Hundelstone The Time of Troubles & Era of Upheaval We would like to welcome you to our homebrewed Forgotten Realms campaign setting. Inspired By Ed Greenwood

Hundelstone is a trade town of 1,260 gnomes, dwarves, and humans located at the western edge of the Spine of the World along the Ten Trail. The town's buildings ware built low to the ground, with the majority of living space consisting of cellar rooms cut into the rock.

There are five guesthouses that houses visitors and travelers stuck for the winter because of bad weather in the pass; these guesthouses specialize in dishes made from the plentiful rock hares in the area, namely jugged hare, hare stew, curried skewered hare, and fried spiced hare. Most of the dwarves and gnomes are miners, while most of the humans serve as monster slayers (gaining a monthly salary of 100 gold pieces plus 25 gold pieces per monster head), guides and guards to the caravans, or hunters (namely of wolves, raptors, crag cats, and the ever-plentiful rock hares).

The neighboring dwarves of Ironmaster blindfold non-dwarven intruders in their homeland and forced them through underground passages to Hundelstone, releasing them at night in rough, unfamiliar terrain.

Hundelstone lies along the major trade route, known as the Ten Trail, which connects Fireshear & Luskan in the south to the Ten Towns of Icewind Dale. The neighboring dwarves of Ironmaster use underground routes and secret surface caves near Hundelstone for their trading. The town is also home to 100 smiths that produce all manner of iron wares.

Hundelstone was named for Hundel Hurler-of-Hammers, a dwarven smith whose tomb was said to be located in a cave in the mountains guarded by two lightning-throwing warhammers.

We Focus on TTRPG's Here The Time of Troubles & Era of Upheaval We would like to welcome you to our homebrewed Forgotten Realms campaign setting. Inspired By Ed Greenwood

As far as real world issues goes, we've never had to address these issues here and for that I am extremely thankful. We are not anything special here, just a group of gamers trying to have a good time and I think we've grown quite a bit which makes me happy. I hope that we can continue to grow and expand as time goes on!

However there is a lot of turmoil going on in the outside world and I want to make something clear here.

We will not discuss matters of justice and equality here. We (and I, specifically) believe firmly that heroes of high fantasy settings would have never looked at anyone or anything and wondered . . . what do they identify as, are they gay or straight, what race, color or sex a person is/was, no, they wouldn't because it never would have came up and it will not come up on this blog or within my games. None of that matters here because we are all adults here and we treat people like adults.

We don't care about any of that silliness here, this is a Dungeons & Dragons campaign blog . . . it does not matter who you are, what you believe in, what color you are, what sex you are or were, none of that matters here and it will not be discussed here, so keep it to yourself.

If you feel the need to push any of that in peoples faces where this campaign is concerned then please go somewhere else, we are here to play tabletop games and nothing that happens in the real world matters here. You won't find people yelling at the world about what pronouns they are, or if they identify as a lamp shade in this group. We are not for it or against it - we simply don't care. This is a GAMING BLOG covering a Dungeons & Dragons setting and the story that it holds. No one here cares about any of the above mentioned things, keep it to yourself and let us focus on the adventuers that happen here.

If you disagree with this, feel free to leave this place and never come back. I hope you take the time to reflect on your beliefs and understand that what you believe in, should be none of anyone elses business, and people will not be forced to address you by your silly pronoun - keep it to yourself. Once again, this is a Dungeons & Dragons campaign blog and that is all that should matter to anyone who visits this website.

People that sit around our real world or virtual table are all grown ass adults and we don't give a damn about your pronouns or your real world politics. Now, with all that silliness out of the way, we hope you enjoy your visit here and please feel free to say hello in our comments sections. We would love to meet you.

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Icewind Dale The Time of Troubles & Era of Upheaval We would like to welcome you to our homebrewed Forgotten Realms campaign setting. Inspired By Ed Greenwood

Icewind Dale is an arctic tundra located in the Frozenfar region of the North, known for being the northernmost explored region in all of Faerûn. It earned its name from the harsh winds and icy storms that destroyed buildings and scoured the landscape.

“If I could choose what life would be mine, it would be this life that I now have, at this time. I am at peace, and yet, the world around me swirls with turmoil...The reality of existence here in Icewind Dale is harsh indeed, an environment unforgiving, where one mistake will cost you your life.” — Drizzt Do'Urden

The dale is a harsh, near-uninhabitable land that regularly plunges below freezing temperatures. Nights are especially long, and the region receives little sunlight, particularly during the severe winter months. It is home to only the most hardened of frontiersmen, pioneers, and barbarians. Beyond the sporadic dots of civilization dwell terrifying beasts and deadly monsters of the North.

Most folks traverse the dale by means of dogsled or by foot with the use of snowshoes. Yet some others preferre to ride atop axe beaks native to the region.

Icewind Dale experiences freezing temperatures for much of the year. While kinder summer months range from 11 ℉ to 70 ℉ (–12 ℃ to 21 ℃), the temperature of the unforgiving winters dip as low as -40 ℉ (-40 ℃). While snowfall is relentless, much of it blows east to the nearby Reghed Glacier.

Fierce blizzards ravages the snowy wastelands of Icewind Dale and avalanches are regular occurrences within its mountainous regions. The dale is located south and east of the Trackless Sea, north of the Sword Coast and Spine of the World mountains, and west of the icy Reghed Glacier.

It is primarily accessible by the Northern Means * Ten Trails, the roads that extend north from the coastal city of Luskan.

