Icewind Dale

324 Pages·2020·106.45 MB·English

by  Chris Perkins

ICEWIND DALE�
RIME OF THE FROSTMAIDEN™
CREDITS
Story Creator & Lead Writer: Christopher Perkins Senior Producer: Dan Tovar
Writing Team: Stacey Allan, Bill Benham, H.H. Carlan, Celeste Producers: Bill Benham, Robert Hawkey, Lea Heleotis
Conowitch, Dan Dillon, Will Doyle, Mikayla Ebel, Anne Project Engineer: Cynda Callaway
Gregersen, Chad Quandt, Merrigan Robbins, Ashley Warren Imaging Technicians: Sven Bolen, Carmen Cheung, Kevin Yee
Rules Development: Jeremy Crawford, Dan Dillon, Ben Petrisor, Art Administrator: David Gershman
Taymoor Rehman Prepress Specialist: Jefferson Dunlap
World Building: John Francis Daley, Crystal Frasier, Jonathan Franchise & Global Brand Strategy: Nathan Stewart
Goldstein, Ed Greenwood, Amanda Hamon, Adam Lee, Executive Producer: Ray Winninger
Ari Levitch, Mike Mearls, Christopher Perkins, Jessica Price, Director oflicensing & Publishing: Liz Schuh
R.A. Salvatore, Kate Welch, Shawn Wood Licensing Manager: Hilary Ross
Editor: Kim Mohan Marketing & Communications: Bart Carroll, Pelham Greene,
Shauna Narciso, Emi Tanji, Greg Tito, Anna Vo
Art Director: Kate Irwin
Product Marketing Manager: Chris Lindsay
Senior Graphic Designer: Trish Yochum
Brand Manager: Shelly Mazzanoble
Graphic Designer: Trystan Falcone
Editorial Assistance: Orion D. Black
Cover Illustrators: Hydro74, Tyler Jacobson
Interior Illustrators: Mark Behm, Eric Belisle, Zoltan Boros, Special Thanks: Holly Barbacovi, Jason Barbacovi, Bianca
Christopher Burdett, Paul Scott Canavan, Sidharth Bickford, Cassidy Borger, Chris Cocks, Tony Craven, Jonathan
Chaturvedi, Jedd Chevrier, David Rene Christensen, Cruz, Soren Danielson, Jonathan Doran, Eugene Evans, Jay
CoupleOfKooks, Nikki Dawes, Axel Defois, Olga Drebas, Gellerman, Chad Gokey, Andrew Harasymiw, Emily Johnson,
Jesper Ejsing, Jason A. Engle, Caroline Gariba, Lars Grant­ Omega "Critical Bard" Jones, Ty Koebernick, Erin Kramer,
West, Leesha Hannigan, Sam Keiser, Julian Kok, Olly Lawson, Dan LaValby, Randy Lenius, Joshua Mendenhall, Connor
Titus Lunter, Andrew Mar, Marcela Medeiros, Robson Miller, Glen Miller, Nick Mitchell, Tim O'Hara, Michele
Michel, Scott Murphy, Irina Nordsol, Stephen Oakley, Robin Picard, Bob Pursley, Jeff Rebbeck, Bill Rose, David Schwartz,
Olausson, Claudio Pozas, Livia Prima, April Prime, David Rebecca A. Smith, Jayson Thiry, and the hundreds of play­
Sladek, Craig J Spearing, Brian Valeza, Svetlin Velinov, testers who helped make this adventure more fun
Richard Whitters, Shawn Wood, Zuzanna Wuzyk
Cartographers: Stacey Allan, Will Doyle, Mike Schley
DisclaiTmheewr i:n dswetputn droafl cewiDnadl ies t het rutee sotfo ne'mse ttlHee.r ei,t 's
Concept Art Director: Shawn Wood
sr.1rviovfta hlfie t tesDto!n 'bte f oolbeydt her eindweietrgh l ow-in-the-daarnkdt haen tlers
Concept Illustrators: Olga Drebas, Titus Lunter, April Prime, tasktny ucklehteraodu( ti nclutdhiefn rgi endmloireenr o,r theCralnyu cklehead variety).
