come to Targos during the busiest part of the
fishing season.
Town speaker Giandro Holfast is one of the
guilds leaders, and he is attempting to expand the
guild to the rest ofTen-Towns. Workers whojoin the
guild would benefit from its wage and trade protec
tions, and their towns would gain the expertise of
Targoss master shipwrights. Such expansion might
cost Targos some of its competitive advantage with
the other fishing towns, but Giandro believes that
the increased influence such an arrangement would
bring to his town would finally put Targos on an
even footing with Bryn Shander.
_1I

fishers from Termalaine. Three Flags Sailing is run by

a plump, gray-haired widow named Ethen, whom the
local fishers call Ma. She bustles around the tavern
making sure everyone has a hot beerto take the
chill off, she saysand fusses over the men as if they
were her own sons which a few ofthem are.
Graendels Fine Dwarven Craft is a smithy run
by the aging Graendel Granitefist, one ofthe original
dwarves who fled Mithral Hall with Clan Battlehammer and resettled in Icewind Dale. He has plied
his trade in Targos since before most ofthe fishers
grandsires were alive, and he is the only person left
in Targos who remembers Akar Kessells invasion
and the destruction that his Cryshal-Tirith wrought
on the town, incinerating whole blocks of buildings with a focused beam of sunlight. The town has
long since built over the devastation, but Graendel
still tells the tale ofthat terrible day to anyone
wholl listenusually captive-audience guards from
Bryn Shander who have come to have their armor
adjusted. Graendel has a fine eye for his craft and
makes all ofhis pieces to order, fitting them perfectly
to their intended recipients, whether an adventurer
looking for a new blade or a boat in need ofa new
anchor. Because ofGraendels exacting standards,
his work often takes some time, and those in need of

a quick armor patch or a simple fish-gutter usually

make do with one ofthe other resident smiths.
Triglio is the towns general store, named for one
ofthe chanteys that the fishers often sing when hard
at work upon the lake: Trigl-ee-oh, lads, an oist upon
cjl-ee-oh, lads, an brinqyonftshers in. The
1
the line/Tri
proprietor is a thin, middle-aged man named Jestin,
who fished the lake until his left hand was crushed
in a collision with a rival boat from Terinalaine.
Now he sells foodstuffs, sackcloth, candles, lamp oil,
snowshoes, wagon wheels, and various other necessi
ties. The one thing he doesnt sell is fishing or sailing
suppliesin Targos, all such goods are supplied by
specialty crafters and merchants. Adventurers can
find most oftheir basic supplies at Triglio, and if they
cant, Jestin can tell them where else to look.

Giandro Holfast
Speaker ofTargos
Giandro Ilolfast is a native ofTargos who works as a
master shipwright at the towns docks. He is proud
ofhis work and proud ofhis town, and it chafes
at him to see Targos threatened by the rising star
ofEasthaven. Like many ofhis fellow residents,
Giandro deeply resents what he sees as Bryn Shand
ers machinations to become the preeminent city
oflcewind Dale, with all the other towns in orbit
around it. The speaker is determined that Targos
should hold its own, and though he is not hostile
toward his peers on the council, he rebuffs any proposition that he believes would make Targos beholden
to the other towns.
Giandro is middle-aged, with dark hair and a
strongjaw, and might be handsome ifnot for his perpetual frown. His hands are thickly callused, and he
speaks in a stern, gravelly voice.

Termalaine
Population 600
Thefolks o Termalaine will tellye theirs is the loveliest
part o Ten-Towns, an I reckon theyve got the ri
ht of it.
8
True, the charms o their spacious streets an decorated
homes may ave been wasted on me, but the mine! Full o
gems it were, sparklin like the waters o the maer. Aye, a
lovely town indeed!
Beorne Steelstrike
Termalaine has a well-deserved reputation as the
most picturesque town in Icewind I)ale. Without the
confinement of a wall, the settlement unfurls from
the banks ofMaer Dualdon in long, broad avenues

dotted with trees, inviting travelers to stroll down

to the waters edge. The town does not feel busy or
crowdedits spacious houses are widely spread along
the avenues, and its inhabitants go leisurely about
their days. Termalaine has its own fishing fleet, and
one often hears workers down on the docks calling
out to one another or to the boats coming in off the
lake, but the town is not dominated by its fishing
industry the way Targos is. Crafters and artisans are
as numerous here as shipwrights, and their work
improves on the towns natural beauty. Many buildings feature intricate braid-work carved into their
wood frames and doors, and scrimshaw ornaments
and wind chimes hang in their windows. But perhaps what endears Termalaine most to travelers is
its people. Though rough and hard-working like
all the other inhabitants ofTen-Towns, the folk of
Termalaine are also friendly, good-natured, and wel
coming ofstrangers. Some people say thats because
they get so few travelers compared to the likes of
Bryn Shander, but in truth its because the people
ofTermalaine love the small corner ofFaerfln they
have carved out for themselves, and they want visi
tors to fall in love with it, too.

Rival to Targos
Termalaines rivalry with Targos goes back as far
as anyone can remember. For as long as the folk of
these two towns have been pulling knucklehead out
ofthe waters ofMaer Dualdon, theyve been fighting over who pulled which fish out ofwhat waters.
Every day on the lake, fishers from Termalaine and
Targos can be heard yelling at each other for crossing lines, obstructing movement across the water,

scaring the fish away, and stealing catches. Most of

the time these grievances are voiced from a distance,
but every so often the crews nudge each others boats,
and the yelling escalates to fisticuffs. These alterca
tions are usually more a chance for the fishers to
display their bravado than an attempt to do serious
injury to the other party, but occasionally an encoun
ter turns truly violent, resulting in deaths. After each
such tragedy, the mood in Termalaine turns dark,
and the residents begin recounting the transgres
sions perpetrated by Targos over decades, which
serves to reinforce the unending animosity between
these two rivals.

Goods and Services

The Eastside is the inn where visitors in Terma
lame generally stay. What looks from the street like
a cluster ofhouses actually turns out to be a single
structure connected underground, with some of the
coziest rooms in Ten-Towns though, as more than
one traveler has doubtless reflected, only in Icewind
Dale would a cot in the cellar be considered cozy).
The owner is an aging fisher named Clyde, who still
spends his days out on the lake, since the inn doesnt
see a lot ofbusiness. His wife tended to visitors
during the day, until she passed away two winters
ago; now Clyde employs a 12-year-old girl named
Marta to watch the door and make meals for anyone
who comes to stay.
The Blue Clam is the dockside tavern where the
fishers ofTermalaine typically end their day, seated
on benches near one ofthe buildings long hearths
to warm their feet while they fill their bellies with
spiced chowder. The walls are decorated with fishing trophies and beautiful works ofscrimshaw, and
the tables and benches are decorated with the knotwork carvings typical ofthe town. Vernon Braig,
the owner and chef, knows some ofthe hunters and
trappers up in Lonelywood, and occasionally a sled
comes down the north road with a sack ofhares or a
haunch ofmoose, courtesy ofone ofVernons friends.
On those nights, the Blue Clams hearths are full nf
roasting meats, and the patrons stay later and sing
louder, enjoying the good times while they last.

Shaelen Masthew
Speaker of Termalaine
Shaelen Masthew is a charming, outgoing woman
who seems to know the name ofevery person in
Termalaine, and her friendly manner makes strang
ers feel right at home. Shaelen first attended the
council meeting in Bryn Shander as a proxy for

THE GEM MINE

When the first explorers settled on the east bank
of Maer Dualdon, they thought nothing ofthe small
cave set into a low hill behind their settlement. It
wasnt until later, when the settlers mustered up
courage to explore the caves depths, that they
found a load of tourmaline gemstones. Lacking the
expertise and resources to set up a proper mining
operation, the people of Termalaine have worked
the mine slowly and sporadically over the years,
their efforts further hampered by creatures from the
Underdark that occasionally find their way up into
the mine. Whenever such creatures are discovered,
the mine is sealed off, and the townsfolk wait until
a band ofsellswords or adventurers can be hired to
clear it out. Currently the mine stands open, though
lately a few miners have reported strange noises and
had tools go missing.

the previous speaker, who had fallen ill. She was

inspired by Duvessa Shanes example, and when the
previous speaker succumbed to his illness, Shaelen
convinced the people ofTermalaine to elect her as
the new speaker. Since then, she has learned much
about the politics ofTen-Towns and has become one
of the councils shrewder members.
Shaelen is heavyset, with straw-blond hair tied
in braids and a beaming smile. She wears a simple
woolen dress and apron, her only ornament a brass
wedding ring. Though she is not as fiercely intelligent
as Duvessa, Shaelens appearance and good nature
can be disarming, a fact she frequently exploits.

Bremen
Population 300
I tried me hand at panninfor gold along the banks o
Bremen, once. Came up with a couple o clams an n ogres
tooth, but not a bit oyellow. Seems like afool waste o time,
fye ask me. Course, mefather always used to say the
same about caravanin!
Beorne Steelstrike
The town ofBremen sits sleepily on the west bank
ofMaer I)ualdon, at the mouth ofthe Shaengarne
River. Those who lack a boat to sail into the towns
harbor can reach Bremen only by fording the river,
which can be a perilous proposition when the water
is running high. In Bremen, travelers are often struck

by the sense that they have left Ten-Towns. Even

though Targos, Termalaine, and Lonelywood are all
visible from the towns docks and Kelvins Cairn still
dominates the skyline, the Shaengarne is like a road,
slowly bending its way south and west, away from
the mountain and Icewind Dale. In those prone to
wander, the shimmering band ofthe Shaengarne
seems to ignite the imagination about what lands lie
beyond at the worlds edge. On the people of Bremen,
the view has the opposite effect, causing them to
cling to Ten-Towns like barnacles to a rock, afraid of
being washed away in the tide.

Seasonal Floods
The fear ofbeing washed away is no mere metaphor.
Early every summer, when the frozen ground thaws,
the Shaengarne spills over its banks and sweeps the
floodplain clean. Accustomed to the annual cycle,
the people ofBremen do not build on the floodplain,
but in some years the waters rise higher than usual
and wash away boats or even buildings erected too
close to the riverside. Travelers are also occasionally
swept away when, unaware ofthe strength of the
current, they attempt to ford the raging waters.
When the waters recede in midsummer, they
leave behind a rich layer ofsilt along the rivers
bank, practically the only soil in the area capable
ofsustaining anything other than scrub grass. The
growing season is short, and the people of Bremen
make the most ofit, planting onions and tubers that
can be stored for the winter. Those who arent busy
on the lake often spend their spare daylight hours
combing through the silt for whatever the floods
might have deposited on the rivers banksfishhooks
and fishing rods, broken weapons, bits ofjewelry,
pieces ofraw knucklehead ivory, and even gold nug
gets. Treasure hunting is a favorite activity among
the children, and people from other towns make the
trip to Bremen once or twice a year to try their luck
on the banks ofthe Shaengarne.

Goods and Services

Buried Treasures caters to Bremens visitors, most
ofwhom come from other parts ofTen-Towns to
spend a few days panning the riverbanks. Since trea
sure hunting is a warm-weather activity in Bremen,
the inn is sparsely occupied for most ofthe year, and
travelers in the off season might find a dark common
room and a cold hearth upon arrival. Nevertheless,
the innkeeper, Cora, is always happy to have guests,
and she sets her son, Huarwar, to fetching wood
for the fire and helping with the baggage while she
turns down the fur-lined cots and puts a pot of fish

B;4n
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II

Buried
Treasures
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and leek stew on the hob. The common room is decorated with hundreds of objects dug up from the mud
ofthe Shaengarne by Coras guests and then donated
to the inn. Most are oflittle valuegnarled pieces of
driftwood, shards ofbroken pottery, a battered shield
bearing the remnants ofa Cormyrean nobles crest
but displayed in a glass case on top ofthe mantle, out
ofcasual reach, is a gold nugget the size ofa mans
knuckle. At least, thats what Cora tells visitors it is.
In truth, its a rock that she disguised with a bit of
paint she bought from a dwarftrader years ago, but
the opportunity it promises to those who see it sparkling above the hearth keeps hopeful visitors coming
back year after year.
Stones is one ofthe taverns on Breinens infamous
Five-Tavern Center. Its known as the place where
rough-and-tumble fishers drink their courage before
picking fights with locals at the neighboring tav
ems (sometimes they practice on each other before
taking their act across the street). The barkeep, DufE
is a coarse sort himself, and his broad shoulders
and broken face attest to his ability to both dole out
and withstand punishment. He doesnt usually get
involved in the nightly frays unless they happen in
his bar, whereupon he delivers a thumping to any
patrons who cause property damage. The tavern
takes its name from the polished river rocks that
Duffputs at the bottom ofevery tankard ofale. If a
drinker drains the cup at a single go, the stone rolls
gently down to the lip ofthe tankard, but patrons
who delicately sip at their beer will get a crack in the
teeth when they throw back the last oftheir drink.
In keeping with the spirit ofthe establishment, newcorners are never warned about the stones.