Icewind Dale is home to animals like hares, arctic foxes, reindeer, and elk, along with beasts like crag cats, mammoths, polar bears, saber-toothed tigers, snowy owlbears, and monstrous yetis. Beyond the wild animals are packs of scavenging gnolls, Icewind kobolds, and ravenous ice trolls.

Other dangerous creatures found throughout the region include elementals known as air weirds, undead spirits known as coldlight walkers, monstrous remorhazes, warring bands of frost giants, and perhaps most-terrifying, a number of white dragons.

There is scarce plant life to be found throughout the region, save for a solitary forest and the Great Oak around which a lone town was founded. Sacred winter plants, and especially hardy lichen is among the notable types of flora that managed to endure the frigid elements of Icewind Dale.

Ten Towns
• Bryn Shander
• Bremen
• Targos
• Termalaine
• Lonelywood
• Caer-Konig
• Caer-Dineval
• Easthaven
• Dougan's Hole
• Good Mead

The capital of Icewind Dale, Bryn Shander, is also its largest settlement. The people of Icewind Dale consider community, determination, and collaborative work to be virtues that were essential for their survival in the frigid north.

Perhaps the greatest industry of Icewind Dale is the fishing and utilization of knucklehead trout. Many of the region's lakeside settlements rely entirely on the trout they catch and the goods they make from their ivory-like bones. Knucklehead scrimshaw is the art that few mastered, and skilled scrimshanders are held in high esteem.

Knucklehead scrimshaw goods make their way across the Realms. Some carvings can be found as far away as Durpar, some 5,000 mi (8,000 km) to the south in the Shining Lands. In those far-off lands they sell for as much as 6,000 gp.

Whale oil is an important commodity in settlements across Icewind Dale. Because wood is so scarce, oil is the preferred means to warm hearth and home. As such, whaling throughout the Sea of Moving Ice is among the more profitable industries of the region.

One of the most unique natural riches that can be found in Icewind Dale is a mineral known as chardalyn. This naturally-occurring stone can absorb magical energy, which is subsequently released when the mineral is crushed or otherwise destroyed.

Geographical Features
• Lac Dinneshere
• Shaengarne River
• Kelvin's Cairn
• Maer Dualdon
• Mount Shatterglass
• Dwarven Valley
• Redwaters
• Redrun
• Eastway
• Fields of Slaughter
• Lonelywood Forest
• Black Raven River

The history of Icewind Dale is one of malign influence and warring conflict. Over the centuries, the region is repeatedly conquered and re-conquered by despots and would-be monarchs, and continuously corrupted by evil powers from far off realms and other planes of existence.

Circa the Year of the Moat, 1269 DR, Damien Morienus, a former master of the North Tower of the Host Tower of the Arcane relocated to Icewind Dale. He was a powerful necromancer who was using the local barbarian tribes for his horrific experiments. Eventually, he summoned demons to exact revenge on his enemies.

The monsters used their infernal magics to summon hellfire that melted all the snow away. The areas to the Northwest of Ten Towns and the shores of Maer Dualdon suffered the most by floods and permafrost's melting, killing a barbarian tribe, and the inhabitants of the Accursed Tower that sank into the mud.

This disaster later became known as the Great Thaw by the locals. Most never learned about the true nature of it believing it to be a natural event. Just over a decade later, in the Year of the Cold Soul, 1281 DR, the devil Belhifet himself attempted to conquer Icewind Dale. Belhifet had been imprisoned on Toril by the tanar'ri superiors for punishment regarding a blood feud that threatened to disrupt the infernal hierarchy.

Belhifet was contact by the Crenshinibon, a malevolent artifact lost to the ages of time. The Crenshinibon allowed Belhifet to awaken from his icy prison and raise an army to conquer the region. While the fiend managed to briefly freeze over the settlement of Easthaven, he was banished back to Avernus by the intrepid adventurers.

Later that same year, barbarian lord Wylfdene claimed to be a reincarnation of the famed Uthgardt hero Jerrod. Backed by the claim, and secretly possessed by the vengeful spirit of a white dragon Icasaracht, Wylfdene built an outpost on Bremen's Run and guided unite tribes against the Ten Towns who took rightfully barbarian lands.

He helmed several battles against the warriors of the Ten Towns and dwarves of Clan Battlehammer until the same group of adventurers arrived to resolve the conflict peacefully. Diplomacy failed and Wylfdene was slain. Despite the fact that Icasaracht's possession was unknown to most and forgotten by the history books, the adventurers traveled to the spirit's lair and destroyed her.

Opening One Shot: Kidnapped! The Time of Troubles & Era of Upheaval We would like to welcome you to our homebrewed Forgotten Realms campaign setting. Inspired By Ed Greenwood

Deities of the Forgotten Realms The Time of Troubles & Era of Upheaval We would like to welcome you to our homebrewed Forgotten Realms campaign setting. Inspired By Ed Greenwood

The Gods of the Forgotten Realms

Archives The Time of Troubles & Era of Upheaval We would like to welcome you to our homebrewed Forgotten Realms campaign setting. Inspired By Ed Greenwood

Bryn Shander The Time of Troubles & Era of Upheaval We would like to welcome you to our homebrewed Forgotten Realms campaign setting. Inspired By Ed Greenwood

“What's Bryn Shander like, ye ask? It's sixy score humans, packed together like fish in a barrel an' smelling about as sweet. Its roads are paved with the muck o' the cart horses ye're constantly rubbing shoulders with, an' its alehouses are filled with scoundrels that no other city in Faerûn would have. An' after three weeks on Ten Trail. you'll swear there was no lovelier sight!” — Beorne Steelstrike

Bryn Shander was the biggest of the Ten Towns and was known for being a trading center in Icewind Dale. It was the gateway to its fellow towns of the dale, as well as their lifeline to the rest of civilization to the south. It has a standing population of around 1,200 people. Bryn Shander is overseen by Spokesperson Cassius.