Chris Rahn, Jenn Ravenna, Richard Whitters, Shawn Wood, Ice.wiDnadl iest hef rostbietntdoe ftn h ew orlYdo.u c an'stp edlilc wei thoiuctem ,y f riend,
andt heF rostmaiidsne onts omed emonp rinco,ae,im,p irlei,c bhe,h oldcerri mleo rodr,a rch­
Kieran Yanner deviSlh.e 'as g od-anad c old-heaornteae ttd h at.
ON THE COVER ON THE ALT-COVER
Auril the Frostmaiden claims her latest victim in Tyler Hydro74 shows the doom of Ten-Towns: Auril the Frostmaiden,
Jacobson's chillingly macabre cover illustration. On the back, the god of winter's wrath. Adorning the back cover is the Frost­
an elemental spirit called a chwinga comes out to play. maiden's holy symbol.
620C7892000001 EN
ISBN: 978-0-7869-6705-6 CE
First Printing: August 2020
_
987654321
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, the dragon ampersand, PlayeHra'nsd booMko,n stMearn ualD,u ngeoMna sterG'usi daell, o ther Wizards of the Coast product
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Coast. The materials described in this statement are protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America and around the world under international intellectual prop­
erty treaties. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the materials contained herein or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of
the Coast.
Printed in the USA. ©2020 Wizards of the Coast LLC, PO Box 707, Renton, WA 98057·0707, USA. Manufactured by Hasbro SA, Rue Emile·Boechat 31, 2800 Del�mont, CH.
Represented byHasbro Europe 4 The Square Stgckleyp ark Uxbridge Middlesex UBJJ JET UK
2
CONTENTS
Welcomet ot heF arN ort.h... ................... 4 ChapteSr: A urilA'bso de... .................. 196 IcewiKnodb oldZ ombi.e... ................. 297
AbouTth isB ook... ....................................... 5 RunninTgh isC hapte...r....... .................. 197 Kobold Vampire ..S...p...a...w...n.... .... 297
AdventuSruem mary... ............................... 6 Seao fM ovinIgc .e... ................................ 197 LivinSgp el.l...s... ...................................... 298
Runnintgh eA dventu...r...e... ..................... 6 IslanofdS olst.i...c...e... ........................... 198 LivinBgi gbyH'asn d.. .......................... 298
CharactCerre ati...o...n.... .......................... 13 Grimska.l...l...e... ......................................2 03 LivinBgl adoef D isast...e...r... ............ 299
Chapte1r: T en-Tow.n...s... ...................... 16 Testosf t heF rostmaiSdceonr eca. r20d8 LivnigD emipla..n...e... .........................2 99
RunninTgh isC hapte...r........ ................... 17 WrappinUgp . ............................................ 213 Magen... ..................................................... 300
Ten-TownOsv ervi..e...w... ......................... 18 Chapte6r: C avesof H unge.r... ............ 214 DemosM agen... ................................... 300
ColdO pen... ................................................. 21 RunninTgh isC hapt.e...r.... .................... 215 GalvaMna gen... ....................................3 01
Starting Quest: CoKlidl-lHe...er. 2a.2r tReadc et ot heG laci..e...r... .......................... 215 HypnoMsa gen... ................................... 301
Starting QNuaetsutrS:ep iri...t...s.... ..... 25 Openintgh eW ay. .................................... 216 Mimi.c... ......................................................3 02
Breme.n.... .................................................... 27 Inttoh eC aveosf H unge..r... .................. 216 SpittiMnigm i.c... ..................................3 02
LakeM onste...r... .................................... 28 WrappinUgp . ............................................ 229 MindF layer...s... .......................................3 02
BrynS hande...r... ....................................... 32 Chapte7r: D oom ofYth.r...y...n... .......2 30 GnomeC eremor.p...h... ....................... 303
FoaminMgu gs.. ...................................... 34 GnomeS quidl.i...n...g... .......................3 03
DCCToaaHBhueeolegrrla Ua--ecnSnKDUdkswH'oip eoos. nn·.·l·.er .i.·ee..·...·nd.·..·gv..·.·..·.·. s..·.·. a.·..·...·.·.. ·.·.l...·.·...··....·.·. ..·.·..·.·...·.·...··.....·.·...·.·..··....··....·.·...··....··....··....·..·..··....·.·...··.....·.·..··.....··....··....·.·...·..·..·..·..·..·..·..·....··...·.·...··.....··....··....··....··...··...·.·. 335454338677 NADRSeueuuBcranmrrilmnoolioitp'nnnwhTosigigehlon t ritifW.Ygthhs.C.hs..rt h o. ..h.Te ..aeho.A...aa .. tr..dr..pr..hy.. c...rt... ...na...ae........ n....sr........e....q.............. .u.... ...............e............... .......................................................2 222 26635300921 RMJeoGIBagusujrnhanouKtervrNnradranEodoi GlhHlm nnSoidakae aol lhdntld.ra.s..s v.. a..r ...ti...g...d...r...g...gt....o....s....s .......m...d.....o......... .o......n................t... ..................t..................i.................r................... ................................ . 333333 000000675544