Ewins Trinkets is a small shop that specializes

in buying and selling the items that local treasureseekers find on the riverbanks. The building is
cluttered with a miscellany ofobjects. Some look
as ifthey might have value to the right person, and
others look like the kind oftrash a child would stuff
in her pockets to keep it from being thrown away.
The shop is owned by a haifling named Ewin who
came to Bremen to pan the riverbanks. In a remarkable stroke ofluck, he pulled three gold nuggets out
ofthe river in his first two days ofprospecting, and
after much deliberation over what to do with his
newfound wealth, he decided to buy this store. Some
ofthe collection dates back to its original owner, a
wizard named Earvin who came to Ten-Towns from
Luskan after the fall ofthe Hosttower ofthe Arcane,
and who dealt exclusively in magical trinkets. Ewin
has spent years trying to figure out which items in
his collection are magical and what they might do,
but so far the only item whose function hes sure of
is a chipped porcelain cup that instantly heats any
liquid poured into it. Ewin is happy to buy any gems
or jewelry that adventurers might bring him and
is willing to part rjtlm his trinkets for a fair price,
with the understanding that buyers wont hold him
responsible for any undiscovered or undesirable
magical effects.

Dorbuigruf Shalescar
Speaker ofBremen

I)orbulgruf Shalescar is a dwarffrom Iromuaster

(see page 5 6) who moved to Bremen after a mining
accident convinced him he had spent enough of his
life underground. His unflagging efforts helping
Bremen to rebuild after a bad flood earned him the
respect ofthe locals, and his sensible, even-handed
nature earned him their trust, eventually prompting
them to nominate him as their speaker.
1)orbulgrufis getting on in years, and a few wisps
ofgray are visible in the dwarfs black beard. He
speaks in a slow baritone that brooks no interrup
tion, and he always treats strangers as friends until
they give him a reason to do otherwise. His unflap
pable demeanor is a welcome counterpoint to the hot
tempers that often hold sway at the council meetings
in Bryn Shander.

Local Landmarks
Five-Tavern Center is the area in the middle of
Bremen where five taverns stand arranged in a circle
around a central yard. As the story goes, five brothers
had originally intended to build a tavern together,

FIVE-TAVERN CENTER
In the middle of Bremen stand five taverns
arranged in a circle around a central yard, a
place the locals simply call Five-Tavern Center.
As the story goes, five brothers had originally
intended to build a tavern together, but each
had assumed he would be the one to run the
business. Since none of the brothers would
work for the others, each built his own tavern,
and they all competed for customers. Every
night would find the brothers in the central yard
fighting over who was stealing whose business.
Whether the story is true is anyones guess, but
nearly every night in Bremen finds a fight breaking out in Five-Tavern Center.
_z

but each had assumed he would be the one to run

the business. Since none ofthe brothers would work
for the others, each built his own tavern, and they all
competed for customers. Every night would find the
brothers in the central yard fighting over who was
stealing whose business. Whether the story is true
is anyones guess, but nearly every night in Bremen
finds a fight breaking out in Five-Tavern Center.
Wet Rock is a small island located in the head of
the Shaengarne River. Jutting up from the river like
a miniature version ofKelvins Cairn, the rocky islet
stays clear ofthe flood waters most years, but in years
when the flooding reaches its highest levels Wet Rock
is totally submerged. A determined recluse named
Thurdeime has rebuilt her little shack atop the
island at least six times in the last fifteen years,
but no flood can convince her to relocate into
town. Rumors around Breinen claim that the old
woman is a witch who treats with infernal powers
in the solitude ofher cabin, but the truth is much
simpler: She fled a brutal husband in Waterdeep
fifteen years ago and cant bring herselfto trust
people anymore, especially men.

Lonelywood
Population 150
Mostfolk in Lonelywood went there tryin toforget
about somethin or tryin to beforgotten. Folks there
mind their own business, an they expectye to do the
same. Surest way tofind trouble in that town is to start
askin questions.
Beorne Steelstrike
.

The northernmost municipality in Ten-Towns is a

remote community ofloggers and fishers, humble
folk engaged in hard, honest labor, scratching out
a living at the edge ofthe rorld It is also a den of
unrepentant thieves, cold-hearted killers, and miserable derelicts. These two groups ofpeople do not
exist separatelythey are one and the same, and a
persons vision ofthe towns inhabitants says more
about that individual than it does about the people of
Lonelywood. Clinging to either ofthe extreme views
often causes outsiders to misjudge the residents,
sometimes with tragic consequences. The visitors
who fare best in Lonelywood are those who have a
more nuanced understanding of human nature, who
know that good and evil do not stare at each other
across the battlefield ofthe cosmos, but lie within
every persons heart in discomfiting embrace.

Haven for Miscreants

For as long as Ten-Towns has existed, Lonelywood
has attracted the regions shadiest element. The place
is far enough from the other towns to be safe against
idle intrusion, and its thick wood conceals the dark
and sordid dealings that sometimes transpire there.
Still, Lonelywood is not Luskan; people are not regu
larly murdered in the streets, and folk do not always
plot against one another. The realities ofsurvival this
far north demand that the folk ofLonelywood live
and work together, and so they do, quite peaceably
for the most part.
The fact ofthe matter is that almost every resi
dent ofLonelywood has a secret past. It might be a
crime for which that person has yet to face justice,
a revelation too dangerous or shameful to divulge,

ever imagined that the structure would see use for

as long as it has, so all the construction has been of
a haphazard nature and indifferent to quality. Sev
eral times, sections ofthe building have collapsed
under the weight ofthe winter snows; inevitably,
the repairs to these sections were undertaken with
the same (minimal) amount ofcare that went into
their original construction. Nowadays, the inn is
kept open on a permanent basis, with a retired
sawyer named DeGrootz looking after visitors. Only
a handful ofrooms are in service, with the rest still
used for timber storage. Rumor has it that sometimes other things get stored in those rooms as well,
hidden among the cords ofwood, but DeGrootz
keeps all the rooms under lock and key. That, and
the heavy woodcutters axe he keeps close at hand,
deters most visitors from poking around in rooms
that arent theirs.
The Lucky Liar is a favorite local tavern where
fishers and woodcutters spend the evenings telling tall tales. Although the taverns in Bryn Shander
might see a greater number oftravelers, it is at the
Lucky Liar Tavern that one can hear some of the
most outrageous tales ofadventure in the far-off
corners ofFaerfln. Ofcourse, most ofthe stories are

a loss too great to be overcome by mourning.

Although a few people bring their past with them to
Lonelywood, continuing their lives and identities as
before in hopes that the remoteness ofthe location
will keep whatever chases them at bay, most newcomers arrive in town intent on leaving their past
behind. But such truths often have a way of catching
up with people sooner or later.
Timber

Industry

Only about halfofLonelywoods able-bodied resi

dents trawl the lake for knucklehead, while the other
halfspend their days in the surrounding forest felling and hewing the trees that are used to construct
many ofthe boats and buildings in Ten-Towns. Most
famously, Lonelywoods firs were used to build the
walls ofTargos and Bryn Shander.
After it is cut, Lonelywoods timber is taken by
cart down the north road, where most ofit is sold
in Termalaine and Targos. Less frequently, Lonelywoods timber drivers bring a load to market in
Bryn Shander, where the wood generally fetches a
higher price.
Lonelywoods forest is the towns greatest asset,
not only for its material wealth but for the defense
it provides against orcs and barbar
ians coming down Bremens Run.
The woods slow oncoming pursuers,
giving the townsfolk time to escape
onto the safety ofthe lake. Most often,
though, bands ofraiders simply pass
Lonelywood by, never realizing the
town is there.

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Goods

and

Services

Ramshackle is Lonelywoods aptly

named inn. The original structure
was hastily thrown up about a cen
tury ago to accommodate a surge
ofinterest in the town following its
branding as the Home ofthe Halfling Hero (so named for the towns
speaker, a haifling named Regis, who
played a pivotal role in rebuffing
the barbarian invasion led by King
: Heafstaag ofthe Tribe ofthe Elk).
After a time, the influx of travelers
to Lonelywood returned to its usual
h trickleand the building was given
Tover ,o storing timber. Over the years
the residents periodically found occa
sion to reopen the inn, sometimes
adding c-a rooms as needed. No one

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heavily embellished, and some are outright fabrica

tionsfictional exploits invented by locals who are
concerned about keeping the truth concealed. From
time to time, though, patrons whose tongues have
been loosened by drink let slip valuable or dangerous secretskernels oftruth hastily covered over
with a wash oflies, but always noted and filed away
by Danae, the taverns astute barkeep. A slight, plainlooking woman notable for her raven-black hair,
Danae takes advantage ofherjob at the tavern to
hide in plain sight among the people of Lonelywood
and goes about her serving work with a quiet
circumspection. She rarely engages in extended conversations, and she makes small talk with patrons
as a pretense to linger near an interesting conversa
tion taking place at another table. In fact, Danae is
a Thayan agent planted in Icewind Dale years ago
to watch for enemies ofSzass Tam who might seek
refuge in the remote communities ofTen-Towns.
Pavels Used Goods is the closest thing that
Lonelywood has to a general store. Buyers can find a
wide array ofgoods here, from the mundane to the
extraordinary, and generally at lower prices than
can be found in Bryn Shanders market. But, like
the people ofLonelywood, the goods sold here tend

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to have histories that arent readily acknowledged

by the shops proprietor, a weaselly-looking fellow
named Pave!. Travelers who purchase equipment
might later find themselves in the uncomfortable
situation ofbeing accosted by the items previous
owners (who were not compensated for their loss)
or attacked by interested parties who have mistaken
the travelers for said previous owners. On the other
hand, adventurers who have rare or unusual objects
to sell need look no further than Pavels shop. The sly
merchant is willing to pay a very nearly fair price for
just about anythingno questions asked.
The Happy Scrimshander is a little shop near
Lonelywoods docks that sells the tools ofthe scrim
shanders trade: needles and knives in a dazzling
array ofshapes and sizes, inks in a rainbow of colors,
and waxes used to seal an engraving when its done.

Avandro Perth
Speaker ofLonelywood

Avandro Perth is a black market operator from

Neverwinter who headed north when Lord Neverember put a price on his head. By the time he eluded
the last bounty hunter, Avandro had ended up in
Lonelywood, where he resolved to
rebuild his business. But then, while
he was in the process of establishing a local network, Avandro ended
up gaining influence among most of
the small towns population, inadver
tently resulting in his being elected
speaker. He enjoys the expanded
clout the position grants him, but
its responsibilities place increasing
demands on his time. Still, whats
good for Lonelywood is good for
business, so Avandro manages the
towns affairs as best he can.
With his close-cropped black hair
and hawkish features, Avandro is
easily recognizable (which proved
a distinct liability during his flight
_-:-ffrom Neverwinter). He speaks in
precise, clipped tones and quickly
betrays impatience when he thinks
his time is being wasted.
Cc:

-.

--

-.

-.

REGHED TRIBES
They are children ofthe glacier, as suggested by
their collective name. They are people ofthe wild,
as revealed by their tribal namesthe Elk, the Tiger,
the Wolf, the Bear. They are the tribes of Icewind
Dale, proud and wild and strong, bound to ancient
traditions that have kept them alive through countless harsh winters in Icewind Dale. The people of
Ten-Towns and southern lands call them barbarians,
because these wilderness folk disdain what they call
the weakness ofcivilized people.
Markedly taller than most southerners, with some
males approaching seven feet in height, the Reghed
barbarians have blue eyes and hair ofblond, red, or
light brown. Their skin is bronzed from the sun and
cracked by the wind, giving their faces the look of
tough leather set in an expressionless mask. They
dress in leather and furs, dyed in bright colors that
stand out against the brown and white ofthe tundra.
The four main tribes have been bitter rivals in
the past. Some tribes have diminished, and some
minor tribes have disbanded over the past century,
many oftheir members settling in Ten-Towns and
abandoning their traditional ways. Ofthe remaining
tribesElk, Tiger, Wolf, and Bearthe Tribe of the
Elk is the most prominent. It is the tribe ofthe bestknown hero ofthe Reghed barbarians, Wulfgar, son
of Beornegar.
The Reghed tribes are nomadic, following herds of
reindeer on their annual migrations southwest in the
winter and northeast in the summer. The barbarians
live in large, round tents made ofdeerskin and supported by beams ofwood harvested from the Spine
ofthe World or the trees near Lonelywood. After
each seasonal migration, they erect their tents in an
encampment that remains more or less unchanged
for the length ofthe season.
A typical camp includes a ring oflarge tents that
house the tribes king and the other important mem
bers: its shaman, its most honored hunter, its greatest
warrior, and the like. Each tent is surrounded by
campfires where warriors ofthe tribe sleep in the
open, protected from the cold by the flames and thick
fur blankets. Smaller tents surround the inner circle,
with campfires scattered around and among them.
The Reghed tribes have been known to raid TenTowns for supplies and slaves, but only a handftil
of such attacks have occurred in the last century,

mostly launched by the small, aggressive, and desperate Tribe ofthe Bear. Instead, the tribes have
begun to engage in limited trade with the towns,
particularly Bremen and Caer-Konig, where many of
their distant kin still dwell. Because ofthis trade, the
barbarians are better armed, better equipped against
the cold, and better fed than ever before, and they
seem to be gaining in strength despite their dimin
ished numbers.

TRIBE OF THE ELK

The most renowned and most populous of the
Reghed tribes, the Tribe ofthe Elk strives to carry on
Wulfgars great legacy. For the most part, the tribe
lives in peace with the Ten-Towners, and the tribes
ruler leads his people with wisdom and care.