The city was the only one of the Ten Towns not located on the shores of either Maer Dualdon, Redwaters, or Lac Dinneshere. Instead, it was located on top of a hill south of Kelvin's Cairn. The Eastway connected the city to the town of Easthaven in the east. An unnamed trail connected the city's North Gate to the village of Targos, and the Caravan Trail left the city to the southwest towards the Spine of the World, where it was called the Ten Trail.

The circular walled town itself was placed upon a hill, with snowy plains stretching in all directions. There were three gates: north, south, and east. City Hill sat just outside the wall to the northeast of the city. Bryn Shander was considered the heart and mercantile hub of the Ten Towns. Folks from all around the surrounding settlements gathered in the Tenth Town to sell their goods, primarily consisting of scrimshaw made from the bones of knucklehead trout.

Merchants from the lands south of the Wall brought in goods that could not be found in the Frozenfar, such as spices, fruits, wines and hardwood lumber, from as far away as the Heartlands. Because of its defensive location, residents of cities east of Bryn Shander often took refuge within the city walls during wartime.

Notable Locations
• Bloodril's Snug Haven
• Faelfaril's Inn
• Geldenstag's Rest
• Blackiron Blades
• Council Hall
• Hooked Knucklehead
• Town Hall
• Kelvin's Comfort
• Northlook
• Market Square
• Armory
• Rendaril's Emporium
• Speakers Palace
• Shrine of Amaunator

The town's security was overseen by its sheriff and their deputy. They maintained a small town guard of twenty militiamen and could rally a force of about 400 in dire times of need. Additionally, the sheriff was granted powers to hire on adventurers to complete any tasks that ensured the safety of Bryn Shander's people and secured its trade interests.

Bryn Shander was last of the Ten Towns to be founded. Only a single cabin stood in the town's location, used as a stopover by those traveling to other settlements of the dale. At some point, craftsmen began to sell scrimshaw outside the cabin, and other scrimshanders from other towns followed their lead.

The town expanded rapidly, and new buildings and trading posts were built in succession to accommodate all the new businesses. The traders brought with them their long-standing rivalries and feuds from their hometowns, and violence erupted. Eventually the folks of Bryn Shander settled their differences, which led to the system of representation that continued for years after. In the Year of the Crown, 1351 DR, the Ten Towns were attacked by the barbarians of Icewind Dale. With the aid of Drizzt Do'Urden and Bruenor Battlehammer, the horde was defeated at the gates of Bryn Shander.

Some years later, the town was besieged by the forces of Akar Kessell, until a reinforcement of dwarf troops led by Bruenor as well as a unified horde of barbarians under Wulfgar arrived. Around Year of the Worm, 1356 DR, Bryn Shander was under the leadership of spokesman Cassius.

Shaman The Time of Troubles & Era of Upheaval We would like to welcome you to our homebrewed Forgotten Realms campaign setting. Inspired By Ed Greenwood

• Shaman
• Shaman Potion Brewing

Bremen The Time of Troubles & Era of Upheaval We would like to welcome you to our homebrewed Forgotten Realms campaign setting. Inspired By Ed Greenwood

Bremen was the westernmost of the Ten Towns of Icewind Dale with a population of 300 people and is ruled by Revjak. It attracted all manner of gold prospectors, travelers and treasure-hunters. Bremen was located on the southwestern shore of Maer Dualdon, where the Shaengarne River met the lake.

Bremen's position made it susceptible to flooding, although Bremenites knew the signs and lives were rarely lost because of it. Circa the Year of the Warrior Princess, 1489 DR, Bremen could rally a meager force of about 25 soldiers. Bremen was originally founded by a group of dwarven prospectors.

The town was nearly destroyed just prior to the Year of the Griffon, 1312 DR in the invasion of the Icewind Dale by the Legion of the Chimera.

In Year of the Worm, 1356 DR, Bremen and Caer-Konig were given to the barbarians of Icewind Dale after the war with Akar Kessell. Revjak, the king of the Tribe of the Elk, served as "speaker for the barbarians" in council until his leadership was successfully challenged by Berkthgar in 1364 DR, ending the period of cooperation between the Reghed tribes and Ten-Towns.

The spokesman of the town around the Year of the Turret, 1360 DR was Gil Haerngen, who, like other Bremenites, had a hobby of searching for gold and treasure on the floodplains along the banks of the river.

Notable Locations
• Ewin's Trinket's
• Even Keel
• Nine Knuckles
• Buried treasures
• Five Tavern Center
• Knuckleheader
• The Grumpy Moose
• The River's Mouth
• Stones

Dougan's Hole The Time of Troubles & Era of Upheaval We would like to welcome you to our homebrewed Forgotten Realms campaign setting. Inspired By Ed Greenwood

Dougan's Hole was the smallest of the Ten Towns in Icewind Dale. It was ruled by Speaker Freya Grynstead. It comprised a meager grouping of buildings arranged around a pair of piers, one long and one short. The town was located on the western shore of Redwaters, southwest of Good Mead. Its northern edge was marked with a path of gravel.

Its residents aren't fond of visitors, and inbreeding has caused the population to dwindle in recent years. It also has given rise to often-seen physical deformities, including but not limited to small, misshapen ears and slightly pointed teeth.