Eashta ve.n... ................................................ 59 Epilog.u....e... ............................................ 261 Reinde.e....r... ............................................3 07
Toial ndT roubl...e... ............................... 62 WhatS ecreRtesm ain... ......................... 261 Sea.l... ........................................................ 308
"1'o wnH aI I ca per.s. .......... 6.7. .S.u.m.m.e.r.I .sC. o.m.i.n..g..... ......................... ......... 261 SnowG olem... .........................................3 08
GTohoedMM eeaadd..M . ..u...s...t.F.. ..l...o...w...... .................................................. 7732 YWeianrto efC rh iElvleMeradlr ..a.r...so....tw......i ......n.....g....... .......................... 226622 SSnpoewrymO wWlhbae..l.a...e..r.... ........... .......................................................... 330099
Lonelywo..o...d... ........................................ 79 App.A :I cewinDda leT rinke...t...s... .. 263 TombT appe..r... ......................................3..1 0
TaTMrhogeuo Wn..s.ht.. .i.a..t.iC..Me.nl.. o. i..o..m.s....b..e...... ... ................................................................................................ 888067 AApppp..CB :: CC rheaartauctr...ee...rs... ....S...e......c......r......e......t......s...... ..2 26684 VeVVreebrrebbeee...ge.eLM.. .gga.o.. r.n...ag...us...dt...er......r..i...... ...d.........e........r.......... ............................................ 333. 111111
Termalai..n....e.. ..........................................9 3 ArcanBer otherh.o....o...d... ....................2 68 Walrus.e....s... ............................................ 312
A BeautiMfiunle ... ................................. 94 Avari..c...e... ............................................ 270 Walru..s... ............................................... 312
Dzaan'Ssi mulacr..u...m... ................... 271 GianWta lru..s.. .................................... .312
Chapte2r: I cewinDda le... ................... 100 NassL antomiGrh'oss t........... ............ 272 Yet.i... ..........................................................3 13
Running This C..h...a...p....t...e...r... ....... 101 VellynHnaer pel..!................ ................. 274 YetTiy ke.. ............................................. 3.1.3
WilderneEsnsc ount.e...r...s.... ............... 105 Auritlh eF rostmai.d...e....n... ................. 274 App.D :M agi.c... ...................................... 314
PlACBanalcgaceackoCskjlfaI ui CbnknBhit'ge.ane.s .l. sr.... l...me........... ...s.............t........... ......................................................................................................... 111121113641 BTrFShaieiicrirnosFnd anto FJd rFoa m.o.rr... ......rm............. m ............ ............................................................................................................................................ 222277778795 WMBiaozgoaik.rcIs...d t... e....mS......sp........ e.........l.........l............s......... .................................................................................... 333111874
Caveo ft heB erserk.e...r.s.... ..............1 24 Chardalyn Ber..s...e...r...k...e....r... ........ 280 App.E :R imeo ft heF rostmaid...e.. n31 9
Dark Duchess ...................................... 1.27 ChardalDyrna go..n... .............................. 281 Afterwo.r..d.... ..........................................3 20
Id Ascendant. ........................................1. 32 Chwing..a... ................................................ 282
Jarlmo..o...t... .......................................... 137 Colldi ghWtal ke..r... ................................ 284 The following D&D books provided text
Karkolo.h...k... ....................................... 140 CragC at... ..................................................2 85 and inspiration:
LosStp iroef Nethe..r...i...l... .............. 145 Duerga...r... ...............................................2. 85 Carroll, Bart and others. Lost Laboratory of
Reghed TrCiabmep . ........................... 152 DuergaHra mmere..r... ........................2 86 Kwalish. 2018.