Jarund Elkhardt
King ofthe Elk Tribe
King Jarund Elkhardt is a towering barbarian
whose deeply tanned skin and mane ofauburn hair
bespeak a life utterly removed from the comforts of
civilization. Anyone who speaks with the terse ruler,
however, learns thatJarund is no savage. At forty-two
winters, he is the oldest king among all the barbarian
tribes and has led the Elk Tribe for over halfhis life.
Jarund has seen other kings rise and fall, has made
war with his friends and peace with his enemies, and
has led tribesmen he knew as babes to their deaths
in battle. Always he has kept the survival ofthe Elk
Tribe foremost in his efforts, and the strain of his
long years ofrule is written on his face.
Some members ofthe Elk Tribe refer to their
king as Jarund the Elder, though never in his pres
ence. The epithet is an allusion to the kings late son,
Jarund Twice-Born, who was killed three years ago
in a hunt when he tried to bring down a cave bear.
His spear struck true, but the creature tore open
the young mans chest in its death throes, leaving
Jarund without an heir. The king never speaks of his
son and shows no favor to any other warriors of the
tribe to mark a possible successor. But as old as he
is, Jarund cannot ignore the matter ofsuccession for
long, and many warriors have already started postur
ing against one another in the event that the tribe

;4

invokes the rite ofcombat to determine a new king

after Jarund passes. Many ofthe tribesfolk speculate
that the leaders reluctance to name a successorand
the obvious favor he shows to Froya 1-larmoot
indicate that he hopes to sire another heir. Some
ofthe women whisper that Froya is already with
childmuch to the consternation ofjarunds wife,
Wynneth.
Whatever the future holds, Jarund is a potent force
for the time being, and he rules his tribe with a sure
hand. He is gravely concerned about the early coming
ofwinter, in terms ofsurviving the harsh season and
what it might portend about the greater entities at
work in Icewind Dale. In such matters, Jarund seeks
the counsel ofMjenir, the Elks shaman; the king
greatly respects his understanding ofthe workings of
gods and spirits. The fact that both men have lost their
sons serves to strengthen the bond between them.
Jarunds attitude toward the people ofTen-Towns
is a mix ofdisinterest and disdain. He refers to citydwellers as tamed men and does not see much
value in dealing with them. In Jarunds mind, the
peoples refusal to live with the land, and instead
hide from it behind walls, is the source oftheir trou
bles. Although he knows the coming winter will test
his tribe sorely, Jarund believes that the barbarians

Many ilijies north

s aCrQcc
17
ofin:ro;
the trackle
edge ofland in all
the
Realms, thefrosts
cJfMjlter had already
lzardeized
tllegroit,id j
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There were
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tUfldfl to the
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or trees to block the

cold bite oft/ic

rele,tless eastern
wind, carryiiig
tlzefrostv
air
from Reghed Glacier
TheBreat bergs oft/ic
Sea of
Moving Ice
dred slowy past,
the wind howling
oftheir high-ridjg
off
tips in agriin reminder
of
the
coI7liig season.
Andyet the nomadic
4
tribes
who
Slunmered there with the
reindeer had
notjourneyed
wit/i tl!e herd migration
southwest along the
to the iflOre hospitable
coast
sea on the south
side
of
the
peninsula
The 55
unwaveringfl

oft/ic horizon was

in One small corner
broken
by a solitary
encampment the
largestgathering
ofbarbariauis thisfar
north in
more than a
century

The Crystal Shard

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strengthstheir courage, fortitude, and knowledge of

the landwill enable them to endure.
Jarunds age and experience make him a cau
tious leader. Because he does not long for glory as
the younger warriors do, he is more apt to adopt a
defensive position in battle and negotiation, opting
to endure an enemys assault and wait to see what
develops rather than extend himselfin an attempt to
achieve a quick resolution. Jarund commits to action
only ifhe believes that a failure to do so would place
his tribe at greater risk than would holding back.
When he acts, it is with all the strength and fury one
would expect ofa barbarian war leader.

Mjenir Tormhaalt
Shaman ofthe Elk Tribe
Mjenir Tormhaalt is the shaman ofthe Elk Tribe,
and perhaps its most influential member after King
Jarund. Though nearly as old as Jarund, Mjenir looks
ten years younger, for he has not carried the burden
ofrule nor endured the hardships ofbattle. He has
icy blue eyes and platinum blond hair, which hangs
in long braids across his shoulders.

Apprenticed at a young age to the tribes previ

ous shaman, Mjenir has a deep understanding of the
ways ofthe tundrathe flow ofthe land, the rhythm
ofthe weather, the delicate interplay between herd
animals and predators. This knowledge alone would
make Mjenir an invaluable member ofthe tribe, but
even more important, he has a connection to the
spirit realm. It is common knowledge among the
tribesfolk that Mjenir can speak with animals, and
some believe that he can read omens in the clouds.
In truth, Mjenirs command ofnature spirits is tenu
ous at best, and anything more than rudimentary
divinations is beyond him. Still, he enjoys the authority he has gained from the tribe members beliefs
and does nothing to dissuade them. To the contrary,
Mjenir occasionally takes great pains to consult his
oracles conspicuously before recommending a course
ofaction to the tribe, such as when and where to find
the best hunting. More often than not, his counsel
stems not from any mystical revelation but from his
deep study ofnatural lore. Nevertheless, the tribe
enjoys the spectacle and praises Mjenirs gift when
his advice bears fruit.
Mjenir had a son, Olaf, the sole offspring of his
short marriage to a now long-dead wife. Olafdid not
have his fathers gift for speaking with spirits or his
curiosity about the world around him, instead training as one ofthe tribes warriors. Perhaps as a result
oflosing his mother at a young age and growing up
with a father who seemed more interested in conversing with birds and squirrels, Olafwas more quiet
and reserved than the other warriors. When a girl
named Hedrun began to manifest strange abilities
and was shunned by the rest ofthe tribe, Olaf was
drawn to the young woman, notjust for her beauty
but for the loneliness they both endured.
Mjenir had mistrusted Hedruns abilities from the
start, not least ofall because they were greater than
his own. Though the girl apparently had no control
over her gifts, Mjenir saw her as a potential threat
to his position ofimportance in the tribe. When
he belatedly realized how fascinated Olafwas with
the young woman, it heightened Mjenirs fear that
1-ledrun would steal away everything that belonged
to him. He forbade Olaffrom seeing the girl, which
naturally had the effect ofdriving his son straight
into Hedruns arms. Tragically, jealous Auril would
allow Hedrun no mortal love, and her power froze
Olafto death at Hedruns touch.
When Mjenir learned ofOlafs death, he brought
his sons body before Kinglarund as proof of the
danger that Hedrun posed to the tribe. Though he
could easily have demanded her life in payment
for Olafs, Mjenir feared that he would be haunted
by the vengeful spirit ofone so great. Instead, he

THE REGHED GLACIER

At the eastern edge of Icewind Dale, the frozen tundra meets the great expanse of
the 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 glaciers
slow advance and retreat scours the earth of whatever life takes root there. Great
earthen walls, left behind by the glaciers past retreats, stand guard over the empty
tundra. The barbarians say these walls were erected by the giants in the Dawn Ages
to mark the boundaries oftheir kingdoms, and many otherwise brave warriors refuse
to range beyond them.

demanded that she be banished from the tribe,

believing that the girl would meet her end in the
jaws ofa wild beast.
Now that the winter storms have come unseason
ably soon, and the hunters have returned with tales
ofa witch wandering the tundra, driving beasts and
snow before her, Mjenir realizes that his decision
to banish Hedrun might have been a mistake. He
has not shared his suspicion ofthe Ice Witchs true
identity with anyone else, lest he be seen as having
brought her vengeance down upon the Elk Tribe.
Similarly, he opposed Hengar Aesnvaards suggestion
to find aid in Ten-Towns because he fears repercus
sions ifoutsiders discover the witchs identity and the
source ofher grievance. Instead, he urges Jarund to
placate the gods with sacrifices and keep the tribe on
the move to stay ahead ofthe witchs attacks. In his
heart, though, Mjenir knows he cannot outrun winters fury, and he seeks a way to counter the witchs
threat without admitting his culpability to the rest of
his tribe. Perhaps he can put a friend or a foe in the
witchs waysomeone who might stand a chance of
destroying her.

Warriors of the Elk Tribe

Hengar Aesnvaard: As a young man, Hengar

Aesnvaard grew up hearing tales of Wulfgar

Dragonsbane, the Elk king who slew the dragon
Icingdeath and, along with the other famed Com
panions, saved Ten-Towns from the army ofAkar
Kessell at the Battle oflcewind Dale. To hear his
fellow tribe members tell it, Wulfgars glorious vic

tories validated the Reghed way oflife. The kings

loyalty to the tribes, his trust in his own strength to
win through adversity, and the restless wanderings
ofhis late career all spoke to the virtues that Hengar
had been taught since he was a boy.
Hengar took a different lesson from the tales.
Where others spoke ofWulfgars loyalty in rejecting

I
/

a life with the dwarves to return to his rightful

place among his people, Hengar saw a sense of
duty. Where they spoke ofWulfgars reliance on his
own might, Hengar saw the heros reliance on his
friends. And where some pointed to the famed kings
journeys as a rejection ofthe sentimentality of citydwellers, who foolishly die rather than leave their
precious homes, Hengar saw the searching ofa man
who no longer felt at home among his people.
Now a seasoned warrior ofthe Elk Tribe, Hengar
still has a habit ofseeing things differently from

11

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IC

his fellows. lie has never understood the aloofness

between the Reghed tribes and the people ofTenTowns when there is so much each could offer the
other. But on the few times when he broached the
subject, he nras harshly rebuked by his peers, so now
Hengar 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 witchs apparent
invincibility and Mjenir offered no advice other
than to flee, Hengar decided it was time to seek the
aid ofthe people ofTen-Towns. With King Jarunds
blessing, he traveled to Bryn Shander in search of a
wizard or someone else knowledgeable in the ways
ofmagic who might be able to tell him how the Elk
Tribe can fight this new menace.
Soren Arnsfirth: Fledruns father is one of the
older warriors in the Elk Tribe, notable for his skyblue eyes and his quiet demeanor. A simple man
with no insight into the workings ofspirits or the
mysteries ofgods and magic, Soren was confused
and frightened by the strange abilities his daughter
began to manifest as she grew. lie felt helpless as he
watched the tribe turn its back on her, not knowing
how to comfort his daughter or even relate to her.
Soren sought Mjenirs counsel on many occasions,
but always came away frustrated by the shamans
insistence on treating Hedrun as a threat to be
managed rather than as a loved one to be helped.
Although Soren lacks the courage to speak out
against the shaman, he resents Mjenir for turning his
back on Hedrun and banishing her from the tribe.
His hesitancy stems also from the possibility that
Mjenir might have been right to cast the girl out, and
as a grieving father himself, Soren can understand
Mjenirs bitterness over the loss ofhis son.
With the recent sightings ofthe Ice Witch, Soren
has begun to think that Hedrun might have survived
her banishment. His conjecture has no basis other
than his hope that his daughter yet lives, so he has
told no one ofhis thoughts. lie has voiced support
for Mjenirs policy ofavoiding encounters with the
witch, since Soren does not want to see his daughter
killed even ifshe has become a monster.

.Icindatis IaW

Stream Chasm

,.

.-

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EVERMELT
A sacred site to the Reghed tribes, Evermelt is an
oasis ofwarmth in the midst ofthe frozen desert,
a hot spring that bubbles up at the foot of the
Reghed Glacier. Walled offfrom the howling wind
and warmed by heat from the depths ofthe earth,
Evermelt is a sanctuary and a refuge. It is also one
ofthe entrances to the old lair ofthe white dragon
Icingdeath, and it remains a place ofterrible danger
even a century after the creatures death.
Sacred Pool: The turquoise waters ofthe sacred
pool appear still and calm. Sometimes a glint of gold
is visible at the bottom ofthe poolperhaps a glimpse
ofa mineral embedded in one ofthe colorful boul
ders that make up the glacial moraine. Those who
enter the water risk being caught in a current that
cuts down into the heart ofthe glacier. A character
can fight the current and stay afloat in the pool, or
navigate the narrow chute without injury, by suc
ceeding on a hard Strength check.
Under the influence ofHedrun the Ice Witch,
members ofthe Tribe ofthe Bear who have sworn

2
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Lair

At the base ofthegreLtglaCjer

Iddeiz offin a small deli where
one
oJthe ice spurs wound through
broken rfts and boulders was
a
place the barbarians called
Everinelt. A hot springfrd a small
pool,
the wariiej waters waging
a relentless battle against
icefloes
and
freezing temperatures
TribesmeTi stranded inland by early
5110Ws,
who could notfind their way
to the sea with the reindeer
herd, often
sought refuge at Everineltfor
even in the coldest months
ofwjnter
ulifrozen, sustaining
water could befound
here.
And
the
warming
vapors ojthe pool
made the ternperatires ofthe
innnediate area
bearable, fiiot comfortable
...