The town is a small cluster of dwellings perched on the edge of Redwaters that is too small to support any industry—not even scrimshaw. Ice has buckled the shorter of its two piers, rendering the dock unsafe. The longer pier has two icebound keelboats tethered to it, though they're immobile because Auril's winter has frozen the surface of the lake for hundreds of yards around them. Local fishers have hauled their smaller boats onto the shore and resorted to cutting holes in the ice to catch knucklehead trout, which they depend on for survival. Visitors to Dougan's Hole are often struck by the eeriness of dark, humanoid shapes out on the ice, remaining silent and still as the wind howls around them.

The hamlet of Dougan's Hole was founded by Dougan Dubrace, when he found a great spot to fish on the shore of Redwaters lake. During the 1360s DR, the spokesman was Freya Grynstead, the widow of the previous spokesman who had died while fishing out on the lake. Freya lived in a house in the middle of town connected to the fishhouse by a boardwalk.

Perhaps the only noteworthy landmark of Dougan's Hole was the megalith structure known as the Twenty Stones of Thruun. These twenty granite slabs, arranged in an equilateral triangle that overlooked the town.

Notable Locations
• Beren's Inn

Caer-Konig The Time of Troubles & Era of Upheaval We would like to welcome you to our homebrewed Forgotten Realms campaign setting. Inspired By Ed Greenwood

Caer-Konig (pronounced: /kɛər ˈkoʊnɪg/ kair KOH-nig) was one of the towns of Ten Towns in Icewind Dale and like Bremen and is ruled by the barbarian Revjak, it has a population of 200 people. The town straddled the round harbor in a semicircle, with a line of buildings at the edge of the harbor, an uphill slope, and a circular round with buildings.

Caer-Konig was located on the northern shore of Lac Dinneshere, not far from Caer-Dineval, behind the shadow of the imposing Kelvin's Cairn. The fishing waters of the lake were shared between the two towns, but fishermen nevertheless often squabbled over territory.

The settlement was entirely isolated save for a trail to Caer-Dineval and a ferry that traversed the lake to Easthaven. As of the late 15th century DR, the town could muster a mere 27 militia members to its defense.

Caer-Konig originated as a mere camp, founded by a group of mountain-climbing travelers from the Moonsea region of northern Faerûn. Some time later the castle of Caer-Konig was constructed, though it was destroyed shortly thereafter by a horde of orcs.

Dorim Lugar was the councilman of the town in 1351 DR until he was killed over a fish sometime before or during the Year of the Worm, 1356 DR. His second-in-command, Schermont, became the new councilman after the incident. Schermont was known for his heavy-handed approach to rulership, and he held a particular grudge against Caer-Dineval.

After the war with Akar Kessell and the Battle of Icewind Dale, Caer-Konig was given to the barbarians. Revjak, the king of the Tribe of the Elk, served as "speaker for the barbarians" in council.

Notable Locations
• Frozenfar Expeditions
• Hook, Line and Sinker
• Northern Light

Independent Towns & Villages The Time of Troubles & Era of Upheaval We would like to welcome you to our homebrewed Forgotten Realms campaign setting. Inspired By Ed Greenwood

LOCATION	POPULATION
Hundlestone	1,260

Playable Races The Time of Troubles & Era of Upheaval We would like to welcome you to our homebrewed Forgotten Realms campaign setting. Inspired By Ed Greenwood

• Air Genasi
• Changeling
• Deep Gnome
• Drow
• Duergar
• Dwarf
• Earth Genasi
• Elf
• Firbolg
• Fire Genasi
• Gnome
• Goblin
• Goliath
• Half-Orc
• Half-Elf
• Halfling
• Human
• Moon Drow
• Orc
• Sylvan Elf
• Tiefling
• Water Genasi

Targos The Time of Troubles & Era of Upheaval We would like to welcome you to our homebrewed Forgotten Realms campaign setting. Inspired By Ed Greenwood

Targos was a fishing settlement in Icewind Dale and a leading member of the Ten Towns in the 14th century DR. It was the biggest of the Ten Towns after Bryn Shander, sitting alongside Easthaven in size.

The settlement sat on the southernmost shore of the Maer Dualdon, near a series of high cliff walls that sheltered its port from the savage winter winds. It lay at the end of Ten Trail ran up the Sword Coast North from Luskan. Paths linked Targos to Bremen (3 hours on foot), Bryn Shander (2 hours), and Termalaine (4 hours), the latter running around Maer Dualdon.

Targos was a sprawling town with uncluttered streets. The buildings had breathing space, being separated by wide avenues. While the inhabitants were used to the sense of privacy provided by these spacious accommodations, they gave off a feeling of solitude for those not used to the town's life.

This, however, changed by the mid-1480s DR, when Targos became abuzz with commerce and industry that brought the city's expansion. The newer inhabitants started to construct shacks beyond the city's wooden walls and the town threatened to grow beyond them before long.

Unlike Bryn Shander, Targos's nights were quiet as the fishers went to bed early, in order to be ready for the next day's early rise. During the day, the Targosans focused on getting the job down and minding their own business, rather than that of everyone else.

The travel time for a merchant caravan between Luskan and Targos was approximately twenty-one days via the Ten Trail. Though Targos and the rest of the Ten Towns were resolutely independent and competitive with one another, they did maintain a council with a spokesperson from each town to manage affairs affecting them all. Typically, in the mid-to-late 1300s DR, the smaller towns would follow the lead of Targos and Bryn Shander. The heraldic symbol of Targos in the late 15th century DR was a black ship with a single sail and heading right, on a field of light blue. This was emblematic of how proud Targosans were of their fishing fleet.