RevelE'nsd .. .......................................... 154 DuergaMri ndM aste..r... ....................2 86 Greenwood, Ed and Tim Beach. Pages from
SkytoweSrhe lt..e...r... ......................... 161 XardorSoukn bli.g...h...t... ................... 287 the Mages. 1995.
WyrmdoomC rag.... .............................. 166 Fox... ........................................................... 288 James, Brian R. and Ed Greenwood. The
Grand History of the Realms. 2007.
Chapte3r: S unblig...h...t... .................... 170 FrosDtr ui..d... .......................................... 288
Perkins, Christopher. Storm King's
RunninTgh isC hapt.e...r... ..................... 171 FrosGti anStk elet...o...n... ......................2 89 Thunder. 2016.
Finditnhge F ortre..s.....s... ....................1.7 2 GnolVla mpir...e... ....................................2 90 Perkins, Christopher, Will Doyle, and Steve
XardoroFko'rst re...s....s... ...................... 173 Goliat...h...s... ............................................. 291 Winter. Tomb of Annihilation. 2017.
FortreFsasl lo..u....t... .............................. 185 GoliaWtahr rio....r... .............................2 92 Perkins, Christopher and others. Water­
RCu hnanp.mt g e4Tr: hD .1e sCs hta rptue cr.t....i. .L.o..i.n...g.'..h.s....t.. .... ........ .. 118867 HaGroel... i....a..W.t..e.h..r. ..e...b....e....a......r...... .................................................... 229934 Sadlveaetpo: rDe,u Rn.gAe.o, nJe offf rtehye LMudadw iMg,a Jgaem. e20s 1W8.y ­
ReturtnoT en-Town...s... ........................ 187 IcTer ol...l... ................................................ 294 att, and Matthew Sernett. Legacy of the
DragoSnc ourg....e... ................................ 188 Knucklehead T...r...o...u....t... .................. 295 Crystal Shard. 2013.
SVheollwydnonwQen.u.'!.e...s..s... ..t...... .................................................................... 119904 KoI bcoelwd.i..sK.n.. o.d..b. ..o...l....d....... .................................................................2 2 9966 slaMdea gwicit. h1 9Ji9m6 .B utler. Netheril: Empire of
3

WELC OME TO THE FAR NORTH
ORTH OF THE SPINE OF THE WORLD AND gathers enough of it, Xardorok plans to construct a char­
west of the towering Reghed Glacier is a dalyn dragon and unleash it upon Ten-Towns.
frigid expanse few dare to explore, let alone Despite Auril's blizzards and other deterrents, visitors
inhabit. This icy land of windswept tundra still come and go. Among the recent arrivals are four
recently became locked in a perpetual, dark wizards of the Arcane Brotherhood, a powerful society
winter without reprieve. Auril the Frostmaiden, the di­ of spellcasters based in Luskan. They've come chasing
vine embodiment of winter's fury, has withdrawn to this rumors of a lost city buried under the Reghed Glacier-a
cold corner of the world to live among mortals. Further, fragment of the long-gone Empire of Netheril, whose
she has cast a terrible spell over Icewind Dale, to the wizards wielded magic that terrified the gods. Netherese
detriment of most of its denizens. magic has a way of attracting power-hungry wizards, as
Each night before midnight, Auril takes to the sky members of the Arcane Brotherhood often are. The cit­
on the back of a white roe and weaves her spell, which ies of Netheril floated among the clouds, making them
manifests as a shimmering curtain of light-a beautiful almost impervious to assault for centuries. Then, nearly
aurora that illuminates the night sky and fades before two thousand years ago, this floating city crashed during
dawn. This powerful magic prevents the next day's the fall of the empire, and no one has found or explored
sun from rising above the horizon, turning midday into it since. It is, arguably, Icewind Dale's greatest secret-a
twilight and trapping lcewind Dale in winter's dark em­ necropolis of Netherese wizards and the magic they left
brace, with no sunlight or warmth to melt the snow and behind. What survived the crash is anyone's guess, but
ice. Each casting of the spell leaves the Frostmaiden we're about to find out!
