Welcome to the Far North

North of the Spine of the World and west of the towering Reghed Glacier is a frigid expanse
few dare to explore, let alone inhabit. This icy land of windswept tundra recently became locked
in a perpetual, dark winter without reprieve.

Each night before midnight, the skies are taken by shimmering curtain of light—a beautiful
aurora that illuminates the night sky and fades before dawn. Whatever it is, this powerful magic
prevents the next day’s sun from rising above the horizon, turning midday into twilight and
trapping Icewind Dale in winter’s dark embrace, with no sunlight or warmth to melt the snow
and ice. This perpetual frost also barricades the mountain pass with blizzards and churns the
Sea of Moving Ice with blistering winds. These, in turn, discourage travelers from approaching
or leaving Icewind Dale, further isolating the region. Icewind Dale has thus been trapped in a
different reality from the rest of the world, for though the sun never rises over the dale, it
continues to rise everywhere else.

The people of Icewind Dale know Auril’s

wrath when they feel it, and they have a
name for the unending winter she has
inflicted on them: they call it the
Everlasting Rime. No one understands
why the Frostmaiden has imposed her will
in this way or why the other gods refuse
to challenge her. This prolonged winter,
which has gone on for more than an year,
threatens to doom not just the flickering
lights of civilization known as Ten-Towns
but also the indigenous flora and fauna
that need sunlight and the change of
seasons to survive.
Despite these blizzards and other deterrents, visitors still come and go. Rumors abound of
secretive wizards from the envious Arcane Brotherhood exploring the snow-covered expanse
in search of buried treasures or forbidden magic.

Icewind Dale is located in a region called the Far North, which is dominated by the Spine of
the World, a range of skyscraping, snow-covered peaks. These extend toward the Sword Coast,
which forms the western edge of the great continent of Faerûn and stretches southward for
thousands of miles. Ships and roads lead southbound travelers to a number of bustling ports
along the Sword Coast, including Luskan, the City of Sails (home to pirates as well as the
Arcane Brotherhood), Neverwinter, the City of Skilled Hands and Waterdeep, the City of
Splendors.

People of Icewind Dale

Of course, no region of the Forgotten Realms is without its people. The Reghed human tribes
follow the reindeer herds through their annual migrations. Other humans dare the treacherous
waters of the Sea of Moving Ice in search of fish, seals, and whales to sustain them. Dwarves
dig into the earth to find shelter from the biting wind, mining for iron and forging weapons and
armor.

Most improbably of all, 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 communities can be fierce and occasionally deadly. But for
all the dangers, people still live in the region known as Ten-Towns, and new arrivals—outcasts,
fugitives, wanderers, and adventurers—still come to test themselves against the harshest
environment known to the world.

This is Icewind Dale.

Ten-Towns

Like the famous drow Drizzt Do’Urden,

many people who come to Ten-Towns
are outcasts, fugitives, or pariahs in
search of a place where they can be
tolerated, if not accepted. Some came
here determined to make their fortunes.
Others come for the solitude, or to
escape notice and stay out of the reach
of the law of the southern cities. Today,
four hundred years after the formation
of Ten-Towns, most folk are here
because they were born here, grew up
here, and expect to die here. They’re
fishers, loggers, miners, hunters,
trappers, furriers, and traders
accustomed to the harsh climate, the
slow pace, and the isolation. Like the
hardy lichens and determined reindeer of the tundra, residents endure and do what’s needed to
survive.

Ten-Towns didn’t spring up overnight. It started from humble beginnings four centuries ago.
Immigrants from all over Faerûn came here in search of escape or adventure and built a modest
trade post atop the hill where Bryn Shander now stands. One by one, settlements sprung up on
the shores of Maer Dualdon, Lac Dinneshere, and Redwaters. The ever-present threat of orcs
and other monsters compelled the poorly defended lakeside towns to turn Bryn Shander from a
modest hilltop trading post into a walled town capable of defending all Ten-Towners if and
when the worst comes.
Most of the towns contain trace evidence of the immigrant cultures that birthed them. This
evidence is carved into houses, statues, and other fixtures. For example, the dinosaur carvings
on the older buildings of Good Mead remind folk that many of its original settlers were Chultan.

Residents of Ten-Towns tend to remain indoors when they’re not working, since it’s so
frightfully cold outside, which gives each settlement a deathly quiet aspect. Most people who
venture outdoors are bundled up in so much cold weather clothing as to be barely recognizable,
and they don’t stand around long enough for the cold wind to get the better of them. They wear
layers of woolen clothing often topped off with fur cloaks. Under these heavy clothes and
cloaks, one resident looks very much the same as another. Outdoors, it’s hard to tell the people
of Ten-Towns apart—and easy for clever monsters to hide in their midst.

Auril’s winter spell has caused the population of Ten-Towns to dwindle and has heightened
rivalries that have simmered for years, turning neighboring towns against one another as
competition for resources becomes increasingly intense. The alliance of Ten-Towns won’t hold
if the mounting tribalism continues to threaten the common good.

The Ten Towns are small settlements, mostly dedicated to only a couple of activities that are
used to trade with the others.