The town and much of the harbor was surrounded by a wooden defensive wall, called the palisade. Together with Bryn Shander, Targos was the only other of the Ten Towns to be walled. It had historically protected Targos from both barbarian and orc raids and other dangers from the wilds. The wall was extended over Maer Dualdon, to form a safe harbor. The timbers used were firs from Lonelywood.

The town was patrolled and defended by the Targos Guard, a militia comprising 100 to 500 people circa 1358 DR. They were outfitted with light armor but dwarf-crafted weapons. Circa 1489 DR, it comprised 200 militiamen and 16 veteran soldiers, led by Skath. Circa 1312 it was led by Shawford Crale and circa 1489 DR by Captain Skath.

Notable Locations
• The Luskan Arms
• Graendel's Fine Dwarven Craft
• Salty Dog Tavern
• Gallaway Trade Depot
• Three Flags Sailing
• The Trip and Shuffle
• Graendel Granitefist
• Weeping Willow Inn
• Wolf's Pelt Inn
• Merket Square
• Pendro's Pawnshop
• Temple Pavilion
• Triglio

Eccentric gnomish tinkerer Oswald Fiddlebender was briefly an aerial scout for the guard in the early 14th century DR. The harbor's deep water allowed the construction of vessels that were large for the area. As a result, Targos always enjoyed the largest fishing fleet, the best boats, a safe harbor, the most skilled sailors and fishers, and consequently the greatest catches. It thrived off and dominated the local fishing industry more than any of the Ten Towns. Like most of the Ten Towns, Targos specialized in trading knucklehead trout.

In the early 1300s DR, it already dominated the local fishing industry and took more knucklehead than any other town. In the mid-to-late 1300s DR, its hundred-boat fleet took in a larger catch than the other three towns on Maer Dualdon combined. Some of the town's biggest vessels were two-masted schooners and Targos's fleet was twice the size of Termalaine's. In the late 1400s DR, it faced off competition from Easthaven (whose growth had stolen trade from Targos and Termaline) by focusing on its strengths in fishing and it still maintained a fleet of over a hundred boats.

Almost everyone in Targos was connected in some way to the fishing industry and the core work of bringing in the knucklehead catches. Specialty craftsmen and traders provided supplies and equipment for fishing and sailing. The Dockworker's Guild of Targos was active circa 1485 DR. This was the only guild in the Ten Towns and spoke for the loaders, shipwrights, and warehouse workers. It sought expansion to the other towns to grow Targos's influence.

Built on the same lake, Targos and Termalaine were traditional rivals for fishing, oftentimes bitter, with fishers exchanging rude remarks and nasty glares when passing each other in the water and even getting into brawls, on rare occasions even leading to deaths. Disputes over fishing waters, crossed lines, blocked courses, bumped boats, scared fish, and poached catches were all causes for conflict. Their antagonism and suspicion of one another prevented them from cooperating long enough in any effort to improve the Ten Trail south to Bryn Shander.

In the mid–14th century DR, the councilman of Targos was Councilman Kemp, who led the town through an assault by the Tribe of the Elk barbarians in the Year of the Crown, 1351 DR and the Battle of Icewind Dale triggered by Akar Kessell and Crenshinibon in the Year of the Worm, 1356 DR. During that battle, Kessell fired a magical beam of focused sunlight from his tower, Cryshal-Tirith, that blasted Targos, burning both major buildings and townsfolk where they had watched the walls. Next, Akar Kessell's forces surrounded and occupied Targos. Many inhabitants of the town escaped on the ships that had escaped the fires while others hid and barricaded themselves within their homes, preferring time and the elements to take the lives of the savage invaders. However, a few took up arms and actively fought Kessell's minions. One of these defenders was the "Old Scout", the father of Pilot Demitrick.

He, along with three trusted comrades, carried out guerrilla strikes on Kessell's forces, targeting patrols and supply caravans. After three days of this, to find out who was responsible, Akar Kessell tortured several citizens of Targos, and then captured Pilot's mother to force the Old Scout to surrender himself. Once he had them, Kessell killed them both as an example of his tyrannical will. Eventually, the siege was broken by the Companions of the Hall, who slew the evil wizard and destroyed the Crystal Tower. The Battle of Icewind Dale left Targos with an entire district of the city incinerated and blackened by the killing beam from Kessell's crystal tower. The area was later known as the "Ash Quarter". The scorching ray had destroyed most major structures and left several hundred people dead, though fortunately missed the ships where they lay in the harbor.

The first winter that followed the war was a hard one. But Targos was rebuilt with the collective effort of the Ten Towns and the newfound alliance with Reghedman barbarians. During his term as the Speaker, Kemp was distrustful of outsiders "but he allowed the entry to the settlement keeping a close watch on them" and guarded his town's interests greedily.

Current Campaigns The Time of Troubles & Era of Upheaval We would like to welcome you to our homebrewed Forgotten Realms campaign setting. Inspired By Ed Greenwood

Journey to Icewind Dale

Easthaven The Time of Troubles & Era of Upheaval We would like to welcome you to our homebrewed Forgotten Realms campaign setting. Inspired By Ed Greenwood

Easthaven was one of the larger settlements that made up the collective Ten Towns of Icewind Dale with a population of 750 people. While it was once a small shanty town, Easthaven had a long a storied history that developed as it grew into a more and more prosperous trading community.

Originally just a small hamlet, the building of the Eastway trade road connecting Easthaven with the Bryn Shander―the largest settlement of the Ten Towns―proved to be a boon to the village. Over time it became fastest-growing community in the region with a fishing fleet rivaling that of its greatest competitor, Caer-Dineval.