weakened, with just enough divine power left to barri­
cade the mountain pass with blizzards and churn the ABOUT THIS BOOK
Sea of Moving Ice with blistering winds. Such measures
Icewind Dale: Rime oft he Frostmaiden is a DUNGEONS
discourage travelers from approaching or leaving Ice­
& DRAGONS adventure optimized for four to six charac­
wind Dale, further isolating the region. Icewind Dale
ters. The player characters are the heroes of the story;
has thus been trapped in a different reality from the
this book describes the villains and monsters the heroes
rest of the world, for though the sun never rises over the
must overcome and the locations they must explore to
dale, it continues to rise everywhere else.
bring the adventure to a successful conclusion.
The people of Icewind Dale know Auril's wrath when
This book presents Icewind Dale as a self-contained
they feel it, and they have a name for the unending win­
campaign setting in which you can base adventures
ter she has inflicted on them. They call it the Everlasting
of your own. All pertinent details about the setting are
Rime. No one understands why the Frostmaiden has im­
covered here, with room left to add new locations and
posed her will in this way or why the other gods refuse
villains of your own design.
to challenge her. This prolonged winter, which has gone
on for more than two years, threatens to doom not just
TENDAYS AND DALERECKONING
the flickering lights of civilization known as Ten-Towns
but also the indigenous flora and fauna that need sun­ In the Forgotten Realms setting, a week is ten days long
and is referred to as a tenday. There are three tendays per
light and the change of seasons to survive.
month and twelve months in a year. For more information
Not all creatures are discouraged by what has trans­
on the calendar of the Forgotten Realms, see "The Calen­
pired north of the Spine of the World. The long nights
dar of Harptos" sidebar in the Dungeon Master's Guide.
and sunless days are a blessing to Xardorok Sunblight,
Dalereckoning (DR) is the most common year mea­
a duergar who longs to carve out a domain for himself surement. This adventure is assumed to take place in the
on the surface and enslave the people of Ten-Towns in winter of 1489 DR or later. The exact date is not important.
the process. Already, he has taken advantage of Auril's The happenings in this book occur more than a century
magic and raised a fortress amid the dark shadows of after the events chronicled in R.A. Salvatore's novel The
the mountains. From here, his underlings strike out Crystal Shard, which introduced the drow hero Drizzt
across the tundra in search of chardalyn-a crystalline Do'Urden to the hardy folk of lcewind Dale.
substance known to exist only in Icewind Dale. Once he
WELCOME TO THE FAR NORTH
5
ADVENTURE SUMMARY wonder. It crashed long ago but still exists, buried under
the Reghed Glacier on the eastern edge of Icewind Dale.
A duergar despot forging a dragon out of chardalyn. A
This frozen necropolis holds the remnants of some
lost city of magic entombed in a glacier. A frozen wilder­
of the most powerful spellcasters in the history of the
ness trapped in Auril's grip. These three plot elements,
Realms, including a Netherese demilich. It also contains
woven together, form this adventure. a mythallar (described in appendix D), a magic item that
can raise an entire city into the air and alter the weather
DUERGAR DESPOT
in a fifty-mile radius. The characters can use this device
The Reghed nomads who stalk the tundra and the
to counteract Auril's spell and free Icewind Dale from
Ten-Towners who keep civilization alive are so con­
her Everlasting Rime.
cerned with day-to-day survival that they typically pay
Four members of the Arcane Brotherhood (a cabal of
little heed to the evil forces gathering on the fringes of
wizards who act like Wild West gunslingers) have come
Icewind Dale. Adventurers are much better equipped to
to Icewind Dale in search of the lost Netherese enclave,
deal with such threats, particularly in the dead of winter.
hoping to unearth its secrets. Whether the characters
One recent arrival in the area is Xardorok Sunblight, a
choose to aid or oppose these wizards is up to them, but
duergar warlock formerly of the Underdark. His patron,
one thing is certain: the Arcane Brotherhood won't let a
Deep Duerra, has urged Xardorok to fulfill his destiny
band of adventurers stand between them and the magic
and become the first duergar to rule a kingdom on the
that waits to be found in the doomed, sepulchral ruin.