Ten Towns Overview

Bremen Mining community founded by dwarves.
Bryn Shander Trade center of Icewind Dale, gateway to the south.
Caer-Dineval Fishing town founded by Cormyrians, protected by a castle. Rival of Caer-Konig.
Caer-Konig Fishing town later home to Reghed settlers. Rival of Caer-Dineval.
Dougan's Hole Smallest fishing town built around giant granite megaliths arranged in a triangle.
Easthaven Prosperous trading town founded by thieves.
Good Mead Fabled producer of mead founded by Chultan immigrants.
Lonelywood Quiet town dedicated to logging, fishing and shipbuilding.
Targos Owner of the largest fishing fleet and militia founded by Illuskans.
Termalaine Diverse and beautiful town founded by Calishites, home to gemstone miners, fishers and
shipbuilders.
The Reghed Nomads

The Reghed nomads eke out a meager existence on the desolate tundra of Icewind Dale, yet
this is a life to which they are accustomed. Auril’s everlasting winter has made hunting and
travel more challenging, to be sure, but the tribes are weathering these difficult times by
rationing their food and letting nothing go to waste. If anything, the Frostmaiden’s cruelty has
hardened the nomads’ determination to survive. By following herds for their food and
occasionally restocking on wood, the Reghed can get by without relying on trade. They shun
Ten-Towns and expect to prevail long after those feeble lights of civilization have been snuffed
out.

Although they originally descended from humans who were predominantly blue-eyed and fair-
haired, the Reghed tribes have assimilated other folk, adding new blood to their dwindling
ranks. 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 of their members settling in Ten-
Towns and abandoning their traditional ways. Of the remaining tribes — Elk, Tiger, Wolf, and
Bear — the Tribe of the Elk is the most prominent.
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 of deerskin and supported by beams of wood harvested from the Spine of the World or
the trees near Lonelywood.

A typical camp includes a ring of large tents that house the tribe’s king and the other important
members: its shaman, its most honored hunter, its greatest warrior, and the like. Each tent is
surrounded by campfires where warriors of the 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 Ten Towns for supplies and slaves, but only a
handful of such attacks have occurred in the last century, mostly launched by the small,
aggressive, and desperate Tribe of the Bear.

A Reghed camp is a somber and subdued place, except for the barking of sled dogs and the
sounds of children playing in the snow. The warriors and hunters like to conserve their strength
for when it’s needed, preferring to spend
their idle hours doing as little as possible.
Telling familiar stories and inventing new
ones that glorify the nomads’ outlook on life
are common pastimes, as is sharpening
weapons.

Food is critical, of course, and certain beasts

of the tundra are staples among the Reghed
tribes. Knucklehead trout and seals are often
prepared for eating very near the scene of
the kill, filleted or chopped and generally
eaten raw. Reindeer meat, on the other
hand, must be cooked before consumption.
Reindeer also provide the Reghed tribes
with sinew, bone, and hide, all of which are
1- Bjornhild Solvigsdottir, Rainha da Tribo do Tigre
used in the manufacture of weapons and
armor.
Character Hooks Tied to Backgrounds
BACKGROUND CHARACTER HOOK
Acolyte Auril the Frostmaiden, the god of winter’s fury, has cast an evil spell over Icewind Dale.
You can bring hope and faith to the people of Ten-Towns or, even better, free them from
winter’s cold embrace in the name of your god.
Charlatan Your cons and deceptions nearly got the better of you. You needed to disappear for a
while, and Icewind Dale was the perfect place to do so. Nothing could prepare you for the
cold and the dark desolation, but at least there’s money to be made.
Criminal You are wanted for crimes in the cities of Luskan and Mirabar, but no one will think to
look for you in Ten-Towns, the cold heart of Icewind Dale. Thankfully, nobody in Ten-
Towns cares who you are—or what you’ve done.
Entertainer You came to Icewind Dale three years ago seeking inspiration for a new song or poem,
drawn by tales of the land’s harsh beauty and the legendary exploits of Drizzt Do’Urden.
Since then, Auril the Frostmaiden has cast an evil spell over the dale, preventing you from
returning home.
Folk Hero Your name is synonymous with heroism throughout Ten-Towns. Did you save a fisher who
fell into the ice, scare away a yeti armed with only a fishing pole and a basket, or beat a
drunk goliath at arm wrestling?
Guild Artisan You came to Icewind Dale to start a business. Your shop was doing well until Auril the
Frostmaiden cast her evil spell to banish the sun. Now, businesses throughout Ten-Towns
are suffering, yours included. To avoid hardship, you might need to supplement your
income.
Hermit You’ve never felt at ease in civilized society, and there’s no place farther from the
trappings of civilization than Icewind Dale. This is a land without pretense, and the people
of Ten-Towns pay you little mind. To them, you’re just another silly old fool.
Noble Your wealthy grandfather or grandmother sent you to Icewind Dale to learn a hard lesson.
Perhaps the cruel indifference of this frozen land will prepare you for the cruel
indifference of Waterdeep’s politics.
Outlander You’re a child of the icy wilderness, born and raised in one of the Reghed tribes. Imagine,
after following herds of migrating reindeer your whole life, getting a taste of what life in
Ten-Towns has to offer.
Sage You came to Icewind Dale in search of ruins and artifacts left behind by the giants who
ruled the ancient empire of Ostoria. To find even one Ostorian relic would fulfill a lifelong
dream and make your rivals back home green with envy.
Sailor You’ve sailed ships up and down the Sword Coast, but a shipwreck made you reevaluate
your life choices. Two years ago, you headed north, bought a house and a fishing boat in
Ten-Towns, and became a fisher. You were told that the summers here are beautiful, but
you have yet to see one.
Soldier You are a soldier of Ten-Towns, trained to fight orcs and other threats lurking in the Spine
of the World mountains. Auril the Frostmaiden has cast an evil spell over Icewind Dale,
and you struggle to see how your soldier’s training can save this land from so terrible a
doom. Still, you are not about to give up on the people of Ten-Towns.
Urchin Because you grew up in Ten-Towns, your familiarity with the residents makes you useful
to Harper spies and Zhentarim bounty hunters who are looking for criminals and other
ne’er-do-wells hiding in your midst. Ratting out these newcomers keeps coin in your
pockets.