It was considered among the most comfortable of the Ten Towns, with good amenities that were uncommon among the settlements of Icewind Dale. Its people were seen as fairly friendly in comparison to their neighbors. A breakwater protected most of the piers that reached out into Lac Dinneshere.

The white tower of Easthaven's crest represented the town itself, flanked by a quarter field of azure for the lake upon which it was built and brown for the Eastway road. Easthaven was among the easternmost of the Ten Towns, situated on the shore of Lac Dinneshere, a short ways away from the Redwaters lake.

Like the other Ten Towns, Easthaven was governed by an elected speaker, who was chosen by the town's local business leaders. Defense of the town was overseen by the captain of the Easthaven militia. While the town was not truly lawless, the locals said that "anything goes in Easthaven." Pickpocketing was decidedly made legal throughout the town's history.

Easthaven was situated several hours' travel away from the other Ten Towns. Going overland on foot, the travel times to nearby settlements and landmarks were:

• Bryn Shander ― 7.5 hours via the Eastway.
• Caer-Dineval ― 9 hours across a snow-covered path.
• Good Mead ― 4.5 hours travel.
• Xorvintroth Ruins ― approximately three days east across the snowy wastes.

Easthaven's docks supported one of the largest fleets of fishing ships in all of Icewind Dale, greater than those of Caer-Konig and Caer-Dineval. This was not always the case however. Various accords between the three settlements changed the dynamics of regional fishing industries, with each town taking it's place as leader of the three.

Notable Locations
• Winter's Cradle Tavern
• Pomab's Emporium
• Fishmonger
• Snowdrift Inn
• Temple of Tempus
• Town Hall

Fishing for knucklehead trout was easily the most lucrative and popular of the region's fishing industriues. Despite their rivalries, each of the three towns on the lake supported ferries that allowed for easier travel between the settlements. Circa the late 15th century, Easthaven could readily assemble a militia approximately 150 to 200 warriors strong. During that time it was led by the well-respected militia captain, Imdra Arlaggath.

Easthaven was originally founded by a group of thieves that fled the duchy of Cape Velen in Tethyr.

In the Year of the Cold Soul, 1281 DR, Easthaven's leader Hrothgar assembled an expedition to Kuldahar following the arrival of a messenger. However, the expedition was ambushed by frost giants in Kuldahar Pass and the only survivors to reach Kuldahar were a newly arrived group of adventurers.

Later that year, a powerful devil by the name of Belhifet―who had been masquerading as an Ilmatari priest―recovered an ancient evil artifact known as the Crenshinibon. The fiend used the malevolent crystal to conjure a massive crystal tower over Easthaven as he attempted to open the portal to the Nine Hells that lay hidden beneath the local Tempuran chapel. The adventurers from Hrothgar's expedition managed to defeat Belhifet, but the crystal spire shattered as the fiend was cut down. While some of Easthaven was destroyed in the conflict, it was later rebuilt along with a new temple to Tempus the Foehammer.

Notable Locations
• Everard
• Jhonen
• Nabine Moarskull

Following the fiend's defeat, the town of Easthaven created the powerful enchanted flail called the Defender of Easthaven. The weapon was meant to remain in the town as a symbol and a reminder of the time when Easthaven was almost destroyed. It was said that in a time before the Era of Upheaval, cities south of the Spine got "white gold fever", and people came it droves to the Ten Towns to find their own fortune fishing Knucklehead trout.

While other settlements of the Ten Towns grew larger and more prosperous, Easthaven's growth remained stunted for some time. It was not until around the mid–14th century DR that Easthaven saw great commercial success come their way.

After the Eastway road was paved over, a great many traders, craftspeople, traveling warriors, and others set out for new lives in Icewind Dale, and often began their journeys in Easthaven. This prolific growth drew away prospectors and others from the neighboring Ten Towns, to the point where the council at Bryn Shander had to weigh in on the matter.

Easthaven was the site where the evil wizard Akar Kessell murdered his mentor Morkai the Red in the Year of the Crown, 1351 DR.

When the Battle of Icewind Dale broke out near Bryn Shander in the Year of the Worm, 1356 DR, Easthaven's leader Glensather was among those that defended his people fearlessly. He was a respected and even-tempered councilman, who viewed the Ten Towns as "sturdy bulwarks against barbarism." Glensather waded into a group of orcs and managed to kill at least two of the invaders. But as Glensather made his way to the barbarian hero Wulfgar, a spear was driven into his back and the town's leader was killed. Easthaven is now ruled by Speaker Danneth Waylen.

Termalaine The Time of Troubles & Era of Upheaval We would like to welcome you to our homebrewed Forgotten Realms campaign setting. Inspired By Ed Greenwood

Termalaine was the second-northernmost settlement of Ten Towns, and the third largest in the region in the 1300s. It was thought to be the gem of Icewind Dale; a charming little village surrounded by striking natural beauty. As delightful as it was, the town maintained a bitter fishing rivalry with the walled settlement of Targos. The city gets its name from tourmaline mining.

It was home to a great many craftspeople and shipwrights, whose work was placed on display with the fleet of fishing vessels that were owned by the town. Termalaine was located on the eastern shore of Maer Dualdon, due north of Bryn Shander. Termalaine has a small stream that runs through the center of town and flows into the Maer Dualdon west of Termalaine.