surface. Icewind Dale is cold, dark, and heartlessly
cruel-the perfect realm for Xardorok to claim as des­ AURIL'S EVERLASTING RIME
pot. Unbeknownst to Xardorok, however, it is not Deep Auril's decision to live among mortals is explained in
Duerra guiding his actions but the archdevil Asmodeus appendix C. What the characters discover in the course
in the guise of Deep Duerra. In Xardorok, the Lord of of the adventure is that she's unhappy and craves isola­
the Nine Hells has found an eager and petty tyrant. tion. Her nightly quest to hold the sun at bay stems from
To achieve his goal, Xardorok is scouring the land for a need to preserve the beauty of things by freezing them.
chardalyn, which he is forging into a dragon that he will There is no way to reason with a being so bereft of com­
send to destroy Ten-Towns. His sons, Durth and Nildar, passion as Auril, but in her weakened state, she can be
lead teams of duergar on quests to retrieve more of this defeated or forced to reckon with her cruel indifference
dark-colored crystal for their grasping, despotic father. toward life.
Anyone who hopes to reach the Netherese city buried
NETHERESE NECROPOLIS
in the ice must first visit Auril's island and obtain The
The wizards of bygone Netheril wielded magic that
Codicil of White, a book compiled by the Frostmaiden's
could reshape the world. They used such magic to raise
most ardent followers. The tome contains a magical
their cities into the sky. The city of Ythryn was one such
incantation written as a poem. This poem has the power
to crack the Reghed Glacier, opening a path from the
CHARDALYN
surface to the buried Netherese city of Ythryn.
More than a hundred years prior to this adventure, a
wizard named Akar Kessel found an artifact suffused with OTHER QUESTS
demonic magic called Crenshinibon (better known as the Chapters 1 and 2 are structured around quests, some
Crystal Shard) and used it to erect a great black tower in
of which touch on the major story arcs of the adven­
lcewind Dale. When this tower was destroyed, the magic
ture while others merely show off other cool aspects of
used to create it fused with the surrounding ice to form
the setting.
what is now known as chardalyn: a nonmagical, crystalline
In chapter 1, the adventurers undertake quests that
substance as strong as metal, though considerably easier
to work with than steel. In the years since, more deposits lead them from one Ten-Towns settlement to another.
of chardalyn have been found across lcewind Dale. Like Each town has a problem, and the adventurers get re­
the Crystal Shard, these deposits tend to be suffused with wards for helping.
demonic magic. Prolonged contact with chardalyn that In chapter 2, rumors spur the adventurers to leave the
has become suffused with demonic magic can warp a cold comfort of Ten-Towns and explore the fringes of
creature's mind, causing madness that usually fades away Icewind Dale, where dangers dwell.
once the contact is broken.
Chardalyn is cold to the touch and readily accepts magi­ RUNNING THE ADVENTURE
cal enchantment, making it an ideal substance for wands,
staffs, and other magic items. A chardalyn object suffused To run the adventure, you need the fifth edition core
with the magic of the Upper Planes is considered a conse­ rulebooks (Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's
crated object, while a chardalyn object suffused with the
Guide, and Monster Manual).
magic of the Lower Planes is considered a desecrated ob­
ject; both can be identified as such using a detect evil and
good spell or similar magic. Text that appears in a box like this is meant to be read
Long before Akar Kessel left his mark on lcewind Dale,
aloud or paraphrased for the players when their diarac­
Netherese wizards created their own chardalyn. Many
items made from this dark-colored crystal can be found in ters first arrive at a location or under a specific circum­
the ruins ofa ncient Netherese enclaves. stance, as described in the text.
WELCOME TO THE FAR NORTH
6
The Monster Manual contains stat blocks for most of the You can omit details that are not readily visible (such as
creatures encountered in this adventure. The rest can secret doors and other hidden features) until the charac­
be found in appendix C. ters are able to detect and interact with them.