The Crystal Shard

..

allegiance to Auril camp around the pooi to guard

their sacred site in the dragons old lair.
Chute and Tunnel: The narrow chute leading from the pooi widens as it descends, allowing
creatures that get caught in the flow an opportunity
to draw a breath ofbitterly cold air as they continue downward. The descent presents the threat
ofdrowning and the danger ofinjury as the waters
smash against the ice walls.
Waterfall Cavern: No sooner has the tunnel
widened than the stream drops into a cascade over
a shelfofice, plunging into a high, domed ice cave
hung withjagged icicles. The floor ofthe cave is
strewn with sharp ice spikes, like stalagmites formed
as water drips from the ceiling high above. In some
places, tall columns ofice join the floor and ceiling
in crystalline structures that scatter what little sunlight filters through the ice roof above.
Characters hurtling down the tunnel can attempt
to catch themselves before plummeting over the
waterfall, but the icy walls make that task extremely
difficult. As Wulfgar did, a character can attempt a
hard Strength check tojump from the edge of the
waterfall and catch an icicle or ice column so as to

make a more controlled descent. Those who fail drop

thirty feet onto the jagged ice below.
Most ofthe water drains offthrough a narrow
channel in the floor, but some ofthe waterfalls
spray, already halffrozen, collects in strangely
beautiful heaps ofice particles that further scatter
the light. Several tunnels lead on from the cavern,
meandering farther into the glaciers vast expanse.
Some run without interruption until they finally
close off, and others end suddenly where the water
spills down narrow crevasses. Unexplored tunnels
might open into other caverns, from which yet more
passages branch.
The Dragons Lair: The widest tunnel from the
waterfall cavern leads to the enormous ice cave that
was once the lair ofthe white dragon Ingeloakasti
mizilian, which the barbarians called Icingdeath.
Though the dragon was slain by the Elk Tribe hero
Wulfgar over a century ago, its frozen remains lie
here still, its desiccated flesh frozen to its bones, the
great icicle that stabbed its heart still lodged in the
creatures ribs. The cultists ofAuril who have dis
covered this lair revere the remains as ifthey were a
manifestation ofthe Frostmaiden herself.

THE DWARVES
Heirs ofthe once-mighty kingdom ofDelzoun, the
dwarves ofthe North are a scattered remnant ofa great
people. Delzoun, the Northkingdom, arose when the
dwarves were a flourishing race and expanded outward from greater kingdoms in the southern lands. It
was the most grand and glorious ofseveral kingdoms
founded across the North, and it thrived for almost four
thousand years before its fall fifteen hundred years ago.
At its height, Delzoun stretched four hundred miles
from east to west, with great citadels aboveground (of
which Adbar and Felbarr still survive) and vast tracts of
Underdark caves, mines, and tunnels.
1)elzoun slid into decline as the dwarves num
bers were whittled away in endless wars against
goblins. orcs, and other monsters. One by one, their
holdingsincluding the fortresses ofAscore and
Gauntlgrym, and the subterranean network of the
Fardrimmfell to invaders that came out of the
mountains and threats that rose up from the Underdark. Though surface outposts such as Citadel Adbar
and Citadel Felbarr remained in dwarven hands long
after I)elzouns fall, they were cut offfrom each other
and continued to diminish slowly over the centuries.
Before the fall ofDelzoun, a large clan of dwarves
led by Gandalug Battlehainmer established a mithral
mine just west ofthe kingdom and named it Mithral
Hall. The Battlehammer dwarves and their allies
mined beneath the hall for centuries, growing wealthy
as they traded with merchants from across the North.
But they delved too deeply, inadvertently opening a
portal to a shadowy plane and allowing the shadow
dragon Shimmergloom to enter their halls.
Shimmergloom scattered the dwarves of Mithral
Hall and made its lair among the deepest mines. The
fleeing dwarves spread throughout the North, some
taking refuge with their kin in Citadel Adbar. Most of
Clan Battlehammer, thoughincluding the prince of
Mithral Hall, young Bruenorfled the region entirely
and came to Icewind I)ale.
Thus, the dwarves ofthe dale are a remnant of
a remnant. These members ofClan Battlehammer
established their mines in the valley alongside Kel
yins Cairn and lived in the dale for two centuries.
When Bruenor Battlehammer found lost Mithral
Hall, his clanjoined him in reclaiming it and aban
doned Icewind I)ale entirely.
Over the next decades, perhaps two hundred
dwarves returned to Icewind Dale, having grown

accustomed to life in the wintry region (though they

remained loyal to the kings ofMithral Hall). Now
ruled by a cousin ofthe Battlehammer line, Stokely
Silverstream, the dwarves ofKelvins Cairn continue
their old ways, mining the scant veins ofiron that
run beneath the tundra and crafting the finest weap
oris, armor, and tools available in Icewind Dale.
The dwarves ofthe dale are in a situation less
bleak than a century ago, not so obviously doomed
to eventual oblivion. Young dwarves are more coininonly seen in the mines and tunnels ofthe valley,
and laughter more often echoes in the halls. Not that
the dwarves are any less gruff, stern, or taciturn; they
weather the hardships oflife in Icewind Dale with
their characteristic stoic silence. But now, visitors
from Mithral Hall arrive with nearly every cara
van, come to visit kin. And rather than lament lost
Mithral Hall, they toast its kings in their feastsKing
Connerad, who sits on the throne now, and King
Bruenor, who liberated it a century ago.
The dwarves ofKelvins Cairn live in their mines,
but some parts ofthe mines are more hospitable
than others. As iron veins ran out, the dwarves
converted the underground caverns into living
spaceshomes, forges, shops, and the like. Roughhewn walls scarred by miners picks were smoothed
and squared or carved into perfect circles. Hearths
were lit in alcoves where iron had been dug out from
the stone. I)oors were fitted into stone archways
and floors were leveled, creating all the comforts of
dwarven homes.

home in the rocky valley

lakes lonj
northerllflhost oft}ie three
between the two
had
than the barbarians,
before any hwnans, other
rernflallt
They were a poor
come to icewind Dale.
thrhifl dwarvcfl society
ofwhat had once been a
the loss of
beaten and broken by
ofreftiee5
band
a
to
heritage. They continued
their jioineland and
of
elders dying as much
dwindle in numbers, their
the
under
the mmmii
sadness as old age. Though
ood, the dwarves seemed
8
fields qft}ie rejion was
oblivion.
destined tofade away into
The Crystal Shard

They had niade their

THE DWARVEN VALLEY

The Dwarven Halls

The cleft ofearth that stretches south from the foot

ofKelvins Cairn is known to the people of Icewind
Dale as the dwarven valley. For almost as long as
people have been fishing the lakes, the dwarves of
Clan Battlehammer have been living in the valley
and mining its depths. Visitors who stand at the val
leys edge can see the dwarven tunnels running in
rows along the walls, connected by narrow walkways, and hear the faint ringing ofhammer strikes
carried on the wind. Those who pick their way down
the dizzying switchback at Daledrop are transported
to a different realm entirely.
Gone is the howling glacial wind, replaced by the
clangorous echoes ofaxes striking on steel, hammers
pounding out iron, and picks chipping away at the
mountains stone. The wide-open expanses of the
lakes and tundra are replaced by the towering walls
ofthe valley, blocking out any sight ofthe surrounding lands. Even the craggy profile ofKelvins Cairn is
transformed by the view from the valley floor. What
others think ofas the mountain is, to the dwarves,
simply its peak. The heart ofKelvins Cairn is what
lies beneath, deep in its tunnels and mines.

At first glance, the valley at the foot ofthe mountain

often seems desolate. No buildings or other signs of
habitation are evident except for the stone stairs and
walkways carved into the cliffside. It is behind those
walls ofstone, hidden from view, that the dwarves
ofKelvins Cairn go about their daily lives. In these
troubled times, sentries wander the valley and stand
guard at various points on the map on the facing
page (marked as areas 1, 2, and 3).
Lining the tunnels that bore into the valleys sides
are the dwarven hallswinding rows ofliving quarters,
meeting halls, dining halls, storerooms, forges, temples,
kitchens, and armories. The map enlarges these halls
and flattens them vertically. The complex is made of
a large number ofsinall chambers opening onto the
main tunnels, stacked two or sometimes three high,
with carved staircases leading to the higher doors.
Most ofthe living quarters are modest, consisting ofa single room with a table, bed, and trunk, or
occasionally a suite ofrooms for a large family. The
meeting and dining halls are much larger, since
these are the areas where the dwarves most fre
quently congregate. They are set with great tables

-r

and benches and decorated with intricate stone carv

ings and metalwork.
The forge is the heart of any dwarven hail, and
every time the dwarves dig a new tunnel, the first
space they carve out is a new forge room. Dwarven
forges are much more spacious than those found in
human citiesthe latter typically are the provenance
ofa single specialist with perhaps a few assistants,
but the forge in a dwarven community is used by
nearly everyone.
The dwarves who are loyal to Stokely Silverstream
have gathered within this mile-long hall and named
it 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 are
on guard duty or patrolling the road. These dwarves
live in twelve family homes cut into the walls; in
most cases, two families live in each home so that
the whole population can fit within this single, easily
patrolled area.
The westernmost home on the south side of the
hall belongs to Dam Stokely Silverstream, the leader
ofthese dwarves and, before Baericks rise, of the
whole valley.
The large hexagonal chamber on the north side of
the hall is the community forge, where the dwarves
continue to smelt what little iron theyre able to bring
up from the mines and work it into the items that
they trade with Ten-Towns. The forge chamber has
become a sort oftown hall, where the remaining
loyal dwarves discuss the pressing issues that face
the community.
Baerick Hanunerstone now leads the dwarves of
Kelvins Cairn from his seat in the Halls ofBlack Ice
(area 5), on the eastern side ofthe dwarven valley.
Like Stokelys dwarves on the west side, Baericks fol
lowers have consolidated their homes into a single
mile-long stretch oftunnel that is easily defensible
though the enemies that Baerick imagines are not
the same ones that Stokely fears.
About sixty dwarves live in the Halls of Black
Ice, sharing space in a dozen large family homes.
The easternmost home on the south side ofthe hall
belongs to Baerick, and on the other side of the
hall is his forge, where he crafts black ice weapons
and armor to outfit his comrades. At the moment,
the forge room holds about five hundred pounds of
unworked black ice.
An enormous round chamber in the eastern mines
is the dwarves temple (area 6), honoring their four
most important deities: Moradin, the head ofthe dwarf
pantheon, called the Dwarffather and Soul Forger;
Berronar Truesilver, the Revered Mother; Clanggedin
Silverbeard, the Father ofBattle; and Dumathoin, the
Keeper ofSecrets under the Mountain. Each deity has

..

an altar on a dais against the circular wall, and a great

forge stands in the center ofthe temple, used by dwarf
smiths to create their finest works in honor ofthe dcities. Before the recent troubles began, the forge was
kept burning continuously, but its flames have gone out
since it has been left untended.

The Mines
The first tunnels dug by the Battlehammer clan
after its arrival in Icewind Dale traced the veins of
iron ore the dwarves found riddling the valley walls.
Over the ensuing decades, the most accessible veins
were dug out, so the dwarves were forced to delve
deeper to find more ore. The original mining tunnels
were expanded and turned into living quarters as
the miners pushed farther into the mountains roots.
Now, after three centuries of activity, the mines
extend into the bowels ofKelvins Cairn. Just reaching the active loads requires nearly half an hours
walk from the valley floor, and anyone who wasnt
raised to navigate below ground will likely become
lost in the twisting and looping tunnels.
As with the living quarters, the map simplifies
the layout ofthe mines, showing only the largest tun
nels. The mines are cramped and dark, and the air
is stale. Anyone taller than a dwarfis forced to stoop
when traveling through the passages. Even at their
widest, the tunnels dont have enough room for two
people to move freely. Torches and lamps burn dimly
in the poor air, and casting any kind offire spell consumes so munch ofthe available oxygen that creatures
in the area are left laboring to breathe.
Ajunction in the western mines that served as
a staging area for expeditions into the newer tun
nels, the nexus (area 7) is more than two miles
from the shaft entrance in the valley. It is a large
chamber that incorporates both a forge and a
small shrine to Dumathoin, which is typical for
new mines in the valley.

The Abandoned Tunnels

Over the years, many dwarven tunnels fell out of use.
A tunnel might be abandoned because of exhaustion
of a nearby mineral lode, the movement of clans out
ofthe valley (or into other parts ofit to be near their
kin, infestations ofmonsters or vermin, or cave-ins.
Sometimes a tunnel is reclaimed years later when
new ore veins are discovered, clan members return
home, and vermin are driven out. Often, though, the
dwarves excavate new passages better suited to their
needs, resulting in an expanding network of tunnels
that extend ever farther beyond the valley walls.
The greatest concentration ofabandoned passages
is at the southern end ofthe valley, where a hundred

years ago the dwarves lured the army ofAkar Kessell

into the area before they collapsed many ofthe tun
nels, burying the wizards forces beneath the fallen
rock. Although many orcs and goblins died that day
and the strategy saved the valley from further incursion by the wizards army, the dwarves lost much of
their home in the bargain.
Following the war, the dwarves planned to exca
vate and reclaim the southern tunnels but were
distracted by the reclamation ofMithral Hall. After
many members ofClan Battlehainmer left the valley
to return to their ancestral hall, the remaining
dwarves were too few to manage the task, and the
existing tunnels were spacious enough to accommo
date their reduced numbers.
Although the population ofthe dwarves in the
valley has swelled since that time, they have cut new
homes from the stone, so the southern tunnels remain
abandoned. Many ofthem are still choked with debris
or rigged to collapse at a moments notice.
Akar Kessell lurks in the deep mines (area 8),
from where he sends plagues ofzombies to harass
the dwarves who are loyal to Stokely while encourag
ing Baerick Hammerstone in his depravity. The most
significant zombie attack to date, which left no survi
vors, involved a mining party that had established a
camp in the nexus.

DENIZENS OF THE
VALLEY
The dwarves who live in the valley are sharply
divided into two camps, represented by their leadersStokely Silverstream and Baerick Hammerstone.
The arrival ofStokelys niece, Helda, who tries to
bring adventurers with her to the valley, might tip
the balance in Stokelys favor.

