Endless night has fallen upon Icewind Dale, trapped in a perpetual winter. Ferocious blizzards make the mountain pass through the Spine of the World exceedingly treacherous, and the land has not felt the warmth of the sun in over two years. The frozen north’s fragile connection to the Sword Coast has been severed, and now the people of the Ten–Towns and the Reghed tribes must fend for themselves. In this frozen tundra, darkness and bitter cold reign as King and Queen.

Many believe a divine force has locked the land in frozen night. Some whisper the shimmering aurora that weaves across the sky each night is the work of Auril the Frostmaiden, her spellcraft keeping the sun at bay, whilst others believe darker forces are at work. Rumours speak of shadowy figures forging a devastating weapon in the mountains of the Spine using powers bubbling up from the Underdark, and hooded strangers have arrived seeking ancient magic that stirs deep beneath the ice.

Most don’t know what to believe, spending their fading energies on survival rather than speculation — but all agree something must be done before Icewind Dale becomes naught but a frozen tomb.

Huddled adventurers in thick coats venture into a snow-covered forest

ICEWIND DALE

Icewind Dale is an arctic tundra known for being the northernmost explored region in all of Faerûn. Bordered to the south by the Spine of the World, the north by the Sea of Moving Ice, and the west by Reghed Glacier, the Dale is sparsely populated and rarely visited.

TEN-TOWNS

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. 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.

Bremen

Founded by dwarf prospectors, the sleepy town of Bremen sits on the west bank of Maer Dualdon, at the mouth of the Shaengarne River.

Bryn Shander

The first stop for most visitors to Icewind Dale is Bryn Shander, a walled town perched atop a cold, lonely, wind-lashed hill.

Caer–Dineval

In generations past, travellers to Caer–Dineval had to follow the rocky shore of Lac Dinneshere until they spied a small fortress jutting up from the prominence where it overlooks the lake. The Easthaven ferry made the arduous trek unnecessary for merchants and other travellers.

Caer-Konig

The white, snow-covered slopes of Kelvin’s Cairn loom large behind this quiet lakeside town. Caer–Konig started as a camp for a group of mountaineers from the northern Moonsea region. As the camp grew, a wooden palisade and the stone castle of Caer–Konig wer built. Alas, neither the palisade nor the castle fared well; both fell to orcs, then ruin.

Dougan’s Hole

Dougan’s Hole is the smallest and most insular of the Ten–Towns. Its residents aren’t fond of visitors, and inbreeding has caused the population to dwindle. It also has given rise to often-seen physical deformities.

Easthaven

Walking into Easthaven is like stepping into Icewind Dale’s past—the place is a living example of the boomtown way of life that gripped all of Ten–Towns. In the generations since, as other towns have settled into a predictable pattern of existence, Easthaven has continued to grow and reinvent itself.

Good Mead

Founded by immigrants from Chult and the Vilhon Reach, Good Mead’s squat dwellings, adorned with carvings of dinosaurs and serpents, are overshadowed by the two-story structure of the mead hall, its eaves carved and painted to resemble wyverns. As honey is the key ingredient in mead, the town literally buzzes with the droning of bees.

Lonelywood

Founded by a Sembian family from Urmlaspyr, Lonelywood is a quiet town of loggers, fishers, and scrimshanders scratching out a living. The town’s oldest buildings and docks bear carvings of dragons, lions, and goats that pay deference to the family’s crest, which featured a chimera.

Targos

Like Bryn Shander, Targos is encircled by a wooden wall, which helps to protect the town against orcs and other threats from the wilderness. The wall extends out into the lake, creating a safe harbor for the town’s boats.

Termalaine

Founded by Calishite settlers who appreciated beauty, Termalaine is widely regarded as the most picturesque town in Icewind Dale, spreading out from the shore of Maer Dualdon and bordered on the north and west by tall pines. Its buildings incorporate carvings of wizards, homunculi, tigers, and smiling djinn.

REGHED NOMADS

Reghed tribe camps are scattered throughout Icewind Dale. None of them appear on maps because they don’t stay in one place for long. Each tribe is made up of smaller clans, each with its own chieftain (the most powerful of whom often carries the title of King or Queen). A clan might set up its camp for a tenday or two, then dismantle it and go back on the move, allowing the clan to stay close to a migrating herd of reindeer as it travels across the tundra.

MOUNTAIN GOLIATHS

At the highest mountain peaks—far above the slopes where trees grow, where the air is thin and the frigid winds howl—dwell the reclusive Goliaths. Few other folk can truthfully claim to have seen a Goliath, and fewer still to have forged a friendship with one. Goliaths inhabit the Spine of the World, where their mettle is tested against orcs, ogres, remorhazes, ice trolls, and the cruel indifference of nature. Few Goliaths live to see old age – though one infamous giant claims to have been to Hell and back, much to the bemusement of his clan.

VALLEY DWARVES

Several hundred Shield Dwarves live in subterranean halls that connect to the mines below Kelvin’s Cairn, but they rarely venture to the surface nowadays except to trade. The Battlehammer clan has long occupied the mine, flying their iconic symbol, a foaming mug.

UNIVERSE

It is over a decade since Elturel was returned from Hell by Grand Duke Ulder Ravengard, and two since Stormwatch vanquished Tiamat. Tall tales of a group of adventurers dethroning a vampire lord peaked somewhere in between.

HOUSE RULES

  • Characters. Characters begin at first level. Any race from any sourcebook is permissible within reason.
  • Character Backgrounds. Your character can be from anywhere in Icewind Dale. If you choose a Ten-Town location, you will get bonus background knowledge. You can also choose to be an outsider.
  • Point system. 14 in each of the 6 stats. These can be moved around on a 1 for 1 basis to a maximum of 18 in any stat after racial bonuses.
  • Flexible racial attributes. You can apply racial bonuses to any attribute rather than those described.
  • Equipment. Each character starts with a set of cold-weather gear: a heavy fur coat or cloak over layers of wool clothing, as well as a fur-lined hat or hood, goggles, and fur-lined leather boots and gloves.
  • Burgeoning Heroes. Each character gains max HP for first and second level, and starts with one Feat (Variant Humans only get one total).
  • Death. One level of exhaustion applies on death. Beginning at Level 2 a character can sustain a lingering injury when their health drops to 0 or lower.