When a creature's name appears in bold type, that's Slopes and Staircases. On all interior maps, an ar­
a visual cue pointing you to its stat block as a way of row on a slope or staircase always points in the ascend­
saying, "Hey, DM, you better get this creature's stat ing direction.
block ready. You're going to need it." If the stat block
POSTER MAP
appears in appendix C of this adventure, the text tells
you so; otherwise, you can find the stat block in the Mon­ The double-sided poster map is meant to be shared with
ster Manual. the players. One side of the poster map shows Icewind
Spells and equipment mentioned in the adventure are Dale, including Ten-Towns and other sites and features
described in the Player's Handbook. Magic items are in the region that are common knowledge. The reverse
described in the Dungeon Master's Guide, unless the side has player-friendly maps of the ten settlements that
adventure's text direct you to an item's description in comprise Ten-Towns, with prominent locations called
appendix D. out in each town for the players' benefit.
USING THE MAPS THE FORGOTTEN REALMS
This book contains a number of interior maps and a The world of the Forgotten Realms is one of high fan­
fold-out, double-sided poster map. These elements are tasy, populated by elves, dwarves, halflings, humans,
further described below. and other folk. In the Realms, knights dare to seek out
the crypts of the fallen dwarf kings of Delzoun, looking
INTERIOR MAPS for glory and treasure. Rogues prowl the dark alleyways
Maps that appear in this book are for the DM's eyes of teeming cities such as Neverwinter and Baldur's Gate.
only. As the characters explore locations on a given map, Clerics wield mace and spell in the service of their gods,
you can redraw portions of the map on graph paper, a questing against the terrifying powers tha� threaten the
wet-erase mat, or other surface to help your players vi­ land. Wizards plunder the ruins of the fallen Netherese
sualize locations that might have unusual shapes or fea­ empire, delving into secrets too dark for the light of day.
tures. Your hand-drawn maps need not be faithful to the Bards sing of kings, queens, tyrants, and heroes who
originals, and you can alter a map's features as you see died long ago.
fit. Nor do your maps need to be painstakingly rendered.
WELCOME TO THE FAR NORTH
7
On the roads and rivers of the Realms travel minstrels aided by a necromancer named Vellynne Harpell, who
and peddlers, merchants and guards, soldiers and sail­ helps steer them toward the discovery of a lost Neth­
ors. Steel-hearted adventurers from backcountry farm­ erese enclave entombed in the Reghed Glacier.
steads and sleepy villages follow tales that take them In chapter 5, Vellynne asks the characters to accom­
to strange, glorious, faraway places. Good maps and pany her to Auril's island in the Sea of Moving Ice to
clear trails can carry even an inexperienced youth with recover two items: an orb stolen by a rival and a book
dreams of glory far across the world, but these paths are titled The Codicil of White. The orb has useful magical
never safe. Fell magic and deadly monsters are among properties, while the book contains a magical poem that
the perils one faces when traveling in the Realms. Even can create a passage through the Reghed Glacier.
farms and freeholds within a day's walk of a city can fall Chapter 6 describes the Caves of Hunger, a network
prey to monsters, and no place is safe from the sudden of ice tunnels and caves within the Reghed Glacier
wrath of a dragon. itself. The characters must navigate these treacherous
Icewind Dale, featured in this adventure, is located passageways to reach the frozen Netherese city, which
in a region called the Far North, which is dominated is described in chapter 7. The party's exploration is in­
by the Spine of the World, a range of skyscraping, terrupted by an albino tiefling villain who wants all the
snow-covered peaks. These extend toward the Sword city's magical secrets for herself.
Coast, which forms the western edge of the great conti­
DISSECTING THE ADVENTURE
nent of Faerfin and stretches southward for thousands
of miles. Ships and roads lead southbound travelers to a
You can dissect this adventure and use pieces of it
number of bustling ports along the Sword Coast, includ­
rather than the whole thing. Nothing in this adventure is
ing the following strongholds of civilization:
too sacred to tamper with and repurpose to serve your
Luskan, the City of Sails, is home to pirates as well as own needs.
the Hosttower of the Arcane (headquarters of the Ar­ Most of the locations described in this book can be
cane Brotherhood, which is described in appendix C). used as stand-alone adventure sites. With a little effort
Neverwinter, the City of Skilled Hands, is slowly being and a few name changes, you can take these adventure
•
rebuilt after it was nearly destroyed by the eruption of locations out of Icewind Dale and transplant them into
Mount Hotenow. other campaign worlds, including your own.