Stokely Silverstream
Dam ofthe Dwarven Valley

Since arriving in Icewind Dale as a lad, the longtime leader ofthe dwarves ofKelvins Cairn has
become one ofthe oldest residents ofthe valley.
Stokely Silverstream has the mountain in his
bones, say the dwarvesa comment on his age and
his uncanny knack for navigating the mountains
depths, a skill that has enriched the Battlehainmer
clan over the years as Stokely has unearthed new
lodes in the old mines.
But now the discovery ofzombiesdead dwarves
animated by necromancyin the mines has eroded
the dwarves confidence in Stokelys leadership.

Some have blamed him for the attacks, accusing

Stokely ofpushing too far into the mountain too
fast and placing the miners in danger. Others have
charged Stokely with being too timid in the face of
the attacks. Normally, such talk would bring rebukes
from the clan members who have prospered under
Stokelys leadershipbut the taint ofthe black ice,
which is prevalent in the valley, has made the usu
ally level-headed dwarves short-tempered and quick
to find fault with one another. Few ofthein are cognizant ofthe change in their behavior, and no one
knows the true reason for it.
The situation has recently come to a head in a
schism that has erupted in the valley. On one side is
Baerick Hammerstone, one ofthe first to discover
the black ice, and other dwarves who have suecuinbed 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 turn
into a full-fledged civil war.

Helda Silverstream
Merchant ofMirabar

Born ofthe union between clans Silverstream and

Battlehammer, Helda Silverstream is a young dwarf
who inherited the formidable cunning ofher fathers
kin as well as the bravery associated with her mothers name. Worldly as well as wise, she has already
seen more ofthe world in her sixty years than her
uncle has in his many long winters. After spending her formative years hearing about the vaunted
clan Battlehammer and the splendor ofher mothers
clans seat at Mithral Hall, Helda took it upon herself
to travel there at the tender age ofthirty-five, defying
her parents and the conventions ofdwarven society
to leave her home at so young an age. Heldas father
asked Stokely to forbid her from leaving the valley,
but the elder Silverstreamwhether because of his
own regret over never having visited the vaunted
dwarven hold, or because he realized that nothing he
could say would sway the determined young dwarf
gave Helda his blessing, so she left with the next
caravan heading south out oflcewind Dale.
Although Heldas fiery personality was forged in
the valley ofKelvins Cairn, her skills were tempered
in the bowels ofMithral Hall. There she learned
mining, smithcraft, and the arts ofwar and diplomacy
from her mothers people, displaying the earnestness
ofa dwarfwho had grown up in a harsh land that
could ill accommodate the time required to spend
so long at study. Even in their protected valley home,
the dwarves ofKelvins Cairn struggle to live through
each winter, hunting for food and resources and

.j

Fl

fending offthe orcs, giants, and other creatures that

would claim the valleys shelter. The clan members in
Icewind Dale must work hard simply to survivethey
do not have the luxury ofa liberal education.
Helda did not intend to spend the rest of her
winters in Mithral Hall, so after ten years there, she
moved on to Mirabar, to seek a life and a fortune
ofher own. Though she makes her home in that
city, she travels throughout the North, bringing her
metalwork and jewelry to customers ranging from
Waterdeep to Icewind Dale.
Helda Silverstream has gray eyes and dreadlocks
oflong, mahogany hair that she pulls back behind
her head. She wears the hooded silver-stitched blue
cloak ofher clan, fastened with a silver clasp in the
shape ofa dwarven war axe, marking her as a warnor ofthe Axe of Mirabar.

Baerick Hammerstone
Master ofblack ice
Armed with a great maul fashioned ofblack ice and
girded in plate mail made ofthe same stuff, Baerick
Hammerstone is the leader ofa group of xenopho
bic dwarves who have severed ties with Stokely
Silverstream and brought the dwarven valley to the
brink ofcivil war.
Until recently, he was merely a simple stone
carver living peaceably with his fellow dwarves. Sev
eral months ago, Bacricks fortunes changed when
he joined a small expedition formed by a wizards
apprentice from Luskan. The group began near the
summit ofKelvins Cairn, where Baerick helped to
unearth the undead form ofAkar Kessell, the longdead Tyrant oflcewind Dale.
Under Kessells leadership, the expedition journeyed to the northern slopes ofthe Spine of the
World. After much searching, Baerick found what
the undead wizard sought: a black stone as smooth
as glass. Though it seemed translucent at first glance,
a trick ofthe eye caused it to look darker the longer
Baerick squinted at it, as ifthe stone were drinking
in light. More impressively, when he took his pick to
the stone, he could not damage it.
While Akar Kessell dithered about what to do
with the substance, another miner tried to seize
the stone, and Baerick buried his pick in the other
dwarfs skull. The rest ofthe miners set upon him
and one another in a mad scramble to acquire the
strange stone, until only Baerick survivedmuch
to Kessells amusement. With the wizards help,
Baerick gathered as much ofthe black ice as the wiz
ards magic could help him carry and returned to
Kelvins Cairn.

Back at his workshop, Baerick set about trying to

carve the stone. He discovered that heating the stone
in a forge softened it enough to be carved, and he
began fashioning small trinkets from the samples he
had brought back. Baerick put his black ice trin
kets, as he dubbed them, up for sale, and they spread
quickly among the dwarves. With Kessells help
and encouragement, Baerick excavated more of the
black ice and sold his trinkets even more widely. The
wizard apprentice who first hired him acted as his
agent in Ten-Towns, and soon Baerick received com
missions for other objects made ofblack iceknives,
fishing hooks, even a ram for one ofthe boats on Lac
Dinneshere. Eventually, he began to experiment with
fashioning weapons and armor from the black ice.
What Baerick did not realize was that the black
stone was ice infused with the remnants ofthe
Cryshal-Tirith erected by Akar Kessell over a cen
tury ago. Forged from the essence ofthe evil Crystal
Shard, the Cryshal-Tirith carried a trace of the
shards taint, and thus so does the black ice formed
from its remnants. The taint slowly corrupts anyone
who comes into possession ofthe black ice, although
the effect is more pronounced in those who have
more contact with the substance.

/
4

KELVINS CAIRN
Rising out ofthe desolate tundra oflcewind Dale is a
mountain ofgiant boulders, piled one atop the other
until they narrow to a snow-capped peak. Beasts
hunt upon the craggy slopes, giants tread across the
broken rills, and dwarves mine its hidden depths.
This is Kelvins Cairn, the highest point in Icewind
Dale and also its heart; all else is fixed by its position
relative to the mountain.
Although the boulder-strewn slopes look about
as stable as a pile of sand, the unusual mountain has
stood for as long as anyone can remember. According to the barbarians, the cairn was formed when
Tempus, the god ofbattle, fought Kelvin, a great hero
ofthe frost giants, and slew him on the plain of Icewind Dale. Temptis rent the ground with his axe and
took the stones from the earth to heap upon his foes
corpse, serving as a reminder to others ofthe conse
quences ofincurring the war gods wrath.
Although the dwarves ofClan Battlehammer
live in the yalley at the foot ofKelvms Cairn, few
humans or dwarves make their way onto the moun
tams rocky slopes, and no settlement has ever taken
root there. The mountains face is largely home to
wild beasts, the most dangerous being the crag cat.
Many boastful adventurers have set out from TenTowns with the intent ofbringing back a crag cats
pelt. Those who return often have harrowing tales to
tell ofbeing hunted across the mountains slopes by
the creature they had imagined to be their prey.

LOCATIONS OF NOTE
Although most ofthe slopes ofKelvins Cairn
are rough, uncharted terrain, a few locations on
and around the mountain are well known by the
dwarves and the handful ofhuman explorers who
venture there.

The Only Ways In: Icewind Pass and Bremens

Run are the two passes running along the moun
tams eastern and western slopes, respectively. Orcs
or barbarians looking to raid Ten-Towns must come
down through one ofthese two passes, and which
one they choose determines whether it is the people
ofMaer Dualdon or Lac Dinneshere who seek refuge
behind Bryn Shanders walls while their homes are
pillaged and burned.
Daledrop: A natural switchback sits just below
the mountains southern face, descending from
the tundra into the valley at the mountains base.
This route, known as Daledrop, is the only acces
sible entry point to the valley from Lac I)inneshere
or Icewind Pass, and the dwarves use this natural
chokepoint to defend their valley against intrusion
from the north.
Bruenors Climb: Amid the jumble of boulders
that forms Kelvins Cairn is a protrusion, a sort of
spire that offers a commanding view ofthe Dwarven
Valley below and the towns and tundra to all sides.
As its name suggests, it was a favorite haunt of the
renowned dwarfBruenor Battlehammer, but it
toppled during the battles against Akar Kessell and
his armies, when the dwarves sealed their tunnels
against the invaders. Years later, the dwarves painstakingly recreated it in honor ofthe great king of
Mithral Hall.
Bruenors Temple: At the base ofthe mountain
stands a small grotto, accessible by way of a narrow
crevice from the northern end ofthe dwarven valley.
Light shines down through natural holes in the cayems ceiling, and the chamber thrums with the low
whistle ofthe wind blowing across the mountains
face. Carved into the stone here is a small forge with
a freestanding anvil, created and used a century
ago by Bruenor Battlehammer to craft his masterwork, the hammer Aegis-fang. Bruenor was the

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first to discover the grotto and sense its deep connection to the powers ofthe earth, and since then
many dwarves have come to Bruenors temple to
craft their own masterworks. Outsiders are seldom
allowed to visit the grotto, since the dwarves of the
valley regard it as a sacred space.
Verbeeg Lair: Travelers who range farther up the
south face might happen upon what appears to be
a cave running into the mountainside, its entrance
obscured by a boulder or a brace of frostbramble.
Beyond the tunnels entrance lies a dwarven outpost that was abandoned by its creators long ago but
has never lain empty for long. Orcs, brigands, and
giants have all made their homes here at times. Most
memorably, a band ofverbeegs in the service ofAkar
Kessell lived here once, striking out at the dwarves
in the valley below before they were exterminated by
the Companions oflcewind 1)ale. Ever since, the outpost has been known in the collective imagination of
Ten-Towns as the Verbeeg Lair, though the bands of
fortune-seekers that periodically venture there never
know who, or what, they will find in residence.

400

From this vantage

point, the Tnountaj,i Wa5
the
only Silhouette that
broke thefeatitreiess
line
oftlze
norther,z horizon The
cairn had
so
named
because it resembled a
mound ofpurposdy
piled
l(Jl1lder barbarian
legend claimed that it
truly
served as agrave Certainfr
the valley where the
viov made their
home did not resenbJe
4 any
ilatitral landmark. In
every direction the
I tundra rolled on,fiat and
earthen But the valley
,: had only sparse patches
ofdirt sprinkled in among
broken boulders and
walls ofsolid stone. It,
and
the mountain on its
northern border were
the
only
jeatures in all oflcewind
l)ale with any mentioiitible
quantities ofrock, as
ifthey had been misplaced
by
Somegod in the earliest
days of creatioz
The Crystal Shard

--

Among the Reghed tribes, the people ofthe Great

Glacier to the east, and a few other hardy, savage
folk, shamans ofAuril sometimes arise to direct a
tribes worship away from its ancestral deities and
toward the Frostmaiden. These shamans teach that
the way to endure winters fury is to inflict it upon
others, raiding and pillaging to take the supplies they
need to survive the winter.
Offering sacrifices to Auril is socially acceptableeven expectedin places where the threat of
winters fury is very grave. Devoting oneselfto the
Frostmaidens service is not. Auril is known as a
cruel goddess who loves to inspire fear, and those
who would devote themselves to such a deity can
hardly be thought to have the well-being ofthe com
munity in mind. Such people do exist, ofcourse, and
sometimes they manage to assemble groups of likeminded individuals into cults that meet in secret to
offer praise and sacrifice to Auril. Sometimes a cleric
gathers such people together by displaying the Frostmaidens power; these clerics are often revered as
something akin to saints by their followers. Most of
the time, though, it is simply the fevered vision of a
lunatic devotee that inspires others to join the cult.
- -

,ri

k:E:rb
r
4

PRO STMAI DEN

The goddess Auril is the evil deity ofcold and winter,
and she is counted among the Gods ofFury alongside Tabs (god ofdestructive storms), Umberlee
( god ofoceans and sea winds, and Malar (god of the
savage hunt). Cruel, jealous, and fickle, she thrives
on fear, not worship, causing frosts to kill crops and
blizzards to assault travelers when she feels her due
has not been paid. Auril grants her favor in response
to prayers only capriciously. Even those who earn it
are not spared the bitter cold ofAurils breathonly
allowed to endure it. More often, the cruel goddess
will seem to grant a travelers prayer with clear skies
and mild weather, only to reveal her true nature with
a sudden storm that assaults the traveler far from any
shelter. Though her fury often abates as quickly as it
is roused, those who provoke the Frostmaidens ire
seldom survive it.
Aurils symbol is a white snowflake on a gray dia
mond (a heraldic lozenge) with a white border.

PRACTICE
FOLLOWERS
Auril has few priests and fewer temples. Some druids
pay their respects to her on Midwinter Night, and
isolated cults spring up from time to time, mostly
in cold, remote regions much like Icewind Dale. A
handful oftemples scattered around the North offer
places for the common folk to offer sacrifices, in the
hope ofappeasing her and staving offher wrath.
These shrines are only occasionally visited by Aurils
wandering priests, usually females who have sur
vived an encounter with extreme cold through the
Frostmaidens fickle favor.
The idea ofa clerica character who receives
Aurils divine energy in pursuit ofher goalsis
almost entirely foreign to the faith. From time to
time, however, a supplicant who seeks to wield the
force ofthe winter storm to smite foes is granted a
shard ofAurils might. The Frostmaidens only condi
tion is that such a cleric use her ability openly, so that
all can see Aurils wrath and fear it properly.