The long-standing councilman of the mid-14th century DR was Speaker Agorwal, owner of the tourmaline gem mine. He was injured and survived the orc invasion sent by Akar Kessell in the Year of the Worm, 1356 DR, and later died in the battle of Bryn Shander.

Speaker Shaelen Masthew served as the head of Termalaine during the late 15th century. She was a charming and shrewd woman who greatly admired her fellow council member Duvessa Shane. Termalaine's main rival was Targos, and their feuds for fishing rights on Maer Dualdon from time to time ended in bloodshed. Historically, the area was rich in tourmaline mining. A nearby cave provided the source of these valuable gems.

In 1342 DR, goblins raided Termalaine. Were it not for the intervention of Clan Battlehammer, the town may have been destroyed. The city of Termalaine was taken over several times by barbarian forces. The infamous barbarian Heafstaag had previously conquered it twice, but failed a third. During his last attempt, in the Year of the Crown, 1351 DR, Heafstaag and his allies tried to conquer all of the Ten Towns in one massive attack.

The attack by the Tribe of the Bear during the Battle of Icewind Dale forced more than half the townsfolk to take shelter in Bryn Shander, but the damage was quickly repaired. In time of war, the city could call upon around 100 to 500 human militia who fought with dwarven weapons and wore lightweight armor.

One of the quietest and most beautiful of the settlements in Icewind Dale, Termalaine had sprawling tree plantings around the widely scattered houses, which were placed behind rubble walls to protect the structures against the wind.

Notable Locations
• Blue Clam
• The Eastside
• Market Square
• Town Hall

Landmarks
• Gem Mine

Lonelywood The Time of Troubles & Era of Upheaval We would like to welcome you to our homebrewed Forgotten Realms campaign setting. Inspired By Ed Greenwood

Founded by a Sembian family from Urmlaspyr, Lonelywood is a town in Ten Towns within the cold region of Icewind Dale and had a population of just over 125 people. It is known as being the "first choice" for rogues seeking a refuge in Icewind Dale. This northernmost town is surrounded by the Lonelywood Forest, with Maer Dualdon on the west side and the Bryn Shander Trail on the east.

Lonelywood is a quiet town of loggers, fishers, and scrimshanders scratching out a living on the very edge of the civilized world. Roughly half of Lonelywood’s able-bodied residents trawl the lake for knucklehead trout, while most of the others spend their days in the forest felling and hewing the trees that are used to construct boats and buildings throughout Ten-Towns.

Lonelywood attracts the region’s shadiest element, from unrepentant thieves to cold-hearted killers, looking to start a new life. Despite its attraction to criminals and miscreants, Lonelywood is curiously calm and law-abiding, though the infrequent breaches of the peace tend to be exceedingly sharp and violent. The realities of survival demand that the residents live and work together, and not dwell on minor slights or historical grudges. A visitor can make many friends here but would be wise not to dredge up the dark deeds of anyone’s past in this small town.

By 1351 DR, Lonelywood consisted of mere several dozens of low wooden cabins and inhabited for people who wanted to disappear from other parts of the world, a place where "the rogues of rogues hid out".

The Lonelywood Forest is rich with fir trees, allowing Lonelywood to be the main producer of lumber in Icewind Dale. The trees from Lonelywood were used to build all structures across the Ten Towns. The timber gets carted from Lonelywood to Termalaine or Targos, and occasionally, to Bryn Shander. The town maintained insignificant fishing fleet, easily overshadowed by all nine of other neighboring towns.

Lonelywood's spirit of community is strong. A successful hunter is bound to share their catch, beyond one full meal a day, equally among the inhabitants of the town. Small in size, lacking in walls, Lonelywood, along with Termalaine, were two of the most raided towns of Ten Towns and gladly accepted aid from their neighbors during the times of strife.

As of the Year of the Weeping Wives, 1232 DR, there were no settlements north of Termalaine. The land surrounding the Lonely Wood held nothing more than several logging camps and trapper huts. The town truly was born with the construction of the famous Whistling Gallows Inn. Soon after, houses started appearing around the inn, and more people started settling in the secluded northernmost town. Only shortly before the Year of the Cold Soul, 1281 DR, Lonelywood was recognized by the council of the Icewind Dale.

It is believed that Lonelywood's very humble growth and development is caused by the rise of the barbarian king Wylfdene, who united the Uthgardt tribes of the Bear, the Elk, and the Great Whale to drive the southern peoples of the Ten-Towns away from Icewind Dale in 1281 DR. Without the military campaign that is centered around Lonelywood that stood in front of the encroaching army, the town would've likely never become anything more than a scant collection of secluded huts.

By the Year of the Griffon, 1312 DR, Lonelywood was an establishment town with its own landmark – the Whistling Gallows. A tradition was born among those who stayed at the inn to carve their names into the huge old tree that grew outside the establishment.

Notable Locations
• The Ramshackle Inn
• The Speaker's House
• The Golden Lodge
• The Happy Scrimshander
• Pavel's Used Goods
• The Lucky Liar
• The Whistling Gallows

Noteable People
• Emmerich Hawk

Before Drizzt Do'Urden journeyed to Icewind Dale, Regis was the "leader" of the town, but in 1351 DR after Wulfgar's people raided Ten Towns, Regis retired as council spokesman, although the city continued to use him to "market" the town. Even after his move to Mithral Hall, he maintained a home there for some time.

Following the barbarian attack on the Ten Towns, Lonelywood's population increased dramatically, unlike its neighbors. The town welcomed the influx of inhabitants and even promoted itself as the "Home of the Halfling Hero". This rise to prominence managed to shake the town's reputation of being a roguish town.