Waterdeep, the City of Splendors, is a seaside metrop­ Take the duergar fortress in chapter 3, for example.
olis where people from all walks of life gather behind You could set the fortress in the Yatil Mountains of
high walls. Oerth, the Iron root Mountains of Khorvaire, the Flotket
Alps ofWildemount, or some other mountain range
ADVENTURE FLOW while preserving the plot elements. You can also strip
out the story about an evil duergar building a dragon
The accompanying adventure flowchart visualizes the
construct and have the duergar doing something else
narrative flow of the adventure, which includes chapters
instead. Alternatively, you could jettison everything but
that focus on places of interest (chapters 1 and 2) and
the map of the fortress, populating it with new creatures
chapters that focus on plot (chapters 3 through 7).
that better suit your campaign. Sometimes a good map
Chapter 1 introduces quests that prompt the char­
is all a DM needs!
acters to explore Ten-Towns, with an additional quest
waiting for them in each town they visit. These quests RUNNING NPC PARTY MEMBERS
take no more than one or two game sessions each
to complete. Nonplayer characters (NPCs) are normally controlled
Chapter 2 describes several interesting locations by the DM. However, there are times in this adventure
on the fringes of Icewind Dale, including some future when a friendly NPC might join the party for one or
threats to Ten-Towns. The characters are drawn to these more game sessions. If roleplaying that NPC becomes a
locations by rumors or quests. These sites are ancillary burden to you, see if one of your players is willing to run
to the main story but help bring the harsh land of Ice­ the NPC as a secondary character.
wind Dale to life.
The adventure kicks off in earnest with chapter 3, as HORROR IN THE FAR NORTH
the characters try to beard Xardorok Sunblight in his Parts of this adventure play out like scenes in a horror
lair. Chapter 3 describes the duergar's fortress. Unfor­ movie. As the DM, you need to handle the horror respon­
tunately, the characters arrive too late to stop him from sibly. Although the events of the adventure should make
unleashing a dragon made of chardalyn. The characters characters feel stressed and anxious, your players should
face a difficult choice: continue storming Xardorok's be relaxed and having fun. Before running the adventure,
have a candid. out-of-game conversation with your players
stronghold or return to Ten-Towns to fight the dragon.
about hard and soft limits on what topics can be broached
The battle with Xardorok's dragon forms the crux of
in-game. Your players might have phobias and triggers
chapter 4. Since the dragon is a mobile threat, the char­
you might not unaware of. Any topic or theme that .makes
acters might have to face it more than once as it ravages
a player feel unsafe should be avoided. If a topic or theme
one settlement after another. The Ten-Towners have no makes one or more players nervous but they give you
hope of defeating the dragon on their own, so here's a consent to include it in-game, incorporate it with care.
chance for the characters to become true heroes of Ice­ Be ready to move away from such topics and themes
wind Dale. As they battle the dragon, the characters are quickly, however.
.. ...
WELCOME TO THE FAR NORTH
8
ADVENTURE FLOWCHART
CHAPTER l: TEN-TOWNS
For 1st-to 4th-level characters
Adventure quests prompt our intrepid heroes to visit the
many settlements of Ten-Towns and lend a helping hand.
CHAPTER 2: lCEWIND DALE
For characters of 4th level and higher
Tall tales lead the characters to adventure locations
on the fringes of Icewind Dale.
CHAPTER 3: SUNBLIGHT
For characters of 4th or 5th level
A duergar tyrant is building a chardalyn dragon to
destroy Ten-Towns. The characters learn of
this plot and try to thwart it.
CHAPTER 4: DESTRUCTION'S LIGHT
For 6th-level characters
After Xardorok Sunblight unleashes his dragon, the
characters must stop it before it destroys Ten-Towns.
CHAPTER 5: AuRIL's ABODE
For 7th-level characters
Characters travel to the frigid island of
Solstice in search of a lost orb, a book, and
perhaps the Frostmaiden herself.
CHAPTER 6: CAVES OF HUNGER
For 8th-level characters
Armed with the "Rime of the Frostmaiden,"
the characters crack open the Reghed Glacier,
unsealing a dungeon of ice.
CHAPTER 7: DOOM OF YTHRYN
For characters of9 th level or higher
After surviving the Caves of Hunger, the
characters enter the necropolis ofYthryn
in search of ancient Netherese magic.
WELCOME TO THE FAR NORTH
9