Aurils commandments to her followers are simple:

Let in the cold, that it may chase away the false
security ofwarmth. Embrace the cold, that you may
feel my presence. Spread the cold, that others may
know and fear my power. Do not kill creatures of
the cold except in great need, for I embrace them as
my own. Slay others as you will, for my chill breath
spares neither king nor beggar, and those who do not
know the dangers ofthe cold can still perish by it.
After autumns first frost, farmers take a portion
oftheir stored crops and scatter it in the north wind
to stave offAurils wrath. Those who are about to
set offon ajourney into cold lands sometimes scatter gold or silver coins in deep snow or icy streams.
Hunters on the tundra offer the blood oftheir prey
to Auril, spilling it onto the ice or snow and letting it
freeze. The most crazed and evil ofher worshipers
sacrifice humans to her wrathsometimes under
the guise ofpunishing a criminal by exposure to
the elements.

it the
chariot, bearing upon
north like a war
the
made the worst of
An icy wn
storms that
winter
caine
wake
her
passed the trees
OJdess Auril. In
zephyrs. Where AunT
gentle
like
the
seem
AerdriC attaCS
curled inward as ifseeifl
and
hard
turned
shivered, and their leaves
the wood.
Elves
warmth that lineredhtthhifl
_Evermeet Island of
sweptfrom

Followers ofthe Frostmaiden observe three holy

times each year. The Coming Storm and the Last
Storm are the celebrations ofthe beginning and the
end ofwinter, respectively. Midwinter Night is the
most sacred time for Aurils faithful.

enchantments, predating the Spellplague, constitute

a vast reserve ofmagical energy that her Chosen can
use to augment the power ofthe goddess. Perhaps
she can even lock Icewind Dale in perpetual winter
an unequivocal demonstration ofthe potency of the
Frostmaiden.

GOALS

SERVANTS OF AURIL

Along with Malar and Umberlee, Auril serves Tabs,

the god ofnatures destructive aspect, and in a way
the goddess represents a part ofhis portfoliothe
deadly wrath ofwinter. She has always resented
this subordinate position and believes that Tabs has
trespassed on her worship for too bong, stealing her
followers and overshadowing her with his own dis
plays of destruction.
Now, as the Sundering begins, Auril thinks the
time has come to establish her position independent
ofTabos and the other Gods ofFury. She believes (as
do most other gods) that the Sundering will end with
a new ordering ofthe pantheon, and thus she strives
to claim dominance over winter storms, in opposi
tion to Tabs. The Frostmaiden unleashes all the fury
she can muster on the northern lands of Faern,
from Icewind Dale to Sossal in the east, hoping to
secure the worship and fear ofthe populace. Along
with brutal weather, she sends the beasts of the
tundra to harry the Reghed tribes and the people of
Ten-Towns, reminding them that flimsy walls offer
no protection from the dark and cold ofwinter.
Like many other deities, Auril has a mortal
agenta Chosento enact her will in Icewind Dale,
energize her faithful, and drive fear into the hearts of
her foes. For this task, Auril has selected a young barbarian girl named Hedrun from the northernmost
wastes oflceland Dale. Her people, the Elk Tribe,
have grown too sure oftheir ability to secure a liveli
hood from the desolate tundra, forgetting that they
survive to see each spring only with Aurils blessing.
Hedruns first task is to make them remember.
Along with setting a stern example for the Reghed
tribes, Hedrun has been charged with recovering
the scattered remnants ofthe Cryshal-Tirith and
forging them anew. Aurib believes that their latent

Aurils harsh measures are having the desired effect, at

least to some extent. With Hedrun as her agent in Icewind Dale, she has secured new followers among the
Reghed tribes and the Tenlbwners alike. The shaman
ofthe Tribe ofthe Bear, Bjami Tengervaald, has called
on his tribe to follow Auril exclusively and has estab
lished a makeshift temple in Evermelt, inside the old
lair oflcingdeath. They view the ice-encrusted skeleton
ofthe dragon as an manifestation ofthe Frostmaidens
blessing and offer sacrifices ofbeasts, monsters, and
human foes in the waterfall cavern, where the spray
from the falls quickly encases the offerings in ice.
Auril has also anointed a priest among the TenTowners, a native ofBremen named Davrick Fain.
Though he has no temple or organized congregation,
he travels around Ten-Towns, announcing Aurils
wrath and calling on the townsfolk to offer sacrifices
and petitions to the Frostmaiden.

Davrick Fain
Priest ofAuril
After the first great storm ofwinter, the people of
Ten-Towns gave a larger share oftheir harvest to
Auril than ever before, and the cold streams and
rivers ofthe region are littered with copper and
silver coins they offered to appease her.
Whats more, a handful ofTen-Towners have
decided that Auril is a god worth their devotion.
Davrick Fain, a merchant in Bremen, wandered out
into the tundra in hopes ofreceiving Aurils blessing
and survived after experiencing what he calls her
embrace. After returning to Bremen, he proclaimed
himselfa priest ofthe Frostmaiden and began calling
loudly on his neighbors tojoin him in her service. I s
travels around Ten-Towns, buying goods for his stoi

offer him a chance to spread his message throughout

Icewind Dale, and his preaching has accounted for an
increase in sacrifices to Auril. He has attracted other
devotees to her service, forming tiny, secret cells of
worshipers in each ofthe ten towns.
Davrick Fain and his message seemed harmless
enough at first, but then travelers started turning
up dead, drowned in icy streams or staked to the
ground to die ofexposuresacrifices to appease the
Frostmaiden. Davrick was never present when the
murders were committed, so no culprit could be
identified. Nevertheless. many people in Ten-Towns
are beginning to look askance at the self-proclaimed
priest, suspecting that his devotion to Auril is dangerous to their communities. Others whisper that its
better for strangers to die at winters hand than for
Aurils wrath to obliterate Ten-Towns entirely.
Aside from his cult activities, I)avrick Fain oper
ates a resale shop in Bremen called Nine Knuckles.
His work takes him to all ofthe lake towns, where he
buys scrimshaw and local products to take back to
his shop and sell to unwary travelers and traders who
do not realize theyre paying an exorbitant markup.
( In Bremen, a regular Nine Knuckles customer is
local parlance for a rube or an easy mark.)
Word has begun to reach Davrick that some of
the Reghed tribes have taken up Aurils service, and
he has heard rumors ofa woman that some say is the
Frostmaiden herselfa witch who conimands the
snows and the beasts ofthe tundra, and who cannot be
harmed by mortal weapons. These tales have captured
Davricks imagination, and he firmly believes that the
witch who lives on the Sea ofMoving Ice is Auril, calling all true believers to her side before she scours the
dale with her freezing breath. Davrick wants to prove
that he is her most loyal servant, so he plots to deliver
Ten-Towns straight into the hands ofthe Ice Witch.
Davrick Fain is a man in his mid-thirties, with
bright red hair that betrays his Reghed ancestry.
He stands well over six feet tall, though he lacks the
muscular build common among the tribes. No longer
troubled by cold, he wears fine clothes imported
from the south, with no cloak or fur linings.

Hedrun Arnsfirth
The Ice Witch, Chosen of Auril

A bright and strong-willed girl ofthe Elk Tribe,

Hedrun was secretly blessed by Auril as a Chosen
in anticipation ofthe Sundering. Although Hedrun
is not immune to the cold, she was less affected by
it and embraced the freezing death ofwinter as a
bracing time ofclarity and beauty. This alone made
her seem queer to her tribe; then, as she grew older,

strange events occurred in her presence. Hot food

swiftly grew cold. Fires had to be built higher to
keep them burning. She always felt as cold as death,
so everyone avoided her touchall except a young
warrior ofthe tribe, the son ofthe shaman. Despite
being constantly warned to stay away from Hedrun,
he was instead drawn to her beauty and distant sadness. They began to talk secretly, sneaking away
from the camp when they could to share their pri
vate thoughts. On one such intimate excursion, they
kissed for the firstand lasttime. The son of the
shaman instantly froze to death, touched by his loves
lips but killed by Aurils jealousy.
The frightened and infuriated tribe banished
Hedrun, stripping her ofall protection and leaving
her to die on the freezing tundra. But she did not die.
Shedding tears that froze on her cheeks and shivering so much she could hardly walk, she wandered
aimlessly, feeding on carrion and eating snow to slake
her thirst. She asked Teinpus why this fate was thrust
upon her, but the god ofwarriors gave no answer.
Similarly, she prayed to the great elk spirit, but it too
was silent. On a particularly hard day, she gazed into
a gray sky filled with whirling snow and screamed
her question. Because you are special, came a tinkling answer on the wind. Because you are great and

beautiful in a way they could not understand. Because you are powerful, and
they fear that power.
Over the next months, Aurils Chosen
learned ofthe wondrous abilities she
possessed and how she could use them
to befriend the beasts ofthe cold when
her fellow humans would not associate
with her. Now she seeks revenge against
her people, and Auril urges her in
dreams to show the folk oflcewind Dale
what winter really means.
The Ice Witch is blessed with Aurils
power. She freezes whatever she touches,
and she can hurl icicles at distant foes.
She can walk across water by freezing
it with every step or turn the ground
beneath her to slippery ice. She com
mands absolute obedience from the
beasts ofthe tundra, and winter storms
rise at her will. Whats more, she can
shape an image ofherselfout ofice and
snow and imbue it with her consciousness, creating a duplicate that carries out
her will (and Aurils) while her real body
slumbers in an ice coffin in her remote
tower. Thus, the people ofthe Reghed
tribes believe that she cannot be harmed
by weapons, for when the icy simula
crum is destroyed, it crumbles into snow,
causing the real Hedrun no harm. A few
days later, a new simulacrum appears.

r-r r- ol 7

Black Ic :5Qw4r

The Witchs Sanctum

Temple of the Storm

..

Audience Hall
-

--

:5,20

feet

10
I

20

50

OF THE ICE WITCH

100
,-

The Sea ofMoving Ice is one ofthe most remote

regions in all Faerimn. Few people have ever laid eyes
on this frozen realm, and fewer still have wandered
its wastes and returned to tell the tale. Glaciers and
ice floes slide and crash together, grinding to finders
most ships that dare to navigate its waters. Yet somehow, 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 resem
bles the prism shape ofa quartz crystal, though it is
black and mostly opaque. An open archway leads into
the structure, in obedience to Aurils command that the
winter wind be allowed entry into every building.
The Witchs Sanctum: The top floor ofthe tower
is sparsely furnished, with a slab ofblack ice for a
bed, a table and stool formed ofthe same substance,
and a small shrine to Auril flanked by smaller

iitr.-?i

THE TOWER

-.,.

tin
.

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it i rs miii

IT

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statues ofthe goddess. A few shelves adorned with

tribute collected from raids on Ten-Towns and the
Reghed tribes line another wall. Cold blue flames
flicker atop the table and shrine.
Temple ofthe Storm: The second floor is a large,
open area with a ceiling 80 feet high, the chamber
adorned only by six tall statues ofAuril. A dais in the
center ofthe room is decorated with the Frostmaid
ens symbol. Directly above the dais, a hole in the
ceiling offers access to the third floor by way of flight
or levitation.
Audience Hall: The ground floor ofthe tower is
an audience hall with a throne opposite the archway.
Here Hedrun receives the obeisance ofthe handful
ofReghed barbarians and orcs from the Spine of the
World that come to pay homage to her. The columns,
throne, and stairs leading up to the next level are all
shaped from ice and slick underfoot.

BE%I
ICEWIND DALE
All the lands north ofthe Spine ofthe World and
west ofthe Reghed Glacier are sometimes called the
Frozenfar, for they share the brutal climate and maccessibility ofthe dale. These lands fall into four broad
categoriesthe lands downriver oflcewind Dale,
the Cold Run at the western extreme ofFaern, the
Spine ofthe World itself, and the Sea ofMoving Ice.

SHAENGARNE RIVER
The Shaengarne River has its headwaters at Bremen,
where it drains Maer Dualdon and wends its way
west before spilling into the sea at Ironmaster. Along
the way, it collects tributaries from Redwaters and
the watersheds offthe northern slopes ofthe Spine
ofthe World. In midwinter, the Shaengarne freezes
over, although the waters beneath the ice flow year
round. The river marks the southernmost extreme
ofthe Reghed tribes seasonal migrations. In late
spring, the top ice breaks and the river floods as
its tributaries swell with snowmelt. Salmon swim
upstream to spawn in Maer Dualdon, and the
Shaengarne runs with trout-like char and other fish.

Ironmaster

The dwarven city oflronmaster is perched at the

western edge oflcewind Dale, where the Shaengarne
River flows into the Sea ofMoving Ice. The city is
nestled in a great cleft where the Shaengarne rushes
to the sea. Its stone towers rise like spikes from the
valley floor, and the rooms and passages of Ironmas
ter weave in and out ofnever-melting ice and the
stone ofthe valley walls. Mining tunnels much like
those under Kelvins Cairn extend from the valley
walls far below the tundra, providing the dwarves
l an apparently limitless supply of iron.
Ironmaster is populated exclusively by dwarves
about nine thousand ofthem. Members of other
races are forbidden to set foot in Ironmaster Vale.
Great stone menhirs marked with the citys armsa
red anvil on a gray diamond standing on endare
arranged in a perimeter around the vale to warn
away travelers who stray too close.