Regional Locations
• Lonelywood Forest

Muldoon became the next town spokesman in 1351 DR. He is originally from Waterdeep, but came to Lonelywood with his father when his father was kicked out of Waterdeep (although he later returned). Muldoon became a successful merchant and council spokesman.

Caer-Dineval The Time of Troubles & Era of Upheaval We would like to welcome you to our homebrewed Forgotten Realms campaign setting. Inspired By Ed Greenwood

Caer-Dineval (pronounced: /kɛər ˈdɪnɛvɔːl/ kair DIN-eh-vawl) was one of the towns of Ten Towns of Icewind Dale with a population of 250 people and was governed by Jensin Brent. Caer-Dineval was located on the northwestern bank of Lac Dinneshere, not far south of Caer-Konig.

It was situated in a half-circle around Knucklehead Harbor, with the Caer castle overlooking the harbor from the Cliffs of Dinev in the east.

The two towns of Caer-Dineval and Caer-Konig had an agreement to share fishing rights, but nevertheless squabbled over fishing territory.

The Dinev family, displaced from their home in Cormyr, originally built the castle in the 1050 DR, hoping to claim all of Icewind Dale for themselves. They abandoned it eight years later in 1058 DR due to an orc siege that eliminated the town's population, either by death or by forcing them to flee. The Dinevs starved after three weeks inside their home and were too weak to fight back when the orcs got inside. A decade later, the castle was retaken from the orcs by the ancestors of the current townsfolk.

By the Year of the Worm, 1356 DR, young Jensin Brent had become the councilman of the town. As spokesman, he lived in the Caer and greedily defended fishing rights against Caer-Konig.

Notable Locations
• The Caer
• The Uphill Climb
• Ruined Watchtower
• Warehouse

Good Mead The Time of Troubles & Era of Upheaval We would like to welcome you to our homebrewed Forgotten Realms campaign setting. Inspired By Ed Greenwood

Good Mead was one of the smaller of the Ten Towns of Icewind Dale with a population of 150 and was overseen by Elrick Vendran. It sat on the northwestern shore of Redwaters, south of the Eastway trade road. Two roads extended out from Good Mead, one that went southwest to Dougan's Hole and another one northeast to Easthaven.

While Good Mead's economy was originally based on the fishing of knucklehead trout from nearby Redwaters lake, by the mid-14th century DR they received little profit from their catches. As a whole, the town focused on brewing their famous mead, that they sold in the merchant town of Bryn Shander.

For many years, Good Mead and Dougan's Hole enjoyed a healthy rivalry with each other.

Notable Locations
• Mead Hall
• Shrine of the Flaming Sword

Kelvin's Cairn The Time of Troubles & Era of Upheaval We would like to welcome you to our homebrewed Forgotten Realms campaign setting. Inspired By Ed Greenwood

Kelvin's Cairn was a mountain in Icewind Dale. Kelvin's Cairn was a free-standing 1,000‑foot-tall (300‑meter) mountain fronted by a river valley about as deep as the mountain was high. The mountain top remained covered in snow year-round. The mountain was the only peak within a thousand square miles.

Stretching south-south-west for several miles from the south face of the Cairn is a deep trench known locally as the Dwarven Valley. It consisted mostly of underground mining tunnels and relatively austere living quarters made from expended mining tunnels.

Bruenor's Climb was a 15‑foot-high (4.6‑meter) column of stone that offered a vantage point over Termalaine and Maer Dualdon. It was a favorite place of reflection of Bruenor Battlehammer and Drizzt Do'Urden. It was located 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) south of Kelvin's Cairn, on the east bank of the valley. The Climb was destroyed in 1356 DR but the dwarves reconstructed it in Bruenor's honour.

The spot where Aegis-fang was forged was tucked up against the southern flank of the mountain's base at the northernmost point of the valley. Viewed as a sacred place by the dwarves, many have visited the site to forge their own masterworks. The main method of ingress to the valley was a natural switchback at the base of the Cairn's southern face. It was also used by the dwarves as a choke-point against attacks from marauding orcs or reghedmen.

Above the Dwarven Valley on the south face of the Cairn was a covered cave entrance that was once an outpost for the dwarves but had since been overrun. Orcs, bandits and giants have used the cave as a fortified lair over the years, but it was known among the Ten Towns as the Verbeeg Lair after a famous battle with Biggrin's verbeeg who were using it as a lair in 1356 DR.

Reghedmen legend held that Tempos defeated the frost giant Kelvin in this spot and gouged out the rocks here and piled them on top of his corpse. Many mining tunnels in the Dwarven Valley had to be collapsed when the army of Akar Kessel attacked in 1356 DR and it was atop the Cairn that Akar Kessel conjured up fiery magic with Crenshinibon, subsequently melting the ice and snow around him, which caused an avalanche. Most of the Dwarven Valley was abandoned when the location of Mithral Hall was rediscovered but some of the dwarves who'd left for the Hall returned to their homes beneath the Cairn.

The Dwarven Valley was of course home to dwarves. Specifically, dwarves of Clan Battlehammer, led by Bruenor Battlehammer. From underneath this vale, the dwarves mined iron and forged it into well-crafted weapons and armor that were then sold in Bryn Shander, located at the other end of the valley.

Drizzt Do'Urden, upon arriving in Icewind Dale, was told by Cassius to go to Kelvin's Cairn. He set up his sparse home in a cave on the mountain's barren north face.

Wild beasts were often found on and around the mountain, including verbeeg, yetis and Remorhaz. Verbeeg were especially fond of making their dens in the rocky cliff faces.