COLD RUN
The northernmost reaches ofthe Sword Coast are
commonly referred to as the Cold Run. The name is
loosely applied, but it generally refers to the coastal
region bracketed by the Shaengarne River to the
north and the Iceflow River to the south. The frozen
tundra here rises to great cliffs along the coast where
the Spine ofthe World comes down to meet the sea.

Fireshear
The city ofFireshear is the northernmost port along
the Sword Coast, known as the point ofdeparture for
caravans that take Ten Trail north to Icewind 1)ale.
Travelers that approach Fireshear by sea can take in
the city in a glance: a small central district of large
stone buildings ascends from the docks, surrounded
by a vast sprawl ofcrude tenements. At the citys far
edge is the entrance to Fireshear Valea rift in the
land that terminates at a great crater, its walls blackened by fire. Sages have argued over what created
the craterwhether it was formed in a volcanic erup
tion or by a star that fell from the heavensbut the
violent episode sheared away the ground, revealing
the rich copper and silver veins beneath and giving
the valley (and later, the neighboring city) its name.
Not all visitors to Fireshear arrive on a ship. Many
travel here from Ten-Towns or the smaller surrounding communities such as Auckney and Hundelstone,
looking for steady work. Merchants and laborers
came here frequently from Luskan before that city
descended into chaos. Now, the coastal road from
Luskan to Fireshear is plagued by monsters and bandits, and the ferry across the Iceflow River no longer
runs, forcing overland travelers to ford the treacher
ous waters. Regardless ofthe point oforigmn, almost
everyone who comes to Fireshear arrives for the
same reasonto work in its mines.
The city is ruled by a merchant triumvirate, who
represent the interests ofMirabar, Neverwinter, and
Waterdeep. The triumvirate sends agents to cities
and towns along the Sword Coast North, recruiting laborers to work in the mines by luring them
with the promise ofsteady wages plus room and
board. For farmsteaders accustomed to scratching
an existence out ofthe soil, the offer brings with it
the chance to make more coin in a season than they
might otherwise see in a lifetime, so the city maintains the steady influx offresh labor necessary to
drive the relentless pace ofits mining operations.

S%

,.

,,-

The work in the mines is back-breaking,

over is high; many miners work only a handful of
seasons before being replaced. Since hired laborers
make up over two-thirds ofFireshears population
ofabout fifteen thousand, most ofthe citys inhabitants have lived there only a few years and dont really
think ofit as their home. This attitude contributes
not only to the temporary nature ofmuch of the

THE IRON TRAIL

The Iron Trail runs from Ironmaster down the
Cold Run, intersecting Ten Trail midway between
Fireshear and Hundelstone. The road is used almost
exclusively by dwarven caravans that bring their
wares to market in Fireshear, since southern cara
vans know they will find no welcome in lronmaster.
u_j_I,

--

citys housing but to illicit activity that would meet

with censure in a more established community. The
ruling merchants do their best to maintain a modi
cum oflaw and order, but they are more interested in
their profit margins than in the citys welfare, so to a
large degree lawless behavior is tolerated.
Visitors spend much oftheir time in the central
district, referred to by locals as the Vaults for the two
stronghouses there, where miners draw their salaries
and deposit their hard-earned coin. The district is
home to the Hall ofthe Triumvirate, a great stone cdifice where the merchant lords keep their offices and
conduct city business. Nearby are some of Fireshears
best establishments, including the Green Garden res
taurant and a tavern called the Singing Manticore.
Visitors looking for a livelier scene can go to the
Drunken I)warL a tavern near the tenements, where
many ofthe mining foremen drink and one can get
a sense for the pulse ofthe city. (In fact, a few of the
regulars are informants employed by the Triumvirate
to ferret out corrupt foremen and pass along word of
any strikes or uprisings planned by the miners.)
Many visitors are surprised to learn that, despite
the size ofthe city, Fireshear has no inns,just a single
guest house, wryly called the Cells by locals. It
is a building ofsparse accommodations where
visitors are watched and handled by agents of the
triumvirate, who carefully guard against any rival
organizations such as the Zhentarim or the Shadow
Thieves ofAmn gaining a foothold in the city.

Auckney
No major trade road leads to Auckney, just a trail to
Fireshear. Likewise, the harbor rarely sees incoming
ship traffic. The town is too small for trade vessels to
bother with it, and the perennial fog that hangs off
the coast makes navigation perilous. Thus, Auckney
receives few visitors, and its guard towers, standing
at various outlying points, seldom hold any guards.
I)reyfin Auck, the lord ofAuckney, is a proud aris
tocrat in spite ofhis meager holdings. He is always
eager to make the acquaintance of well-connected
peers, as well as to hear news from the great cities
ofthe Sword Coast. The towns resources are scant,
however, especially during the long winter season,
and visitors who remain in Auckney for more than a
night or two have likely overstayed their welcome.
Most ofthe towns inhabitants are human peasants whose families have farmed the Aucks holdings
for generations. Growing anything in the rocky soil is
hard work, and the peasants have little time to spare
talking with strangers. For all their labor, the peasants
barely produce enough food to see them through each
winter, and a single poor harvest can put the town
at risk ofstarvation during the coldest months ofthe
year. As a result, the population ofAuckney hovers just
shy oftwo hundred souls, sometimes dropping to half
that number after a particularly hard season.
The only people in town who dont live hand to
mouth are the Atick family and their retainers, who
dwell in Castle Auck, a small manor house flanked
by squat towers on an outcropping ofrock in the
middle ofthe harbor. The castle was built by the
Dorgenast family over seven centuries ago, and it
has been ruled by the Aucks for the past five. The
aging structure is the pride ofthe family, but despite
all attempts to keep it up, the castle is becoming
decrepit. The Aick holdings dont generate enough
revenue for the lord to fix the buildings properly, and
the dwarfmasons he employs from Hundelstone
wont work on credit, so Dreyfin is reduced to patching the place up as best he can and watching year by
year as his familys estate crumbles around him.
Auckney has no proper inn or guest house, since
travelers on the coastal road are few and far between.
Visitors who impress Lord Dreyfin might be invited
to share the cramped lodgings ofCastle Auck. Otherwise, they might find a peasant family willing to open
their door to guests in exchange for a few coppers. Few
people have occasion to travel to markets where they
might spend such coin, but Dreyfin happily accepts
his yearly tithes in copper rather than crops.

,iJ1

jj
j

Z4Y4

The Ice Peak

J4f )

\-

Th E

ROZENFAR

4-% Fireshear
..

---

*.

SEA OF MOVING ICE

Along the western edge oflcewind 1)ale is a great
expanse ofbroken ice that extends hundreds of miles
out to sea. Narrow runs ofopen water riddle the ice,
allowing passage for seafarers brave (or daft) enough
to try navigating this frozen sea. Here, free-floating
icebergs mingle with ice-covered rocks and islets,
and the difference between one and the other is
seldom apparent until tested by a ships hull. The ice
shifts constantly, opening new passages while closing
others. Even the most seasoned captains can become
undone when a broad waterway suddenly closes off
and the jostling bergs grip their vessels like a vise.
The numerous hulls ofruined ships trapped in the
ice testify to the perils ofsailing this sea.
For all its desolation, the Sea ofMoving Ice does
have some inhabitants. Seals, walruses, and polar
bears hunt across its surface and in the waters
beneath. Schools ofcod and char swim in the deep,
and occasionally whales breach among the bergs.
White dragons, too, live and hunt here, and creatures
that cannot escape into the water find little refuge
from the terrifying aerial predators. Even a few tribes
ofhunters live here, stalking seals and bears for food
and fashioning their shelters from blocks of ice.
The Reghed tribes oflcewind Dale are bound by
an ancient taboo that prevents them from ventur
ing out onto the Sea ofMoving Ice, or the floating
land. as they call it. Though shrouded in language of
superstition, the edict is ultimately practical, for the
risks oftraveling on the ice far outweigh the potential

rewards. The short-lived Tribe ofthe Seal, which

emerged during the heyday ofthe tribes under Wul
fgars leadership, violated that edict, and the people
ofthe tribes often point to that transgression as an
explanation for why the tribe did not survive.

Ice Peak
On a clear day along the Cold Run, travelers looking
out to sea can make out the silhouette oflce Peak
on the western horizon. This frozen island is immned
for the snow-capped promontory that dominates its
northern half. Most ofthe inhabitants live in a few
settlements clustered around the twin bays on the
southern shore. The muountains lower slopes are
home to goats, yetis, and ice trolls, and the caves in
its peak are the lair ofArveiaturace, the white wyrm
known to sailors as Iceclaws because ofher habit
of diving on hapless vessels and tearing them apart
with her talons. Rumors persist ofundersea caves
dug by svirfneblin that connect the lower reaches of
Ice Peak to the mainland, but the existence of such
tunnels has never been confirmed.

Aurilssbarg
The largest settlement on Ice Peak is the town of
Aurilssbarg, the only community on the island that
has a harbor deep enough to accommnodate oceangoing vessels. Aurilssbarg serves as a trading post for
the other settlements on the island, whose inhabitants
come here to trade furs, pelts, fish, oil, and scrimshaw

c:

-:

-/__

for supplies that arrive on ships from Luskan,

Fireshear, Port Liast, and occasionally Neverwinter.
The sea trade here was dominated by Luskan until
the City ofSails fell into decline. The influx of trad
ers from elsewhere along the coast has benefited the
people ofAurilssbarg, but it has also precipitated
occasional acts ofviolence by Luskan captains who
still claim control over the surrounding waters. The
worst offender is a Luskan captain named Faulken
Regspie from Ship Kurth, who set fire to the docks
at Aurilssbarg when he saw a ship from Port Liast
unloading there. In the aftermath ofsuch incidents,
locals mutter that somebody should do something
about the belligerent Luskanites, but somebody
always means someone else, so nothing gets done.
Typical ofthe settlements on Ice Peak, the streets
ofAurilssbarg are paved with logs laid side by side,
and its buildings are low wooden structures whose
pitched roofs are covered in sod. The establislunent
best known to visitors is Green Hall, a spacious
tavern with a lengthy fire pit that can spit six goats at
a time to feed the cold and hungry crews that arrive
after unloading their ships at the docks. Locals come
here as well to hear the latest news from the mainland, although by the time it reaches Ice Peak, such
news is often out of date and wildly exaggerated,
little better than idle rumor. Still, the isolated inhab
itants ofAurilssbarg eat it up all the same.

Bjorns Hold
A fortified village offive hundred on the southeastern shore oflce Peak, Bjorns hold is home to a
mixed population ofNorthlanders and Ice Hunters.
They are trappers, hunters, and fishers who sell their
goods in Aurilssbarg or risk shipping them out from
the holds dangerous harbor. The village has a long
history of animosity with Luskan, and a few brave
Northlanders have even attempted raids on Ltis
kanite ships lately.

Icewolf
This tiny hamlet lies east ofAurilssbarg on Ice
Peak. Its population is descended from nomadic
Ice Hunters who settled on the island centuries
ago. Its residents still venture out onto the Sea of
Moving Ice in their hide-covered kayaks to hunt
seals and whales, selling their wares in Aurilss
barg. Legend holds that the people of Icewolf long
ago discovered an icebound shipwreck laden with
gold and platinum coins, and jewelry made from
these coins has been passed down among these
people for generations.

SPINE OF THE WORLD

Sometimes called the XVall, the mountain range
known as the Spine ofthe World is a literal barrier
between Icewind Dale (and the rest ofthe Frozenfar) and the marginally warmer lands to the south.
Infested with orcs, goblins, giants, and bandits, the
mountains are inhospitable to civilized life.

Hundeistone
In the highest parts ofTen Trail, only a few shrubs
cling to life amid patches ofmoss-covered rock. Trayelers on this route eventually come to Hundelstone,
perching stubbornly on the slopes like the surrounding flora. The towns buildings are low to the ground,
with most oftheir rooms cut out ofthe soil below,
and their roofs steeply pitched against the snows that
blanket the mountams in winter. The many dwarves
and gnomes in I Iundelstone are fond of warning
Imman visitors to stoop low as they walk about town,
lest they be blown away by the wind.
For most people, Hundeistone is either the last
point of civilization before taking the pass north to
Icewind I)ale or the first welcome sign ofrefuge after
the wearying trip back. For the towns inhabitants,
Hundelstone is a gateway to the richesand dangersof the subterranean realm beneath the Spine
ofthe World. Many ofthe dwarves and gnomes
here spend their days excavating tunnels, Ininilig
ore, or smelting and smithing the local iron and tin.
Meanwhile, the few score human residents are gen
erally sellswords or would-be adventurers who earn
a living as caravan guards and beast Ininters in the
crags. They make occasional forays into the tunnels
below to gain valuable experience in learning how to
fight and survive in the Underdark.

The Savage Tribes

In caves and valleys throughout the Spine of the
World, dozens oftribes oforcs and goblins squabble
over territory and scant resources. Every few years,
when resources grow thin, one tribe or another spills
out of the mountains to raid the nearby settlements.
No leader since Akar Kessell has been able to
unite the squabbling tribes. But the Ice Witch has
recruited one group oforcs, the Blood Ice tribe, into
her service. Most ofthe warriors remain in the Spine
ofthe World, though a few have joined the Ice Witch
in her tower. Empowered by I ledruns magic and
Aurils blessing, the Blood Ice orcs have gained the
upper hand in conflicts with their neighbors, and if
the Ice Witch is unchecked, they might manage to
establish a new orc kingdom in the mountains that
rivals Many-Arrows in the east.

THE ARCANE
BROTHERHOOD
Some who have mastered the use ofmagic wield it
for noble ends: to destroy monsters, dethrone tyrants,
and maintain a stable balance in the world. Some
become tyrants themselves. Others pursue the Art as
its own end, losing themselves in arcane exploration.
And some, such as the wizards ofthe Arcane Brotherhood, use magic to get rich.
Wealth means power, ofcourse, and ultimately
the Brotherhood aims to control the North by putting
a stranglehold on trade along the Sword Coast, from
Waterdeep to Icewind Dale. Sometimes associated
with the name ofits former headquarters, the Hosttower ofthe Arcane in Luskan, the Brotherhood once
ruled the so-called City of Sails. Now that Luskan
has devolved into chaos, the pirate captains who
rule the city no longer answer to the wizards of the
Brotherhood. The Hosttower ofthe Arcane lies half
ruined, and the city around it is haunted by undead.
Whether any wizards still lurk in the Hosttowers
alien spires, perhaps controlling the undead, is a
matter ofspeculation and idle gossip. But it is clear
that the Arcane Brotherhood still exists. Its agents
are everywhere, from Silverymoon in the north to
Baldurs Gate far to the south. It might no longer be
the force it once was, perhaps, but the group is on the
way back to its former status.

ORGANIZATION
The Arcane Brotherhood currently lacks any central
leadership. Its former Archmage Arcane, the lich
Arklem Greeth, was forced into his phylactery over
a hundred years ago. The four Overwizards who
reported to him are also long gone. Currently, five
wizards vie for leadership, but none ofthem is secure
enough to lay claim to the title ofArchmage Arcane
and fix the hierarchy in place once again.
Each ofthese five wizards has a faction of supporters within the Brotherhood, and it seems only a
matter oftime before one ofthcm gains enough support to claim the top position. After that, unless the
situation devolves into violence, the other four will
become the Overwizards, the Archmage Arcanes
key assistantsthough enough animosity currently

sours their relationship that it is unlikely they would

ever work well in concert.
Whats more, some within the Brotherhood
believe that Arklem Greeth will eventually return to
reclaim his position as head ofthe organization. That
possibility is one ofthe factors keeping the five wiz
ards from moving too aggressively to take the reins.
The lichs phylactery was last known to be in the pos
session ofValindra Shadowmantle, a Thayan agent in
the Neverwinter region.

GOALS
The Arcane Brotherhood has always been ambitious,
and its current debilitated state has not altered the
groups aims. Four main goals drive the activities of
the would-be Archmages Arcane.

Power through Profit

The Brotherhoods aims dreams ofbeing the ulti
mate power in Faerfln. Its founder, Arkiem Greeth,
understood that coinnot titles or birthrights, nor
magical or military mightis king in the North, so he
made the Arcane Brotherhood as much a mercantile
association as a magical one, graft and greed its most
powerful spells.
In the wake ofthe lichs defeat and the ruin ofthe
Hosttower, the Brotherhoods members are installing
themselves in cities along the Sword Coast, trying
to rebuild their trade networks and bring the area
back under their control. The five aspiring leaders
have bases ofoperation across the North: Jendrick
the Blue in Port Llast, Teyva Magehand Lillowind
in Baldurs Gate, Zelenn Essrenthir in Neverwinter,
Druette the Raven in Waterdeep, and the necromancer Cashaan el Farid in Luskan, where he
commands the undead that haunt the Hosttower.

A landmark
Of1VOnder niarked
the very center
ofSail, a strange
oftI2e City
28 that
buildij
emanated
a powerful
aura ofTilagic
Utilike any other
structure in all Faerri,
the HOSttQwer
ofthe Arcaze
seeTned
literally a tree
OfStOne,
boastiIlgfli,e tall Spires,
the
largest
q the
4
heit
central, and the
otJzerfrir equally
high,
growiig out of
the ulaiti trunk
with tllegracef
g curving
1
arc ofan oak.
Nowhere could any
sign ofthe masoiz
be
seeTi; it Was
s to any
0
Obvio
viewer
that
magic, not
Physical labor had
prodzced this art Work
The
IlrcJlmage
a
UJldispztedjJat ofthe
resided in the celitral
Hosttoier
toer While the
otherJur housed
the 14izards closest
in the line
fsuCCejoTl Each of
lesser towers
these
ig thefour
7
represellti
COmpass directiojic
do77i7lated ( dfJrejzt
side oftlze trunk
and its respect he
Wizard held
responsihilityfor ltatelziIig
over and
iTlJlueJlCing the
events in the direetio,
1
he
Thus, the Wizard
overlookeL
west ofthe trunk
spent his days looking
out to sea, and to
the merchant ships
and pirates riding
out oh Luska,
1

.,

harbor

Streans of Silver

Rebuild Luskan
Cashaan el Farid knows that quelling the chaos in
Luskan is the first step in making the city a useful
base again, since no trade will flow into the city until
merchants can travel there without undue risk of loss
(or violent death). To that end, he has started hiring
adventurers to help clear out the worst elements. To
keep the revival ofthe Brotherhood secret as long as
possible, recruiting wizards usually pose as members
ofa more respectable organization or as dispossessed
gentry with rights to property in the city.
Cashaan el Farid is a human necromancer from
Calimshan. Having grown up using his peoples fear
and hatred oftheir genasi oppressors to weave his
own subtle spell ofcontrol, Cashaan knows how to
use desperation to his advantageand Luskan is full
ofdesperate people.

Tip the Balance in

Neverwinter
Neverwinter is a key target for the Brotherhood. Its
recent resurgence has made business boom, and
the ongoing power struggles and other destabilizing

elements present ample opportunities for the Arcane

Brotherhood to insinuate itselfinto the political and
economic landscape. The Brotherhood isnt looking
to rule Neverwinter, but to hold sway over whoever
ends up in control.
The elfwizard Zelenn Essrenthir runs operations in Neverwinter. She lived there before the
Spellplague and has a deep knowledge ofthe citys
past, ifnot its recent history. Many major players,
particularly Lord Neverember, want to gain her confidence in the hope that she can help them secure
their position in Neverwinter. But with the perspec
tive that comes from living such a long life, Zelenn
waits for the right time to use her influence to tip the
balance in the Brotherhoods favor. Not all members
ofthe organization are so patient, though, and some
have suggested that ifZelenn does not act soon, she
should be replaced by someone who will.

Broker an Alliance in
Baldurs Gate
Baldurs Gate is the richest pot for the taking on the
Sword Coast, and everybody is trying to get a piece.
Establishing a presence there wasnt a challenge for

the Brotherhood, but as the new player in an estab

lished pecking order ofguilds and regional interests,
the organization has been hard-pressed to expand its
influence in the city.
Teyva Magehand Lillowind hopes to change
that. A half-elfthiefand self-taught mage, her
resourcefulness makes up for her meager arcane
talent. Shes hoping to broker an alliance with NineFingers Keene, her former superior at the head of
Baldurs Gates powerful thieves guild.

AGENTS OF THE
BROTHERHOOD
In support ofJendrick the Blues aspirations to
become the Archmage Arcane, a wizard named
Vaelish Gant has come to Ten-Towns. With the aid
ofthugs and ruffians from Luskan, Gant plans to
bolster the Arcane Brotherhoods interests by controlling trade to and from Icewind Dale.

Vaelish Gant
ScheminR Brotherhood wizard
Many traders profit in the lucrative market for Icewind Dales white gold, but the way Vaelish Gant
sees it, ivory and scrimshaw is only the beginning.
Ifthe Arcane Brotherhood can gain access to the
dwarven mines ofKelvins Cairn and the unex
ploited wealth ofthe tundrawith its rich furs and
peltsthat is currently wasted on the Reghed barbarians, the dale will be well worth holding. And if
someone were to discover a valuable new mineral
lode somewhere in the Spine ofthe World, TenTowns might become another Mirabar.
The Brotherhoods leadership hasnt displayed
any interest in Icewind Dale; this operation is Gants
alone. The wizard is actually less interested in TenTowns than in the prestige that success there will
bring him among his peers in the Brotherhood. He
especially hopes that the profits generated in TenTowns will help Jendrick the Blue secure the position
ofArchrnage Arcane, and then the senior wizard
will reward him with a position as an Overwizard.
Vaelish Gant was born in the southern city of
Athkatla, far down the Sword Coast. He joined the
Arcane Brotherhood under Jendricks tutelage and
started his operations in Waterdeep, hoping that
effort would be the key to his career. Gant was soon
frustrated by stifling competition, and he decided
that gaining a stranglehold on the markets in TenTowns would be a better use ofhis energy and an
easier way to impress his mentor.

Vaelish Gant is a heavy man ofmedium height,

with short, black hair, dark eyes, and light brown
skin that clearly marks him as a foreigner in Icewind
Dale. He dresses the part ofa wizard, wearing a
brown robe with a fancy white mantle fastened with
a seashell brooch. His ornate metal staffis tipped
with a glowing sapphire, displaying his magical
acumen for all to see. Though he gives the impres
sion ofmagical might, his skills at wizardry have not
progressed far beyond his apprenticeship. This arro
gance extends to his every mannerismhe is cocky
and confident, believing himselfto be destined for
greatness and superior to everyone he meets.

Slim
Wererat riffian
To support his efforts in Icewind 1)ale, Vaelish Gant
enlisted the aid ofLuskans Ship Rethnor. Slim is
a member ofthat gang ofthugs, a sly rogue who is
quick with his rapier and equally so with his insults.
Slim is actually a wererat, though he conceals that
fact as much as possible, using his animal form only
to escape from overwhelming danger.
Slim is a smooth talker whose charm is moderated a bit by a shifty, sneaky demeanor. He has
close-cropped, light brown hair, blue eyes, and fair
skin. 1-us forearm carries the tattooed mark of Ship
Rethnora sailing ship pierced by a sword coming
down from above as the tentacles ofa kraken rise up
from the water beneath it.
Slim runs Vaelish Gants protection racket in
Bryn Shander, extorting payments from merchants
under threat ofvandalism and theft. He is coldhearted and savage, and every time he bullies a
merchant, he secretly hopes that the target will put
up a fight. But hes so good at intimidationlowering his voice to a whisper to utter his most severe
threatsthat he rarely gets to use his rapier.

Marek the Shank

oblin thug
8
Ilob
Gants other main agent in Bryn Shander is a hob
goblin named Marek, also called the Shank.
Hobgoblins arent a common sight in Icewind Dale,
so the Shanks hood covers his red-skinned face most
ofthe time. his job is recruiting the most unsavory
characters from Ten-Towns to aid Vaelish Gants
efforts. Scoundrels are often drawn to the hulking
brute, who seems to offer an alternative to the life of
community that defines most ofTen-Towns.
Marek is a tall, strong hobgoblin with long, black
hair and yellow eyes. His face is heavily scarred, a

:*

testament to the brawls he has survived as part of

Ship Rethnor in Luskan. His arm bears the same
tattoo worn by Slim, identifying him as part of Reth
nors crew. He speaks in a harsh growl that is backed
by the clear threat ofphysical violence, which helps
keep the local thugs under control.
Although his primary role is recruitment, Marek
also backs up Slims worst threats. He is a trained
warrior, skilled at laying ambushes in streets and
alleys. lie has rarely met his match in a fight, and
the last time he did, he fledto his lasting shame. In
a similar encounter, he might well question whether
he will master his fear or turn tail once more.

THE SHIPS OF LUSKAN

The City of Sails once thrived on trade and piracy
and is now staggering back to its feet after a long
period ofchaos and neglect. Before its fall, the city
was ruled by a council offive High Captains who
were under the thumb ofthe Arcane Brotherhood.
A century ago, a short-lived attempt to establish
law and order in Luskan turned the city into a lawless ruin haunted by monsters and ruffians. Largely
through the involvement of the drow mercenary
company Bregan Daerthe, the city has stabilized in
recent decades, and its traditional rule by five High
Captains has been restored.

Each ofthe High Captains is the head ofan mdcpendent faction named for pirate ships and their
captains who claimed Luskan over I SO years ago:
Ship Kurth, Ship Retimor, Ship Taerl, Ship Baram,
and Ship Suijack. Following the old tradition, each
new I ugh Captain takes the factions name as his or
her own. A factions crew. allies, soldiers, vessels, and
goods are all marked with the same name.
Ship Kurth is the most powerful ofthe ships.
high Captain Beniago Kurth, a tall, red-haired
lutinan to all appearances, is actually a magically
disguised dro a lieutenant ofBregan 1)aerthe. The
mercenary companys motives in Luskan revolve
around profit, ofcourse, but Beniago has ties to the
drow ruling family ofMenzoberranzan and surely
has more complex motives. Ship Kurth controls the
docks ofLuskan and the perfume trade, and it resists
the rising influence ofthe Arcane Brotherhood.
Ship Rethnor is led by I ugh Captain Hartouchen
Rethnor. It is perhaps the most brutally violent gang,
and its agents work hard to extend its reach beyond
Luskan. Ship Rethnor thugs are frequently present
in Icewind Dale, and they play an important role in
Vaelish Gants activities in the north.
The other ships spend most oftheir time squab
bling with one another and with visiting crews of
Northlander longships. None ofthem is likely to pose
a serious threat to either Rethnor or Kurth in the
immediate future.